In less than 48 hours, the 2024 NFL draft will get underway, with USC quarterback and 2022 Heisman Trophy Winner Caleb Williams all but sure to go with the first overall pick to the Chicago Bears. The next pick belongs to the Washington Commanders, with many pundits believing they, too, will take a signal-caller, potentially in the form of LSU’s Jayden Daniels. This rendition of the NFL draft remains heavy on quarterbacks, with six players potentially hearing their names called during the first round.
The record for most quarterbacks drafted in the first round is six, a mark that 2024 could match. This record has stood since 1983. Among the six quarterbacks vying for draft position, three are 23 years or older. The ages of LSU’s Jayden Daniels, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., and Oregon’s Bo Nix have become a talking point, especially considering the historically low success rate for older quarterbacks selected in the NFL draft.
Older Quarterbacks Selected in the First Round
Since 2010, 12 quarterbacks near or over 23 years old have heard their names called during the first round of the NFL draft. Of the 12, only two remain starters in the NFL as of the end of the 2023 season, with another four holding backup roles. The oldest of the group remains Brandon Weeden, who was then 28 years old when the Cleveland Browns selected him with the 22nd overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft. Weeden, a failed professional baseball player turned elite college passer, struggled in Cleveland. Weeden threw only 23 touchdowns against 26 interceptions before his release.
Going back to the 2010 Draft, here are the oldest QBs to go in the First Round (and this year's candidates), with age on May 1st. pic.twitter.com/UWytYCJ8Pw
— Jason Lisk (@JasonLisk) April 23, 2024
Meanwhile, Tim Tebow, Jake Locker, Christian Ponder, and EJ Manuel are all out of the league. Tebow had most of the quartet’s success, winning a playoff game with the Denver Broncos circa 2011. However, with the team-inking MVP QB Petron Manning and Tebow holding a 47.3% completion percentage, the latter threw just six more passes in his NFL career. Meanwhile, Locker, Ponder, and Manuel failed to last longer than five seasons in the NFL.
Older First-Round QBs That Found Success
Despite most of the older quarterbacks selected in the first round of the NFL draft post-2009 flaming out, not all have failed to live up to expectations. Cincinnati Bengals signal-caller Joe Burrow, a spry 23-year-old when Cincinnati took him with the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, owns a career 98.6 passer rating. From 2020 to 2021, he led the Bengals to the Super Bowl while throwing for 69 touchdowns against 26 interceptions.
Meanwhile, Baker Mayfield, Ryan Tannehill, Carson Wentz, and Mac Jones have all flashed excellence at the NFL level. Mayfield most recently threw for 28 touchdowns against ten picks while leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a playoff win in 2023. Tannehill has struggled over the past two seasons and never earned Pro Bowl honors with his original team, the Miami Dolphins. However, he won Comeback Player of the Year in 2019 after throwing for 33 touchdowns against seven picks with the Tennessee Titans.
Wentz and Jones also had bright spots in their careers, but now, like Tannehill, they operate as backup quarterbacks. Wentz earned MVP votes during his second season with the Philadelphia Eagles before injuries and inconsistency derailed his career. As for Jones, he earned a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie with the New England Patriots but has yet to come close to repeating that production in the following seasons.
Older Quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft
There’s a realistic possibility that three quarterbacks over 23 could go in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft: Oregon’s Bo Nix, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., and LSU’s Jayden Daniels. These three have a combined total of 16 college seasons under their belts. Penix Jr. overcame injuries sustained during his four-year run with the Indiana Hoosiers and flourished after transferring to the Washington Huskies, throwing for 9,544 yards and 67 touchdowns across 28 games. Despite struggling at Auburn for three seasons, Nix found his stride at Oregon in 2022 before dominating in 2023, throwing for 4,508 yards, 45 touchdowns, and three interceptions while completing 77% of his passes last year.
Daniels won the 2023 Heisman Trophy Award, posting monster numbers during his final season at LSU. Daniels accounted for 3,812 passing yards, 40 touchdowns, and four picks in 12 games. He also completed 73% of his passes while rushing for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns. The dual-threat signal-caller started his career at ASU, where he spent three seasons.
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