With the first set of quarterback rankings down, it's time to look at the next group. There are a few sophomore quarterbacks in the mix, along with some big name guys that will need a big 2015 to move back up this list. 

24.  Robert Griffin III - Washington Redskins

Is there anyone in the NFL that gets more scrutiny than this guy? He deserves it at times, but his head coach doesn’t make it any easier. Once Jay Gruden decided to take the Redskins job, him and Griffin got off on the wrong foot, and it showed. The two bud heads, but the Redskins were just going to give up on their former first-round pick.

Coming off a nasty knee injury in 2013, RGIII was poised for big comeback in 2014. Griffin started the season off strong against the Houston Texans, but Washington couldn’t get their first win. He started the next game just fine, but suffered a nasty ankle injury against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was sidelined for six games and came back in Week 9. 

Griffin played the next week and didn’t show much improvement. He was then benched for two games in Week 13, but came back due to a Colt McCoy injury. RGIII got his third chance of the season, and it was a charm. Griffin played rather well in those final three games, and Washington is hoping he carries that over to this upcoming season.

RGIII will be an interesting player to watch in general, but he will need to prove that he can still play in the league. When he’s been healthy, Griffin has ben very good, but that’s the biggest question surrounding him. If he can remain on the field, he has plenty of support around him with the likes of Pierre Garcon, DeSean Jackson, Jordan Reed, and Alfred Morris, but that will remain to be seen.

23.  Teddy Bridgewater - Minnesota Vikings

Much like Geno Smith the year prior, Teddy Bridgewater had plenty of question marks surrounding him. Did he have a strong enough arm? Does he have the accuracy? And despite playing very well at Louisville, people weren’t sure that his style would fit in the NFL. 

Bridgewater did start the year as the backup to Matt Cassel, but Bridgewater took over the job in Week 4. He didn’t start off great, losing in his first game against the New Orleans Saints, but Bridgewater had an outstanding game the following week. He really showed his potential as he threw for over 300 yards against the Atlanta Falcons. 

As the season went on, Bridgewater did endure some up-and-down play, but he was incredible in the final five games of the year. During that span, he had a 72.1 completion percentage, threw for over 1,200 yards, and had 12 touchdowns. 

If Bridgewater can build on those last five weeks he should be able to put together a good 2015 season. Greg Jennings is no longer there for him, but Minnesota did add speedster Mike Wallace on the outside. Bridgewater will also have Kyle Rudolph at the tight end position, which is usually ends up being the quarterback’s best friend. He will also have Adrian Peterson back in the backfield, and that should certainly help as most of the focus will be on him. 

22. Derek Carr - Oakland Raiders

The former Fresno State quarterback had a terrific career in college, and was considered one of the best quarterbacks going into the draft. But as draft day grew closer, Carr’s stock began to fall because people didn’t think his game would translate to the NFL. It also hurt him that his brother, David Carr, was highly touted coming out of Fresno State as well and ended up being a career backup.

Derek Carr slipped to the second round of the draft last year and ended up being picked by the Oakland Raiders. Carr started off the season slow, but really picked it up once the season got to October. He had his best game to date against the San Diego Chargers in Week 5, but the team came up just short. Carr continued to play well but the Raiders didn’t see any results in the victory department.

The Raiders young quarterback played pretty well despite the lack of talent around him. Carr finished the season with a 58.1 completion percentage while throwing for 3,270 yards. He did have double digit interceptions with 12, but he did also throw for 21 TDs, which is a very solid number for a rookie. 

Carr should be able to improve on his rookie year and be better in 2015. Although the Raiders lost veteran receiver James Jones, they were able to fill his spot by adding Michael Crabtree through free agency. Oakland also added former Alabama star Amari Cooper through the draft, so Carr will have some weapons on the outside.

21. Nick Foles - St. Louis Rams

Nick Foles was the league’s breakout star in 2013, once he got a chance to play. He had a dominant season after he took the helm, throwing for 2,800 yards in just 11 games. He finished that season with a 64.0 completion percentage, and had an incredible 27-to-2, touchdown to interception ratio.

Foles continued his great play at the start of 2014 but cooled off in October. He did have the Eagles at a 6-2 record, so it wasn’t all that bad. Unfortunately for Foles, his season came to a sudden halt against the Houston Texans when he was tackled into the ground and landed on his left shoulder. Foles was forced to leave the game and missed the rest of the season.

Now Foles is in St. Louis, after he was shockingly traded this offseason for Sam Bradford. The trade itself wasn’t that shocking because the Eagles were trying to get Marcus Mariota in the draft, and with Mark Sanchez already coming back as the backup, they needed a starter. It was just weird that they chose Bradford over Foles, but that’s neither here nor there. 

Foles will look to have a bounce back season in the tough NFC West, and with the defense that St. Louis has, Foles may not have to do too much. He doesn’t have great weapons but he definitely has good weapons. Kenny Britt had a comeback season last year, and Brian Quick showed some signs of potential before he suffered a season ending injury. 

The Rams also have the quick Tavon Austin, who is used in many different ways, and Jared Cook, who can open the middle of the field at tight end. St. Louis also has a solid running game with Tre Mason, but they also added Todd Gurley in the draft. The Rams could be a team to watch in 2015.

20. Carson Palmer - Arizona Cardinals

Over the years, Carson Palmer has fallen under the “no good quarterbacks come out of USC” umbrella. Meanwhile, he has had a very good career up to this point and continued his good play last year.

Palmer missed three of the first four games last season, but when he came back he was great. He led the Cardinals to four-straight victories and had Arizona sitting with a 7-1 record. The Cardinals had a big game against the division rival Rams, and Palmer continued to shine. Unfortunately, Palmer suffered his second ACL injury in his left knee and was sidelined the rest of the year.

He will look to have a bounce back season in 2015, and he certainly has the talent around him to do so. With one of the best wideouts in the game in Larry Fitzgerald, Palmer will certainly have that top threat every quarterbacks wishes he had. The Cardinals also have Michael Floyd, who showed flashes on his potential last year but will have to step up in 2015. Arizona also has Andre Ellington at running back and he should give them a solid option out of the backfield. With the weapons that they have, there’s no reason Arizona shouldn’t have another good year and get back to the playoffs.

19. Jay Cutler - Chicago Bears

Who would have ever thought they would see Cutler down here? Well, here he is, and this is as bad as it gets. Cutler has always had the talent to be a very good quarterback in the NFL. He has good accuracy and a cannon of an arm, but he has always been inconsistent and 2014 was a perfect example of that. 

Since Cutler arrived in Chicago, the Bears have gone as far as Cutler has taken them. There were plenty of times last season that Cutler looked all-world, and then there were other times where Cutler looked awful and unhappy to be on the field. Cutler has seven games in 2014 where he threw for over 270 yards, but then he had five games where he couldn’t reach the 200-yard mark. He also had seven games where he threw two or more interceptions. Cutler has always been a risk taker on the field, but sometimes people just sit back and go, “where was he throwing that ball?”

With 2015 being his 10th season, time is running out for Cutler to win, especially in Chicago. He lost his best threat this offseason in Brandon Marshall, due to a trade, but the Bears quickly replaced him in the draft. Chicago chose a tremendous upside wide receiver Kevin White out of West Virginia. The Bears also have Alshon Jeffery and Martellus Bennett, who both had career years last season. Cutler also has one of the most underrated running backs in Matt Forte, so the talent is certainly there. Jay Cutler will be one guy to watch as he certainly will be on the hot seat.

18. Cam Newton - Carolina Panthers

Cam Newton is one of the more interesting guys to watch at the quarterback position. Newton has a world of talent, but inconsistency has plagued him at times. He has the great ability of eluding pass rushers and extending plays, but sometimes it hurts him and leads to bad turnovers.

Newton probably had his worst season in 2014, but he and the Panthers were fortunate enough to be in the dreaded NFC South. Cam finished the season with a 58.5 completion percentage and only threw for 3,127 yards, but he kept Carolina in the mix. In a season where inconsistency ruled for Newton, he was just good enough to send the Panthers to the postseason. 

The Panthers won their first game, thanks to the Cardinals having the worst quarterbacks in history, and were set up for a game against the reigning champs. Newton was pretty good in that game, throwing for 246 yards, but a bad interception at the Seattle six-yard line extended the Seahawks lead to 21, and all but ended the Panthers season. 

Despite the bad record and inconsistent play, a trip back to the playoffs could do wonders from Newton’s career. The Panthers were able to help him out last year by adding Kelvin Benjamin in the draft, and they selected another big receiver in Devin Funchess from Michigan this year. Newton also has tight end Greg Olsen, as they have been a very good duo together, so the Panthers may be a tough team to defend through the air in 2015. 

17. Colin Kaepernick - San Francisco 49ers

Like Newton, Kaepernick is a very interesting player to watch. He took the world by storm in 2012, but people began to figure him out as time went on. The option offense didn’t work as well as it did, and Kaepernick needed to be more of a pocket passer over last two seasons.

While Kaepernick is still able to make plays with his feet and keep plays alive, he has struggled at times in the pocket. His completion percentage ranked in the bottom third of the league, and he was right in the middle of the pack in terms of yards. While his stats aren’t great, they aren’t bad either, warranting his spot on this list. 

This upcoming season will say a lot about Kaepernick. One question that will surround him is, "Can Kaepernick be a top quarterback in this league?" Sure mobility is great, but at some point, he will have to make some big throws in order to win games. If he gets it done, great, if not, the heat will be thrown on him. Kaepernick has the talent, but people need to remember that he played college ball at Nevada for a reason. 

That said, this season will be extremely important for Kaepernick as he will have to take a step forward if they 49ers want to win. San Francisco still has Anquan Boldin and Vernon Davis, but they lost Michael Crabtree to the Raiders this offseason. However, they were able to add Torrey Smith from Baltimore, and he should give them the downfield threat they need so they can space out the defense.