The 2024 NFL Draft quarterback class is as intriguing of a quarterback draft class as we have seen in some years. Since the end of the college football season, through the NFL combine, and after the start of free agency, there has been a lot of moving and shaking amongst (almost all) the top six quarterbacks on the board. As more workouts happen and more reports make their rounds, it’s anybody’s guess as to who will be selected and in which order, after number one of course.
2024 NFL Draft Quarterback Class Tiers
Tier 1-Caleb Williams
Most experts have USC quarterback Caleb Williams in a tier of his own. He has the measurables, the film, and the it-factor that general managers look for. He is the clearcut number one in this NFL Draft quarterback draft class. It is almost a lock that he will be taken by the Chicago Bears with the first overall pick.
It is in the second and third tiers that the most movement in rankings has taken place since the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, which saw the Michigan Wolverines defeat the Washington Huskies. At first, it seemed like after Williams, Drake Maye, Michael Penix, and Jayden Daniels would be those considered “next best” in this NFL Draft quarterback class. But since that time, some quarterbacks have risen, and some have fallen.
Tier 2-Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, JJ McCarthy
But times, they are a changin’ as many believe Daniels has stepped into the second spot with Maye dropping to third or even fourth, tied with National Championship-winning quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, rounding out the second tier. Daniels has as much arm talent as anyone in the draft and could end up being the best in this NFL Draft quarterback class.
Drake Maye hasn’t done anything wrong, per se, with so much time between the end of the season and the draft, there has to be fodder for the masses to keep themselves entertained. McCarthy’s strong combine, excellent pro day, and impressive interviews have catapulted him into a position to go as high as the third quarterback off the board.
Tier 3-Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr.
Oregon quarterback Bo Nix has been trending upward, and many are looking at him as the underrated quarterback who could be the best for the value of where he’ll be picked. He has the talent and the smarts and seems to be winning coaches and execs over in interviews. It looks like he could sneak into the top 10 to 15 picks.
Washington signal caller, Michael Penix Jr., seems to be the guy who is falling, as he finds himself in that third tier of quarterbacks comprised of him and Nix. Penix Jr. is as talented as any quarterback in the class, but the fact that his injury history is so scary (four season-ending injuries in college) and the fact that he’ll be 24 next season, seems to be scaring some GMs away. It’s hard to blame any team executive for being hesitant to take a player with such baggage.
In the end… no one knows.
In the NFL Draft, quarterbacks are obviously of the highest value, and this year may be the hardest to predict. Once Caleb Williams is off the board, Maye or Daniels will probably go, and then McCarthy is challenging to go third or fourth with Penix and Nix probably being the last two taken. But we’ve learned in the past, that it only takes one team to fall in love and surprise us all.
By the time the first round is over, there could be as many as six quarterbacks selected with four to five in the top ten picks. In the end, the order in which they picked doesn’t matter, but it sure will be fun to talk about such a talented and intriguing NFL Draft Quarterback class as that of 2024.