Caleb Williams of USC and Derek Maye of North Carolina are almost universally considered the prized quarterbacks in the next NFL draft. In fact, they are the consensus 1-2 picks. As many as half of the league's fan bases already are obsessing over their team's ability or willingness to maneuver to select either prodigy.

Still, we are often reminded that QBs without a drop of blue blood in their veins can deliver wins on occasion — or quite often.

Take Week 14 in early December. The Bengals' Jake Browning, the Giants' Tommy DeVito, the Vikings' Nick Mullens (off the bench), the Patriots' Bailey Zappe and the 49er Brock Purdy celebrated in their locker rooms. While Zappe was an obscure fourth-round pick, Browning, DeVito and Mullens went undrafted and Purdy barely got under the wire— going last at No. 262.

Purdy might be the only one in this group who could someday be fitted for a Super Bowl ring. All of them showed that on any given Sunday (or Thursday, Saturday or Monday) a QB who did not walk down the figurative red carpet at a draft can come through.

Browning and Mullens faced off Saturday, with the Bengals surviving in overtime. Browning, 3-1 as a fill-in for Joe Burrow, could evolve into Purdy 2.0 (away from Cincinnati) in a QB-friendly system. He's moved up in our weekly QB ratings. Read on to see others who bettered their position.

For each player listed, we provide his MVP odds if applicable, a QB2 rating that indicates how much a team's power rating is downgraded if the starter is out and projected fantasy points per game.

Which QB offers the best value in the MVP race? And which signal-callers are on the rise? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Week 16 QB Power Rankings from veteran writer Mike Tierney, including how to bet when injuries strike and SportsLine projections for all 32 starters!