Mel Kiper ranks Top 10 quarterbacks in 2024 NFL Draft ahead of Senior Bowl
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranked the top 10 quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft ahead of this year’s Senior Bowl and it’s a distinct order right now.
The biggest question is how many quarterbacks will go in the first round this spring. It could be three or heck, or it could be five!
Let’s dive into Kiper’s latest ranking of the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL Draft ahead of the Senior Bowl.
1. Caleb Williams, USC
This one should surprise no one if you’ve been following the draft process leading into the upcoming spring. The former Heisman Trophy winner is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick, by someone.
The USC star broke out as a freshman at Oklahoma before achieving superstardom with the Trojans as a sophomore. Sure, he wasn’t as good in 2023 but myriad factors sent USC packing early this year. Williams is surely the top prospect.
2. Jayden Daniels, LSU
Daniels might have the argument to pass Maye in this year’s draft after his Heisman campaign. The LSU quarterback always had dual threat abilities, but they were on a different level this past season.
Since the trend of a lot of these rookie quarterbacks to start right away, that might be the case for Daniels as well. But being the third quarterback in the top four players, it’ll remain to be seen how high he goes in the first round.
3. Drake Maye, North Carolina
Maye slipped behind as a quarterback prospect in this draft behind Daniels. The general consensus all season was he was the QB2 to Williams, but the LSU Tiger’s Heisman season had something to do with this.
Maye has all of the tools and the prototypical size to succeed at the NFL. It’s a question of where he will go and how early he will be selected by a quarterback-needy team.
4. J.J. McCarthy, Michigan
McCarthy gets the ranking ahead of some other guys who had monster numbers over the last two seasons. However, the Michigan quarterback won a national title this past season.
The thing about McCarthy is that he rarely makes mistakes and he’s that typical coach’s quarterback. Can he win games by himself at the next level? It remains to be seen but in the right system, he’s extremely coachable and solid under center.
5. Michael Penix Jr., Washington
Penix Jr. went off the last two years once he was healthy and followed Kalen DeBoer to Washington. He has a cannon for an arm, that’s for darn sure.
He’s pretty accurate and clutch too. Things you want in an NFL quarterback if you’re a franchise making this selection.
6. Bo Nix, Oregon
Nix can be a dual threat if he has to be, but there’s no question this kid is a gunslinger. He only got better once he transferred from Auburn to Oregon.
At Oregon, he had some of the best stats in all of the land. Unfortunately, he could not win a championship. Still, he should be a tantalizing prospect for someone.
7. Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
Rattler had quite the college career at Oklahoma and South Carolina. He was a much-hyped five-star prospect but didn’t enter elite territory consistently.
However, he put up some big numbers while playing for Shane Beamer at both stops. He’s not at the top, but there are NFL qualities to like about Rattler and the draft process should be interesting.
8. Michael Pratt, Tulane
It was four productive years for Pratt at Tulane who threw for over 20 touchdowns and less than 10 interceptions in each of his four seasons. His best season came in 2022, but he was nothing less than consistent.
More likely a mid-round draft prospect here, but Pratt is a solid piece. He finished his career with 9,611 yards, 90 touchdowns, 26 interceptions and a 60.6% completion percentage. Let’s not forget his 1,147 rushing yards and 28 rushing touchdowns.
9. Joe Milton III, Tennessee
Milton is another one of those guys who can throw it a country mile. He was productive with Tennessee but not exactly the star-studded replacement of Hendon Hooker this season.
He still has tremendous size and again, a cannon for an arm. He’ll be watched closely by NFL teams and could certainly make some noise at the next level.
10. Jordan Travis, Florida State
Travis’ NFL prospects probably rely on his recovery from a leg injury that kept him out of the ACC title game and what would’ve likely been Florida State’s CFP appearance. But the good news is, he steadily got better as his college career progressed.
Would he have been a higher pick? Sure, but Travis has the tools to succeed as a quarterback who can make difficult throws and be extremely mobile in the pocket.
So who will be the best quarterback of this draft class? That’ll take years to figure out but this is a pretty good look at how they’ll stack up on draft weekend!