As several Hall of Fame quarterbacks approach the end of their illustrious careers, it begs the question: Who will fill the void left by some of the game's best signal-callers? It is one we have tried to answer by identifying which age-25-or-under QB will enjoy similar success to each of these quarterbacks — Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers and Eli Manning .

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Eli Manning’s most famous completion came in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl 42.

The Giants trailed the Patriots by four and faced a third-and-5 with a little more than a minute to play. Manning dropped back, somehow managed to shake off a would-be tackler and heaved the ball downfield to David Tyree, who pinned the ball against his helmet to keep the Giants' drive alive.

Eli Manning turns 36 today. David Tyree turns 37 today.



In honor of their big day… THE HELMET CATCH! 😱😱😱 https://t.co/lX73NVlWZQ — NFL (@NFL) January 3, 2017

Manning went on to throw a game-winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Plaxico Burress, giving New York its first championship in 17 years.

Eleven seasons later, Manning is still the Giants quarterback. He has made four Pro Bowls, won two titles and thrown 339 touchdown passes.

In Chicago there’s another top draft choice who began his career sitting behind a veteran quarterback, took over midseason and whose team added a big-time receiver before his second season — Mitchell Trubisky.

Expectations are high for Trubisky entering 2018, and given the evidence from his young career, he should meet them and potentially enjoy a career arc similar to Manning’s.

The Study

Major similarity indicators: Succession plan and surrounding talent

Manning was selected No. 1 overall in 2004 out of Ole Miss by the Chargers but was traded to the Giants in exchange for Philip Rivers and future picks in a draft-day deal. Trubisky, who started just 13 games over three seasons at North Carolina, was grabbed by the Bears with the second pick of the 2017 draft.

Manning began his career on the sidelines behind Kurt Warner before taking over late in the season, while Trubisky watched Mike Glennon struggle through four games before being handed the keys to the Chicago offense.

That's not the only factor Trubisky and Manning share. They both have similar builds and also lead offenses with explosive potential.

Manning inherited a unit with multiple options on the ground as New York featured Pro Bowl running back Tiki Barber and veteran Ron Dayne.

The Giants revamped their offense before Manning's second season to surround him with playmakers to accelerate his development under center. They signed former star Steelers wide receiver Plaxico Burress to a six-year deal and then drafted power back Brandon Jacobs. Both players, along with tailbacks Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw, helped elevate the Giants into playoff contention and were instrumental in their Super Bowl 42 victory.

(Getty Images) https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/omnisport/35/74/trubisky-mitch-usnews-082918-ftr-getty_155afaqe7omd1lf39svg2hpwz.jpg?t=-2032725675&w=500&quality=80

Trubisky is in a similar position with the Bears.

Jordan Howard has proven he can be a big-play threat out of the backfield since he was drafted in 2016 while Tarik Cohen is a versatile rusher and pass catcher.

Chicago also signed a few key weapons which should benefit Trubisky in his second season.

The Bears inked former Eagles tight end Trey Burton. But, that wasn't their biggest acquisition.

Pro Bowl receiver Allen Robinson agreed to a three-year, $42 million contract with the Bears in March. Despite being limited to one game last season because of a torn ACL, Robinson was the top wideout available on the free agent market.

Trubisky said he was motivated to improve by his addition to the Bears roster.

"He loves football. He’s hungry to be great and he’s a very driven individual,” Trubisky said about Robinson (via 670 the Score). “That motivates me to get him the ball and have everything I’m doing together as well. So, I better be on top of my 'A' game, because I know he’s bringing it every day, too."

Trubisky will now enter 2018 with a downfield threat for the first time in his short career.

Film room

Manning and Trubisky are both tall, lean quarterbacks who can easily see over the line of scrimmage when reading defensive coverages.

Here, the 6-5 Manning scans the field and consistently delivers well-thrown balls to receivers in the Giants’ 20-17 win over the 49ers in the 2011 NFC Championship game.

Manning’s form has remained mostly the same throughout his 14 NFL seasons. Here he is throwing a pair of touchdown passes in a Giants victory over the Eagles in 2016. He finished with four in the game.

ANOTHER Eli Manning TD pass.



His 4th of the day.

This one to @sterl_shep3 ! #PHIvsNYG https://t.co/GLp0b1jWBD — NFL (@NFL) November 6, 2016

Trubisky’s releases isn’t as smooth as Manning’s. But, he still has the ability to find open receivers. Here he is completing his first regular-season pass against the Vikings.

Mitchell Trubisky puts it on the money for his first career throw. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/XXUKoZIsjd — LeadingNFL (@LeadingNFL) October 10, 2017

Trubisky, who is 6-3, is also much more athletic and can extend plays with his feet.

Here he avoids the Lions pass rush, escapes the pocket and scrambles for a first down on a fourth-and-13 play.

Mitch Trubisky's 4th down conversion was ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/F3lmBMtaMX — Taylor Vippolis (@tvippolis) November 19, 2017

Trubisky rushed for 248 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie. Manning has never tallied more than 70 yards and one touchdown on the ground in a single season.

Opta breakdown

Manning and Trubisky’s first-year stats share a lot of similarities. But, the Bears quarterback may have been better than the two-time Super Bowl winner in his rookie season.

Trubisky made 12 starts for Chicago last season, averaged 182.2 yards per game and finished with a 4-8 record. He struggled with his accuracy, completing just 59.4 percent of his passes while tallying as many touchdowns as interceptions (7).

7 - Mitch Trubisky threw just seven touchdowns last season, the fewest of any #NFL quarterback that played at 10 games for a single team last year. Lacking. pic.twitter.com/6dxs28TIOh — OptaJerry🏈 (@OptaJerry) September 3, 2018

Trubisky finished his rookie year with a 77.5 passer rating. Manning’s was significantly lower at 55.4.

The Giants quarterback averaged 115.9 yards per game in his nine appearances as a rookie. He threw more interceptions (9) than touchdowns (6) and finished with a 1-6 record in his seven starts.

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But, Opta research shows Manning threw 20 or more touchdowns in 11 of the next 12 seasons and by 2008 he was an NFL champion. One major reason for the improvement — the addition of Burress.

Burress drew significant attention from opposing defenses, which opened up the field for the other Giants receivers. No New York wideout caught more than six touchdown catches in 2004. One season later, three players had seven receiving scores.

Burress finished his four years in a Giants uniform with 33 touchdowns in 57 games. He added 23 catches and three touchdowns, including the game-winning score in Super Bowl 42, in six playoff appearances.

Robinson could give Trubisky and the Bears offense a major boost if he replicates some of Burress’ production.

Wild card: Sam Darnold

The beginning of Jets quarterback Sam Darnold’s career resembles Manning’s in some key ways.

Like Manning, Darnold was selected with a top pick (No. 3 overall in 2018) by a team in New York. Both were projected to be franchise-saving quarterbacks before ever taking a snap.

Darnold also releases the ball with textbook form and seems to have Manning‘s calm demeanor.

Darnold entered training camp in a three-way race with veteran Josh McCown and former Viking Teddy Bridgewater for the Jets starting quarterback spot. But, unlike Manning, he appears on track to be under center for New York in his first regular-season game.

Darnold has started two preseason games and players in the locker room reportedly believe he has already won the quarterback competition.