We’ve already established that the 2019 NFL draft will lack the volume of quarterback star power that its predecessor had. With the college season at the midway point, multiple NFL scouts told Yahoo Sports that the defining trait of this year’s quarterback crop will be the star power at the very top.

NFL scouts have fallen hard for Oregon’s Justin Herbert, with multiple sources telling Yahoo they consider him a better overall prospect than the five quarterbacks who went in the first round last season – Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.

This year’s high-end talent at quarterback is thin in college football, with one scout putting a realistic over-under at 2.5 for total of first-round quarterbacks. Below, we sketched out a way-too-early Top 10 quarterback depth chart for the NFL draft.

The only certainty is putting Herbert, a 6-foot-6, 236-pound junior at No. 1. He solidified that with a solid performance – 18-for-32, two touchdown and no interceptions – in front of 13 NFL scouts in an overtime win over Washington on Saturday. Four of the scouts were Denver Broncos officials, including team president John Elway, whom Herbert has earned favorable comparisons to. Herbert is big and sturdy with the type of howitzer arm that kindles high-end hyperbole in those who’ve evaluated him.

The New York Giants are the franchise most desperate for a quarterback, with the Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots all in the market.

“I would take him No. 1, I think he can do it all,” said Nick Aliotti, a former defensive coordinator at Oregon who spent 25 years as a college and NFL assistant. Aliotti considers Herbert a once-a-decade type prospect. He considers him a better NFL prospect than Marcus Mariota and has gone as far as comparing him to former Stanford quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Elway.

“The last guy I can remember who gave me that feeling?” Aliotti asked. “Luck was one of them. Elway is a guy who really stood out. They could throw the bullets across the field and make throws on the line.”

View photos Oregon’s Justin Herbert should be the top pick in the 2019 NFL draft as one scout considers him a once-a-decade type prospect. (AP) More

Aliotti stressed that quarterback beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What would bother him defending Herbert is his ability to stress every part of the defense with his arm strength. He also complimented his ability to threaten the defense just enough with his legs that the opposition needs to stay honest.

“There’s not going to be any flaws,” said Aliotti, who is an analyst on the Pac-12 Network. “There’s no flaws in this guy. I think Marcus Mariota is one of the best college quarterbacks that anyone would have to defend. I love Marcus. Everything about him. I think this guy [Herbert] is a better pro.”

One current Pac-12 defensive coach agreed with Aliotti that Herbert is better than any of the crop of quarterbacks from last year.

“There’s a snap to the ball when it comes off his hand,” the coach told Yahoo Sports. “We played against Rosen and Darnold. In my mind, he’s more of a threat to a defense. He’s got more of that NFL-looking stature. He can sit in the pocket and has the big arm and is really, really accurate.”

The scouts are in general agreement. Yahoo Sports polled a half-dozen on Herbert and the rest of the quarterback class. None mentioned another quarterback for the top spot. There’s a general feel that Herbert is running away from the competition, as he has 17 touchdowns and five interceptions, and completed 63.1 percent of his passes.

The debate isn’t whether he’s the best in this class, but rather which echelon of former top quarterback prospects to compare him with. One scout said the Luck comparison was too lofty, as Herbert’s tape shows he’ll need work going through progressions and he’s had some average games. He also observed that he’s “safer than [Pat] Mahomes,” “[Carson] Wentz was a better athlete” and has a “better arm and body than [Jared] Goff.”

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