NFLMocks’ 5 for 5: 2023 NFL Draft Sleepers, NFL MVP Favorites, and More!

Headline #4: NFL MVP Favorites

•No. 1: Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)

Full disclosure, with the Philadelphia Eagles being undefeated in such a dominant fashion, Jalen Hurts probably wins the NFL MVP if voting took place today. I don’t believe that he’s been the best player in the league through three weeks, though.

That honor belongs to 2019 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson. The Ravens should be undefeated as well, if not for a complete collapse by their defense in the fourth quarter of their week two contest against the Miami Dolphins. Jackson tossed three touchdowns and eclipsed 100 yards on the ground that game.

He did the same thing in week three against the New England Patriots, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to produce such numbers in back-to-back weeks. Want more?

Jackson has more total touchdowns than any other team in the NFL. He is fourth in the NFL in rushing yards. Jackson is on pace for 4,300+ passing yards, 1,300+ rushing yards, 56 passing touchdowns, and 11 rushing touchdowns.

Unless the team turns things around on defense, Lamar Jackson is going to be forced to continue putting up these jaw-dropping numbers to elevate his team to the postseason. If he succeeds, it should result in his second MVP award. Pay that man!

•No. 2: Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles)

As stated in the prior section, Jalen Hurts is more than qualified to be the NFL MVP in 2022. He is leading a well-oiled machine and doing it at the highest level that he’s ever shown on the gridiron, even dating back to his college days at Alabama and Oklahoma.

Hurts played well last year and led the Eagles to the playoffs in year one as the full-time starter, so perhaps this shouldn’t come as a surprise to see where Philly is right now. That being said, Hurts has greatly improved as a passer since 2021.

A large part of that can be chalked up to the increased confidence that Hurts has shown in 2022. The ball comes out of his hand differently this year, with much more touch and intentionality behind each throw. He’s also been keeping his eyes downfield frequently, allowing for big gains from his pass catchers.

The Eagles look like the team to beat in the NFC and that is unlikely to change barring any major injuries to the roster. General manager Howie Roseman put together a roster that’s ready to win right now, and the bet he made on Jalen Hurts is looking like a brilliant roll of the dice. Hurts is aiming for a monster extension if his elite level of play continues.

•No. 3: Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins)

Continuing a trend from the first two entries on this list, Tua Tagovailoa is yet another quarterback on his rookie deal that’s showing out as the starter in 2022. Similar to his former Alabama teammate, Tagovailoa’s improvement has come in droves since the Dolphins selected him in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The most popular joke on Twitter all offseason centered around Tua Tagovailoa’s inability to throw the ball downfield. The social media mob got a fresh slate of ammunition when Miami traded for Tyreek Hill, resulting in memes for days about Tagovailoa’s lack of arm strength.

He’s gone on to shut down this speculation and it’s been weeks since I last saw a negative Tagovailoa meme on Twitter. The lefty is playing like a souped-up version of what Kyle Shanahan has with Jimmy Garappolo. Dolphins rookie head coach Mike McDaniel is a protege of Shanahan, so no surprise there.

Tagovailoa has shown zero trouble getting the ball to his speedy wide receivers, consistently hitting Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle on quick hitters and deep balls downfield. Tua came out on top against Josh Allen Sunday, but the two are likely to jockey for position in the AFC East down to the last week. The winner of the division might lay claim to the MVP award.

•No. 4: Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)

Josh Allen threw the pigskin 63 times on Sunday in the Bills’ war with their divisional rival Miami Dolphins. As great as Allen is, and as much as this opens the door for video game numbers, this is not a sustainable thing for the quarterback to deal with all season.

More balance would have helped Allen save some energy in the tank on a scorching hot day in Miami. In the fourth quarter, it became blatantly obvious that Allen had expended all of his energy. He uncharacteristically left passes short and had a noticeable lack of burst when moving around inside and outside the pocket.

Still, Allen completed two-thirds of those pass attempts, recording 447 total yards and two touchdowns on the day. He is on pace for the best season in Buffalo Bills history and is the most likely name to fly up this list in the coming weeks. The Bills dropped a tough game against the Dolphins, but Sean McDermott’s experienced squad knows that it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

•No. 5: Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs)

Patrick Mahomes can be compared to LeBron James when it comes to MVP voting. He only has one MVP and one All-Pro first-team in his career, with both coming in 2018. Taking nothing away from Aaron Rodgers, Mahomes had a case to be named MVP in each of the past two seasons.

Voter fatigue is a real thing, and even though Mahomes has been the best quarterback in the NFL since assuming the role as a starter, the accolades don’t back that up for the former Texas Tech Red Raider. Following the Tyreek Hill trade, Mahomes has been given a chance to prove that his success wasn’t a byproduct of Hill.

So far, so good for Mahomes on that front. He’s looked every bit as good as years prior, if not better. Losing Hill has actually made Mahomes a more efficient quarterback, as he’s been more willing to take check downs and hit the “easy” throws over the middle.

The loss to Indianapolis hurts because Mahomes performed poorly, but with his track record and mythical arm talent, he’s going to have ample opportunity to prove it was merely an outlier. I’ve come to find that it is not wise to bet against Patrick Mahomes.