AFC South QB power rankings: Anthony Richardson can ascend to top with strong 2024 season

It wasn't long ago when the AFC South was considered to be one of the worst divisions in the NFL. Well, after three of the four teams finished the 2023 campaign with a winning record, that is no longer the case.

What's helped propel the AFC South to a tougher division is the young quarterbacks who call the division home. Three teams spent an early 2023 draft pick on a quarterback with the Indianapolis Colts selecting Anthony Richardson fourth overall, the Houston Texans grabbing C.J. Stroud two picks prior, and the Tennessee Titans landing Will Levis early in the second round.

Also in the division is Trevor Lawrence, who the Jacksonville Jaguars snagged with the first overall pick in 2021. All four starting quarterbacks in the division are 25 years of age or younger, meaning if all four of them pan out, this division won't have much change at the position for quite some time.

Let's rank the quarterbacks in the division from worst to first.

4. Will Levis

The Titans selected Levis in the second round after he slipped down the draft board. He started nine games during his rookie year and threw for 1,808 yards, eight touchdowns, and four picks while adding one rushing touchdown to his rookie résume.

Levis wasn't necessarily bad as a rookie but he's down here at the bottom because we don't know enough about him and Colts fans are going to stick with Richardson as the better option. The Titans aren't expected to be all that great in 2024 but if Levis ends up being the guy, this division could be a lot of fun to watch with all of the young quarterbacks.

3. Anthony Richardson

While we saw less of Richardson than we did of Levis last season, most NFL fans would say that the more fun and promising quarterback between the two was the Colts signal-caller. Indy spent the fourth overall pick on Richardson, who rose up the draft boards during his final season at Florida.

Richardson was only able to start four games during his rookie campaign after a shoulder injury sidelined him for the rest of the year. In those four starts, Richardson threw for 577 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception while dashing for 136 yards and four scores with his legs.

The potential was absolutely on display from Richardson during his rookie season and Colts fans are eager to see what he can do in Year 2. Hopefully, he can stay healthy.

2. C.J. Stroud

The Texans were bad enough in 2022 to earn the second overall pick in the 2023 draft and that panned out nicely for them. They took Stroud with the second pick and he was phenonmenal as a rookie, throwing for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, and five interceptions in 15 starts.

Stroud also helped lead the Texans to a surprising double-digit win season where they won the AFC South and took down the Browns in the first round of the playoffs. It was not the kind of year people were expecting from the Texans and Stroud played a massive role in the team's rise to the top of the division.

The reason I put Stroud second here is that we've only seen him in action for one year. While he looked great in that one year, the number one option has more film for us to study.

1. Trevor Lawrence

With the first pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Jaguars took all of one second to hand in their draft card that had Trevor Lawrence's name on it. Lawrence was an exceptional quarterback at Clemson and everyone knew he was going first in the 2021 draft.

After a lackluster rookie year, the Jaguars hired Doug Pederson as their head coach and that helped kick things into high gear for Lawrence. He threw for 4,113 yards, 25 touchdowns, and eight interceptions during his second year and the Jags won the AFC South and won a playoff game.

Lawrence's third year was considered a step down but mostly due to injuries. He still threw for over 4,000 yards and had 21 touchdown passes. The 14 interceptions weren't a great stat but unless Stroud or the other two young signal-callers in the division have an incredible year, Lawrence gets the nod as the best quarterback in the AFC South. He had a bounce-back season in Year 2 and still put up decent numbers in what was considered to be a down year for him.