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In response to being named one of the Top 10 Figures of 2024, Li Chunlai expressed his gratitude for the recognition and emphasized the importance of international collaboration in advancing scientific knowledge. He remarked, "I am truly honored to be included among such distinguished scientists and researchers. This achievement would not have been possible without the support of my colleagues and the global scientific community. I look forward to continuing my research and contributing to the collective pursuit of knowledge."
NoneAmidst the chaotic scene, one voice emerged as a beacon of reason and clarity – that of the village chief, Mr. Chen. With years of wisdom and experience guiding his words, Mr. Chen urged the villagers to set aside their prejudices and preconceptions, emphasizing the importance of unity and solidarity in times of uncertainty. He called for a thorough investigation into the young woman's background and intentions, urging the community to approach the situation with an open mind and a willingness to uncover the truth.
CHARLESTON, Utah ( ) – Slow and steady, 25-year-old Jake Harvath rode his trusty white mare, Bella, down Highway 189 toward Charleston, Utah, with his other two mustangs, Denver and Eddy, in tow. Drivers roared by in the comfort of their modern modes of transport, but the trio clip-clopped along unphased, not even by the loudest semitrailers. They were on their last leg of what’s been a 14-month, 6,000-mile journey across the country. Just three more miles along a highway was nothing compared to what they’d already overcome. They dipped down side streets and neighborhoods wherever they could along their route to avoid the busy highway, but got help from a police escort along Main Street in Heber City, where traffic was most hectic for three horses and one cowboy. After passing through 25 states — from Utah to the coastline in New Jersey and back — braving busy roads, navigating remote backcountry trails, trudging through blizzards, even taking a harrowing swim across the Delaware River, and at times knocking on doors to ask for safe places to sleep and eat, Jake and his horses’ ride was almost at an end. Jake coined the journey the “Year of the Mustang.” His mission? Raise awareness of the power and plight of the wild horse. How grazing, population growth and development pressures have made life increasingly difficult for these animals, even though they’re idolized as a patriotic symbol for their role in helping settle the West. Jake Harvath rides through Heber City on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, just a few miles from completing a 6,000-mile, 14-month ride around the U.S. | (Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) Traffic, as it turns out, would be among the biggest challenges Jake said he confronted along his ride, and it was representative of the entire issue he wanted to highlight — how wild horses “feel constricted and out of place in a human world.” That’s fitting, given the automobile has replaced the horse as a practical use in today’s reality. “That’s the struggle of wild horses, isn’t it?” he told Utah News Dispatch in an interview reflecting on his journey. But by proving their mettle with a modern-day cross-country ride, Jake hoped to inspire others to consider adopting a Bureau of Land Management mustang as one of the many needed solutions to the complex wild horse crisis. Last year, the BLM spent nearly $159 million on efforts to manage wild horse and burro populations across the U.S. — and yet, at more than 73,000 as of March of this year, their numbers continue to be triple what the federal government has deemed as sustainable. To show the country how valuable mustangs are as both companions and work horses even in today’s modern world, Jake rode his steeds all the way to the Atlantic Ocean and back. He hoped to prove they’re just as capable and trustworthy as any other breed — and that they make especially tough trail horses because their survival depends on it in the wild. Police provide an escort as Jake Harvath rides through Heber City, Utah, on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, just a few miles from completing a 6,000-mile, 14-month ride around the U.S. |(Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) All three of Jake’s mustangs were adopted from the BLM — Bella and Denver from Nevada, and Eddy from New Mexico. Their ages and training levels varied, though, at the start of their journey. Bella, now 18, was the oldest and most experienced. She helped teach Jake when he first started learning how to be a horseman at the age of 14, and they formed a tight bond, leading her previous owner to eventually gift Bella to Jake. Eddy, 13, was previously trained but he was the newest to Jake’s herd, so the two were still learning to trust each other as their ride began. And Denver, now 7, was the youngest and a rookie. Even in the days leading up to their trip, Denver still had a lot to learn about being a pack horse, and Jake was still training him. Now, though, after 6,000 miles, they’re all experts. As they drew closer to her home barn, Sage Creek Equestrian Center in Charleston, Bella’s ears perked up and she began sniffing the air. Her pace quickened. From atop her back, Jake noticed her anticipation build. “She smells home,” he said. Jake Harvath hugs his father, Daniel, as he arrives at Sage Creek Equestrian in Charleston on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, completing a 6,000-mile, 14-month ride around the U.S. | (Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) While doling out more hugs, Jake and his dad led his three horses to Sage Creek’s indoor arena, where Jake waited for the crowd to quiet down before giving a heartfelt speech, thanking them for their support and sharing his gratitude. “I’m shaking,” he said. “I can’t believe it. It doesn’t feel real.” Jake said it’s been a “remarkable experience, being able to help loads of people start the adoption process to adopt their first wild horses. And also just to be some people’s first experience with horses.” Alongside to his goal to raise awareness of the wild horse crisis, Jake also set out to possibly break a record for the longest continuous horse pack trip done in the U.S. within a year’s time. Although he had originally aimed to trek 7,000 miles — with a route that crossed through California before heading back to Utah — Jake changed his plans when he realized it would be difficult to make it back to Utah before winter fully descended in the West. It took him a little over a year, but he still rode 6,000 miles. And based on what he’s been able to research, Jake believes he has indeed set a record for the longest continuous ride in the U.S. within a year. From Sept. 25, 2023, to Sept. 25, 2024, he said he rode 4,570 miles. The most comparable documented horse ride Jake has been able to find was one completed by Lucian Spataro in 1989. In 150 days, Spataro rode 3,000 miles coast to coast, from Los Angeles to Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, according to his website. He crossed through 15 states — the most ever done at the time with the same horses. Jake said he plans to submit an application to The Long Riders Guild, as well as one to Guinness World Records to set an official record. It remains to be seen if they’ll accept it. But to Jake, while the record would be a cherry on top, it wasn’t the point. The horses were. “These horses have suffered, bled, worked, and sweat to no end to get us here to the end, through storms, rivers, over hundreds and hundreds of mountains,” Jake told his supporters. “They’ve proven their worth again and again. I owe my very life to them.” Gus Warr, wild horse and burro manager for the BLM’s Utah office, came to Jake’s homecoming celebration. After Jake’s speech, Warr stood next to him in the indoor arena, thanking him for his work to “bring exposure” to the wild horse crisis while proving mustangs have a “long list” of capabilities, including “endurance, adaptability, stamina, love and partnership.” “The mustang is another horse. It’s another member of people’s family that can do anything a domestic horse can do,” Warr said. He told Jake, “You’ve proven to the world that, you know what, they’re there for everybody.” Warr told Utah News Dispatch that Jake was the best “ambassador” for the BLM’s wild horse and burro adoption program the government could ask for, at no taxpayer expense. “We have animals we need to find homes for,” Warr said. “And he’s been a banner for that.” As of the BLM’s last monthly report issued in September, nearly 63,000 horses were in “off range” holding facilities, cared for in either corrals or pastures. The BLM is tasked with the “management and protection” of both wild horses and the health of public lands. Despite efforts to reduce overpopulation — including round ups and fertility control treatments — wild horse and burro populations remain about three times what federal range managers believe is an appropriate balance with rangeland resources, at about 27,000. Since 2013, herd sizes have more than doubled, though in 2020 populations dipped slightly, according to the BLM. Some wild horse activists advocate against round ups, saying they can be cruel and mustangs have been made scapegoats for rangeland damage most often caused by taxpayer-subsidized cattle grazing. The BLM says it doesn’t remove wild horses to simply make room for cattle grazing on public lands — but rather it does so to “ensure rangeland health” in accordance with land-use plans and to carry out the BLM’s mission to manage public land for multiple uses while also protecting the land’s resources. Still, it’s an expensive problem. Of the $158 million the BLM spent last year alone, $109 million was to care for the animals in off-range holding facilities. While fertility treatments are also expensive and difficult to administer, the agency relies on rehoming horses to save taxpayer money and reduce herd sizes. In 2023, the BLM reported it placed about 8,000 animals into new homes (the second-highest placement rate in more than 20 years), which it estimated saved taxpayers about $181 million. Jake said he sees adoption as not the only solution, but an important one to the wild horse crisis. “The BLM will of course need to apply multifaceted means to controlling wild horse populations if they want to get to stable numbers that the land can sustain, and that means applying perhaps more effective and more supportive means of contraception in mares,” Jake said, as well as “finding more off-range pasture contracts so that more horses in holding facilities can just be retired to a better living situation and they can live more like wild horses do but not competing with other species.” Along with adoption and other methods, Jake said “that will be what it takes to overcome” the issue. Though he acknowledged adoption isn’t the best solution for a majority of horses, he said it’s how more Americans can be part of the solution. While mustangs may be perceived as dangerous or uncontrollable, he wants to encourage existing and perhaps future horse owners against disregarding them in favor of other breeds. “That’s something I think the horse world needs to acknowledge,” Jake said. “That there are qualities these horses have that are absolutely very desirable for many horsemen, and for that reason they should be counted as something worthwhile for horse owners.” Adoption, Warr agreed, is a “huge part of solving the problem,” because the BLM can “only do so much fertility control.” “They’re wild animals. We literally cannot inoculate, capture, vaccinate all the animals we need to,” he said. “It’s overwhelming. So we’re going to continue to do gathers, which means we’re going to have excess animals we’re going to need to find homes for.” Jake’s efforts have indeed directly raised interest in the BLM’s adoption program, Warr said, adding that he’s been contacted by dozens of people “from all over the country” asking about it after they saw Jake on social media, in the news or in person. Jake’s journey also made dozens of local headlines throughout the year. “Him bringing exposure to it is going to help find homes for probably thousands of animals,” Warr said. Police provide an escort as Jake Harvath rides through Heber City on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, just a few miles from completing a 6,000-mile, 14-month ride around the U.S. | (Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) To those who argue wild horses should just be left alone on rangelands and their populations will naturally regulate, Warr said the BLM would be neglecting its government mandate to maintain public lands for multiple uses while balancing rangeland health. Additionally, he said overpopulation could lead horses to starve, suffer and die. For both of those reasons, he said, “We can’t turn our back on them.” Adoption, though, has its own challenges. Americans, too, are facing increased cost-of-living pressures — and of course not everyone can afford to own a horse. They’re a luxury item, and it’s a lifestyle that’s becoming increasingly out of reach. Over his 30 years with the program, Warr said it’s become more difficult to adopt out animals. “It’s definitely part of the equation,” Warr said. “People aren’t using equines like they used to, and it’s getting to be a challenge.” That’s why Jake’s efforts to inspire, he said, may be more important than ever. A little over a year ago when he first embarked on his trip, Jake’s face was clean shaven. For his return, he sported a grizzly beard and a weather-worn face. “He came back a mountain man,” one of his supporters remarked with a laugh at his welcome home party. His horses changed, too. When they first embarked on their trip last year, the youngest, Denver, was still learning the ins and outs of packing. And Eddy, while he was a more experienced trail horse, was still getting to know and trust Jake. Now they’ve both got 6,000 miles of experience in the backcountry through all types of terrain — desert, mountains, snow, rivers, and busy city streets. Jake estimated he’d ride about four to six days a week with week-long breaks in Arkansas and New Jersey. He said they averaged about 20 miles a day for the entire trip, though some days were shorter or longer. Remarkably, Denver and Eddy completed the entire ride, switching between carrying Jake and his belongings, and Jake said he never used a trailer to move his horses forward for any portion of their journey. Bella, however, at 18 years old, worried Jake several months into their ride when he saw she was losing weight. Not wanting to risk her health, Jake arranged a trailer in Arkansas to take her back home to Sage Creek Equestrian Center so she could rest. She returned in March and quickly recovered, Jake said. But hoping to finish out the ride with Bella — the seasoned trail horse that helped teach Jake when he was first learning to be a horseman — one of his friends brought her to the Wyoming-Utah state line. She joined Denver and Eddy to trek the last 115 miles or so of the trip. “It was so cool to get her back to be with us for the last week,” Jake told Utah News Dispatch in an interview the day after his homecoming, reflecting on the integral role Bella played. “She was the horse — really the only horse that was truly ready when we got going. The other two had a lot to learn still,” he said. “And I look back and I realize, if it hadn’t been for her, we just never would have made it from the beginning. She taught those boys how to do their job.” That training and trust was put to the ultimate test in Pennsylvania, when Jake’s plans to cross the Delaware River by riding his horses across the Washington Crossing bridge fell through. He said New Jersey bridge commission officials would not give him permission to bring his horses on the pedestrian path. “My heart sank,” he said, since it was the only way he could get to his destination in New Jersey, where he planned to conclude his trek east at the coastline in Middletown. Otherwise, he’d have to trailer, which wasn’t consistent with his goal. So, Jake said he decided to use satellite imagery of the Delaware River to find a place to cross like “real cowboys,” as he said in a video from that day posted on his YouTube channel — by swimming. “I think we’re going to go for it. Like the old days, folks.” Jake was grinning before he, Eddy and Denver took the plunge. Then the video cut to him emerging from the river soaking and breathless. He praised his horses, laughed with relief, and poured water out of his boots before telling the camera: “That was not easy. I wish I could have filmed that for you guys but that was not a time to be holding a phone.” Recalling the swim months later, Jake said it was an “incredible story that everyone loved,” but he added it was an “extremely risky and scary experience.” The rocks were slippery and the current was strong, threatening to sweep them down the river. Eddy and Denver were hesitant at first, but he said he steered them straight until their hooves lifted off and they were both swimming. “I had to commit, there was no turning around,” Jake said. “If I had any shot of getting it done at all, I had to be completely confident. And that’s what I applied to everything we had to overcome.” As much as the Year of the Mustang was about the mustangs themselves and the special relationships they can form with humans, its success also relied on human relationships — not just friends and family, but also complete strangers. “One of the things that surprised me most about the Year of the Mustang journey,” Jake told his supporters, “was the people who wanted to help us. Everywhere I went.” Jake said his trip could not have been possible without the help he received along the way — the farmers, ranchers and other “horse people” who let him camp overnight on their property, in their barns or stay in their homes. With each state he passed through, Jake said he relied on a network of support that grew thanks to social media and word of mouth. His GoFundMe page also pulled in donations to fund the trip, topping $38,000. Some nights Jake said he’d even have to knock on doors to ask for a place to stay, which he said was rarely rejected. In all, he guessed several hundred people helped him along the way. While he estimated he spent about a quarter of the 437-day trip camping on public land, the rest of the time he said he relied on “people’s private situations, whether that was camping on their land or staying in a barn.” “I always thought this out in my mind as a very solo experience, but it became a very national effort, in a way,” Jake said, adding that he found himself talking to groups about the wild mustang crisis and advocating for their adoption. “Maybe that’s a lot to say, but it definitely felt that way when I was speaking to the masses about wild horses,” he said. “I’m glad I got to share with everyone and to see how many people wanted to be a part of it as we went along — whether they were helping us or wanted to help me spread the word.” Jake had planned for years to do this ride, so he didn’t intentionally plan it for a presidential election year — a time when American polarization is on full display — but it happened to work out that way. Especially as November came around, Jake said that reality was “definitely” noticeable because “it was on everyone’s mind.” He said political differences never really became an issue, though he recognized he was mostly dealing with people from similar backgrounds: farmers, ranchers and other horse people. “I’m one of the personalities that I can make friends with anybody, and that helped me throughout this entire trip,” he said. “So I’m very much able to sit down and talk with complete strangers, wherever they’re coming from, and find ways to get along with anybody. So I never really saw that as a challenge.” During his welcome home party, when speaking to his supporters, Jake said even though he’d get asked all the time whether one state was better than another, “I didn’t meet a bad person.” “And I really do genuinely believe it’s a narrative that gets fed to us,” he said. “I’ve come to find that there’s good people everywhere.” Jake said some would wrinkle their noses when he’d explain he’d be riding to New Jersey and back, asking why he chose that state. It was a matter of logistics, he said, because he’d be able to cross one more state off his list with just three days of riding time to the ocean. Though he ran into more obstacles, like the Delaware River crossing, Jake said he enjoyed his time there, in a state where it truly was an unusual sight to see a cowboy with two horses walking down the street. “It just brightened up everyone’s day to see horses walking through their neighborhood or down the middle of town, Princeton, and everything,” he said. “Everyone was super excited to meet me, like everywhere else. It was funny. Just the different experience and perception I got compared to what other people outside of New Jersey had.” Though some states were more scenic than others (Colorado, he said, had the best views), Jake said he doesn’t have a favorite state. “When you really get down to it and you’re meeting people, it’s like, you know, they’re just people,” he said. “They’re good people.” He does have a favorite moment, though. “It was hitting the beach,” he said, in Middletown. “When I rode those horses up to the ocean and rode them in the water, New York City in the back ... it felt great.” So what’s next for Jake now that he’s home? He said he intends to keep advocating for wild horses, in partnership with the BLM and otherwise. He also plans to continue creating content for his social media platforms, and he hopes to make a career out of it. “I’m going to go back out into the country. Not on horse so much this time, (I’ll) probably drive a little more, to catch other people’s stories — ranchers, horse trainers, farmers,” Jake said. “Also, going and telling my story in bigger and better ways to everyone.” So while he may be home in Utah for now, don’t expect it to last long. “We’re going to take this to the whole world.” To remove this article -As Evan traveled to different regions of China, he discovered the diverse regional cuisines that make up the country's culinary landscape. In Sichuan province, he braved the fiery heat of authentic Sichuan peppercorns and indulged in the numbing spiciness of hot and sour soup. In Guangdong province, he savored the delicate flavors of dim sum and freshly caught seafood. Each new destination brought with it a unique culinary experience, showcasing the variety and complexity of Chinese cuisine.
Trump appears to side with Musk, tech allies in debate over foreign workers roiling his supporters
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James has been ruled out of the Los Angeles Lakers' game at Minnesota on Friday night due to soreness in his left foot. James will miss his second straight game when the Lakers return from a four-day break to face the Timberwolves, the Lakers announced Thursday. The top scorer in NBA history was away from the team this week with an excused absence attributed to “personal reasons,” coach JJ Redick said Wednesday. It's unclear whether James will even make the quick round trip to Minnesota before the Lakers' next game at home against Memphis on Sunday. James missed his first game of his record-tying 22nd NBA season when the Lakers beat Portland at home last Sunday. That absence also was attributed to his foot injury. James is averaging 23.0 points, 9.1 assists and 8.0 rebounds for the Lakers (13-11), who have lost seven of 10 after a 10-4 start. The Lakers upgraded starter Austin Reaves to questionable for the game at Minnesota after he missed LA's previous five games with a pelvic bruise. Anthony Davis is listed as probable with left plantar fasciitis. AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBAEDITOR'S NOTE: On Football analyzes the biggest topics in the NFL from week to week. No one wants to see any player take a vicious hit like the one that knocked Trevor Lawrence out of the game. It’s easy to agree on that point. Eliminating violent shots is the hard part. The NFL has instituted several rules to protect quarterbacks but football is a physical sport and players have to react instantly and make split-second decisions going at high speeds so injuries keep occurring. Lawrence was carted off the field in the first half of Jacksonville’s 23-20 loss to Houston on Sunday after Azeez Al-Shaair leveled the defenseless quarterback with a forearm to the facemask. The late hit put Lawrence in the fencing position — both fists clenched — and he stayed on the ground for several minutes, while a brawl ensued. Lawrence didn’t require hospitalization for his concussion but it’s unknown when he’ll return. “Thank you to everyone who has reached out/been praying for me,” Lawrence wrote on X. “I’m home and feeling better. Means a lot, thank you all.” Al-Shaair was ejected from the game and faces a fine and potential suspension after his latest unsportsmanlike penalty. The Texans' linebacker was flagged and later fined $11,255 for a late hit out of bounds on Titans running back Tony Pollard last week. He was fined earlier this year after he punched Bears running back Roschon Johnson on the sideline in Week 2. That occurred during a scuffle that started after his hard shot on quarterback Caleb Williams near the sideline that wasn’t flagged. Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence slides in front of Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair during the first half of a game on Sunday in Jacksonville, Fla. Lawrence was injured on the play. Al-Shaair once got away with grabbing Tom Brady by the throat on a pass rush in a game between the 49ers and Buccaneers. Outraged Jaguars players called Al-Shaair’s hit “dirty” and Texans coach DeMeco Ryans made it known he didn’t condone it. “It’s not what we’re coaching,” Ryans said. “Want to be smart in everything we do and not hurt the team, get a penalty there. Have to be smarter when the quarterback is going down. Unfortunate play. Not representative of who Azeez is. He’s a smart player, really great leader for us. We felt his presence not being there. His loss really affected us on the defensive side. Just not what we’re coaching. Didn’t want to see the melee and all the aftermath. That’s not what we’re about. Not representative of us. I’ll talk to Azeez, address him personally, and we’ll move forward from it.” Fox Sports color analyst Daryl Johnston, a former fullback for the Dallas Cowboys, didn’t hold back his criticism, calling it a “cheap shot.” “It’s everything you’re not supposed to do,” Johnston said. “Everything. You’ll see this in slow motion and Azeez Al-Shaair does everything you’re trying to prevent in this situation. It’s reckless. It’s disrespectful. There’s an honor that you give to your opponent on the football field and you respect him. And there’s opportunities to be physical and give big hits and play this game in that manner. And there’s other times when there’s a respect that you grant to your opponent.” Some former NFL quarterbacks blasted Al-Shaair on social media. “There is no place in the game of football for dirty hits like this one,” Robert Griffin III wrote on X. Chase Daniel called it “one of the dirtiest hits” he’s ever seen on a quarterback. Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram, right, jumps on Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair after his late hit on quarterback Trevor Lawrence, bottom, during the first half of a game on Sunday in Jacksonville, Fla. Even defensive players struggled to defend Al-Shaair. “That was uncalled for,” Hall of Fame defensive lineman Michael Strahan said on Fox’s studio show while fellow Hall of Famer Howie Long agreed. But the play also sparked debate about the quarterback slide. Lawrence slid feet first, which signals that he’s giving himself up on the play. The NFL rulebook states: “A defender must pull up when a runner begins a feet-first slide.” But defensive players aren’t automatically penalized if they make contact with a sliding quarterback if they already committed and the contact is unavoidable. The rules state it’s a foul when “the defender makes forcible contact into the head or neck area of the runner with the helmet, shoulder, or forearm, or commits some other act that is unnecessary roughness.” Al-Shaair did that so he was penalized and will face other repercussions. Still, given the hard-hitting nature of the sport, it won’t be the last time this happens. When Caleb Williams took the field for the Chicago Bears' first regular season game against the Tennessee Titans, the anticipation for the rookie's debut game—possibly the most ever—was on full display. Despite a tough debut for the quarterback, the Bears secured a 24-17 win, a notable feat for the rookie. The victory made Williams the first #1 overall pick with a Week 1 win in over 20 years. Going forward this season, Williams is expected to eclipse C.J. Stroud's record-breaking 2023 rookie campaign with the Houston Texans. However, Stroud's success is an anomaly. Drafting a successful quarterback, especially one who is effective right away, is difficult. When teams have a high first-round draft pick, and they're coming off an unsuccessful few seasons, it's assumed that they will use their first pick on a quarterback . That player will assume the title of "the face of the franchise" and will get the central attention, win or lose. To see which quarterbacks have faced that challenge and triumphed, ATS.io compiled a ranking of the 10 best rookie quarterbacks since 1960 using data from StatHead . Rookies were defined as players who are in their first season of professional football and have not been on the roster of another professional team. Quarterbacks were ranked according to adjusted net yards per pass attempt, which quantifies efficient passing skill. Ties were broken using passer rating. Only rookie quarterbacks with at least 10 games played and 200 total passing attempts were considered. Since 1967, 130 quarterbacks have been drafted in the first round. Of those drafted, only 61 have won a playoff game as a starter, according to The Athletic, which used data from NFL Research . The biggest reason this success rate is not guaranteed is because there are differences between college and pro offensive systems. In the collegiate game, the ball is snapped at different points on the field, passing windows are wider, and defenders and linemen are not as quick, making the adjustment to the pro level more difficult. NFL scouts and general managers are gambling on what skills can be transferable and how long those adjustments might take, which is why some teams prefer redshirt quarterbacks to ease the transition. However, just because a team may not want to use their first-round pick on a quarterback, doesn't mean they can't find a diamond in the rough later in the draft. Think about Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, and Dak Prescott, all of which were not first-round picks, but have gone on to make a name for themselves in the NFL. - Adjusted net yards per pass attempt: 6.44 - Passer rating: 91.2 - Season stats: 3,271 yards, 21 touchdowns, 6 interceptions Coming out of college, Gardner Minshew was not a highly sought-after quarterback for NFL teams. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 draft—a draft that was headlined by Kyler Murray, Dwayne Haskins, and Daniel Jones. Nonetheless, Minshew's rookie season with the Jacksonville Jaguars was filled with many accomplishments. He won Rookie of the Week seven times despite not winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Minshew also had the highest passer rating of any rookie quarterback that started in 2019. - Adjusted net yards per pass attempt: 6.77 - Passer rating: 93.7 - Season stats: 3,725 yards, 27 touchdowns, 14 interceptions Pressure was high for Baker Mayfield as the first overall pick in the 2018 draft. When he joined the Cleveland Browns, there was an expectation that once the team figured out the quarterback position, it could be playoff-ready. After trading for Jarvis Landry, a young wide receiver from the Miami Dolphins, in the offseason, the Browns were on their way. Mayfield's rookie season was filled with many firsts, and the Landry-Mayfield connection filled the stat sheet. Mayfield set the record for most passing touchdowns by a rookie quarterback in 2019 with 27 surpassing prior marks from Payton Manning and Russell Wilson. - Adjusted net yards per pass attempt: 6.84 - Passer rating: 98.3 - Season stats: 4,336 yards, 31 touchdowns, 10 interceptions Justin Herbert was the third quarterback selected in the 2020 NFL draft behind Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa. As the No. 6 overall pick, expectations were high, but there was also an assumption that it would be a few years before Herbert's development would take shape. Then, Chargers starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor was accidentally punctured in the lung by a team doctor administering a painkiller before the second game of the season, and it wasn't clear what Taylor's status would be moving forward. When Herbert was given the nod to start minutes before the game, fans didn't know what to expect. Herbert shocked viewers when he threw for over 300 yards and only one interception in that game. He continued his strong rookie showing throughout the season and went on to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. - Adjusted net yards per pass attempt: 6.93 - Passer rating: 98.1 - Season stats: 2,621 yards, 17 touchdowns, 11 interceptions Ben Roethlisberger was the third quarterback selected in his draft class behind the likes of Eli Manning and Philip Rivers—though fans wouldn't have been able to tell. From the moment Roethlisberger was called up by the Pittsburgh Steelers to play in his first game—Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens—it was clear he had a special arm, gaining the nickname "Golden Arm." While the next several games were bumpy for Steelers fans, it was clear that Roethlisberger was the future of the franchise. The Steelers had a solid running game and its receiving core, led by Hines Ward, was one of the best in the league . Once Roethlisberger gained his footing a few games in, he was unstoppable. He led Pittsburgh to its best record ever: 15-1. He also started the season on an eight-game winning streak, becoming the first rookie to do so. Additionally, Roethlisberger became the first quarterback to win AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. - Adjusted net yards per pass attempt: 7.01 - Passer rating: 87.7 - Season stats: 3,440 yards, 16 touchdowns, 11 interceptions As the No. 3 overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft, there were high expectations on Matt Ryan's shoulders heading to the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons were coming off back-to-back losing seasons and off-the-field legal troubles with its starting quarterback Michael Vick overshadowing the team's play. Ryan was expected to pick up the pieces. He did that immediately, leading the Falcons to an 11-5 record in his rookie season and becoming the clear favorite for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year halfway through the season, which he went on to win. The tag team of Ryan and running back Michael Turner was one of the best offensive forces in the sport that season. - Adjusted net yards per pass attempt: 7.01 - Passer rating: 100 - Season stats: 3,118 yards, 26 touchdowns, 10 interceptions Russell Wilson was drafted in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. Considering Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck headlined the NFL Draft that year, it was not believed that Wilson would be a starter come Week 1, but that quickly changed. Going into the 2012 NFL Draft, Tarvaris Jackson was the Seattle Seahawks' starting quarterback, and the team signed NFL veteran quarterback Matt Flynn as an insurance policy on the injury-prone Jackson . It was assumed in the short term that either Jackson or Flynn would lead the franchise. Once training camp arrived, however, the Seahawks' quarterback position was uncertain. Jackson was traded to the Buffalo Bills, and Flynn was underwhelming at camp, forcing Head Coach Pete Carroll to take a gamble on his rookie quarterback, Wilson, in Week 1. Carroll, nor Wilson, ever looked back. Wilson was one of the best passing quarterbacks that season. He led the Seahawks to an 11-5 record and went on to win NFL Rookie of the Year. - Adjusted net yards per pass attempt: 7.39 - Passer rating: 96 - Season stats: 2,210 yards, 20 touchdowns, 6 interceptions When Dan Marino was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 1983, the NFL looked very different. Running the ball was the name of the game. The quarterback would either run the football himself at the line of scrimmage or hand it off to the running back, and the offensive linemen would claw and push the pile forward as the runner powered his legs. It was not a pretty sight. However, Marino took a different approach, throwing the ball with a unique quick release for that era. He led the Dolphins to a 9-1 record after replacing David Woodley midway through his rookie season, ending with a 12-4 record. He went on to win Rookie of the Year and was the first rookie to start a Pro Bowl. - Adjusted net yards per pass attempt: 7.47 - Passer rating: 100.8 - Season stats: 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, 5 interceptions When C.J. Stroud was drafted No. 2 by the Houston Texans last year, there were a lot of questions, not about his ability, but about the organization that he would be playing for. The Texans were coming off of a 3-13-1 season in 2022, finishing with the worst record in the league, and a lot of volatility in its front office. The team fired its head coach and a top executive before the draft. Weeks later, the team hired former Texans linebacker DeMeco Ryans as its next head coach. While Ryans is a defensive-minded coach, Stroud was seen as a key ingredient to the team's success since Ryans hired his coaching staff around the quarterback. Stroud led the NFL in yards and TD-to-interception ratio during his rookie season, which is an efficiency statistic considering he didn't get his first interception until his sixth regular-season game against the New Orleans Saints. While Stroud was a part of the league MVP conversation for most of the season, he didn't ultimately win the title. However, he was named 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and his rookie season is seen as one of the best in NFL history. - Adjusted net yards per pass attempt: 7.47 - Passer rating: 102.4 - Season stats: 3,200 yards, 20 touchdowns, 5 interceptions Leading into the 2012 draft, it wasn't a matter of whether Washington would pick a quarterback, it was a matter of who. After several seasons of mediocre quarterback play and losing seasons from the likes of Jason Campbell, Donovan McNabb, and Rex Grossman, it was time for a new face to lead the offense. At No. 2, Washington selected Robert Griffin III making him the second quarterback selected in the 2012 NFL draft behind Andrew Luck. Griffin started his rookie year campaign with one of the best performances football fans have ever seen. He completed 19 of his 26 pass attempts for 320 yards and 2 touchdowns, beating the New Orleans Saints. That game earned him the highest passer rating by a rookie ever, 158.3. He now shares that record with Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota. Griffin III went on to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2012. - Adjusted net yards per pass attempt: 7.86 - Passer rating: 104.9 - Season stats: 3,667 yards, 23 touchdowns, 4 interceptions Dak Prescott is statistically the best rookie quarterback ever, racking up the best passer rating as a rookie. After losing his first game, he led the Cowboys on an 11-game winning streak. That season, he led the team to its fourth-best season ever with a 13-3 record. Prescott was the 2016 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and became the first NFL quarterback to be drafted in the fourth round or later to start all 16 regular season games. Data reporting by Karim Noorani. Story editing by Shanna Kelly. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Robert Wickwire. Photo selection by Clarese Moller. This story originally appeared on ATS.io and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Get local news delivered to your inbox!