No position dominates NFL draft coverage like quarterback and the 2024 class features franchise-altering players at the top. There are three signal-callers — Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye — who would be in consideration for the No. 1 overall pick most years, though Williams sure seems destined to be the top selection in a little over two weeks.
After that trio, though, it’s still unclear exactly how the QBs will come off the board. So I took a swing at projecting the draft slot range — essentially ceilings and floors — for the top nine QBs in this class. (I settled on nine because the drop-off on my board after that point is significant.)
The trade of Justin Fields to the Steelers eliminated anything besides taking a quarterback at No. 1 for the Bears, and Williams is the clear top QB in this class. While the NFL draft is the ultimate exercise of “you never know until it’s official,” Williams might as well start looking at real estate in Chicago.
He is an extremely creative passer with great accuracy and the ability to routinely extend plays. The situation he would be entering is among the best in recent vintage for not just a No. 1 overall pick but really any highly drafted quarterback. The Bears’ offense features a wide receiver duo of DJ Moore and Keenan Allen that should make life a whole lot easier.
The most dynamic player in the class saw his draft stock soar during his Heisman Trophy-winning season, putting Daniels squarely in play to be the second overall selection. He is not just my second-rated quarterback in the class but also my second-rated player overall. He can beat you with his arm or his legs, evidenced by 40 touchdowns passing and 10 rushing in 2023.
What remains unknown right now — and might well stay that way until closer to the draft — is exactly where the Commanders (who own pick No. 2) stand on the available quarterbacks, as the team has done nothing to tip its hand. So although my personal assessment is that I would make Daniels the new man under center in the capital, it’s certainly plausible that North Carolina’s Drake Maye or even Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy is in play. But if Daniels doesn’t go second overall, I think the Patriots should sprint the card in at pick No. 3.There is a part of me that believes close followers of the draft have started to under-appreciate what Maye brings to the table, as the recently turned 21-year-old has a cannon for an arm, is creative both inside and outside of the pocket, can manipulate defenders with his eyes and shows serious toughness. All that is to say Maye could be in play with the second pick in the draft as the Commanders survey their options.That of course does not lock Maye into No. 2 yet, as others are unquestionably in play there as well. But Maye’s stay in the green room at the draft should be brief, as the Patriots at No. 3 seem like a lock to take a quarterback, too. And even if they don’t — or pick McCarthy — the possibility for a team like the Giants or Vikings to trade up to fourth overall seems feasible. If quarterbacks go 1-2-3-4, it will be the first draft in the common draft era (since 1967) with four straight signal-callers to begin the proceedings.
