Re-Ranking Drake Maye and the Top QBs from the 2024 NFL Draft

The 2024 NFL draft quarterback class has the potential to be legendary. Six signal-callers were Day 1 picks, and each came off the board within the top 12.

Four of these 2024 draftees have now started and won at least one playoff game over the past two seasons, and one is set to appear in Super Bowl LX on Sunday. That makes this a perfect time to look back at this historic class and project the order in which they would be drafted with the benefit of hindsight.

Based on a combination of regular-season and playoff success, accolades and future upside, here's how we'd re-rank the 2024 first-round quarterbacks.

6. Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons

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The Falcons' decision to draft Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall was questionable at the time, and it remains questionable heading into the 2026 offseason.

Atlanta selected Penix just weeks after inking veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract in free agency. While Penix eventually earned some playing time as a rookie following Cousins' late-season benching, his performances across those three starts left a lot to be desired.

With some reps under his belt and a full offseason to prepare as the team's QB1, there was hope that Penix would make major strides in 2025. That didn't come to fruition, though. The polarizing passer struggled to spark an offense that has been desperate for competent quarterback play following Matt Ryan's departure in 2022.

Atlanta went just 3-6 in the nine starts Penix made before he suffered a season-ending ACL injury. That's an especially concerning development since he tore the same ACL twice in college and had red flags coming into the draft because of it.

The Falcons now must weigh some tough options regarding their future at quarterback. After Atlanta brought Ryan back into the fold as its president of football, he recently refused to commit to Penix as the team's 2026 starter.

Penix will need to show vast improvements if he gets another opportunity to play under new head coach Kevin Stefanski. Otherwise, he'll be remembered as little more than a cautionary tale.

5. J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings took a gamble when they selected McCarthy at No. 10 overall. So far, that risk hasn't paid off.

McCarthy displayed promise during his two seasons as Michigan's starter, but he was more of a game manager in Jim Harbaugh's run-heavy system. Although he has shown the talent to be a more complete quarterback in the NFL, McCarthy has not consistently realized his potential.

McCarthy lost out on a huge swath of valuable developmental time when he missed his entire rookie season with a torn meniscus. Despite that, the Vikings still handed him a team that went 14-3 with Sam Darnold at the helm last season and hoped he would find similar success.

Although he put together an awesome fourth-quarter comeback in the 2025 opener, McCarthy's sophomore season was underwhelming. He missed seven games with a handful of injuries and was largely ineffective when he was on the field.

Although Minnesota went 6-4 during his starts, McCarthy completed only 57.6 percent of his passes for 1,632 yards. He also had more interceptions (12) than touchdown passes (11).

McCarthy doesn't seem to have inspired faith from his teammates, either. All-Pro wideout Justin Jefferson recently admitted that he thought the Vikings would have finished better than 9-8 this season had Darnold remained in the Twin Cities.

"Everyone knows the difficulty of the quarterback position this year, how we were dealt it," Jefferson said. "But having a quarterback that already had a season under his belt with us, knew the plays, knew the playbook, knew the players, throwing to me, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, all these guys, I definitely feel like we would have done better."

It may be too early to close the book on McCarthy, but he'll need to stay healthy and show massive improvement in 2026 to avoid being discarded as a disappointing draft bust.

4. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears

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Caleb Williams hasn't exactly lived up to the hype as the No. 1 overall pick in his class, but he's far from a draft bust.

Williams endured a rocky rookie campaign, working behind a sieve-like offensive line under an inept coaching staff. Despite taking a league-high 68 sacks in 2024, Williams still managed to throw for a respectable 3,541 yards and 20 touchdowns with only six interceptions.

Things improved for Williams drastically in his second season. The Bears not only made sweeping improvements to the QB's protection and the roster in general, but they also secured one of the game's most innovative offensive minds in Ben Johnson to replace Matt Eberflus as head coach.

The moves worked wonders in the Windy City, with the 12-5 Bears improving by seven wins and securing the NFC's No. 3 seed in 2025. Williams wasn't perfect as a sophomore—his 58.1 completion rate was more than a four percentage-point drop from his rookie season—but he accounted for 30 total touchdowns and continued to take care of the football with a mere eight turnovers on the year.

After the Bears edged out the rival Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round and fell just short in overtime against the Los Angeles Rams—reaching the extra period on an all-time fourth-down throw from Williams—it's become clear that this franchise is back on the map thanks to the QB's contributions.

There's still plenty of room for improvement, however, and Williams would almost certainly not go No. 1 in a redraft.

3. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders

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Jayden Daniels wasted little time validating the Commanders' decision to draft him No. 2 overall in 2024.

Although the signal-caller joined an organization with low expectations in the midst of what seemed to be a rebuilding period, Daniels quickly turned Washington into one of the league's most exciting teams and legitimate contender.

Daniels was scintillating during his Offensive Rookie of the Year-winning campaign, winning 12 games while completing 69 percent of his passes for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns. His dual-threat skills translated well to the NFL, resulting in 891 yards and six touchdowns on 148 carries.

While Daniels and the Commanders' Year 1 run came to an end via a blowout loss to the eventual champion Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, Washington had finally found a franchise quarterback worth building around.

Daniels would be higher in these rankings had his career not hit an unfortunate stumbling block this past season. The quarterback struggled to stay healthy in 2025, missing a total of 10 games and getting knocked out of several others.

A variety of ailments, including knee and hamstring strains as well as an elbow dislocation, ultimately ended his sophomore season and Washington's hopes of repeating as a playoff team.

If Daniels can return to his rookie form while staying healthy in 2026, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him rank as one of the best QBs in not only his draft class, but the entire league.

2. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

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Jayden Daniels may have a higher ceiling than Bo Nix, but Daniels' injury-plagued sophomore campaign gives Nix an edge over him in a re-draft for now.

Availability is often considered the best ability in NFL circles, and Nix has largely been available throughout his brief professional career.

While a string of 36 consecutive starts (including the playoffs) came to an unfortunate end with a season-ending ankle injury in the divisional round of the 2026 NFL playoffs, Nix shouldn't be out long. He will reportedly be back in action and preparing for next season in just over a month.

Since making his first start to open the 2024 campaign, Nix has guided the Broncos to a highly impressive 24-10 record—tied for the third-best in football in that span and only one behind the league-leading Eagles and Bills—with back-to-back playoff berths.

Nix's numbers may not scream elite, but averaging a 64.8 percent completion rate, 3,853 passing yards and 27 touchdowns in a season is more than enough to get the job done alongside a quality defense in today's NFL.

Denver has already emerged as a perennial contender under Nix's leadership. If he can take a leap in a pivotal third season, he'll have the Broncos heading into the postseason as a Super Bowl favorite next year.

1. Drake Maye, New England Patriots

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Drake Maye didn't get off to the quickest start to his career, especially compared to some of the other signal-callers in the 2024 class, but he's developed into an elite NFL passer faster than any of his contemporaries.

Although the No. 3 overall pick opened his rookie year riding the pine behind Jacoby Brissett, Maye showed flashes of greatness during the 12 starts he made to finish out what was largely a rebuilding season in New England. He truly hit his stride in Year 2 due to a combination of personal development, roster improvements and a new coaching staff that included one of the generation's top offensive coordinators in Josh McDaniels taking over play-calling duties.

Any lingering doubts the Patriots may have had about committing to Maye long-term have been assuaged during a scintillating 2025 season. The 23-year-old emerged as a bona fide NFL MVP candidate, throwing for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns. He also led the league by a wide margin with a 72 percent completion rate.

In addition, Maye led his team to the Super Bowl, which no other quarterback from the 2024 draft class has done thus far. While his postseason performances haven't been stellar, he's done enough to will the Patriots to three consecutive wins, mostly against brutally tough defenses in abysmal conditions.

If Maye hoists the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday—joining Tom Brady as the only Patriots starting quarterback to do so—he'll cement his status as one of the NFL's best passers.