Russell Wilson not yet a top 12 quarterback says former NFL general manager

May 27, 2014; Renton, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) passes during organized team activities at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
May 27, 2014; Renton, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) passes during organized team activities at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Russell Wilson helped guide the Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl in his second season in the NFL and has been a tremendous leader on and off the field since the club drafted him in the third round out of Wisconsin, but that’s not enough for a former NFL general manager to consider him among the top quarterbacks in the NFL.

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Charley Casserly who was the GM for the Washington Redskins and most recently the Houston Texans before moving to the NFL Network wasn’t kind when ranking the quarterbacks in the league and gave Marshawn Lynch and the stout Seahawks defense the credit for their success.

“I do not consider Russell Wilson a Top 10 quarterback, let alone one who belongs in the top five,” Casserly wrote. “The Seahawks win because they have one of the NFL’s best defenses and an outstanding running back in Marshawn Lynch. Wilson — who I think is a good, but not elite, passer — operates in an offense that takes a lot of pressure off him, meaning the Seahawks don’t have to rely upon his arm to win games.”

Part of what Casserly writes is true. Lynch is one of the top runners in the NFL and the Seahawks have the top defense in the league with Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas arguably the best at their positions, but is Casserly being too harsh in his assessment of Wilson?

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  • The top-five is not in his reach yet with Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers in no particular order a lock for the top-four, but is there room for him to be in the second tier?

    Not yet according to Casserly.

    “In no particular order, I would rank these AFC signal-callers ahead of Wilson: Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, Andrew Luck, Tom Brady and, possibly, Joe Flacco,” Casserly wrote. “And the NFC quarterbacks I would rank ahead of him: Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Eli Manning (despite his poor 2013 season), Matt Ryan, Matthew Stafford, Tony Romo and Nick Foles.”

    If you were to play a game this Sunday, how many quarterbacks are you taking ahead of Wilson?

    I’d have him behind Manning, Brady, Rodgers, Brees and Luck. Wilson is the sixth best quarterback in my opinion, where does he rank on your list?

    Wilson, a two-time Pro Bowl selection passed for 3,357 yards and 26 touchdowns with a 101.2 quarterback rating last year.