Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels lead a top heavy quarterback NFL Draft class

The 2024 quarterback class is a very top-heavy group as three players grade out as top 15 prospects, but only eight have draftable grades. Part of the reason for this is a lot of quarterbacks including Quinn Ewers, Shedeur Sanders, and Cameron Ward will likely be returning to school next year.

1. Caleb Williams, USC: Going into the 2023 season Caleb Williams was the top quarterback on my board, and after the season he still holds that spot. One of the reasons why I am so high on him is his impressive playmaking ability. He can sit in the pocket and hit his receiver downfield, escape from the pocket and hit his wide receiver for the big play, and even take off and pick up yards on the ground when he has no other options. In fact, his playmaking ability is reminiscent of Patrick Mahomes who is the most dangerous quarterback in the NFL.

While Williams has plenty of positives, he has some concerns that NFL coaches will need to work with him on. The biggest issue he has is his pocket presence. He sometimes flees the pocket before things break down and spends way too much time dancing in the pocket. This tendency to not throw on rhytme is one of the reasons he was sacked 33 times this year including being sacked at least three times in each of his seven games.

Overall, Williams has all the talent to be an All-Pro quarterback with the right coaching which should make him the number one pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

2. Jayden Daniels, LSU: While most people have Drake Maye, as the second best quarterback on their board, I have Jayden Daniels as my No. 2 ranked quarterback. The reason I have him rated higher than Maye is his ability to hurt teams with his feet as he is easily the most athletic quarterback in this year’s draft.

In addition to being able to hurt teams with his running ability he is able to pick team’s apart from the pocket. He displays impressive accuracy downfield and also improved significantly this year when it comes to going through his reads. An area he will need to work on at the next level though is not being so antsy in the pocket when things breakdown. While I have him as the second best quarterback, it would not be a big shock if he fell out of the top five picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.

2024 NFL Draft top quarterbacks No. 3 and No. 4

3. Drake Maye, North Carolina: 2024 was another strong season for North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye despite seeing a drop in touchdown passes, yards, and completion percentage. While Maye showed high-quality starting quarterback traits this season he is still not the creator Williams or Daniels is which is why he is my number three quarterback in the draft. A couple of traits that do stand out with Maye are his 6-4 225-pound size, strong arm, and ability to operate from within the pocket. As it stands now look for Maye to be the second pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.

4. Bo Nix, Oregon: To say the least Oregon’s Bo Nix has put up elite production the past two seasons at Oregon, after transferring over from Auburn, In his two seasons at Oregon he has thrown for 7,738 yards and 69 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. When looking at how his game translates to the NFL a trait that sticks out is his ability to create the big play when things break down around him. He is able to do this as he keeps his eyes downfield and also has the mobility to pick up yards as a runner.

Another positive with him is his accuracy. This season he completed 77 percent of his passes which was the best in the FBS by 3 percent. A concern with him that could cause him to slide the draft board is he only has average arm strength. Overall, Nix carries a second-round grade on my board and is someone who could develop into a high-quality starter if he goes to a system similar to what the San Fransico 49ers run.

2024 NFL Draft top quarterbacks No. 5 and No. 6

5. J.J. McCarthy, Michigan: A quarterback who improved his draft stock this year is Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy. The main reason for this is he saw his accuracy improve significantly this year after completing 50 percent or less of his passes in 2022 in three of the final six games, he set a career-high this year by nine points completing 74 percent of his passes. In addition to his improved accuracy this year he also improved his feel in the pocket and overall played with better footwork.

One concern scouts will have on him is his play tends to decrease down the stretch. Two years ago he saw a major dip in his accuracy in the last few games of the year and this season he was relied on much less down the stretch.

Another concern NFL teams will have with him is that he still misses too many passes and needs to throw with better touch. Overall, I have a third-round grade on McCarthy but that could improve if he has a strong College Football Playoff performance.

6. Spencer Rattler, South Carolina: A sleeper in this year’s quarterback class is South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler. The former five-star recruit has the raw tools to potentially develop into a starter down the road, and will likely still be on the board come day three of the NFL Draft. One area Rattler will likely impress coaches with at his Pro Day and Senior Bowl is his arm strength. He has one of the strongest arms in this year’s draft class and throws one of the prettiest balls as well.

In addition to his impressive arm strength, he also has the athletic ability to create plays out of the pocket. In order to live up to that starter potential though he will need to cut down on the 20 interceptions he has thrown over the past two years. He will also need to improve his footwork especially when standing in the pocket.

2024 NFL Draft top quarterbacks No. 7 and No. 8

7. Michael Penix Jr., Washington: A player I am lower than most people is Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. who currently carries a first-round draft grade according to NFL Mock Draft Database. One of the reasons I only have a fourth-round draft grade on him is his long history of injuries. During his time at Indiana, he tore his ACL twice and never played in more than six games in a season. His accuracy is also a concern as he struggles at throwing off platform, and he also completed 60 percent of his passes in four of his last six games this year despite throwing to the best receiving core in college football. On the positive side he does possess a strong arm and when in the pocket can challenge any defense down the field.

8. Michael Pratt, Tulane: The last quarterback who carries a draftable grade on my board is Tulane’s Michael Pratt, who carries a fifth-round grade. Pratt was named the American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year this season after positing another strong season for the Green Wave. Over the past two seasons Pratt has thrown for 5,416 yards and 49 touchdowns. In the NFL he should be able to be a good backup as he has sufficient arm strength and consistently makes good decisions.

Players graded as Undrafted Free Agents to Watch

Jordan Travis, Florida State: Jordan Travis was having a stellar season before he suffered a season ending leg injury. While this injury will likely cause him to go undrafted if he can regain his health he should be able to make it in the NFL.

Joe Milton, Tennessee: There is a good chance Joe Milton will get drafted due to his elite arm strength. However, I have an undrafted free agent grade on him, because of the average season he had for the Vols this season.