The 2024 NFL Draft may be set to break the record for having the most quarterbacks ever drafted. The current record is held by the 2015 class, which had 16 quarterbacks drafted in the seven rounds. However, this year seems to be the perfect storm for that record to be broken, possibly even broken by more than one.
2023 Saw an Unprecedented Amount of QB Injuries
Despite the NFL’s changes and other precautions to protect the quarterback and prevent injuries, 2023 saw more big-name quarterbacks go down than any other year in recent history. Some of the players who got injured include Joe Burrow, Deshaun Watson, Justin Herbert, Kirk Cousins, and, of course, Aaron Rodgers. A total of 54 different quarterbacks started a game in the NFL, with some teams having to go down to their fourth-string quarterback.
With so many quarterbacks getting hurt, teams are likely to be more inclined to have at least a third quarterback on the 53-man roster. Currently, many teams only have a backup on the 53-man roster and then a scout team quarterback, or they have to get a free agent signing in the middle of the season.
2025 is Looking Weak
Another reason we may see a record number of quarterbacks drafted is the outlook at 2025. Sure, there are a few big names, such as Shedeur Sanders, but for the most part, no big-name quarterbacks seem to be coming back in 2024 and be eligible for the 2025 NFL draft. Because of this, some teams may be more willing to take a risk in the middle to late rounds and take a quarterback who otherwise may not have been drafted, hoping they will be able to develop into a starter in the future.
Something else to consider is the rookie contracts of current backups. For example, Zach Wilson has one more year on his rookie contract; after this season, however, he will need a big pay raise to stay in the NFL. Teams that may not want Wilson or other backups from his class may look at the 24 draft class and decide to pick up a rookie for a much less expensive backup.
2024 NFL Draft Class is Elite
Everybody knows and is talking about the first-round draft picks. Everybody knows Michael Penix Jr., JJ McCarthy, Jaylen Daniels, Caleb Williams, and Drake Maye will all be picked up pretty early. However, there are also some pretty big names that are falling all the way down to the fourth through seventh rounds of the draft.
Players like Kedon Slovis, Brennan Armstrong, Devon Leary, and Sam Hartman are all big names who, in college, didn’t pan out exactly how they would’ve liked to see their college careers go. However, they still are being viewed as potential draft picks. If you were to look at a player like Brock Purdy coming out of college versus some of these names just mentioned, it’s easy to see how many of these guys can get picked up in the later rounds of the draft.
According to NBC Sports, 12 players are projected to be drafted, and eight players are considered to be eight either a sixth- or seventh-round pick or to go on draft. Additionally, players like John Ryes Plumley, Emory Jones, and Jason Beam are the kind of players who, if the right team wants them, could also find themselves drafted.
Conclusion
Every NFL draft is impossible to predict, especially in the later rounds, but with 2025 looking weak, the elite talent of this year’s class, and the recent history of injuries to other quarterbacks, it is definitely not outside the realm of possibility that more than 15 players will be drafted in this year’s NFL draft. In fact, it wouldn’t be shocking if it even got up to 18 players, beating the record by three.