ESPN's 2026 survey of NFL insiders ranks Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts outside the top 10, a notable drop from the year before. The poll, run by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, gathers votes from more than 70 league executives, coaches and scouts to rank the best quarterbacks, and Hurts landed at roughly No.
17 this year. For a research-panel audience used to reading surveys, this is a clean example of how a small, expert respondent pool can move a well-known name several spots in a single year. Below, we break down the numbers, the method, and what a poll like this can and cannot tell you.
Official resource:
- ESPN 2026 top-10 QB survey (primary source) — Use this primary source to verify the official guidance.
Table of Contents
- What the survey actually found
- How far did Hurts fall?
- How the survey is built
- Why voters cooled on Hurts
- What a reader should take from it
- Frequently Asked Questions
What the survey actually found
Hurts did not make the top 10 in ESPN's 2026 quarterback survey. According to the full voting order Fowler shared, the list ran Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Drake Maye, Jared Goff and Caleb Williams in the top 10. Hurts appears further down, behind names like Sam Darnold, Jayden Daniels, Jordan Love, Brock Purdy and Baker Mayfield.
Fowler's posted voting tiers place Hurts around 17th overall. At the top, Allen displaced Mahomes for No. 1 for the first time, and reigning MVP Stafford surged into the second tier, per ESPN. That reshuffle at the top helps explain how the middle of the list shifted too.
How far did Hurts fall?
The drop stands out because Hurts ranked No. 9 in the 2025 version of the same survey, according to PhillyVoice's report. Moving from ninth to roughly 17th is a large swing for one year.
He was not alone. PhillyVoice notes that Hurts, Baker Mayfield and Jayden Daniels all held top-10 spots in 2025 but fell out in 2026, while Dak Prescott, Drake Maye and Caleb Williams moved in to replace them. So the change reflects both Hurts sliding and other quarterbacks climbing. In a fixed 10-slot list, every new entrant pushes someone else out.
How the survey is built
This is a poll of insiders, not a formula based on on-field statistics. Fowler collects opinions from more than 70 executives, coaches and scouts, then compiles their rankings into a single order. That design has strengths and limits.
The respondents watch film and evaluate players for a living, which adds expertise a fan poll lacks. But their answers are still subjective judgments, shaped by recent memory, personal preferences and small sample sizes. For readers who study survey methods, a few features matter here:.
- The panel is small and specialized, so a handful of votes can move a ranking several spots.
- Responses are opinions, not measured outcomes, so results reflect perception.
- Recency effects are strong, since a recent playoff exit can weigh heavily.
- There is no published margin, so exact placement should be read as approximate.
Why voters cooled on Hurts
The context behind the drop is on-field. Bleeding Green Nation attributes it to an inconsistent regular season and a first-round playoff exit for the Eagles. Yet the poll is not unanimous scorn.
One voter's blurb stayed positive, citing "the Super Bowl credentials, the intangibles and the toughness," per PhillyVoice. That mix shows how a single ranking can flatten a range of differing opinions into one number. It also runs against parts of Hurts's recent résumé. As Yardbarker notes, Hurts won Super Bowl LIX MVP in February 2025 and threw a career-high 25 touchdowns the prior season.
What a reader should take from it
Treat this ranking as a snapshot of expert sentiment at one moment, not a verdict on ability. It tells you how a specific group felt this summer, and little more.
If you want to judge the finding yourself, read the primary source rather than a headline. The full ESPN survey write-up includes the voter comments and tier explanations that a single number leaves out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where exactly did Hurts rank?
Fowler's posted voting order places him around 17th overall, behind quarterbacks like Baker Mayfield and Trevor Lawrence.
Who votes in the ESPN survey?
More than 70 NFL executives, coaches and scouts submit rankings that Fowler compiles into one list.
Does the ranking use statistics?
No. It reflects subjective opinions from insiders, not a metric built from on-field performance data.
