Where does Matthew Stafford rank among NFL quarterbacks?

Last week, NFL.com's Marc Sessler took a stab at ranking the top 35 quarterbacks in the NFL. He divided the QBs up into different categories along the way, essentially establishing tiers to give us a better idea of where everybody stands in the rankings.

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford comes in at No. 15 in Sessler's rankings. This puts him in the "Solid dudes" category, which also includes No. 13 Joe Flacco, No. 14 Tony Romo and No. 16 Jay Cutler. I'm a bit surprised that Flacco is this far down on the list given that he just won a title, but here's Sessler's explanation for having these four guys occupying spots 13-16:

Citizens of Baltimore: Hear me out. Admittedly, Flacco's place on this list haunts me. His work in the playoffs was otherworldly. I might eat raven on this one, but I can't wait to see where Flacco goes in 2013. I also struggled placing Romo this low, but how much higher should he be? I don't blame Romo for the mess in Dallas, but he isn't saving the day, either. Stafford is still too inconsistent. And quick: List five truly memorable performances by Cutler. A tough group to grade.

So who came in ahead of Stafford and the other three players in the "Solid dudes" category? Spots 10-12 belong to Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson and Cam Newton. They are viewed as the future, as are Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, who are eighth and ninth on this list. Just ahead of them are Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Ryan and Eli Manning. Finally, the top three QBs, who are dubbed the "Three kings," are Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

All things considered, I suppose 15th isn't all that bad for Stafford when you see some of the names in front of him. If he can put together a solid 2013 season and the Lions can get back to how they played in 2011, Stafford could easily make a jump into the top 10 in 2014.