SUPERCHARGED

JUSTIN HERBERT IS RISING TO THE TOP OF THE MOST TALENTED ROOKIE CLASS IN YEARS.

Justin Herbert was a three-star recruit as the 26th-ranked pro-style high school quarterback in the 2016 class. He grew up in Eugene, Oregon, 10 minutes from the Oregon Ducks’ home stadium. He signed with his hometown team, and a few weeks into the 2016 season, was was named the starting quarterback. Herbert was the first true freshman starter at quarterback for Oregon since 1983. A er missing half of his sophomore season with a broken leg, he was the full-time starter his junior season passing for more than 3,000 yards and 29 touchdowns. In his senior year, Herbert led the Ducks to a 12-2 record, a Pac-12 championship, and a Rose Bowl win as the game’s MVP. He also completed 66.8 percent of his passes for 3,471 yards and accounted for 36 touchdowns. Herbert threw 1,293 passes in his college career. He built a reputation with gamewinning clutch performances, topped off by his 30-yard touchdown run to beat Wisconsin 28-27 in the Rose Bowl. It was his third touchdown run of the night, showing off his underrated athleticism for a 6-6, 235-pound quarterback. Herbert quickly shot up NFL dra boards, especially a er the Combine where he had the second-highest score on the Wonderlic test, which is an increasingly valued metric for quarterbacks. It wasn’t much of a surprise considering Herbert was an Academic All-American with a 4.01 gradepoint average (on a 4.3 scale).

As the third quarterback dra ed and the sixth-overall pick, Herbert could run away with Offensive Rookie of the Year. Even though top overall pick Joe Burrow has started for Cincinnati since Week 1, and Tua Tagovailoa (the fi h pick) has been named the starter in Miami, Herbert is playing like a veteran. And the Chargers are not treating him like a typical rookie. He’s shown veteran-like ability to avoid pressure inside the pocket, hit receivers in stride, and make tight throws. Herbert was named the starter in Week 2 a er a bizarre accident to starter Tyrod Taylor. Even though his career started 0-4, the losses were by an average of 4.25 points before he finally got his first win over the Jaguars in Week 7. In three October games, Herbert went 67-of-102 for 901 yards, 10 touchdowns and one interception with a 122.2 passer rating. He’s also rushed for 142 yards and two scores so far this season. He is the first quarterback in NFL history with more than 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns in the first six starts. Even though he didn’t play in Week 1, Herbert is on pace for 4,550 yards, 37 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. ose projected totals would have ranked among the top five passers last season. Just like in college, Herbert is excelling in critical situations, and the Chargers are putting a ton of trust in him. He’s averaging 38 passes a game, which rank fourth in the league. In third-and-long situations (7 yards or more), Herbert has five touchdowns, no interceptions and a near-perfect 150.3 passer rating. “Fortunately for Herbert, he’s finally been unleashed, and we’re all witnessing the benefits of the reins being removed from such an inherently talented quarterback,” a CBS article said about Herbert’s place in the offense. Herbert follows nearly 20 years of Drew Brees and Philip Rivers as Chargers quarterbacks. Rivers amassed nearly 60,000 passing yards and 400 touchdowns. He took the Chargers to 11 postseason games but never reached the Super Bowl. A er nine weeks of this most unusual 2020 NFL season, the Chargers ranked eighth in rushing yards per game, dividing carries among Joshua Kelley, Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson. In seven games, none had 300 yards rushing, and the rushing attack was averag

ing just 4.1 yards per carry. Ekeler was the leading runner but missed games due to a hamstring injury. So, even though the offense has a decent rushing attack, Herbert certainly doesn’t have a game-breaking runner in the backfield. In such a deep rookie class, collectors have a ton of options, but quarterbacks always draw the most attention. Tagovailoa got a late start, so the rookie QB race likely will remain between Burrow and Herbert. None are likely to make the playoffs. Not that collectors have to choose just one, but as more products release, prices could shoot up for higher-valued brands. For now, Herbert’s top-end Rookie Cards are nearing or at the value of Burrow’s comparable cards. We’ll take a look at 10 of his hottest cards on the market ranging from non-autographed basic options, autographed patch cards and even rare case hits.