When it comes to having young, exciting players at quarterback, the NFL is in good hands.
Deshaun Watson, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and Dak Prescott each have shown the potential to be among the league's best for years to come. Watson and Jackson, in particular, have been in the MVP conversation this year -- one year after Mahomes won the award.
All four QBs have faced or will face the Patriots this season. Jackson helped the Ravens hand New England its lone loss, while Prescott fell just short of a victory in Week 12.
Watson will get his turn this coming Sunday, then Mahomes will look to get revenge after losing to the Patriots in last season's AFC Championship Game.
So out of those four talented QBs, which would be the best to build a team around? Former Pats backup QB Matt Cassel made his pick on the latest episode of Tom E. Curran's Patriots Talk Podcast, and it wasn't an easy choice.
"I really do love Deshaun. I also love Mahomes as well. Those two are at the top of my list," Cassel told Curran. "Dak would be No. 4 on that list. Lamar is No. 3 but I could easily move him up. Because if you're drafting, from that organizational standpoint, you've got to have the personnel to do it. So you have to have those pieces of the puzzle together and have an idea of what you want to do. If you have that, then Lamar would fit your system. But I don't know if everyone has that unique personnel that Baltimore has.
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"And then between Deshaun and Mahomes, I like Deshaun ... I like his leadership, I like the way he carries himself. His offensive line has been 'eh' at times and he makes that team so much better. He's been outstanding. I really just like the way he plays the game."
Bill Belichick said it himself, Watson presents a "big challenge" for this Patriots defense in Week 13. Like Jackson, he's a dual-threat who can put up points in a hurry. It's interesting to note, though, that Jackson's Ravens blew out Watson's Texans 41-7 in their Nov. 17 matchup.
Curran and Cassel also discuss the Patriots win over the Cowboys, the challenges the Texans pose for Sunday's game, and the difficulty of preparing for a matchup during Thanksgiving week.
Listen below (Watson vs. Jackson talk begins at 28:08 mark):
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