2024 Senior Bowl Quarterback Prospect Rankings after three days of practices this week
The Senior Bowl practices for 2024 are complete! Where do all the top quarterbacks rank in this draft class now that we have had a chance to see them up close and personal? We didn't get the chance to see some of the top quarterback prospects like Caleb Williams (USC), Drake Maye (UNC), Jayden Daniels […]
The Senior Bowl practices for 2024 are complete! Where do all the top quarterbacks rank in this draft class now that we have had a chance to see them up close and personal?
We didn't get the chance to see some of the top quarterback prospects like Caleb Williams (USC), Drake Maye (UNC), Jayden Daniels (LSU), or J.J. McCarthy (Michigan) at the Senior Bowl, but there were still several of the best in the nation competing down in Mobile, Alabama this week. Let's dive in and see how the top Senior Bowl quarterbacks stack up against each other after a week's worth of practice action.
Senior Bowl Quarterback Rankings
- Michael Penix Jr., Washington
- Bo Nix, Oregon
- Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
- Michael Pratt, Tulane
- Sam Hartman, Notre Dame
- Joe Milton III, Tennessee
- Carter Bradley, South Alabama
Coming into the week the battle for best quarterback at the Senior Bowl was clearly between Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix. They did not disappoint. There was a clear tier break between their talents and the other passers competing this week.
There were some NFL scouts and skeptics that had mobility questions with Michael Penix Jr. all season long. However, just like he displayed in the College Football Playoff, Penix showed off his ability to improvise and throw on the run when necessary. This pass to Luke McCaffrey on day three of practice is a perfect example.
Penix Jr. did just enough to likely hold on to the QB4 spot overall in this year's class, but Bo Nix may slot in at QB5 (just ahead of Michigan's J.J. McCarthy) making excellent throws all week long too. He looked especially good when targeting Brenden Rice (WR, USC), like in this video below.
Bo Nix showed off his quick processing on short to intermediate throws that allowed him to find so much success at Oregon as well. However, questions still remain as to how his highly efficient production was impacted by his 172nd ranked average depth of target (just 6.8 yards downfield) and extremely low pressured rate when passing.
After the clear top two quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl it seemed that there was real disagreement among scouts and media as to who the "next man up" was in the pecking order. And throughout the first day of practice none of them had really stepped up.
Even through the early parts of day two practices, no quarterback had made their presence known, but then it happened. Spencer Rattler began to find his rhythm, especially when targeting his former teammate Xavier Legette.
Rattler finished day one throwing an interception and taking a bad sack, so it seemed he had drifted back into the rest of the pack. But once he got rolling it was clear why so many thought he could be an early round draft pick in the first year or two of his college career.
After posting a 95th percentile pass efficiency season back in 2020 it seemed Rattler had regressed. However, it's performances like his day two and three Senior Bowl practices that remind us there's still hope for mid-round draft capital with him after all.
Beyond Rattler, the remaining quarterbacks largely disappointed.
Michael Pratt showed flashes here and there. He and Sam Hartman both scampered their way for nice gains with their legs a few times. Joe Milton was predictably the most inaccurate passer of the week, despite having the biggest arm of the bunch by a wide margin. Carter Bradley had a surprisingly consistent day two of practice, not missing almost any throw, but clearly lacks the tools and abilities of any other quarterback at the Senior Bowl this week.
It's a rare year where we have at least six quarterbacks in the discussion for Round 1 and 2 of the NFL Draft with a handful of others potentially going Round 3. It will be exciting to see if these rankings continue to shift when we get to the NFL Combine.