by With the completion of Super Bowl LVIII, the 2023-24 NFL season is in the books. However, football fans still have much to look forward to in the near future, as the 2024 NFL Draft looms in just over two short months.
Per usual, the biggest topic of conversation come draft season is the quarterbacks and this year will certainly not disappoint. Between big names drafted at the top and sleepers taken in the later rounds, there will be no shortage of talent taken by teams looking to improve their team with a new signal-caller. We’ll rank the top eight quarterbacks in this year’s class and project where exactly they’ll fall.
- Michael Pratt, Tulane
Image via Athlon Sports
The best word to describe Pratt’s draft profile is solid. A four-year starter at Tulane, Pratt brought the Green Wave into relevancy and if the 12-team College Football Playoff started this year, his team would have had an excellent shot to make a push for it. He wins the intangibles battle, as he is a phenomenal leader and possesses a great football IQ. He makes few mistakes as well, only throwing five interceptions this past season. Pratt has enough arm strength to allow him to succeed at the next level and is a good enough athlete to create offense with his legs when needed.
On the other side of that coin, his arm strength and accuracy are just not up to the level of some of the guys that are higher up on this list. While they make him a very capable candidate to find a place in this league, they just don’t offer the upside that can be found elsewhere. Similarly, while he is fast and competent enough with his legs to pick up a first down when needed, he won’t be able to use his legs as a quick-fix to electrify a stagnant offense.
Draft projection: Round 3-5.
- Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
Image via CBS Sports
Rattler is an interesting case, as he was a former top prospect coming out of high school but never was able to reach his ceiling. He had a strong start to his college career at Oklahoma before starting to struggle in his second year as a starter, eventually finishing with a solid couple of seasons at South Carolina. When it comes to arm talent, Rattler ranks up there with the top players of the class. He has an incredibly strong arm and is able to make exceptionally difficult plays when outside of the pocket. To create these big plays, he is often able to nimbly escape pressure and add a level of electricity to his game that scouts love.
However, while Rattler can certainly make the big play, he often struggles with the small ones too. He is good at getting out of the pocket but when he faces pressure and is unable to escape he becomes extremely uneasy, leading to bad decisions and missed opportunities. Rattler’s lack of composure in the pocket lowers his football IQ significantly, and it’s hard to trust a guy that can make the hard plays but not the simple ones.
Draft projection: Round 3-5.
- Michael Penix Jr., Washington
Image via University of Washington Athletics
Things begin to get more interesting as we move into the top six, starting with Penix. After four years at Indiana, Penix found significantly more success these past two seasons at Washington, leading them to a College Football Playoff berth this year as well as being a Heisman Trophy finalist. He showcased his ability of throwing the deep ball, not only demonstrating good arm strength but solid touch as well. He has a very strong pocket presence and does not get rattled by pressure. Penix’s athleticism also often flies under the radar. He is more than capable of extending plays with his legs, as defenses are often very stretched out because of his deep-ball abilities.
The main knock that can be found on Penix is his injury history and age. He’ll be 24 by the start of next season, and has torn his ACL multiple times. It’s just incredibly difficult to give the keys to someone with that sort of history. The only other weakness that can be found in his game is his unorthodox throwing motion. It causes his throws to be a touch slow coming off of his hand, meaning that pressure affects his throws just that much more. This comes into play mostly with intermediate throws, which have sometimes struggled with accuracy. That was displayed in the National Championship game, where he missed a couple of crucial close range throws that changed the complexion of the game.
Draft projection: Round 2-3.
- Bo Nix, Oregon
Image via Sporting News
Another transfer that struggled in the early stages of his career, Nix enjoyed a breakout season in his final year at Oregon. He threw for 45 touchdowns with just three interceptions, leading him to being a Heisman Trophy finalist. Nix is a very complete passer, as he has a quick release and can throw a solid deep ball. He’s very versatile in the pocket and knows how to adjust his body to make the right throw. That quality will serve him well, as having depth in his types of throws is crucial in succeeding at the next level. He’s also an above average athlete, with his big frame and quickness making him a dynamic runner.
One of Nix’s major concerns is his football IQ. He is known to sometimes make questionable decisions when facing pressure and is limited when his legs are taken away and is outside of the pocket. He also doesn’t have the arm strength that some other guys in the class have, so things get shaky when he gets pressure on him and still wants to take the deep shot. Because of that slight limitation, defenses are able to add more heat to make him uneasy and not allow him to manipulate his throws that he does so well in the intermediate range.
Draft projection: Round 1-2.
- JJ McCarthy, Michigan
Image via Bleacher Report
McCarthy became a Michigan legend through their run to the National Championship this past season, and it has caused his draft stock to skyrocket. In terms of pure arm strength, McCarthy has what any team would want. He can throw the ball just about any distance and with incredible zip. He also is a phenomenal athlete and is as dynamic as it gets with his legs. As far as the intangibles go, McCarthy has proven time and again that he is more than ready for the big game and that the elevated stage does not bother him in the slightest. He plays with an energy and electricity that freezes defenses with his talent and poise.
As far as weaknesses go, however, McCarthy has struggled with touch. While that zip we talked about is also a strength, he doesn’t balance it with loft hardly at all, causing defenses to be able to scheme against him much easier. That leads into ball placement, which McCarthy has also been inconsistent with. He sometimes struggles to hit receivers on their target, which raises questions about if he has the accuracy and touch to succeed at the next level (think Kenny Pickett). While these issues with touch and placement are more glaring than one might hope, his ability to electrify a game does a decent job of covering it up.
Draft projection: Round 1.
- Jayden Daniels, LSU
Image via X
Daniels may certainly have had the largest rise in draft stock of any player from this past season. He put up an insane statistical season at LSU, culminating in a Heisman Trophy. He shows a great arm as a passer, making him more than capable of throwing the deep ball with an appropriate balance of touch and power. He is also great at throwing on the move, a trait that is hard to come by with college quarterbacks. Aside from his gifted abilities as a passer, his biggest strength may be his athleticism. Think Lamar Jackson when comparing Daniels’ abilities with his legs, as he will enter the league as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in all of the game.
While the weaknesses are hard to find, one is his pocket presence. He is as dangerous as anyone when he gets out, but if he is stuck in there, he can be forced to make inaccurate throws. The increased pressure inside the pocket throws off the rhythm of his throwing motions, which causes awkward target misses. He also has a bit of a slender frame which has the potential to cause injuries in the future.
Draft projection: Top five pick.
- Drake Maye, North Carolina
Image via College Football Network
Maye has NFL star written all over him. Sporting the Justin Herbert archetype, there is significant buzz for Maye to be the first overall pick. Standing in at 6’5’’ and 220 pounds, he has the pocket presence to terrify defenses and can do a lot of different things with both his arms and his legs. He has perhaps the strongest arm of any player in the class and not only that, but he has shown an incredible level of accuracy in those throws. He flourishes at throwing the ball to all three levels of the field and it’s hard to find any sort of weakness with his accuracy. He also is a great athlete, as his speed and power on the ground looks a lot like Josh Allen when he gets going.
Despite Maye being more than capable of making the tight throws at any level, he sometimes is a little bit delayed in his throwing motions and reads. He can take a split-second too long to make a choice and because of that he sometimes puts the ball in harm’s way. He also did not have as good of a season last year as he did in 2022, which can be slightly troubling even though his offensive line this past season was abysmal. Overall, the physical tools are impossible to ignore and Maye will not last long in this year’s draft room.
Draft projection: Top three pick.
- Caleb Williams, USC
Image via PFF
Williams radiates electricity, which is why he’s been more often than not the consensus top prospect in this year’s draft for the past year. His game looks more than capable to succeed at the next level, and it starts with his playmaking ability. He has elite arm strength and poise in the pocket with the ability to make any throw with accuracy. However, it is his abilities when forced out of the pocket that make him so electric. He is able to throw off balance in a way that is unmatched in this year’s class, something that not even the best guys currently at the NFL level can do. Pressure doesn’t make him jittery and he can still make the right decisions with strong levels of power and accuracy at any moment. Oh, and he is a skilled athlete that is more than capable of carving up defenses with his legs.
One of his biggest strengths also plays into perhaps his biggest weakness as he is sometimes just too aggressive when looking for the big play. It has caused turnover problems simply from trying to do too much. He is also undersized and a little loose with the ball as a runner, which can elevate his turnover issues. If he can consistently make safe decisions and be a little more disciplined with his lower body mechanics, there is no reason to think why Williams can’t be a generational talent.
Draft projection: Top three pick.
