Welcome to the first edition of our 2024 NFL Draft prospect rankings! All the football heads at 1010XL/92.5 FM have gathered to preview the upcoming draft in April. Today, we’ll be focusing on quarterbacks.
Here’s how our internal panel of experts ranked* this year’s class.
*Subject to change. Final rankings will be released in a full Draft Guide in March.
Here’s more information on our consensus top-five prospects.
Caleb Williams, USC
Our consensus rank: 1 | National consensus rank: 1
Bio: Williams was a five-star recruit and the highest-ranked quarterback prospect of his draft. He committed to Oklahoma after earning Washington D.C. Gatorade Football Player of the Year at Gonzaga College High School. Williams started seven games as a true freshman but transferred to USC as a sophomore to follow head coach Lincoln Riley. In two seasons in Hollywood, Williams went 23-10 as a starter and threw for 7,870 yards and 72 touchdowns. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2022 and is widely expected to be the first pick in 2024.
Player comp: Taller Kyler Murray
Strengths: Arm talent, playmaking, flexibility
Weaknesses: Height, footwork, pocket management
Drake Maye, North Carolina
Our consensus rank: 2 | National consensus rank: 2
Bio: Maye was a four-star recruit and was named North Carolina’s football player of the year by MaxPreps as a junior at Myers Park High School. He originally committed to Alabama before flipping to nearby UNC Chapel Hill. Maye won the starting job as a sophomore and promptly broke the school’s single-season passing yards record to earn ACC Player of the Year honors. He finished his three-year Tar Heels career with 8,018 yards and 63 touchdowns through the air.
Our consensus rank: 3 | National consensus rank: 3
Bio: Daniels was a four-star recruit and the second-best dual-threat quarterback prospect in his class out of Cajon High School. He enrolled early at Arizona State and became the school’s first-ever true freshman starting quarterback. Daniels had an 18-11 starting record in three seasons with the Sun Devils, passing for 6,025 yards and 32 touchdowns (plus 1,288 yards and 13 scores on the ground) before transferring to LSU in 2022. He compiled 78 total touchdowns in two seasons with the Tigers and captured the Heisman Trophy in 2023.
Player comp: Lamar Jackson but mortal
Strengths: Playmaking, pocket management, deep accuracy
Weaknesses: Frame, arm talent, short accuracy
Bo Nix, Oregon
Our consensus rank: 4 | National consensus rank: 5
Bio: Nix was a five-star athlete and the top dual-threat quarterback in his class coming out of Pinson Valley High School. He won Alabama’s Mr. Football Award and committed to Auburn, where he started as a true freshman in 2019. Nix led the Tigers to an Iron Bowl victory over the Crimson Tide and earned SEC Freshman of the Year. He passed for 7,251 yards and 39 touchdowns in three years before transferring to Oregon, where he threw for 8,101 yards and a whopping 74 touchdowns in two seasons. In 2023, Nix broke the NCAA record for highest single-season completion percentage (77.5%) on his way to finishing third in Heisman voting.
Player comp: Baker Mayfield
Strengths: Arm strength, playmaking, competitiveness
Our consensus rank: 5 | National consensus rank: 6
Bio: Penix Jr. was a three-star recruit out of Tampa Bay Technical High School. He committed to Indiana but played just 20 games in four seasons due to various injuries. Penix Jr. transferred to Washington in 2021 and set the school’s single-season passing yards record to win the Maxwell Award and AP Comeback Player of the Year. As a sixth-year senior in 2023, he led the Huskies to an undefeated regular season and a berth in the National Championship game. Penix Jr. broke his own single-season record to lead the NCAA in passing yards (4,903) and finished second in Heisman voting.
Player comp: Tua Tagovailoa with a dash of Ben Roethlisberger
Strengths: Arm talent, processing, pocket management
Weaknesses: Throwing touch, playmaking, health
Follow along as we rank each position group leading up to the draft!
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