Most analysts have pegged USC's Sam Darnold or Wyoming's Josh Allen as the top quarterback in next week's NFL Draft.

Not Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN's chief college football analyst. He likes Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield as the top quarterback in this draft, with Darnold, Rosen, and Allen coming in second, third, and fourth in his pecking order. Herbstreit even compared Mayfield to Drew Brees.

Herbstreit raved about Mayfield -- who could be an option for the Giants at No. 2 or Jets at No. 3 -- during a media conference call Tuesday:

"I know a lot of people are kind of enamored with Josh Allen and his arm strength. We've heard a lot about Sam Darnold. I start with Baker Mayfield as my top guy. It has everything to do with production. It has everything to do with accuracy and decision making. People get caught up in how athletic a guy is, how big of an arm a guy has. When I watch quarterbacks, it's decision making, and it's accuracy.

"Baker Mayfield, to me, is off the charts in all those areas. If he were 6-3, people would be marveling at this kid. But he's not 6-3, so of course, there are some concerns. He played behind as big of an offensive line as you'll ever see in the NFL -- and had no issues whatsoever with sitting in the pocket and making throws, and finding those passing lanes, and evaluating defenses, both to the inside and the outside. The accuracy is incredible. Reminds me of a young Drew Brees coming out. He would be at the top for me."

High praise there.

So what's wrong with Darnold, in Herbstreit's mind?

Herbstreit noted that Darnold "may have the most upside, if you're looking four, five, six years down the road," of all the quarterbacks in this draft.

But, Herbstreit said, "I think he's still raw. He'll make so many splash plays and make you just marvel at how good he is. And then you'll see him do some things that still show some immaturity -- leaving the pocket a little bit prematurely, doing some things where he's relying still on his athletic ability, where he doesn't necessarily always have to do that."

Still, Herbstreit likes a few things about Darnold.

"His arm strength, his ability to improvise, coming out of an NFL style of offense in college," he said.

Rosen has inconsistencies, too.

"When everything is clean, meaning no pressure, nine-and-a-half or 10 times out of 10, he's going to make the right read and an accurate throw," Herbstreit said. "My one concern where he's going to have to grow is: When he gets pressure, he's not quite as comfortable as some of these other guys, improvising."

Herbstreit said Allen "could be a superstar" and "could be the Carson Wentz of this draft." But, he added, "No one really knows."

Allen is something of a wildcard, because he played at a small school. Plus, he struggled while playing tougher competition in college, though Herbstreit said that partly stemmed from Allen having to mesh with so many new wide receivers and offensive linemen in 2017.

"He's a hard one for me to personally evaluate because he's coming out of Wyoming," Herbstreit said. "I know he's had a lot of people impressed with his personal workout, his arm strength. He can make plays on the run. So there is a lot to like about him. To me, it's just a little bit more of a roll of the dice because of the unknown, coming from a smaller school."

Darryl Slater may be reached at dslater@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DarrylSlater. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.