FOX Sports 2024 NFL Draft QB rankings: Caleb Williams leads top 10; how many first-rounders?

Last year's quarterback class was rich, with 14 players at the position being selected, the most since 2016. NFL teams may see this year's crop as an even greater bounty with USC's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye and LSU's Jayden Daniels all candidates to join last year's big three of Bryce Young, CJ Stroud and Anthony Richardson as top-10 selections.

Like last year, what makes this class so intriguing, however, is not just the top-end talent but the depth. Traditional pocket passers and dual-threat QBs abound in 2024, with quarterbacks of seemingly every size, speed and age available.

Each week leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft, we will break down the top 10 prospects at a different position. We'll include scouting reports on each individual player, noting specific strengths and concerns, as well as grading them and assessing when they should be drafted.

1. Caleb Williams, USC — 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, Junior

Overview: The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, Williams began his career at Oklahoma before following head coach Lincoln Riley to USC as a true sophomore, tossing a staggering 42 touchdowns against just five interceptions. Williams wasn't as dynamic in 2023, but still threw six times as many touchdowns as picks (30-5), with a porous defense and offensive line more to blame for USC's disappointing 8-5 record (including 5-4 in the PAC-12) than its play at quarterback.

Strengths: No quarterback from the 2024 draft class is better equipped to star in this era of dual-threat signal-callers than Williams, who pairs a ridiculously accurate throwing arm with terrific agility and burst as a runner. There are several quarterbacks in this class who are gifted athletes, but only Williams is just as accurate on the move as when standing flat-footed in the pocket, making him almost impossible to defend. 

Critics will question his height, but with so many of the passes in today's NFL thrown out of the shotgun, Williams is plenty tall enough to see the entire field. Vision is one of Williams' greatest strengths. He possesses impressive arm strength and consistently throws receivers open, showing the velocity, touch and pinpoint accuracy to attack all levels of the field.

Concerns: The term "gunslinger" is often used as a compliment for quarterbacks, suggesting a signal-caller with the talent and competitiveness to match any opponent throw for throw. Williams possesses this but he can be too quick to go off-script, resorting to the "Hero Ball" tendencies of trying to do too much on his own rather than staying within the confines of the play. 

Though his problems are correctable, Williams is currently flawed from a technique standpoint, occasionally throwing off his back foot and across his body. Worse, Williams often holds the ball for too long, inviting hits and fumbling. Williams fumbled a staggering 20 times over his three seasons of college football, including a career-high 10 times in 2023. Along with ball security, there are also concerns about Williams' leadership ability — or, rather, the perception by some that he lacks it — and he's shorter than NFL teams prefer.

Summary: With all of those flaws, one might question why Williams isn't a candidate to be one of the last quarterbacks on this list rather than the first. Knock his concerns all you'd like, Williams is a natural playmaker who possesses the talent and tenacity to make the impossible play a consistent reality. While there are some bust factors to acknowledge, there is no quarterback in this class with higher upside.

Grade: Top five

2. Drake Maye, North Carolina — 6-4, 230, Redshirt Sophomore

Overview: A middling supporting cast played a role in Maye's production slipping in 2023, with the UNC legacy slipping to "just" a 24-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio after a brilliant first season as the Tar Heels starter, taking over for current Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell. Maye looked like a future Heisman Trophy winner in 2022, completing 66.2% of his passes for 38 touchdowns in a brilliant debut. Just 21 years old, Maye is among the youngest players in the 2024 draft class.

Strengths: While the aforementioned Williams is the most accurate quarterback in this class on the move, Maye flashes similar precision with defenders barreling down on him. The prototypical built Maye shows accuracy to all levels of the field, hitting receivers in stride on passes that require velocity or touch, thrown inside the numbers or outside. He can switch off his primary read, reset his feet and deliver strikes like an NFL vet and is very comfortable with play-action, making many of his best throws in 2023 after turning his back to the defense. 

Maye isn't a dynamic athlete like some of the others on this list, but he's no slouch, rushing for 1,209 yards and 16 touchdowns at UNC. Maye comes from an athletic and competitive family. Further, he didn't enjoy the supporting cast of others on this list, suffering from plenty of blocking breakdowns — absorbing 30 sacks in 2023, alone — as well as 25 drops this year from UNC teammates.

Concerns: While Maye does flash impressive poise under pressure, there are times when he falls into the same trap as Williams and reverts to Hero Ball, attempting to make the jaw-dropping play rather than throw the ball out of bounds or even take the sack. Further, while an underrated athlete, Maye's accuracy drops significantly when he is forced to move his feet. 

He is among the least experienced quarterbacks in this class, starting just 26 total games and opting to enter the 2024 NFL draft even after poor performances (by NFL standards) in losses to Clemson and rival North Carolina State to end the 2023 regular season, raising questions (for some) about his true competitiveness.

Summary: Maye's relative inexperience is an obvious red flag but all the physical and mental traits are there to project him as a future standout NFL starter. Some scouts will justifiably rank him as the best quarterback in this class.

Grade: Top five

3. Jayden Daniels, LSU — 6-4, 210, Senior

Overview: A dynamic dual-threat signal-caller at Arizona State, Daniels added considerable weight and greater downfield accuracy to his game after transferring to LSU two seasons ago, culminating in the 2023 Heisman Trophy. He was good at ASU — tossing 32 touchdowns against 13 interceptions — but exploded this past season in Baton Rouge, generating 50 scores (40 through the air) with just four interceptions.

Strengths: It seems odd to characterize the quarterback who ranks third on my list as a human highlight reel, but Daniels won the Heisman Trophy in large part due to his ability to make extraordinary plays, both as a passer and a runner. Daniels has a good arm — showing impressive velocity and touch to attack the entire field — but perhaps the most exciting element of his passing is how much he improved on the deep ball in 2023. 

Before his breakout senior campaign at LSU, Daniels' greatest strength may very well have been his slithery scrambling. I'm showing my age by referencing former Philadelphia Eagles standout QB Randall Cunningham, but that is who Daniels reminds me of, as has the vision, agility and burst of a running back or receiver. Tackling Daniels is like trying to bottle up smoke — his escapability can be maddening to defenders and mesmerizing to fans and teammates.

Concerns: There is no denying that Daniels is a playmaker, but his production certainly expanded with LSU's dynamic receivers, who often turned good throws into great catch-and-run touchdowns in 2023. A disproportionate number of Daniels' best throws were simple vertical routes to wide-open receivers and from a clean pocket, raising all sorts of concerns as to how well his game will translate to a more diverse NFL offense. 

Daniels has proven durable over his career but he has a relatively slight build for the position, with narrow shoulders, limiting his potential to add the muscle mass he might need to remain as reliably healthy in the NFL.

Summary: If the NFL draft were purely about highlight-reel plays — like the Heisman Trophy has become — Daniels might be the top pick. Fair or not, questions about his frame and how quickly he'll adapt to a more traditional offense could push him down the board more than his flashy statistics would suggest.

Grade: Top 20

4. J.J. McCarthy, Michigan — 6-3, 202, Junior

Overview: The youngest player on our list, the just-turned-21-year-old McCarthy opted to follow his head coach, Jim Harbaugh, to the NFL, riding the wave of a national championship. He was born in La Grange Park, Ill. but played his senior season of high school football at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. when his previous program canceled their season due to the pandemic. Michigan's run-heavy offense didn't lend itself to big numbers for its quarterback, with McCarthy heading to the NFL after 49 touchdowns thrown over his college career (against 11 interceptions), with another 10 as a rusher.

Strengths: As Brock Purdy is proving for the San Francisco 49ers, poise, toughness and anticipation remain some of the most important attributes at the quarterback position, perhaps even more than size, speed and arm strength. McCarthy wasn't asked to throw the ball often in Michigan's run-heavy scheme but when he did so, he showed courage, consistency and accuracy on the short and intermediate throws that are the staples of every NFL offense. 

Rival fans might have scoffed at his much-publicized meditation prior to big games, but not necessarily scouts, who see his focus, grit and leadership as skills that can translate to the NFL. McCarthy is also a terrific athlete for the position, showing the awareness and agility to escape pressure and either scramble or throw accurately on the move.

Concerns: McCarthy lacks the howitzer of some of the other quarterbacks on this list, relying on his anticipation and accuracy rather than pure RPMs when attacking downfield. Currently, McCarthy appears much more comfortable lofting the ball down the middle than to the perimeter. Further, because he was protected by Michigan's run-heavy offense and stellar offensive line, McCarthy wasn't asked to carry his team to success, requiring significant projection of his true playmaking prowess to the next level. 

Though injuries have not been a concern, McCarthy has a relatively spindly frame that could use more body armor and is among the least experienced signal-callers in the draft, starting just 26 games over his college career.

Summary: McCarthy promises to be one of the more polarizing prospects, regardless of position, in the 2024 draft class. Some see a first-round pick and long-time NFL starter with the intangibles that suggest more championships are in his future. Others view him as a middle-round flyer who may never be more than a backup. I lean towards the former and wouldn't be surprised at all to see him selected in the first round.

Grade: Top 50

5. Michael Penix Jr. — Washington, 6-3, 212, Redshirt Senior

Overview: Penix grew up in the talent-rich state of Florida but was largely overlooked as a recruit, perhaps because he is left-handed and was committed to playing quarterback. He wound up at Indiana, where he flashed future NFL-caliber passing ability in four years but struggled with injuries. Seeking a new start, Penix transferred to Washington prior to the 2022 season and was reunited with Kalen DeBoer, his former play-caller with the Hoosiers. In six seasons at the two programs, Penix completed 63.3% of his passes for 96 touchdowns and 34 touchdowns. He led the country with 4,903 passing yards in 2023 and guided Washington to a national title game berth.

Strengths: After nearly a quarter-century in the NFL draft evaluation business, I've learned that pure accuracy from the pocket remains the single best predictor of quarterback success at the pro level and no one offers more of that in this class than Penix. He excelled on the intermediate and deep throws that make up the majority of NFL passing attacks, completing them with the same consistency that some of the other quarterbacks on this list convert simple dump-offs to backs.

Penix has large hands and long arms, which help him generate incredible velocity, putting a spin on the ball that receivers can easily track. Unlike many fastballers, Penix can take something off the ball and still hit the bulls-eye with excellent touch. He has shown remarkable resiliency and toughness in coming back from injury, giving him the perspective and leadership traits teams value at quarterback.

Concerns: Like most quarterbacks, Penix's accuracy dropped when he was forced to move his feet — a fact that Michigan hammered home in the national championship game. Of course, durability remains the obvious red flag when it comes to Penix, as all four of his seasons at Indiana were cut short due to injury before he transferred to Washington in 2021. Penix has a relatively spindly frame (especially in his lower half) and he's already undergone two ACL repairs (both to his right knee), and surgery to his throwing shoulder. Also of concern is the fact that virtually all of his success has come in the same offense — a relatively simple one by NFL standards — and he was surrounded by a dominant supporting cast in 2023 at UW, including an offensive line that earned the Joe Moore Award as the nation's best unit and a pass-catching corps with a few potential high picks, foremost among them Rome Odunze.

Summary: Due to his medical evaluation, Penix is the biggest wildcard among quarterbacks of the 2024 NFL draft with a top 10 or mid-Day 2 selection possible. The team that gambles on his rare arm talent could win big.

Grade: Top 50

This is the top five of Rang's top 10 quarterback rankings. For the full list, click here.

Rob Rang is an NFL Draft analyst for FOX Sports. He has been covering the NFL Draft for more than 20 years, with work at FOX, Sports Illustrated, CBSSports.com, USA Today, Yahoo, NFL.com and NFLDraftScout.com, among others. He also works as a scout with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. Follow him on Twitter @RobRang.