Rankings show Andrew Luck still considered a top-ten quarterback

The offseason is the time of year where ranking reign supreme. We see all sorts of lists ranking the best coaches, players, quarterbacks, teams, offseason moves, and more, and we've covered a lot of them so far. There's often no ranking that generates more debate than quarterbacks, however, and recently there have been several.

These rankings reveal first and foremost that there's really no consensus when it comes to quarterbacks. The closest we might come to having a consensus is Aaron Rodgers at number one, but even then there are plenty who would disagree with that.

These rankings also show us something else, however: Andrew Luck is still regarded as a top-ten quarterback. For all of the criticism he's received and for as bad as his 2015 season was, he's still considered by many to be in that top-ten range.

First, let's look at CBS Sports' Pete Prisco's rankings at the position. He recently released his ranking of the top 100 players in the NFL, so while it's not exclusively quarterbacks, it features 14 of them on the list. Here's the top ten quarterbacks (with the overall ranking in parenthesis).

1 (1). Aaron Rodgers, Packers

2 (5). Tom Brady, Patriots

3 (7). Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers

4 (12). Cam Newton, Panthers

5 (38). Carson Palmer, Cardinals

6 (43). Drew Brees, Saints

7 (44). Andrew Luck, Colts

8 (45). Russell Wilson, Seahawks

9 (61). Phillip Rivers, Chargers

10 (83). Eli Manning, Giants

Here's what Prisco had to say about Luck being ranked 44th overall:

His 2015 was a disaster. He started slow and then was injured twice, the last one knocking him out for the season. Luck had 15 touchdown passes in his seven games, which projects to just over 34 in a 16-game schedule, so he wasn't nearly as bad as the experts portrayed. He is still a top-level quarterback and should bounce back this season.

Another ranking worth looking at is from the newly-launched The Ringer, where Kevin Clark and Robert Mays recently listed their top ten quarterbacks on a podcast. Let's take a look at their rankings (via Field Gulls).

First, here are Clark's rankings:

1. Russell Wilson, Seahawks

2. Tom Brady, Patriots

3. Cam Newton, Panthers

4. Carson Palmer, Cardinals

5. Andy Dalton, Bengals

6. Aaron Rodgers, Packers

7. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers

8. Drew Brees, Saints

9. Andrew Luck, Colts

10. Tyrod Taylor, Bills

Clark's list obviously contains some shockers. Russell Wilson first overall? Andy Dalton in the top five ahead of Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, and Drew Brees? Tyrod Taylor in the top ten? Aaron Rodgers number six? I think it's safe to say that many people would especially disagree with Clark's rankings, but they're discussion points nonetheless.

Here are Mays' rankings:

1. Aaron Rodgers, Packers

2. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers

3. Tom Brady, Patriots

4. Cam Newton, Panthers

5. Russell Wilson, Seahawks

6. Philip Rivers, Chargers

7. Andrew Luck, Colts

8. Drew Brees, Saints

9. Carson Palmer, Cardinals

10. Tony Romo, Cowboys

Eight quarterbacks made all three lists, with the other two spots on each list varying quite a bit. But it says quite a bit that Andrew Luck was one of those eight quarterbacks included on each list, along with the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Cam Newton, Carson Palmer, Drew Brees, and Russell Wilson. That's not bad company whatsoever, and what it tells us is that for all of the criticism Luck has received the Colts' quarterback is still highly-regarded.

He had a very rough 2015 season in which he turned the football over 13 times in seven games and missed nine games due to injury, but in the three years before that he was a very good player. It's nice to see him get some recognition, even if it is in something as meaningless as these offseason rankings.