QB-only NFL mock draft 2024: Projecting where Jayden Daniels, J.J. McCarthy, & 11 other quarterbacks will go

Having a high-quality quarterback is vital to success in the NFL, and teams in need of signal-callers are fixated on the 2024 NFL Draft because of that.

The 2024 draft is deep at quarterback and boasts six prospects who could have their names called in the first round. It’s widely believed that the first three picks in the draft will be quarterbacks, which is something that has happened just three times before in the common draft era (1971, 1999, 2021).

Caleb Williams will almost certainly be the No. 1 pick, and Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and J.J. McCarthy will jockey for position among the rest of the pack.

The glut of quarterback talent doesn’t end with that quartet. Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix were both Heisman Trophy finalists and are viewed as fringe first-round prospects. Spencer Rattler is believed to be a likely Day 2 pick, while Joe Milton’s cannon arm will likely intrigue teams early on Day 3.

Even as the draft winds down, there will still be plenty of familiar college quarterbacks who find homes, including Michael Pratt and Sam Hartman.

Just how many quarterbacks will get drafted in 2024? Sporting News is breaking down the quarterbacks who could hear their names called at some point during this year’s selection show.

Here’s a 2024 mock draft that focuses solely on the quarterback selections.

NFL DRAFT: Five QBs go in first round of SN’s 7-round mock

NFL QB mock draft 2024

Caleb Williams, USC

• Team: Bears
• Pick: No. 1 overall, first round

There’s no mystery about the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Williams was always expected to be the first player selected, and the Bears all but confirmed they were taking him when they traded Justin Fields to the Steelers in mid-March.

Williams won the Heisman during his first year at USC in 2022 and followed that up with a season that saw him complete 68.6 percent of his passes for 3,633 yards, 30 touchdowns, and just five interceptions. He has high-end arm talent, good mobility, and a unique ability to complete passes off-platform. The latter-most trait is why he has drawn the occasional comparison to Patrick Mahomes ahead of the draft.

Williams elevated the talent around him at USC. The Trojans may not have made a College Football Playoff with him, but the fact that they came close in 2022 speaks volumes about his skill set. He should give the Bears a true franchise quarterback for the first time since Jim McMahon.

Jayden Daniels

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Jayden Daniels, LSU

• Team: Commanders
• Pick: No. 2 overall, first round

The Commanders have been linked to Daniels, Drake Maye, and J.J. McCarthy during the 2024 NFL Draft cycle, but it seems like the LSU product has the edge to be the No. 2 pick at this time.

Daniels had a breakout second season at LSU last year, completing 72.2 percent of his passes for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. He added 1,134 yards and 10 scores on the ground en route to winning the Heisman Trophy.

Daniels fits Kliff Kingsbury’s offensive system well, and his mobility should help mitigate the risk of playing behind Washington’s shaky offensive line, which still has some holes at tackle. Playing with skill-position talents like Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Austin Ekeler, and Brian Robinson Jr. should give Daniels a chance to quickly find success in the NFL.

Drake Maye, North Carolina

• Team: Patriots
• Pick: No. 3 overall, first round

The Patriots signed Jacoby Brissett to be a one-year stopgap at quarterback, but they will almost certainly select a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick. McCarthy has gotten buzz as an option here, but it will be hard for Jerod Mayo, Alex Van Pelt, and Eliot Wolf to pass on Maye if the Commanders take Daniels.

Maye saw a downtick in his numbers from his sophomore to junior campaigns, but he has the prototypical size (6-4, 223 pounds), excellent arm strength, and functional mobility needed to be a solid starter at the NFL level. Sure, the UNC product is a bit rawer than someone like Daniels, but Maye only played three college seasons compared to Daniels’ five.

The Patriots can afford to be patient with Maye and give him the time he needs to develop. Brissett can start in 2024 if Maye isn’t ready, and New England can focus on adding receiving weapons and offensive line talent as they begin building around their franchise passer.

MORE: Drake Maye wows with arm strength at pro day after early misfires

J.J. McCarthy, Michigan

• Team: Vikings
• Pick: No. 11 overall, first round

McCarthy is one of the biggest risers ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, with many analysts projecting him as a top-five pick.

Is this buzz legitimate, or is McCarthy seeing a Will Levis-like inflation ahead of the draft? It seems more like the former, as NFL teams are falling in love with McCarthy’s combination of intangibles and potential.

It’s easy to understand why. McCarthy wasn’t asked to do a lot at Michigan, but he managed the game very well in a run-heavy offense. He completed 72.3 percent of his passes for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns, and four interceptions during Michigan’s national championship season and only lost twice as a starter.

McCarthy has great mobility and a strong arm, so he could emerge as a star with proper coaching. He would get that with Kevin O’Connell while also working with weapons like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson.

Even if McCarthy doesn’t become a star, his floor looks like that of an Alex Smith-caliber game manager who can keep a team competitive with a strong supporting cast.

Michael Penix Jr., Washington

• Team: Broncos
• Pick: No. 12 overall, first round

The Broncos are the wild card in the NFL Draft’s quarterback game. They obviously need one, as Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci are the only quarterbacks on their depth chart ahead of the draft. The issue is that Denver isn’t exactly positioned to land one.

Denver seems unlikely to land a top-four quarterback without trading up. The Vikings are just as desperate for a young quarterback, so if McCarthy makes it to 11, Minnesota doesn’t seem likely to pass on him. The Broncos also can’t wait to get a quarterback until the second round, as they traded that pick to the Saints in the Sean Payton trade.

As such, the Broncos will have to choose either to reach for a quarterback or to eschew the position entirely.

It’s hard to imagine Payton being comfortable with just Stidham and DiNucci as his quarterbacks, so reaching seems more likely. Many NFL analysts and sportsbooks have connected the Broncos to Bo Nix, but Penix seems to have overtaken the Oregon passer in the pecking order after an excellent pre-draft process.

Penix quarterbacked Washington to the national title game, and he completed 65.4 percent of his passes for 4,903 yards, 36 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He throws one of the best balls in the 2024 NFL Draft class, has a great arm, and performed well at the NFL Combine and his pro day, proving that his mobility is better than many anticipated despite multiple ACL injuries.

Those injuries may ultimately push Penix into the second round or at least below Nix, but if Payton likes Penix enough, he could surprise and make him the 12th overall pick (or trade down and still land him).

Bo Nix Oregon

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Bo Nix, Oregon

• Team: Raiders
• Pick: No. 44 overall, second round

If the Broncos take a quarterback at 12 and don’t trade down, it could be Nix. If the Broncos don’t take him, opting for either Penix or a player at another position, Nix may slip further than many expect.

The Oregon product completed 77.4 percent of his passes for 4,508 yards, 45 touchdowns, and three interceptions in a prolific final season for the Ducks. He is a steady, accurate passer with good ball placement who could emerge as a solid, mistake-free distributor in the NFL.

The question with Nix is about how he will adapt to an NFL-style offense after playing in Oregon’s wide-open, quarterback-friendly offense the past two seasons. He also doesn’t have the biggest arm among the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft, so some may look to slap him with the “game manager” label.

Still, Nix has the arm talent needed to be a solid NFL player and would fit the mold of the quarterbacks that the Raiders have previously targeted (Gardner Minshew, Aidan O’Connell). He has a higher ceiling than both, so that could lead Tom Telesco to select him with the 44th overall pick if he’s still on the board.

Spencer Rattler, South Carolina

• Team: Giants
• Pick: No. 70 overall, third round

The Giants want a quarterback. That much is known. However, it would be a major mistake for them to target one in the first or second round.

New York needs to focus on fixing its receiving corps and offensive line before putting another quarterback in the same situation it put Daniel Jones in. One of the reasons the Duke quarterback hasn’t fully succeeded is because he was constantly under pressure and had few talented receivers to target.

The Giants are also stuck with Jones’ contract and cap hit for at least a couple more seasons, so it’s not like they could take full advantage of having a highly drafted quarterback on a rookie contract.

Spending a third-round pick on a player like Rattler is a much better option for the Giants. They can groom Rattler behind the scenes as a potential successor to Jones while using their top selections to improve the rest of the offense.

Rattler completed 68.9 percent of his passes for 3,186 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions last season. He didn’t quite live up to his lofty recruiting status in college, but he has the tools and experience needed to continue growing at the NFL level. There’s no better place for him to do that than New York.

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Joe Milton, Tennessee

• Team: Falcons
• Pick: No. 109 overall, fourth round

The Falcons got a massive quarterback upgrade during the 2024 NFL offseason when they signed Kirk Cousins. They could still use a young quarterback with upside behind him after trading Desmond Ridder to the Cardinals.

Milton is a toolsy, cannon-armed prospect who completed 64.7 percent of his passes for 2,813 yards, 20 touchdowns, and five interceptions during his final year at Tennessee. He needs to develop his touch and accuracy, but his arm strength is second to none even in this excellent quarterback class.

Milton (6-5, 235 pounds) would benefit greatly from learning behind a player like Cousins for a year or two. Terry Fontenot might be happy to take a swing on a physically gifted prospect like Milton to fill Atlanta’s backup quarterback role.

Michael Pratt, Tulane

• Team: Buccaneers
• Pick: No. 125 overall, fourth round

The Buccaneers brought back Baker Mayfield during the 2024 offseason, but they could use another young quarterback behind him. Kyle Trask will be a free agent after the season, so Pratt could battle Trask for the backup role while either would be an upgrade over third-stringer John Wolford.

Pratt was a steady, productive quarterback during his four years at Tulane. He improved his completion percentage each year and combined for 49 touchdowns and 10 interceptions over his past two seasons with the Green Wave. His four years of starting experience and pocket awareness should make him a solid backup, but he could still emerge as a starter despite lacking arm strength.

Jordan Travis, FSU

• Team: Jets
• Pick: No. 185 overall, sixth round

Travis’ college career finished on a sour note, as a fractured and dislocated left ankle ended his season and cost Florida State a chance to make it into the College Football Playoff. It also put a slight damper on his draft stock, as he wasn’t healthy enough to jockey for position among the draft’s top mid-round quarterback options at the NFL Combine or during the pro day circuits.

Still, Travis is a strong, accurate passer who completed 63.9 percent of his passes for 2,756 yards, 20 touchdowns, and two interceptions during his final year at Florida State. He has enough arm strength to succeed in the NFL, and while he’s a bit undersized for a quarterback at 6-1, 200 pounds, he has the traits needed to be a steady backup at the next level.

The Jets need an eventual successor to Aaron Rodgers with the Zach Wilson experiment seemingly over. The No. 2 pick in 2021 is still on the roster, but Travis could replace him as a third-string option and learn behind Rodgers and Tyrod Taylor while spending his rookie season getting back to full strength.

Sam Hartman, Notre Dame

• Team: Cowboys
• Pick: No. 216 overall, sixth round

The Cowboys are three-deep at quarterback with Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush, and Trey Lance on the roster, but that won’t stop them from selecting a quarterback in 2024. All three passers are free agents after the season, including Prescott, so even if they extend him, Dallas will want to have at least one quarterback with experience on the roster.

Hartman spent five years at Wake Forest before finishing his career at Notre Dame. He completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 2,689 yards, 24 touchdowns, and eight interceptions with the Fighting Irish while showing enough talent to warrant a look as an NFL backup.

Hartman’s arm isn’t particularly strong — and he can be a bit turnover-prone at times — but he drew a Colt McCoy comparison from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein that seems particularly accurate. The Cowboys would be happy to land a McCoy-type backup in the sixth round given the uncertainty they are currently facing at quarterback.

Austin Reed, Western Kentucky

• Team: Seahawks
• Pick: No. 235 overall, seventh round

The Seahawks traded for Sam Howell during the offseason and seem content to roll with him as the potential successor to Geno Smith. The team could still stand to add some competition — and a potential third-string signal-caller — so grabbing one in the seventh round is sensible.

Reed posted massive numbers in Western Kentucky’s quarterback-friendly offense, racking up 8,086 passing yards, 71 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions across two seasons as a starter. He doesn’t have that same kind of high-end passing upside at the professional level given his lack of size (6-1) and arm strength. Still, he has good pocket presence, so that may be enough for a team to take a late-round flier on him.

Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland

• Team: Bengals
• Pick: No. 237 overall, seventh round

The Bengals don’t necessarily need a quarterback. Joe Burrow is one of the NFL’s best starters while Jake Browning held his own in place of the injured Burrow last season.

That said, the Bengals learned how important quarterback depth is last year when Burrow dealt with injuries and the team had to call on veteran A.J. McCarron to join the team as Browning’s backup. Getting a young quarterback just to fill out their depth chart makes sense.

Tagovailoa doesn’t have the same passing pedigree as his brother, but he posted solid numbers at Maryland while completing 67.1 percent of his passes. He’s undersized at 5-11, but his three years of starting experience with the Terrapins should afford him a chance to develop into a solid backup.