The NFL's 5 Best Deep-Ball Quarterbacks From 2016
1. Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Passing NEP per Attempt: 1.08 | Success Rate: 50.63%
Tom Brady may have five rings weighing down his upper body, but it didn't stop him from slanging sauciness all over the field when the New England Patriots went deep.
Despite playing in his age-39 season, Brady led all quarterbacks in Passing NEP per attempt on throws at least 16 yards downfield at 1.08. His Success Rate wasn't quite as high as Ryan's, but the completions he did make packed a punch.
What may make Brady's mark even more impressive was how high it was despite struggles in connecting deep with Julian Edelman. Brady threw 27 deep passes in Edelman's direction during the regular season, and Edelman caught just eight of them for a 29.63% Success Rate. His 0.28 Passing NEP per attempt when targeting Edelman was startlingly low.
Brady fully compensated for this with his marks when targeting either Chris Hogan and Rob Gronkowski. Check out their marks in comparison to Edelman in games that Brady started.
| On Deep Passes | Targets | Passing NEP per Attempt | Success Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Julian Edelman | 27 | 0.28 | 29.63% |
| Chris Hogan | 17 | 1.93 | 70.59% |
| Rob Gronkowski | 14 | 1.79 | 64.29% |
How good would this offense have been if Gronk had stayed healthy?
Even in Gronkowski's absence, Hogan came to play. He had four more receptions than Edelman on deep passes despite seeing 10 fewer targets. This is what you'd expect given their respective roles, but it's still jaw-dropping to see how good Hogan was down the field.
Eventually, you'd assume Brady's arm strength would fall off, and he'd lose these sick deep-ball abilities. But it hasn't happened yet, and we've gotten no indication that it's coming soon. Based on at least 2016, the king will stay the king until further notice.
