Quarterback Deep Ball Leaders
Quarterback Deep Ball — 2020 NFL leaders, updated Sep 30, 2026. Nick Mullens (SF) led the league in deep-ball expected points added per attempt at 1.38, ahead of 35 other qualifying players. Based on verified 2020 play-by-play data (nflverse); Half-PPR scoring. Through the 2020 season.
A deep ball is defined by where it was aimed, not by where it ended up: 20 or more air yards past the line of scrimmage, caught, dropped or overthrown. That is why the split is worth its own page. A completion rate near 50 percent down here is excellent where the same number on a full passing line would be alarming, and the expected-points column is the one that settles arguments, because a deep incompletion costs an offense almost nothing while a deep completion is often the whole drive. Read the rate column last: how often a quarterback goes deep is mostly his coordinator's decision, and it belongs next to how well it went rather than inside it.
| # | Player | Deep Att | Deep Cmp% | EPA/Att | Deep Yds | Deep Rate | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Mullens | 20 | 65.0% | 1.38 | 390 | 6.1% | |
| 2 | Ryan Fitzpatrick | 20 | 60.0% | 1.35 | 401 | 7.4% | |
| 3 | Dak Prescott | 28 | 53.6% | 1.15 | 508 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Derek Carr | 63 | 46.0% | 1.05 | 1,128 | 12.2% | |
| 5 | Aaron Rodgers | 78 | 43.6% | 0.98 | 1,288 | 14.8% | |
| 6 | Deshaun Watson | 62 | 50.0% | 0.91 | 1,049 | 11.3% | |
| 7 | Drew Brees | 18 | 44.4% | 0.87 | 261 | 4.6% | |
| 8 | Daniel Jones | 40 | 45.0% | 0.75 | 617 | 8.9% | |
| 9 | Teddy Bridgewater | 54 | 44.4% | 0.73 | 869 | 10.9% | |
| 10 | Justin Herbert | 65 | 36.9% | 0.66 | 939 | 10.9% | |
| 11 | Matthew Stafford | 65 | 40.0% | 0.61 | 878 | 12.2% | |
| 12 | Patrick Mahomes | 71 | 36.6% | 0.56 | 877 | 12.0% | |
| 13 | Josh Allen | 67 | 43.3% | 0.56 | 884 | 11.7% | |
| 14 | Philip Rivers | 50 | 44.0% | 0.55 | 683 | 9.2% | |
| 15 | Baker Mayfield | 58 | 44.8% | 0.55 | 799 | 11.9% | |
| 16 | Cam Newton | 28 | 53.6% | 0.50 | 437 | 7.6% | |
| 17 | Lamar Jackson | 45 | 37.8% | 0.48 | 564 | 11.9% | |
| 18 | Alex Smith | 25 | 36.0% | 0.46 | 322 | 9.9% | |
| 19 | Kyler Murray | 69 | 39.1% | 0.45 | 982 | 12.3% | |
| 20 | Ryan Tannehill | 39 | 30.8% | 0.44 | 500 | 8.1% | |
| 21 | Tom Brady | 94 | 37.2% | 0.43 | 1,193 | 15.4% | |
| 22 | Kirk Cousins | 59 | 40.7% | 0.38 | 763 | 11.3% | |
| 23 | Russell Wilson | 64 | 34.4% | 0.36 | 875 | 11.4% | |
| 24 | Ben Roethlisberger | 67 | 31.3% | 0.31 | 672 | 10.9% | |
| 25 | Gardner Minshew | 34 | 41.2% | 0.30 | 424 | 10.3% | |
| 26 | Matt Ryan | 79 | 40.5% | 0.28 | 955 | 12.6% | |
| 27 | Tua Tagovailoa | 31 | 38.7% | 0.23 | 314 | 10.6% | |
| 28 | Carson Wentz | 54 | 31.5% | 0.21 | 627 | 12.2% | |
| 29 | Nick Foles | 44 | 38.6% | 0.19 | 502 | 14.1% | |
| 30 | Drew Lock | 64 | 26.6% | 0.04 | 635 | 14.3% | |
| 31 | Joe Burrow | 46 | 19.6% | -0.05 | 293 | 11.4% | |
| 32 | Sam Darnold | 38 | 26.3% | -0.13 | 273 | 10.4% | |
| 33 | Jared Goff | 49 | 26.5% | -0.14 | 416 | 8.9% | |
| 34 | Andy Dalton | 29 | 27.6% | -0.17 | 286 | 8.7% | |
| 35 | Mitchell Trubisky | 30 | 23.3% | -0.33 | 193 | 10.1% | |
| 36 | Dwayne Haskins | 23 | 13.0% | -0.68 | 99 | 9.5% |
Other seasons
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More leaderboards
- Rushing Yards Over Expected
- Target Share
- Running Back Receiving Efficiency
- Completion Percentage Over Expected
- Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt
- Quarterback Pressure Rate
- Defensive Blitz Rate
- Quarterbacks vs Man and Zone Coverage
- Pass Rate Over Expected
- Clean-Core Rating
- Usage vs Production
- Team Expected Points Added
- Quarterback EPA per Dropback
- QB Composite Rating
- Air Yards Share
- Stacked Box Rate
- Regression Flags
- Weighted Opportunity Rating
- Snap Share
- Pass-Snap Share
- Receiving Yards per Pass Snap
- Availability
- Tight End Receiving Efficiency
- Tight End Average Depth of Target
- Stat Stickiness
- Play-Action Rate
- Pre-Snap Motion Rate
- Drop Rate
- Contested Catch Rate
- Interception-Worthy Throw Rate
- Quarterback-Fault Sack Rate
- Quarterback Intended Air Yards
- Team Air Yards and Passing Volume
- Receiver Separation and Cushion
- Wide Receiver Receiving Efficiency
- Team Success Rate and Explosive Play Rate
- Goal-Line Usage
- Team Pace
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