The top 10 mobile QBs of all time (by NFL Network)

Though even earlier, I didn’t think he was that mobil,e myself

As you say, it doesn’t seem like mobility is that high a requirement to be on this list. However if mobility is the primary requirement to be on this list Vick shouldn’t be any lower than number 2 on this list and should probably be number one.

Although here’s the difference between Tarkenton and Vick and why judging this list is difficult. Tark could run around like a maniac, often backwards and making his receivers do the same to try and get open long after the play had broken down, but his goal was usually still to throw the ball like a quarterback was expected to do at that time.

Vick on the other hand was out there trying to make positive yardage on his feet. He was the first quarterback to break a thousand yards rushing and averaged almost 8.5 yards per carry doing it—breaking the record of 8.44 YPC held by Beattie Feathers since 1934 (the first time a back broke the 1,000 yard mark). So regardless of the length of his career he has to be on this list.

But it all depends on if the criteria is weighted more toward scrambling ability, rushing ability, passing ability, leadership, completion percentage, TD to INT ratio, etc. Which with Young at #2 and Marino higher on the list than McNabb I’d say this is a list of the best quarterbacks that are/were able to step out of the pocket when they needed to.

Vick belongs since he has the most single-season yards as a QB (and ranks high enough on the rushing list among QBs to be there, too). He led the Falcons to the NFC Championship Game one year, so it would still be difficult to dismiss him as irrelevant.

Bobby Douglass was a Tarvaris Jackson prototype—his mobility kept him in a starting job even when he couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn.

Zorn never ran for more than 290 yds in a full season of 16 starts. Jim Harbaugh averaged about 300 yards per 16 starts.

Marino was indeed a statue. He only ran for 87 yards in his long career! Favre never ran much, either (never 220 yds in a season), but Elway surpassed 300 rushing yds once in fewer than 16 games in 1987 and consistently ran for 200-something for several years (and is also remembered for a run in his last SB). Jake Plummer gained more yards per game than Zorn’s best season twice. Gannon outrushed Zorn in 1990, 1999, and 2000 (529 yards!). Kordell had 4 seasons with 400+ rushing yards and averaged over 20 per game for his career. Jeff Blake had 3 300+ yd seasons plus a few that would have prorated to about that much. Rodney Peete rushed for 363 and 6 TD in 11 games, but I can understand why they would leave him off the list for never starting for a full season. Culpepper still has a 26.4 rushing yd/gm average despite slowing down since that awful multi-ligament injury.

While Bobby Douglass was one of the first scramblers and certainly one of the few whose running ability outweighed his inability to pass in his employers’ opinions, he would be the next to go after Marino and Zorn. At least 2 of Daunte, Kordell and Gannon definitely deserved to be in the top 10.

My top 20 would include the 10 from the vid plus Daunte, Steve McNair (6 seasons of 25+ rushing yds/gm), Kordell, Gannon, Elway, Jeff Blake, Jim Harbaugh, Bobby Layne, Steve Grogan and Terry Bradshaw. And some of the NFL’s list would be at the bottom of mine.

He definitely belonged on that list.

I do not recall any statistics, but it seems he had as much if not more mobility than some of the names on the list? This based on the many games I watched over the years wherein he was kicking butt and able, like and others on this list, keep the games going/team moving downfield…