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ESPN IllustrationYoung guns have altered the QB landscape, but the old guard can still sling it with the best of them.

The quarterback class of 2012 and other young quarterbacks have changed things in the NFL.

Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson and Robert Griffin III shocked the NFL by putting together playoff seasons and immediately putting their names among the better quarterbacks in football. Then Colin Kaepernick came off the bench and helped carry the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl.

These young guns might cause future adjustment in how I handle my annual look at the elite quarterbacks. Luck, Wilson, RG III, Kaepernick and Cam Newton are the new wave of quarterbacks who have elite abilities. They can run. They can make every throw. Each has the ability to carry his offense and get his team into playoff contention.

-- John Clayton

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