QB No. 9: Russell Wilson

And now we arrive at Seattle's own Russell Wilson. The savior for Seattle sports. Never has this city been this excited about the team's quarterback, certainly not since I've been alive. The tough part about this ranking was to be able to put my bias aside and look at all quarterbacks through the same lens. I love Wilson. There's virtually no one else I'd rather have. That's how big an impression he made during his rookie season.

Wilson's rookie season began slightly differently than Andrew Luck's or RG3's. Wilson found himself in a direct QB competition in camp. In fact, Matt Flynn was seen as the QB for 2012 since the Seahawks paid him in the offseason. But Wilson eventually took the job from both Flynn and Tarvaris Jackson. RG3 and Luck both had the job handed to them in camp. Of course, they were light-years better than their backups. Wilson proceeded to throw for 3,100 yards, 30 total TD, 10 INT, and 489 rushing yards by the end of the year.

The first few weeks were rough however. Pete Carroll treated Wilson like he was a rookie. Limiting the number of throws he made in a game. Limiting part of the playbook, only dialing up simple plays for the young QB. But when the Seahawks were forced to throw more to match Tom Brady in the 6th game of the year, Wilson was up to the task. He threw for 293 yards, 3TD, and 0INT, while leading the Hawks to an upset win.

The real change came in Week 9, when it seemed like the restraints were lifted from Wilson's game. From week 9 on, Wilson threw for 1,600 yards, completing 66.8% of the passes, accounted for 20 total TD, and only threw 2 INT! And most importantly, he led the Seahawks to 7 wins in the final 8 games, and the playoffs. You never know what you're going to get from rookies in the postseason, and Wilson seemed a little overwhelmed in his first game against the Redskins. The stats don't look great from that game, but just the fact that he led them back from a 14-point deficit is impressive enough. The following week against the Falcons probably was Wilson's most impressive performance of the year. In a hostile atmosphere in Atlanta, Wilson threw for 385 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, with 60 rushing yards and a rushing TD. The Seahawks came back from 20 points to take the their first lead with 30 seconds left. Unfortunately, all Seattle fans know the rest.

Regardless, Wilson showed much growth in his full rookie season. He accomplished so much more than normal rookies accomplish. Especially getting to play in two playoff games. I love Wilson for his accuracy, his elusiveness, and most importantly his knoweldge of the game. He seems to be in the same mold as a Peyton Manning. A "football junkie". Someone who endlessly watches game tape and works to get better. I believe his "smarts" alone separate him from fellow rookies Andrew Luck and RG3.

Projections: 4,300 yards, 38 total TD, 13 INT