QB Index: Where's Texans Davis Mills Rank?

Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills is among the top-half of quarterbacks from the 2021 season

HOUSTON -- Is rookie Davis Mills the next franchise quarterback for the Houston Texans? Come back after the 2022 season to find the answer to that question. 

Mills, the 67th pick in the 2021 draft, impressed enough down the stretch to warrant a second stint as Houston's starter. Early mishaps eventually led to then-coach David Culley turning the ball back over to veteran Tyrod Taylor when healthy. 

Was the four-game success story at the season's end nothing more than a fluke? 

NFL.com recently graded all 62 quarterbacks who started at least one game in 2021. Mills, who ended up starting 11 of the team's 17 games, finished No. 31 overall, surpassing names such as Jacksonville Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence (No. 32), Carolina Panthers' Sam Darnold (No. 42), and New York Jets' Zach Wilson (No. 43). 

All of this means, of course, that Deshaun Watson didn't get ranked at all.

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© Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

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Mills outplaying the top-three picks in the 2021 draft as a rookie is either a sign of great things to come or will look insane in a decade. The floor on Mills has definitely been raised; he's an NFL quarterback and possibly a starter. The ceiling is also intriguing, because his physical gifts are obvious. This is not Mike Glennon. - Gregg Rosenthal 

Mills set the Texans' franchise rookie record in passing yards with 2,664. He threw 16 touchdowns against 10 interceptions while completing 66.8 percent of his passes and finishing the year with an 88.8 passer rating. 

All five numbers ranked higher than every rookie quarterback except for New England Patriots' starter Mac Jones, who played in 18 games, including the postseason. If that's not enough, Mills also went 2-3 in the final five games and finished three games with over 300 passing yards.

Jones, who was selected 15th overall, finished ranked 16th among all quarterbacks. Chicago Bears rookie Justin Fields, who only played in 12 games and posted lower numbers in every category besides rushing yards, ranked No. 28 overall. 

The reason? Upside with new coach Matt Eberflus.

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The tools are there. He ran more than expected, and his deep accuracy came as advertised. Missing five starts down the stretch was disappointing, but he's going to be learning a new offense in 2022 anyhow. Wasting a year with Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace was predictable, but I'm just as high on Fields now as I was on draft day. - Rosenthal

Mills is a work in progress. One season isn't enough to decide if one can build around the quarterback, let alone 11 games. There's enough potential there, however, to continue to see if the spark late last year Mills showed can translate over to a new year.