2024 Top 5 Prospects by Position: Quarterbacks

1. Caleb Williams, USC

Caleb Williams is the top passer in the draft. His ability to improvise and produce through pressure stands him out from his peers. He develops and processes his reads quickly, and is posed as a dual threat quarterback when given the opportunity. He has excellent arm talent that can make every throw on the field, off and on balance, as he’s able to generate velocity off platform. He lacks a frame compared to his peers, with a smaller height and weight. He does tend to rely heavily on making big plays and needs to balance between playing hero ball and making the easy play to extend drives.

2. Drake Maye, UNC

Maye is another elite-level prospect. He possesses elite arm strength and excellent deep passing ability, able to make any throw on the field. His pocket presence is unmatched, as he plays light and balanced. He is excellent under pressure, withstanding duress to make patient throws. Maye is a natural athlete who can extend plays with his speed outside the pocket. Maye can be considered as a legit dual-threat quarterback. He plays his best and is more talented at throwing from inside the pocket. Maye possesses a high level of poise while sitting in the pocket. However, his accuracy is often lacking when he breaks down and is on the run. He lacks decisiveness within his reads and struggles with progressions through his reads often times.

3. Jayden Daniels, LSU

The Heisman winner put up an insane amount of production during his season at LSU. He’s an elite athlete who’s very mobile and has skills inside his pocket that allow him to effectively maneuver. He has impressive arm strength, and has expertise when throwing on the run, but struggles to consistently deliver throws inside the pocket. He has poor mechanics that lead to poor accuracy and timing. He displays a level of discomfort inside the pocket and possesses a capped type of playstyle. He is an interesting prospect with an undoubted level of talent but question marks surrounding his ability to translate to the next level. 

4. Bo Nix, ORE

Nix’s struggles at Auburn may scare many teams, and he may seem to be a system quarterback. His last season at Oregon however, he showed flashes of an NFL-level quarterback. His ball security and his ability to pass under pressure stood out as his top qualities. His creation ability and arm strength give him the tools to make a variety of throws, both on the platform and off. His natural tendency to extend plays also gives him the ability to take off for yardage with his legs, an ability defenses will have to annoyingly account for. However, inconsistency is the problem with Nix. He’s far too unpredictable and inconsistent with his throws and his timing. He inconsistently predicts and feels pass rush, and ends up forcing passes and making impulsive decisions. He needs heavy refinement in his progression through reads as well, as he is hesitant and misses opportunities often.

5. JJ McCarthy, MICH

McCarthy is one of the most interesting prospects in this year’s draft. He possesses many qualities of an NFL-caliber quarterback but also the opposite. He has adequate arm strength and can make a variety of throws on the field, on the run, and off balance. He is an able and willing runner when he sees an open lane but prefers to sit in the pocket, although is not scared to tuck it and run. He sometimes will make reckless throws into coverage, especially when he is under pressure. However, he has a playmaking ability in his arsenal. He doesn’t utilize it as much as he should but if the NFL leans into that, it could have potential. He uses bad touch on passes under five yards, especially screens, as he will fire it in with too much speed for his receivers to react. On throws with plentiful time in the pocket, he will often get locked on a specific receiver and wait for them to open up, as opposed to reading through his progressions appropriately. His overall pocket presence could have some touch-ups as well.