Top 10 Quarterback Rankings for the 2024 NFL Draft coming out of the NFL Combine indicate clear top tier

Now that the NFL Combine is behind us the top quarterback rankings for the 2024 NFL Draft are becoming much more clear. After spending a week in Indianapolis talking with general managers, coaches, players, and other league staff here are my official Top 10 Quarterback Rankings as we head into the heart of NFL Draft […]

Travis May — College Football Managing Editor
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Now that the NFL Combine is behind us the top quarterback rankings for the 2024 NFL Draft are becoming much more clear. After spending a week in Indianapolis talking with general managers, coaches, players, and other league staff here are my official Top 10 Quarterback Rankings as we head into the heart of NFL Draft season.

Top 10 Quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft

  1. Caleb Williams, USC
  2. Jayden Daniels, LSU
  3. Drake Maye, North Carolina
  4. J.J. McCarthy, Michigan
  5. Michael Penix Jr., Washington
  6. Bo Nix, Oregon
  7. Jordan Travis, Florida State
  8. Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
  9. Michael Pratt, Tulane
  10. Joe Milton, Tennessee

Despite Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye abstaining from participation at the NFL Combine they should still be the clear top three at the position, but J.J. McCarthy has to be right there with them too.

Tier 1 Quarterbacks

As I discussed last month Caleb Williams posted three straight seasons above the 90th percentile in scheme-adjusted pass efficiency. When you throw in his underrated mobility and improvisation skills you get a quarterback that is definitely going first overall in the NFL Draft. Some would argue he should be in a tier of his own in this class.

Jayden Daniels put up perhaps the best college football quarterback season from a meaningful metrics standpoint in the history of the game last fall. Over 13 adjusted yards per pass attempt, 40 passing touchdowns, 1200 rushing yards. Daniels looks and plays like a skinnier Lamar Jackson.

Drake Maye looks like the next coming of Justin Herbert despite his up and down performance last fall. His 2022 season was one of the best we've ever seen in college, and his tools flash with every single throw.

J.J. McCarthy has been questioned for his lack of high volume passing and his ability to "be the reason" a team wins, but that's just a misunderstanding of his game. McCarthy's key rate stats were elite across the board last season. At the end of the regular season he was 3rd in QBR, 4th in yards per play, 3rd in EPA per play, 5th in pass efficiency, and 5th in adjusted yards per pass attempt. And he did that at age 20.

Tier 2 Quarterbacks

Michael Penix Jr. put up some incredible numbers last fall as he led Washington to the national championship game and his deep ball in fantastic. The only couple things holding him back from tier one are his lack of mobility and injury history (four season ending injuries). Posting negative rushing production for much of his career puts him in a bin with a bunch of misses at the NFL level, but he is one of the best at avoiding sacks with an 8% pressure to sack rate last fall.

Bo Nix was also one of the best quarterbacks in the country at avoiding sacks last season, but he faced single-digit pressure rates for over half the year. Plus, Oregon's scheme dictated that he got rid of the ball incredibly fast, mostly on easy underneath throws. That makes assessing his pro prospects a bit tricky. Nix clearly improved over his many years of starting in college football (now has the record for most starts at 61), but he may have already found his ceiling. As I discussed last week, there are several teams in the early second round potentially considering him, especially the Raiders.

Best of the Rest

Jordan Travis was a "winner" at the NFL Combine by simply not participating due to his injury. Several of the other quarterbacks hurt their stock via their testing numbers or lackluster throwing sessions. However, even before this week he was right in the mix for early day three pick consideration. His stellar pass efficiency over his final two seasons at Florida State and impressive mobility make him a fun mid-round prospect.

Spencer Rattler tested horribly at the Combine and didn't impress in his throwing sessions, blending in with the other day three talents. Michael Pratt tested fairly well, showing his lower body strength that gave him some fun upside at Tulane, but he's still a likely day three quarterback as well.

Joe Milton has some of the worst on-field play among any quarterback to make it to the NFL Combine, but his tools are absolutely wild. He connected on a couple passes well over 70 yards in the air during the deep ball session at the Combine. He should be in the mix for early day three capital simply on tools alone.

If you'd like to dive into more positional rankings coming off the NFL Combine you can find an entire thread in this post from me below:

Be looking for more positional rankings and breakdowns coming this week from me here at A to Z Sports. Feel free to follow me @FF_TravisM on X for more NFL Draft content all spring long. And if you haven't checked out the latest from the A to Z Film Room, I highly recommend this video below where they dive into winners and losers from the NFL Combine!

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