2024 NFL Draft Quarterbacks Prospects

Caleb Williams has been touted as one of the best prospects of all time and is almost definitely going first overall. What do you make of his game and how good can he be?

"There's no sure thing when you're drafting a quarterback, even in the first round. If you look back, the hit rate over the last 15 years is about 35%.”

“When you start talking about the first half of the draft, you better hit because if you don't, you're not likely to be working for that organization for very long.” 

"Caleb Williams is the prototypical guy in a lot of ways when you watch the tape. He's not necessarily prototypical size-wise at 6 foot 1, 215 pounds but he does some amazing things on the field."

"I'm a little concerned he didn't work out at the combine and that he's going down the path Lamar Jackson did where he doesn't even have an agent, he's not being represented."

"He's the consensus first pick and the Chicago Bears are in dire need of a quarterback after trading Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers for just a sixth-round pick."

"I like his arm strength. He's got great arm talent. He throws with good velocity. He throws well on the move when plays break down and in the NFL, plays are going to break down. He's a very good quarterback on tape." 

"The only concern I have, which isn't a big one, is his below average height. Also, his footwork sometimes can make him miss on timing throws. If you watch some of his incompletions, there are timing throws missed but that's something that can be coached into him very easily."

In recent years, we’ve seen multiple drafts which are deep at quarterback and this could be another one. Which class was the best?

"If you look back since 2012 when Andrew Luck was the number one pick, there were two disappointments in that draft, Ryan Tannehill and Brandon Weeden. Tannehill was a low-end solid starter. Some people might even think Robert Griffin III was a disappointment.”

“The names just go on and on, in 2013 there was only one quarterback drafted in the first round and that was EJ Manuel and he was definitely a disappointment. In 2014, you got Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel, and Teddy Bridgewater. Then in following years you have guys like Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston, Carson Wentz, Jared Goff and Paxton Lynch.”

“The best of late was the 2020 draft with Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, and Jordan Love. That's the best quarterback class in the last 12/13 years." 

Drake Maye and Heisman winner Jayden Daniels seem to be battling it out for second. What do you make of these two and who would you pick ahead of the other?

"They're both very talented players. Both players have been mocked to go second. The Washington Commanders have that pick and they're definitely going quarterback. I don't think there's any doubt there."

"With the Dan Quinn and Kliff Kingsbury hires, I think they will go with the scheme fit. With what Kingsbury does, Daniels is a better fit than Maye."

"The negative of Daniels is that he's 23 years old compared to Maye being 21."

"Both of these guys are going to go in the top four picks. If I was picking, I'd go with Maye. I just think he's more of a prototypical quarterback."

"I have concerns about both of them.”

“Daniels is very athletic with excellent burst and agility. He can run the ball and he's got a very good deep ball, but he doesn't have a whole lot of velocity and he struggles driving the ball into tight windows."

"Maye has outstanding arm strength and can make all the throws. He's very good at throwing outside of the numbers and he's got super accuracy.”

“My biggest concern with Maye is the tendency to make bad plays worse. When plays break down, he makes them worse for some reason. He will not cut it loose, he runs into bad sacks and post snap changes by defenses seem to give him trouble.”

“I've seen tape where it's been very obvious what the defense is showing pre snap. Then they change it, and he has had some tough times with that. That's something that is a concern going into the draft." 

JJ McCarthy has jumped up in mock drafts recently. What do you like about his game, can he become a franchise quarterback in the NFL?

“JJ McCarthy has been the biggest surprise in terms of rising up the draft boards. The mocks have gone crazy, thinking there could be trades involving the Minnesota Vikings or Denver Broncos to move up and draft McCarthy.”

“The Broncos don't have a lot of draft capital to make that move as they gave up capital for Sean Payton and Russell Wilson but of all the quarterbacks, McCarthy is the one they will be talking about the most."

"There's a lot of gamesmanship in the draft, especially in the top 10 picks. The phones might not be ringing now but on draft day when teams are on the clock that's when everything comes to light. You find out who is really interested and who is not.”

“You'll see a lot of activity once we get past the top two picks. There's a chance we could see a trade when we get to the third pick."

"JJ has played in a pro system, for an NFL coach in Jim Harbaugh already. He has all the traits that you would like. He doesn't necessarily have the wow factor but when you look at his product on the field, you see that he's got the ability to be an NFL quarterback." 

What do you think of the guys outside the top four and do you have a favorite?

"I think the Washington quarterback who started at Indiana, Michael Penix Jr. is the one that I like the most."

"He's got the measurables, he's got the arm strength, and he can throw it into tight windows. He's got very good deep ball accuracy. He really is a sneaky athlete too."

"There are some concerns with Penix Jr. because he has had a whole lot of injury issues throughout his career prior to transferring to Washington."

"There's something about him though that he's got. You can't put your finger on it as a scout or coach but when you watch his tape, you say this guy does a lot of good things."

"It would not surprise me if he's the fifth quarterback off the board and it would not surprise me if he is picked in the 13-32 spots. Someone may decide to move up and take him thinking that he's not going to be available later on." 

The New England Patriots rebuild under Jerod Mayo starts now. Do you think they have to go quarterback at three?

"This is a quarterback driven league. If they feel comfortable with Maye or Daniels, they need to pull the trigger, that's for sure.”

“If they prefer one of the two and he's there at three, they're going quarterback.”

“If they can't get their preferred guy, they might be able to acquire more assets and strengthen their roster with trade opportunities, then turn attention towards a Penix Jr or Bo Nix.” 

"Having been in a draft room, those phones are ringing constantly. With one of Maye or Daniels being there at three, I think they have to pull the trigger and take one of those."

"If they're not real comfortable with Maye or Daniels, then they'll listen to trade offers but I think they'll pick the quarterback (Maye or Daniels) Washington leaves on the board. Then after the that, the draft will become a little bit crazy." 

The rest of the 2024 NFL Draft

Marvin Harrison Jr is being hyped as a generational prospect. Would you say he’s the best overall player in this year’s draft?

"All the draft experts think he is, that's for sure. They say he's the best wide receiver and he's getting compared to prospects like Ja'Marr Chase, A. J. Green, Julio Jones and Calvin Johnson Jr. When they compare him to these, he must definitely be a very good player."

"Just like it's a consensus with the first pick in the draft (Caleb Williams), we know who the first non-quarterback taken is going to be. I'm confident to say that Marvin Harrison Jr. will be the first non-quarterback to be picked."

"He's such a gifted athlete with an unbelievable skillset that sets him apart from all of the other receivers in this draft class.”

“He's 6 foot 4, around 209 pounds and he creates so many mismatches based on those measurables. He's going to be a mismatch against all the corners in the National Football League. He's special. He's going to be able to step on the field day one as a wide receiver number one and you'll be able to win with him."

"He is something. On the whole draft board, if you had to pick a generational prospect, it would be him and if he stays healthy, he's going to be a multiple probowler at least. He's got that type of talent." 

"When he gets picked, everyone will be in agreement that that is the right pick. There's not going to be anyone opposed to picking him.”

A lot of the talk pre-draft has been about the QBs and offensive players, but which defensive players have caught your eye and why?

"There are a couple of guys. Eight of the first nine players taken could be offensive players. Quarterbacks and wide receivers. As a head coach or general manager, you have to be focused on how you're going to neutralize these players and pass heavy offences.”

“That happens with drafting defensive backs who can match the athleticism of those wide receivers. And if you don't have cover guys then you better have rush guys. That's why corners are at such a high premium on the defensive side of the ball.”

“You're getting so many three and four wide receiver sets with the athletic tight ends in there as well that it requires you as a defensive coach to deploy five and six defensive back sets. The days of saying that the nickel is not your base defense is not even a discussion anymore. More times than not, you play the game with five defensive backs."

"The only way you can slow down an offense is to put pressure on the quarterback and have guys that can cover."

"There's a corner from Toledo, Quinyon Mitchell. He is built and he is strong. He has the ability to play safety and the athleticism to be an elite cornerback.”

“Most mocks have him as the first corner taken. He's very, very talented. I've had an opportunity to watch his tape and his build and strength say he's a safety, but he's got the athleticism of an elite corner and that's a very unusual mix.”

“He's going to be a guy that goes early and I really like him."

"The other corner I really like is Terrion Arnold from Alabama who'll be another starting cornerback.”

“He has the flexibility of playing corner or nickel which is important because you don't want a guy who you can't move inside and play nickel. When they can do that, it gives the defensive coordinators a lot more leeway in what they can do in terms of eliminating the elite athletic wide receivers.”

“He'll be another starting corner in the NFL. He's got great speed and explosiveness to match any of the athletic NFL wide receivers. He's good."

"The third corner I really like is Nate Wiggins from Clemson who has outstanding coverage skills. If you were just grading coverage skills, Wiggins would probably be the first corner taken in the draft.”

“He's got a little bit of an issue about his production and his physicality against the run.”

“I think the knock on his production was because he was not targeted a lot. Other teams tended to throw away from him. Sometimes lack of production is a good thing at the corner position because it means they're too scared to throw your way.”

“The other concern regarding physicality is that he doesn't necessarily want to mix it up so to speak.”

“Those are the two knocks on him. The production I would not be concerned about. Some of the best corners that play in the NFL, their numbers are down because quarterbacks throw it the other way.”

“In regard to the concern of his physicality, half the corners in the league don't want to tackle.”  

Moving from covering to pressuring, are there any edge rushers which have caught your eye?

"In most mocks, there's only one edge rusher predicted in the top 10 and that's Dallas Turner from Alabama.”

“He's being mocked a lot to the Falcons at number eight. He's a physical freak and he jumps out. He's one of the most explosive players in the draft this year. He's expanded his pass rush repertoire and he's not a one trick pony.”

“He plays strong at the point of attack, and he has the chance to be a dominating pass rusher.”

“He has to continue to get stronger, but his numbers are freakish. He can do a lot of things. He needs to be more effective in the run game but his upside of being a dominant edge rusher is unbelievable.”

“I wouldn't be surprised if he was the first edge player taken. I really like this guy. He reminds me of the Dallas Cowboys' pass rusher Micah Parsons."

"There's a more surprise guy we need to talk about in Jared Verse from Florida State, who was a transfer from Albany University.”

“He's a freak too. He is something. The thing I like about him is he reminds me a lot of Dwight Freeney.”

“He's a guy with elite speed and he's good with his speed to power and that's why he reminds me of Freeney. He understands leverage and he is a productive player against the run."

"The third edge guy that I really like is Chop Robinson from Penn State. The thing I really like about this guy is that his motor runs all the time.”

“He's got great get off. The teams that don't play read and react and instead play getting up the field, they're going to really like this guy a lot.”

“He's got super flexibility and he's got good bend. He's got speed and quickness which he penetrates into the backfield with, but he needs to improve his hand playing technique. If you're going to ask him to two gap, he's got to improve in that area.”

“He's not real strong and that's evident when you watch the tape because he's one of those that get up the field and attacks guys but when he attacks, he'll get pushed out of the hole in the running game.”

“He doesn't have the girth and the strength to sit down at the line of scrimmage and make plays. So, he'll run up the field and run himself out of plays in the run game. He has to improve that, but I can see him being a third down guy who you're going to want on the field in passing situations."

"Dallas Turner, Jared Verse and Chop Robinson are my favorite 'go get em guys' and Quinyon Mitchell, Terrion Arnold and Nate Wiggins are my favorite 'you go cover that cat' guys"

2024 NFL Season

What did you make of the Atlanta Falcons signing Kirk Cousins? What can he bring to the franchise?

"As I mentioned, the quarterback drives the NFL right now. You see it with how the salaries are increasing.”

“The days of the 2000's Ravens, who won the Super Bowl, and I was on that staff, are over. We went five games without scoring a touchdown and won two of those five games.”

“That's not what the NFL is anymore, it's all about being able to have someone under center who can distribute the ball to all of the offensive pieces.”

“I like Kirk Cousins' career. He's a 12-year veteran and he does have playoff experience.”

“He'll be a placeholder while the Falcons start the Raheem Morris regime. Raheem is in a better spot than when I took over the Falcons because we had some other things that were going on.”

“The Falcons now have a good, solid core group of players that were just missing a quarterback who can distribute the ball. I believe Cousins can still be a very productive quarterback in the NFL moving forward, he's been that thus far in his career.”

“The biggest thing that concerns me is that he's coming off of the Achilles injury in week eight which was late October.”

“I do like that he's working with new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson who has a background with the Los Angeles Rams. Anybody who works with Sean McVay and comes from that tree understands the passing game and the intricacies that it's going to take.”

“I really like the pieces that they have around Kirk Cousins. The biggest question mark is when he will be able to play and practice with the team and how much work is he going to be able to get with them prior to week one.”

“Achilles injuries can be tricky in terms of recovery but they're getting better with the rehab. Look at Aaron Rodgers. They talked about him potentially returning if the New York Jets were in contention.”

“So, Cousins may surprise everybody and be there to start the preseason but that's the biggest question mark I have on Kirk Cousins.”

“The Falcons are loaded. They've got some very good talent and pieces in place with their returning players and free agent signings on the offensive side of the football. I've been impressed.”

“They have Kyle Pitts who I say is the queen on the chessboard as you can move him and put him in different places. He's a tight end/wide receiver.”

“Bijan Robinson, I thought he was going to have a more productive year, he was splitting time in the backfield but he's a dominant player that will be great for Cousins.”

“Then you've got Drake London, Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud III to distribute the ball to. Those are all really athletic guys.”

“The thing that's very important for the Falcons is that the NFC South is what I call a manageable decision with the other three teams in different phases of rebuilds. Any team could win the division and it will be the most wide open one.”

“The Falcons were not overly active in free agency. They didn't tear this whole team down. They brought in a new coach and a few pieces here and there. They've got the pieces in place for Kirk Cousins to be very successful. If he returns to form, they're going to be good.”

“Currently though, they only list one healthy quarterback which is Taylor Heinicke. They've got to pick up another quarterback either via the draft or free agency. I don't think they'll go quarterback at eight though.”

“Raheem knows the building as he was there with Dan Quinn, He's going to do a great job. It should be a comfortable transition for him.”

“For Cousins, because he's been with two other teams, he's got years under his belt. If he's healthy, he's going to create for a couple of years until the Falcons can get a younger quarterback to be the heir apparent down the road long term because they've got a lot of good young players on their football team."

Several teams passed on hiring Bill Belichick this offseason, how surprised were you at this?

"Nothing surprises me about the NFL. That's the one thing that I do know.”

“Coach Belichick is going to go down as the greatest coach in the history of the NFL. His record speaks for itself. He won six Super Bowls and went to nine overall as a head coach.”

“Does he deserve another opportunity? Absolutely, but it's got to be the right fit for him and for the organization that hires him.”

“The NFL is going to miss coach Bill Belichick standing on the sidelines this season.”

“There's been a trend for many years now in the hiring process where everyone is looking for that next great wizardry from an offensive coordinator. It's going to continue that way but let's not discount all the knowledge that coach Belichick brings to a team.”

“Some people talk about the way that he manages a team and that it might not resonate with young players but if you talk to players that played for him, they'll have a different opinion than what is out there right now.”

“He absolutely is deserving of another opportunity. He eats, drinks, sleeps football. You can tell that by what he’s doing in the offseason. He went to the University of Washington for days to spend time with his son who is the defensive coordinator.”

“Bill Belichick wants to be on the sideline. I certainly hope that it happens again, and he has an opportunity to do that very quickly.”

“He'll be the most talked about candidate next year, there's no doubt. Even though the hiring trends are geared towards offensive guys right now, you have to take a look at Bill Belichick if he still wants to coach."

 The Titans have added a couple of big players in recent weeks. What did you make of Will Levis’ rookie year and should Titans fans be encouraged?

"The short answer is yes. I was excited about him in his rookie year, and he was a mixed bag of good and bad.”

“He ended up starting nine games as a rookie but there's a new head coach in town in Brian Callahan who was hired because of his work with some of the top quarterbacks in the NFL.”

“Brian worked with Peyton Manning in Denver, Joe Burrow in Cincinnati, Derek Carr in Oakland and Matthew Stafford in Detroit. So, he's worked with some really good quarterbacks.”

“I still believe Levis got underdrafted last year in where he was taken. He has all the measurables and he was very successful playing in the SEC, which is arguably the toughest conference in college football.”

“The Titans have done a great job in the offseason with adding some very good offensive free agent signings.”

“Calvin Ridley, who was with the divisional rival Jacksonville Jaguars last season, is a top 10, maybe even top five receiver in the league, definitely top 10 at least. He can show out like nobody else and when he's on and he's hot, he's really good.”

“They were looking at upgrading the wide receiver spot opposite DeAndre Hopkins and that mission was certainly accomplished.”

“I was really excited for the Titans when they signed former Cowboys running back Tony Pollard because he's a very good rusher but he's a dual threat.”

“Last year, he had 55 receptions on 62 targets so when they throw his way, he usually catches it. This will help upgrade their offence.”

“Those skill position players that they added are very good. They had an issue at offensive line, so they went out and got Lloyd Cushenberry III and they had a really good resigning of Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.”

“These are all moves which indicate to me that they are moving away from the run focused scheme with the large doses of Derrick Henry, who is no longer there, which was preferred by Mike Vrabel.”

“The offence is going to look a lot different with Brian Callahan calling the shots. You're going to see Levis in an offence which features more passing and he'll be able to distribute the touches more evenly.”

“Last year, he was hamstrung a little bit and wasn't able to show what he's really capable of doing. I'm high on Levis and I was very impressed with him at Kentucky. I was surprised at how he fell down the draft board." 

The Kansas City Chiefs cemented themselves as a dynasty in February. Where does Andy Reid sit among the greatest coaches of all time and how long can he keep coaching?

"The Chiefs have dominated the decade so far. The key to winning multiple Lombardi trophies is having the right quarterback and Andy's obviously got that in Patrick Mahomes.”

“Andy's done an amazing job at both places. He was great in Philadelphia but just couldn't win the big one. They were still in the NFC championship game almost every year.”

“He's the only coach to win 100 games with two different teams. Right now, he's sitting with the fourth most victories as an NFL head coach. He trails Don Shula by 63 wins.”

“I don't know how much longer he's going to go but I don't anticipate him stepping out before Mahomes does.”

“He's going to stay right where he is as long as Mahomes is there. If Patrick decides he wants to retire early, then Andy may consider retiring but people don't realize coach Reid is a grinder.”

“He loves the preparation as much as the competition. He's the mad scientist and we see it with all the Andy Reid signature plays which they run in pivotal moments.”

“Could he coach for 10 more years? I think he could.”

“When he does decide to retire though, five years later there's going to be a place for him in Canton, no doubt.”

“He's got a great offensive mind. He loves the process of putting together an offensive gameplan each and every week. He hasn't missed a beat even at 66.”

“He's not going to want to go play golf or go fish, I don't think that will ever happen. He'll want to coach as long as he can and he's very good at it."

What did you make of the NFL’s decision to ban the hip drop tackle?

"The hip drop tackle is a very, very dangerous technique.”

“The league follows injury trends and they watch every play. They look at it from a coaching perspective, a medical perspective and they get the players involved too. It's great for the game that they can evaluate these things so quickly.”

“It's a very dangerous technique where you grab and spin them and basically torque down on the back of their legs. The league did a great thing when they unanimously voted to ban this.”

“Rules that make the game safer for the players should always be adopted. There should never be a back and forth.”

“The tape doesn't lie. You look at it and you know it's a dangerous move in which people are going to be injured more.”

“May the NFL and the NFLPA continue to evaluate ways to make the game safer.”

“I went back and watched some of the hip drop tackles and there's no place for it in football.”

“The NFL is being proactive. In the past, this is something that would not have been addressed as quickly. The competition committee, the owners and Roger Goodell did a great thing in taking this out."

The Pittsburgh Steelers added both Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. How do you think Mike Tomlin will handle the quarterback situation next season? 

"Mike is going to let the best man win. It doesn't matter who everyone is talking about today as the starting quarterback. It's going to be an open competition.”

“Both guys will get an equal chance, it won't be talked about publicly but they're going to be evaluated from everything that they do.”

“Quarterback is the most important position on the team by far and you have to get that right. When you get that right and have the best guy out there, you're going to enhance your chances of winning.”

“I've seen reports saying it will be Wilson and reports saying it will be Fields, but I think what happened in Pittsburgh is that they felt they had to make a change at quarterback, and they thought the two best options were to bring in Wilson and Fields and have an open competition. The way it should be.”

“They won't base if off resumes, they'll base it off what they do while they're running the Pittsburgh Steelers offence this offseason."

Do you still see something in Justin Fields which makes you think he can be a franchise quarterback in the NFL?

"I do. But he has had some issues. Some have not been him specifically but with the offensive structure in Chicago, it didn't click.”

“Unfortunately, he may fall into that category of bust right now. That's what you'd have to say. He's been a starter, but he hasn't had the production.”

“Now is it all on him? Maybe not. But now he's in a situation where it's going to be an open competition and he has a chance of being a starter on opening day."

Bet on NFL odds at Betway

Find season-long NFL betting odds on the Betway sportsbook. You'll find all the latest spreads, parlays, totals, NFL prop bets, moneylines, and NFL futures. Or call it how you see it with our live NFL betting in-play. All your NFL betting needs are covered at our online sportsbook.

Visit Betway’s NFL picks page for picks and predictions throughout the regular season.