Ranking Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels and the Loaded 2024 NFL QB Class So Far

There have been several transformative quarterback classes throughout the storied history of the NFL. The crop of signal-callers who entered the league in 2024 could soon join the list.

Some of the most special classes in league history include the 1983 one, which saw a pair of legends in John Elway and Dan Marino—as well as the underrated Jim Kelly—enter the league and dominate for years. Just over two decades later, a trio of superstar quarterbacks in Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger were all taken on Day 1 of the 2004 draft and helped define a generation.

While there's been other impressive classes throughout the years, the 2024 class is already trending towards becoming one of the greatest ever and has real potential to become the foundation of the NFL's next generation.

With that in mind, let's take a look back at the top picks from this loaded class (one that saw a record six passers come off the board within the first 12 selections) and see where each first-round quarterback—as well as fifth-rounder Spencer Rattler, a rare Day 3 pick to emerge as a starter—stacks up based on a combination of production, team success, potential and intangibles.

7. Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints

AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman

Spencer Rattler took an interesting journey to becoming the starting quarterback for the Saints, a job that he might not be able to hang onto for much longer given the team's 1-12 record in his starts.

After entering college football as one of the most hyped prospects in years, the young gunslinger was expected to be the next in a long line of accomplished Oklahoma passers to compete for a Heisman Trophy before entering the NFL as a Day 1 selection.

Although he fell from the presumptive No. 1 overall pick with the Sooners to a fifth-rounder out of South Carolina in a short span, Rattler still saw significant action as a rookie backup. Rattler didn't fare well replacing the injured Derek Carr, losing all six of his starts and finishing 2024 with more interceptions (5) than touchdowns (4).

Despite the poor debut, Rattler still managed to be named New Orleans' starter following the surprise retirement of Carr during the offseason.

To his credit, Rattler has made some significant strides in Year 2. He's dramatically improved his accuracy (going from a 57 percent completion rate in 2024 to 67.7 percent this season) and had largely managed to keep his turnovers in check, having tossed just a single pick across his first six starts before a three-interception implosion in Week 7.

While Rattler's stats suggest he might be able to eventually become a serviceable starter for a playoff contender, the Saints haven't been remotely competitive with him under center. He simply hasn't done enough to lift this franchise out of the league's basement and it's far more likely that Rattler will get benched after a 1-6 start than figure it out and turn things around.

With New Orleans trending towards earning a top pick in the 2026 draft, it's almost certain that first-year head coach Kellen Moore will want to hand-pick a signal-caller to run his offense—a move that would spell an end to the chances of Rattler carving out a meaningful career in the Big Easy.

While Rattler could have a second act elsewhere, he doesn't project as much more than a journeyman backup and spot starter for bad teams.

6. J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings

AP Photo/Mike Stewart

J.J. McCarthy has been an enigma since entering the NFL as the No. 10 overall pick last year.

While there was optimism that the Michigan product would rapidly develop into a quality NFL starter under renowned quarterback whispering head coach Kevin O'Connell, injuries and inconsistency have marred the first two seasons of McCarthy's career.

McCarthy began his rookie year with an impressive preseason debut—one in which he tossed a pair of touchdowns—but the performance was shaded by a meniscus injury that put the prospect on ice for the remainder of the campaign.

After retaking the reins of the offense in 2025, McCarthy lasted just two starts before suffering another significant injury—an ankle issue that has kept him sidelined for the past month.

Although he recently returned to practice, McCarthy was only listed as Minnesota's emergency third QB during Sunday's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The two starts McCarthy has made in 2025 have been a mixed bag. The first three quarters of his regular season debut were ugly, but McCarthy eventually locked in and led the Vikes on a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback against the rival Chicago Bears.

McCarthy became the first QB in league history to score three touchdowns in the final frame of their first ever start, doing so on three consecutive drives to secure a 27-24 victory. Despite the heroics, McCarthy only completed 13 of his 20 passes for 143 yards in total and had an interception in the contest.

McCarthy's second start didn't have any redeemable qualities. In a blowout 22-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, the young signal-caller connected on just 11 of his 21  throws for a meager 158 yards with two interceptions and zero touchdowns.

Even with the injuries and poor performances, McCarthy still potential to be a good NFL quarterback. He displayed as much during that incredible quarter against the Bears, but being able to consistently perform at that type of level will ultimately determine his future in the league.

If he can stay healthy and if he can find a way to dial it in on a regular basis, McCarthy could end up being a top-tier quarterback. Those are big ifs, however, so for now McCarthy must rank as one of the more questionable QB picks of the 2024 NFL draft.

5. Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons

AP Photo

The Falcons were the laughingstock of the 2024 draft after they drafted Penix at No. 8 overall.

Not only was the Washington product considered a reach at that point in the event, but the organization also had already come to terms on a blockbuster contract with marquee free agent Kirk Cousins less than two months prior.

Atlanta's decision doesn't seem as foolish as it initially did. With Cousins struggling in his return from a season-ending Achilles tear, he eventually lost his starting role to Penix at the tail end of last season.

Penix provided a bit of a spark upon entering the lineup, helping the Falcons end 2024 on a high note with an overtime victory over the rival Carolina Panthers.

While Penix's 2024 grade could still be considered an incomplete due to his lack of playing time, there was hope that the Falcons may have finally found their first franchise quarterback since Matt Ryan after he completed 58-of-100 passes for 737 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score in three starts

Although Penix secured the starting job and spent the offseason preparing as a QB1, the jury is still out on whether he can become the franchise quarterback Atlanta has coveted since the departure of Matt Ryan after the 2021 campaign.

Penix has led the club to a respectable .500 record over the first six games of 2025. While his stats (1,409 passing yards on a 61 percent completion rate with five touchdowns and three interceptions) don't jump off the page, he's done well enough in most contests to keep the Falcons competitive.

Atlanta should boast a better record, however, as the team features the second-best total defense and the top-ranked passing defense in the league. Penix will need to take serious strides in the back half of the campaign to lift the Falcons from a fringe playoff contender to a Super Bowl threat.

The potential for Penix to take a leap and become an elite NFL quarterback is there, but his age (25) and spotty early production are red flags. The most likely outcome is that he will be a lower-tier starter, playing out his rookie contract in Atlanta before bouncing around the league as a journeyman.

4. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears

AP Photo/Nick Wass

Caleb Williams hasn't had the smoothest start to his NFL career, but he at least appears to be turning a corner in his second season. If the young Bears passer continues to improve, it won't be long before the he finally starts living up to the immense hype that surrounded him prior to becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft.

Williams found himself in an unenviable situation to start his NFL journey. The Bears struggled to find their footing under beleaguered coach Matt Eberflus, ultimately rating dead-last in total offense, No. 31 in passing and No. 28 in scoring during a trying campaign in which two different offensive coordinators tried and failed to spark the passing attack.

Although Williams finished the miserable season with a 5-12 record and took a league-worst 68 sacks, he at least showed promise by completing 62.5 percent of his throws for 3,541 yards and 20 touchdowns with just six interceptions. He displayed a knack for moving the ball on the ground too, tallying 489 yards on 81 carries.

The Bears spent the offseason working relentlessly to turn things around and jump-start Williams' career. The team convinced coveted offensive guru Ben Johnson take over as head coach and orchestrated a massive roster overhaul to give Williams a proper supporting cast.

The moves have been working, as the Bears have improved dramatically on the offensive end and find themselves in a position to contend for their first double-digit win campaign since 2018.

While Williams hasn't been perfect, he admirably shook off back-to-back losses out of the gate to guide his side to four consecutive wins and counting. It's not always been pretty—Williams had just 172 passing yards and zero touchdowns in a 26-14 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 7—but the Bears are getting results with their prized passer.

The potential for Willams to develop into a top-tier QB is clearly there, evidenced by his four-touchdown outing against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3. If Williams can keep racking up wins while improving his personal statistics, it won't be long before he jumps ahead in the 2024 draft class rankings.

3. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

The Broncos raised eyebrows when they elected to draft Nix with the No. 12 overall pick last year. Any doubts about the decision were quickly erased when the quarterback put together a fantastic rookie season and went on to lead Denver to its first playoff berth in nearly a decade.

Nix finally jump-started head coach Sean Payton's offense after a lean season with Russell Wilson at the helm. The Oregon product finished 2024 with a solid 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns on a 66.3 percent completion rate while guiding the Broncos to a 10-7 record—their first double-digit win campaign since Peyton Manning's final season in 2015.

While Nix didn't take home any hardware for his Year 1 efforts, he finished third in the Offensive Rookie of the Year race and would have earned a Pro Bowl nod for those efforts had he not declined the invitation due to pending back surgery.

The Broncos are set up to continue contending for the foreseeable future under Nix's stewardship. The team has jumped out to a 5-2 start to the 2025 season and are trending towards making the playoffs for a second straight year—an especially impressive feat given how tough the AFC West is.

Nix has cemented his status as a clutch quarterback with three consecutive fourth quarter comebacks over the last three weeks. His latest was a masterpiece, as he shook off a sluggish showing over the first three quarters to spark a whopping 33-point surge in the fourth quarter against the New York Giants. The Broncos set an NFL record for points scored by a squad that had been blanked over the first three frames.

While Nix's completion rate (64.6) and yards per attempt (6.2) are slightly down from last year—along with a pedestrian marks of nine touchdown throws and four interceptions—he's now a proven winner and the right kind of player to lead Denver into a new era.

Nix may not be a perennial MVP candidate, but he's proven to be a high quality NFL starter who has all the tools to guide this team into championship contention.

2. Drake Maye, New England Patriots

After a slow start to his career, Maye has been rapidly gaining steam and is now making a strong case to be considered the top signal-caller of the 2024 class.

While the Patriots star didn't make his first start until Week 6 last year, Maye still cobbled together a respectable rookie season. Despite being hamstrung with a depleted roster and working under a coaching staff that lasted just one season, the UNC product still managed to earn a Pro Bowl nod for his efforts.

Maye has gone on to improve almost everything about his game in Year 2. Rather than suffer through a sophomore slump like many of his contemporaries, the young passer has taken his game up to the next level and appears to only be scratching the surface of his potential.

Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels' system has proven to be a perfect fit for Maye. It's resulted in the quarterback ranking No. 2 in the league with a blistering 75.2 percent completion rate while tallying up 1,744 passing yards and 12 touchdowns with a paltry two interceptions.

Maye's ascension has directly resulted in team success, with the quarterback going 5-2 in his seven starts. Although it's not even the midpoint of the campaign yet, Maye has already secured more victories than he did as a rookie and has guaranteed the Pats will have their best season since 2022.

Maye earned the first signature win of his career earlier in the month, knocking off reigning MVP Josh Allen and the rival Buffalo Bills in a contest that signified New England is ready to challenge for the AFC East crown again.

Maye further added to his resume in Week 7 with one the finest performances of his burgeoning career. In a 31-13 victory over the Tennessee Titans, Maye completed a ridiculous 91.3 percent of his throws to set a Patriots record.

If New England get back into the playoffs for the first time since 2021—and more so if they can win a postseason game for the first time since the penultimate season of the Tom Brady era in 2018—the young signal-caller will cement his status as a franchise cornerstone and one of the finest selections of the 2024 draft.

1. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders

Although his second season may not be going nearly as well as his rookie year, Jayden Daniels is still the best and most accomplished quarterback in the loaded 2024 draft class.

It would be tough for a veteran signal-caller in any given year to top what Daniels was able to do in his first NFL season. He exploded for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns through the air and adding another 891 yards and six scores on the ground, earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and a Pro Bowl nod for those incredible efforts.

More importantly, Daniels brought immediate success to a long-suffering Commanders franchise. He morphed a team that hadn't had mustered a double-digit win tally since 2012 –and one that posted a paltry 4-13 record the prior year—into a 12-5 powerhouse, marking one of the more notable single season turnarounds in league history.  

Daniels' run didn't end after 18 weeks. He also earned playoff accolades, guiding Washington to the franchise's first postseason victory since 2005 and taking the club to its first NFC Championship Game since a 1991 Super Bowl run.

While his sophomore season has been a bit rocky due to injuries—he missed two games with a sprained knee earlier this year and exited Sunday's blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys with a hamstring that could keep him sidelined for another stretch—Daniels has played well when healthy. Even with a year-over-year dip in completion rate from 69 percent to 62.1 percent, the signal-caller has still thrown for 875 yards and seven touchdowns and has just one interception.  

After a 3-4 start, the Commanders are facing an uphill battle to earn back-to-back playoff berths for the first time in over three decades. The goal is still within reach, however, but only if Daniels can get healthy and stay on the field down the stretch.

Even with the injuries and slight regression, Daniels is still the top quarterback out of the stacked 2024 draft class. He won't lose that status unless he struggles immensely and causes the Commanders crash out of postseason contention in the back half of the campaign while Drake Maye continues to surge.