The 2024 NFL Draft is just over a week away, and the quarterback class should be front and center. As the most important position in football, landing the right passer can singlehandedly turn a franchise around. Just look at what the New England Patriots were like before and after the Tom Brady Era. While the top four quarterbacks in this class are likely to go off the board early, there are several mid- to late-round options who should entice teams looking for high-ceiling upside, or just a young, cost-controlled backup behind their franchise quarterback.
NFL Draft Quarterback Rankings, Ideal Landing Spots
10. Jordan Travis, Florida State
Jordan Travis is an athletic young prospect whose physical gifts ensure he should bounce around the league for years to come. He excels when the play breaks down and can use his mobility and arm strength to take advantage of busted coverages downfield. The problem is that he’s a good athlete, not a great one, so he’ll need to get better at pre-snap recognition and overall accuracy if he wants to earn a starting job. The best thing that could happen for him is if he spends his early years backing up an athletic quarterback who can show him the ropes.
Best Fit: Baltimore Ravens
Jordan Travis NFL Draft Profile
9. Joe Milton, Tennessee
Based on arm strength and arm strength alone, Joe Milton might be the most gifted quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft class. There is no throw the Tennessee product doesn’t have the potential to make, and he’s not so bad on the run either. However, he is a wildly unpolished product who needs to learn that not every throw needs to be a fastball. He’ll need a lot of development, but he has the raw tools to eventually become a franchise quarterback.
Best Fit: Los Angeles Chargers
8. Michael Pratt, Tulane
Michael Pratt won’t scare opposing defenses, but the quarterback enters the NFL Draft as a safe prospect who can keep a team afloat if he needs to start for a few weeks. He keeps the ball out of harm’s way but lacks the arm strength to drive balls into tight windows downfield. He’s your typical low-ceiling, high-floor prospect who can last a while in the league as a backup.
Best Fit: Atlanta Falcons
Michael Pratt NFL Draft Profile
7. Bo Nix, Oregon
Let the record show that I am notably lower on Bo Nix than consensus. The quarterback enters the NFL Draft after putting up great numbers with Oregon. However, a staggering amount of his production came after the catch. Nix was one of the least aggressive passers in football last year who can execute a play call but can’t do anything if the play falls apart. There is something to be said for a player who can make the right decisions in structure, but his lack of ceiling means that your best-case scenario is an early-career Andy Dalton.
Best Fit: Denver Broncos
out of 125 QBs last year: pic.twitter.com/8GIxFNC20z
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) April 16, 2024
6. Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
Spencer Rattler is good enough to get your hopes up and ultimately leave you a little disappointed. The South Carolina product flashes the ability to thread the needle through tight windows, but he doesn’t do it consistently. He has the athleticism to escape the pocket, but not enough to consistently scare defenses. The quarterback enters the NFL Draft after spending years with a poor supporting cast, so perhaps a better environment can allow him to display these traits with more consistency.
Best Fit: New Orleans Saints
Spencer Rattler NFL Draft Profile
5. Michael Penix, Washington
Quarterback Michael Penix is a fringe first-round pick in the NFL Draft because of what he has the potential to do. The Washington product has phenomenal physical tools that he puts on display regularly. What he struggles with, however, is the “easy” things. Fortunately, these issues are coachable, and he’d probably be a first-round lock if it wasn’t for his extensive injury history.
Best Fit: Las Vegas Raiders
Michael Penix NFL Draft Profile
4. J.J. McCarthy, Michigan
J.J. McCarthy is perhaps the most frightening quarterback prospect in this NFL Draft class. The Michigan product has a strong arm and has demonstrated the ability to make NFL throws, but he has little to no actual game film. Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines had one of the highest run rates in the league last year, and McCarthy never had to operate a pass-heavy attack. If you’re using a top-10 pick on a quarterback, you need to make sure he can carry an offense, and we don’t know if McCarthy has that ability.
Best Fit: Minnesota Vikings
J.J. McCarthy NFL Draft Profile
3. Jayden Daniels, LSU
Jayden Daniels has the arm talent and physical gifts to be a top-10 quarterback in the NFL. The LSU product put it all together in his final year in college, but how much of that was him, and how much of that was his elite supporting cast? Daniels wasn’t anything special before his final year in college, but the same could be said of Joe Burrow. Based on his upside alone, however, he easily deserves to be a top-three quarterback in the NFL Draft.
Best Fit: Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels NFL Draft Profile
2. Drake Maye, North Carolina
Drake Maye has the highest ceiling of any quarterback in the NFL Draft – including Caleb Williams. While his footwork needs some help, nobody has a more impressive collection of high-level throws, and Maye did it all behind an atrocious offensive line with receivers that appeared to be actively sabotaging him. If he spends a year or two behind an established veteran, he should have a long and successful career.
Best Fit: New England Patriots
1. Caleb Williams, USC
The obvious choice. Since the 21st century, you can count on one hand the number of quarterback prospects that entered the NFL Draft with fewer questions than Caleb Williams. This doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but the Chicago Bears should be thrilled to have one of the best prospects in recent memory hand-delivered to their roster.
Best Fit: Chicago Bears
Caleb Williams NFL Draft Profile
Main Photo: Rob Kinnan – USA Today Sports
