Oregon's Justin Herbert is the best draft-eligible quarterback in the 2019 draft class. Even from the perspective of mid-October, this isn't a controversial statement. In fact, we've had him going No. 1 in our last two mock drafts -- even if defensive end Nick Bosa and defensive tackle Ed Oliver are better overall players -- because the Giants desperately need to move on from Eli Manning.

But unlike last year, when there was no consensus about whether Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold or Josh Rosen was the No. 1 quarterback, or the year before when Mitchell Trubisky, Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson were drafted, Herbert is at the head of the 2019 quarterback class -- and then they're everybody else.

For as good as Herbert may be, it's all relative. He likely wouldn't have been the first quarterback taken in 2018 -- or 2017, for that matter. You'd probably have to go back to 2014, when Blake Bortles went third overall, Johnny Manziel went 22nd and Teddy Bridgewater was the 32nd pick.

But on Wednesday, Yahoo.com's Pete Thamel writes that opinions about Herbert are changing.

NFL scouts have fallen hard for Oregon's Justin Herbert, with multiple sources telling Yahoo they consider him a better overall prospect than the five quarterbacks who went in the first round last season – Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.

That's the first time we've heard anyone suggest Herbert would've been the top passer in last year's class, but former defensive coordinator at Oregon Nick Aliotti took it a step further.

"I would take him No. 1, I think he can do it all," he told Thamel. "The last guy I can remember who gave me that feeling? [Andrew] Luck was one of them. [John] Elway is a guy who really stood out. They could throw the bullets across the field and make throws on the line."

Aliotti thinks Herbert will be better than former Oregon standout Marcus Mariota, who went second overall to the Titans in 2015 behind Jameis Winston.

"There's not going to be any flaws," said Aliotti, who is an analyst on the Pac-12 Network. "There's no flaws in this guy. I think Marcus Mariota is one of the best college quarterbacks that anyone would have to defend. I love Marcus. Everything about him. I think this guy [Herbert] is a better pro."

Look, maybe Herbert will stand out in the NFL the way Luck and Elway did. And maybe his NFL career will eclipse Mariota's. Perceptions can change drastically between now and the combine in February and, of course, the draft in late April. But Herbert does have flaws; in six games this season he's twice completed fewer than half his throws, and in last week's overtime win, he was just 18 of 32.

Granted, there's a lot to like. This, for example, will get your attention:

But scouts don't get paid to tout highlights; Herbert has been guilty of staring down receivers, and when his first read isn't there he occasionally panics. Coaching and repetition can fix such concerns, and he can be a very good NFL quarterback. We're just not sure he's a better prospect than anyone from the '18 class -- not yet, anyway.