Ranking the Top 5 Oregon QBs in the NFL ft. Marcus Mariota, Dan Fouts, and more
The Oregon Ducks are currently being led by one of the best signal-callers they've had in recent memory, Bo Nix, who is currently on the watchlist for the coveted Heisman Trophy. Nix currently has 1796 rushing yards, with 17 touchdown passes and one interception. His 80.7 QBR is the 10th best in the nation.
Nix's current success with the Ducks has made us think about the best quarterbacks that have come out of Eugene. While most of the success for Oregon has come in recent years, especially with Marcus Mariota in the mid 2010s, there are other important quarterbacks to have donned the Ducks jersey and today we'll be taking a look at them.
Here's our list of the top five Ducks signal-callers who have successfully made the jump to the NFL.
Top 5 Oregon QBs in the NFL
#5 Dennis Dixon- Pittsburgh Steelers
With the Ducks, Dennis Dixon was a two-time receiver of All-Pac-12 honors and the 2007 Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year. He was drafted by the Steelers and won one Super Bowl as a third-string quarterback in 2008. As the Raven's practice squad quarterback in 2013, he won another Super Bowl.
#4 Marcus Mariota- Tennessee Titans/Atlanta Falcons
Marcus Mariota took the Ducks to their first-ever national title game and brought them their first Heisman Trophy. Mariota was selected by the Titans with the second overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft and was their starter until 2019. He's currently Jalen Hurts backup in Philadelphia and has had stints as a starter for the Falcons and a backup with the Raiders. His NFL record stands at 34-40.
#3 Justin Herbert- Los Angeles Chargers
While Justin Herbert's Oregon career never took off like Mariota's, he surpassed the Heisman winner in his NFL achievements. In 2020, he was the Rose Bowl's MVP and was twice an Academic All-American and an Academic All-Pac-12. He also won the William Campbell Trophy in 2019 for the player with the best academic and on-field performance. He was the sixth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year that same season with the Chargers. In 2021, he earned a Pro Bowl selection.
#2 Dan Fouts- San Diego Chargers
Another Charger, Dan Fouts, is one of two Oregon Ducks players to have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. With the Ducks, he was an All-Pac-8 player in 1972, one of three regular seasons at Eugen. He was a third-round pick by the Chargers in the 1973 NFL Draft and had a legendary career with them. While he never led them to a Super Bowl win, he was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 1982, the PFWA MVP for 1982, earned First-Team All-Pro and Second-Team All-Pro two times and was a six-time Pro Bowl selection.
#1 Norm Van Brocklin- Los Angeles Rams/Philadelphia Eagles
Probably the best player ever to don an Oregon jersey, Norm Van Brocklin led the Ducks to a 16-5 record over two seasons as a starter. In his last season, they were invited to play the Cotton Bowl with SMU, a game they lost. He earned All-American honors and sixth place in the Heisman voting.
Van Brocklin was a fourth-round pick by the Rams in 1949, played with them until 1957 and then joined the Eagles until 1960. He was the NFL's champion twice, in 1951 and 1960, the NFL's MVP in 1960, an All-Pro in 1960, a Second-Team All-Pro three times and a Pro Bowler nine times. He also holds the NFL single-game yardage passing record of 554 yards. He's a member of both the Pro Football and College Football Halls of Fame.