We are almost finally here for the 2024 draft class in which we have a fully loaded bag of quarterbacks that have some potential to become franchise players in the very near future. Once again, I do a deep dive into what quarterbacks I think are worthy of being drafted as well as my complete ranking of the top 15. I will say that there is a large line between my tier one guys over my tier two guys. Last year, I had disagreed with much of the consensus by having CJ Stroud number one over Bryce Young whom I had at number three. Hendon Hooker still has time to prove himself, while Anthony Richardson at number seven still hasn’t shown me that I was wrong. This year, I agree more with the consensus up top with the two Heisman trophy winners, but certainly not towards the middle. Here is a best bet and how it all shapes out.
Best Bet: JJ McCarthy draft position over 5.5 +120 – Draftkings. I don’t buy the smoke screen that teams are putting out on this kid.
- Caleb Williams, USC HT: 6-foot-1 | WT: 214 pounds
Caleb didn’t do a heck of a lot in the combine, and why should he? When you are the number one pick in the draft, competing in a combine would only hurt you. Still I have to say that Caleb isn’t quite as sure fire as I thought he might be last year coming into the 2023 Pac 12 football season, but all in all, he’s still number one in my book. Looking at his USC career, Caleb hasn’t had any help on defense. He was hindered from having a poor offensive line. Even without combine numbers, we have to assume that Caleb is fast like he has shown in college, and he can make the big throws in the seam routs. Caleb also has shown some Mahomes like instincts as he knows when to escape the pocket, get the ball out with a side-arm, and how to throw his pass catchers open. Some say that Caleb’s hand size is a little small, and his height is a little short, but I don’t think that will be much of an issue as he seems to play taller than many of the guys his size. My only issue with Caleb is that he has shown some potential mental issues after how he had publicly addressed some of his losses, as well as some strange off the field behavior that I could call a cry for attention. Due to these issues, I have a pretty thin margin with Caleb over my number two guy listed right below.
2. Jayden Daniels, LSU HT: 6-foot-4 | WT: 210 pounds
We have the Heisman trophy winner bringing in the second spot over many analysts who like Drake Maye from North Carolina. Last year, Jayden was number one in total QBR while blowing away the competition in EPA at an amazing 132.3 rating. Jayden only played twelve games while he passed for forty touchdowns and four interceptions. He has the scrambling ability that NFL teams love and the passing numbers to back it up. Jayden has NFL height at 6’4, but his frame is a bit small at only 210 lbs. soak and wet. He needs to beef up some in order to sustain those NFL sized hits. The only real knock that I have against Jayden is that he only won one out of his four chances to beat top 10 teams. Being a clutch player is massively important in the NFL, and let’s hope that he develops that kind of confidence. I also have to wonder if Jayden is just a system type quarterback as he was questionable during his ASU days while he thrived quite well under Mike Denbrock’s offense. None the less, the numbers don’t lie and I have Daniels just a smidge under Caleb Williams for 2024.
3. Michael Penix Jr, Washington HT: 6-foot-2 | WT: 216 pounds
I find it very weird having Michael Penix as my third best prospect in this draft when this man would be the top prospect in many other draft classes. Michael put the team on his shoulders, and brought them to a national championship game. Michael had mad passing numbers at number one in total yards at 4903 with 36 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. These numbers would have been better had he had to finish out games without the huge lead running clock. Michael has the size and strength to be a top NFL prospect with enormous 10.5 inch hands. Penix was very accurate in his deep balls in which he personally made his wide receivers top prospects. The only two knocks against Michael Penix is that he his a lefty and some say that his success is due to Kalen Deboer’s amazing offense. Well, can’t you say the same for all of these quarterbacks? What is Caleb Williams without Riley and Jayden Daniels without Denbrock? What is JJ McCarthy without Harbaugh, and Bo Nix without Dillingham or Will Stein? Michael Penix could turn out to be the best in this class.
4. Bo Nix, Oregon HT: 6-foot-2 | WT: 214 pounds Sleeper alert
Speaking of system quarterbacks, Bo Nix pretty much made millions of dollars from leaving Auburn to land in Oregon. Bo threw for an amazing 4,508 yards over 14 games with 45 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Did I mention that he also ran for six TDs and 234 yards? Now even though much of Nix’s success was due to being in a great system under Kenny Dillingham, and Will Stein, you can’t ignore the clutch production that Bo has showed in important games as well as his accuracy. The big knock on Bo is that he is older at 24 years old, and he recently hasn’t played against great defenses. I would tend to disagree on that being he showed what he had to offer away from home at Utah. I also think that Bo could be more of a sleeper in this draft than folks seem to think. I watched enough Oregon games to see the talent that Bo Nix has, and I believe that he could be a franchise quarterback in the next level. This is the last quarterback that I have with a 1st round grade.
5. Sam Hartman, Notre Dame HT: 6-foot-1 | WT: 211 pounds Sleeper alert
Tier two starts here and it also means that I do not have anyone here and below worthy of first or second round consideration. Ok, I am gonna go out on a limb here. What did Sam Hartman actually do wrong last year in his 10 wins at Notre Dame? Sam’s last two years of football were quite remarkable throwing about a 63% completion percentage with 62 touchdowns. A big knock on this guy, besides his size and athletic ability is that he didn’t play in a pro-style offense at Wake Forest under Dave Clawson, but Sam’s transfer season at Notre Dame where more of a pro-style offense is played, proved otherwise. Hartman is a little small and a little slow for the modern day quarterback position, but he does have a cannon for an arm. He also has good sized quarterback hands at 9 & 3/4 inches to grip the ball. Sam Hartman wins big games. His teams’ rarely lose because of him. Wake Forest has taken a HUGE step back after Hartman left in 2023 winning only four games. I think that Sam Hartman is your fifth best quarterback in this draft.
6. Drake Maye, North Carolina HT: 6-foot-4 | WT: 223 pounds Bust Alert
Many say that the Washington commanders are looking at this guy for the number two overall pick in the draft. Being that they just tried the previous North Carolina quarterback in Sam Howell, do you really think that this would be a smart idea? Do I even need to mention Mitch Trubisky? I honestly think that the ACC wasn’t a good football conference over the past few years, and I am not sure that we can trust some of Maye’s numbers. Now is he a bust? I do not really know, but I believe his expectations to results ratio is quite high if he is the number two or three quarterback picked in the NFL draft. Drake Maye may look the part with his size, speed and strength, but he seemed to always lose the big games and his record only boasts one win over ranked teams over the past two years. Drake’s hand size is also a bit small for his size at 9 & 1/8th inches long. Maye’s numbers took a hit last year going from 66% completions, 38 Td. and 7 Int. to 63%, 24 Td. and 9 Int. Drake Maye reminds me more of a Jake Locker, or a Jacob Eason. Avoid him in the first round.
7. JJ McCarthy, Michigan HT: 6-foot-2 | WT: 219 pounds Bust Alert
I honestly do not understand the hype for JJ McCarthy and it just feels many fans, and even GMs, haven’t learned anything from what they have seen in the past. Sure, JJ is a national champion, but have you seen his coach? I mean, if JJ should be a top five pick for being the quarterback of this year’s national champion, then why wasn’t AJ McCarron, Cardale Jones, or Tim Tebow top five picks? I watched both the playoff games this past year against Alabama and Washington. I can assure you that the Michigan Wolverines did not win the national championship because of their quarterback. I might even argue that he almost lost the game going 10-18 and only 140 yards vs a rough Pac 12 defense. One of his big playmakers bailed him out on a poorly thrown key 3rd down pass that proved to be huge in that game. Maybe JJ is a winner at heart, and will do well in the NFL, but he has some small hands at nine inches long, and he conveniently turned down running the 40 yard dash at the combine due to an injury. Have we learned nothing about Jim Harbaugh with Colin Kaepernick? Kaep with Harbaugh was an all-star while Kaep without Harbaugh wasn’t even good enough to be in the league. I give a 4th round grade to JJ McCarthy at best, and I see a potential bust, or at least a large work in progress for the time being. Fade any team that drafts him for 2024.
8. Jordan Travis, Florida State HT: 6-foot-1 | WT: 200 pounds
I think we are finally back on to a guy that is properly ranked in Jordan Travis. This Seminal is a bit undersized, yet many starting quarterbacks in the NFL have the same characteristics. Jordan Travis did a great job in not losing games, which is all you can ask for in a team that got screwed out of their playoff chances from a biased committee. Jordan possesses great scrambling and speed abilities along with some great accuracy as a quarterback. Travis threw for 45 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions over the last two years at about 64% completion percentage. This kid is fast and slippery. He should be able to get yards rushing the football. The biggest knock on him is that he didn’t play in a pro-style offense, so there will be a learning curve for this kid.
9. Tanner Mordecai, Wisconsin HT: 6-foot-2 | WT: 218 pounds Sleeper Alert
This might be one of the diamonds in the rough in this draft. Tanner has had an amazing career at SMU where in his final year he threw for 3,524 yards, at 65% completion percentage. I also like the 33/10 touchdown to interception ratio. Tanner’s numbers took a slight dip when he went to Wisconsin, but if you watched that team, there were literally no good pass catchers while the Badgers were trying to figure out a brand new Phil Longo offense that didn’t seem to gel the whole 2023 season. I must say that I am very impressed with Tanner’s pro day running a 4.46 forty. He did scramble for 300 yards last season, and this could be a secret weapon if used property in the next level. I would not pick Tanner until the seventh round or so, but this kid might turn out to be a diamond in the rough.
Didn’t make the cut:
10. Michael Pratt, Tulane HT: 6-foot-2 | WT: 217 pounds
This kid was a stud at Tulane, but there is nothing there that shows that he can be better than a backup in the next level.
11. Zach Calzada, Incarnate Ward HT: 6-foot-4 | WT: 200 pounds Sleeper Alert
Zach wasn’t good on the Aggies, but who the hell was under Jimbo Fisher? He is big and he looked great in the FCS at Incarnate Ward. Could be a sneaky 7th rounder or walk on success.
12. Joe Milton, Tennessee HT: 6-foot-5 | WT: 235 pounds
If Anthony Richardson was a poor man’s Cam Newton, then Joe Milton is a poor man’s Anthony Richardson. The Josh Hueple offense doesn’t really translate to the pros. Joe Milton does not run that fast either.
13. Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland, HT: 5-foot-10 | WT: 200 pounds
I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller. Taulia actually was a baller in college, but he isn’t fast enough to be a 5’10 quarterback in the NFL running a 4.8 forty.
13. Devon Leary, Kentucky HT: 6-foot-1 | WT: 215 pounds
Two years ago at NC State, I was thinking that Devon could be a potential NFL prospect, but after his performance at Kentucky, I remain quite leery on his chances.
