DRAFT TRACKER 2024

Williams’ play is highlighted by rare escapability paired with the talent to exploit defenses once the play breaks down. He’s not tall, but he is well-built, with an arm to challenge defenses across the field. He can be a high-impact playmaker on the go or an effective pocket passer when he allows himself to trust his eyes on second and third reads. He can improve his accuracy and placement on intermediate and deep throws, but he’s unlikely to be known for pinpoint accuracy. It is admirable that he looks to keep his eyes up and make throws outside the pocket, but he’ll make things easier on himself early in his pro career by becoming a more decisive scrambler to move the sticks and carry on to the next set of downs. Williams is tremendously talented but often bites off too much responsibility and plays off-schedule. He has a good chance to hit new heights with a surrounding cast he trusts, but greater self-discipline and a well-structured offense might be needed to help him become a quarterback who can elevate a franchise to championship contention.

With five seasons of starting experience under his belt, Daniels possesses a rare blend of playmaking talent and command from the pocket. He’s tall but slender, so there will be concerns about durability, considering how often he ran in college. However, teams must also recognize that he has no issues sitting in the pocket and working through progressions as a platform thrower with good mechanics and footwork. Daniels possesses the football intelligence to get himself protected and take care of the football with quality decision-making. He’s an accurate passer over the first two levels and throws with anticipation to slice and dice zone coverages. He had noticeable issues putting deep throws on faster receivers in stride, though. He lacks ideal size and arm talent, but he’s much more capable as a runner and passer than most of the quarterbacks who have moved on to the next level lately. Daniels is positioned to become a very good NFL starter in a spread-based passing attack.

Challenging evaluation with top-flight measurables and tools but inconsistencies that create a lower floor. Maye’s size and arm talent jump off the tape immediately. He can make every throw, but he will try to make throws that he shouldn’t have attempted. The gunslinger mentality creates a fearlessness that can turn into interceptions, but it will also allow him to win in tight windows and make splash throws that get crowds (and evaluators) on their feet. He leaves too many throws on the back shoulder or hip and needs to learn when to take some sauce off the throw to make it more catchable. There is an undeniable energy to Maye’s game that can create momentum or turn chaotic when plays come off-schedule for him. The combination of traits and tape make him a boom/bust prospect who might need patient management and coaching to help shepherd him toward his potential.

Enigmatic quarterback lacking the measurables and splash throws associated with early round quarterbacks but possessing elements that require more study and consideration. McCarthy lacks frame thickness and a plus arm. He’s fairly poised in the pocket but is average as a pocket passer. His ball placement and timing need to improve to help mitigate an average operation time due to a windup release. McCarthy doesn’t seek to play out of structure but is fairly consistent at making positive plays when it happens and ramps up his focus late in games and on third downs. He is confident and seems to have the ability to take slights and digest it as competitive fuel. McCarthy should continue to improve as a passer, but he fails to stand out in many of the areas that tend to be predictive of top-level success in the NFL.

Rare five-year starting quarterback whose play has matured in front of our eyes. Nix displays the accuracy, arm talent and athleticism consistent with today’s brand of pro quarterback. He can be punctual in getting the ball out at the top of his drop or he can work through progressions and beat defenses with second-reaction plays. He throws with good velocity and puts the ball on the money when throwing on the move. Nix has shown great improvement with his pocket poise. He’s capable of moving the sticks as a scrambler or as part of the running game. Some of his gaudy production has been driven by the Oregon offense’s design, but his talent clearly stands out. I’ve harbored bias from watching the overwhelmed version of Nix during his Auburn days, but as the saying goes, “tape don’t lie.” Nix appears more than ready to attack the league with an NFL-caliber skill set.

Penix will be a 24-year-old rookie with a history of season-ending injuries at Indiana and impressive production while at Washington. The Huskies’ offensive design helped declutter coverages for Penix, allowing him to throw a higher number of intermediate and deep passes. He plays with smart pocket mobility and a willingness to get rid of the football, which makes it difficult to sack him. His delivery is bundled and his release point is very low, but his monster game against Texas showed flashes of impeccable touch. Penix has plenty of arm but needs to work with more consistent timing between the numbers to eliminate unnecessary contested throws. He’s a pocket passer who was ineffective in 2023 when defenses were able to crank up the heat and make him move his feet. Playing in a shotgun-based spread attack might give him his best chance to succeed, but he needs to prove he can thrive outside of the Washington offense and stay free from injury.

Four-year starter who took more starting snaps at South Carolina than he did at Oklahoma. Rattler will still flash glimpses of what he showed in his 2020 season as a Sooner but fails to consistently sustain the type of play that NFL teams look for. He lacks desired height for a pocket passer and doesn't have enough arm strength to beat greedy NFL cover men. He was better than some of his 2023 numbers might indicate, as poor pass-blocking and drop-prone receivers often put him in bad spots. He can scramble and extend plays, but he's not a dynamic runner and needs optimal protection and separation in order to work in rhythm. He needs an offense that can shrink the field so he can operate quickly and find his rhythm. He has the know-how but might not have the tape or traits to inspire confidence in projecting anything more than a QB2/3.

Plumlee’s passing tape probably won’t be enough to get evaluators excited, but an outside-the-box evaluation creates more intrigue. He lacks size and the arm talent associated with playing quarterback in the NFL, but he has some ability in the pocket. He shines on designed runs and scrambles, where his speed and competitiveness allow him to score touchdowns and move the chains. Teams could choose to use him as a QB3 with gadget potential on short-yardage and red-zone snaps, but learning to run routes could expand his NFL versatility and allow creative play-callers to find a role for him.

In a career marked with challenges, Travis showed the resilience to overcome and finish his career playing his best football. He’s undersized but has an adequate arm and can help protect himself with his legs. The footwork isn’t always great, but he can throw effectively and fairly accurately as an improviser. Travis doesn’t usually beat defenses with pre-snap planning or eye work and can be a step slow to get through progressions and throw with anticipation. He displays good leadership and desires to take care of the football. Travis’ traits don’t stand out, but his mobility and continued growth as a passer could give him a shot to compete for a spot as a QB2/3 if evaluations of his leg injury check out.

Highly experienced and a respected team leader, Pratt has shown consistent improvement from season to season. Pratt has done a nice job of making safe decisions instead of reckless ones and throws with touch over all three levels. He struggles to throw with consistent accuracy and placement on intermediate throws. Also, he appears to lack the anticipation and field awareness to beat NFL coverage across the field. Pratt has Day 3 potential but will be in a battle to win a future backup role.

Inconsistent pocket passer with slightly below-average size coming off a two-year run that seemed to kill the legitimate buzz created in his sophomore season. Leary's tape shows flashes of accuracy, touch and football intelligence, but it's not sustained often enough. He has an NFL arm with good life on his drive throws and might have potential in a play-action based passing scheme if a coach can iron out some of the field-reading and decision-making issues. Leary's receivers did him few favors, and there are enough splashy throws to make him a dark-horse prospect worthy of a late Day 3 selection.

Rare physical specimen with the proverbial "arm talent to make all the NFL throws," but he's prevented from doing so by a lack of timing, accuracy and touch. Milton is gifted with a cannon for a right arm and can throw the ball as hard or as far as you want. His fastballs are often inaccurate and difficult to catch for moving targets, and he was wildly inconsistent locating his deep throws. He can elude pressure, extend plays and put jaw-dropping highlights on tape, but he's never been able to mature his game from splashy to consistent. He's primarily a single-side reader who struggles to improvise with his eyes. The physical ingredients could get him drafted on Day 3, but his lack of development over six seasons discourages his projection.

Spunky pocket passer who operates as a full-field reader and benefited from a scheme that allowed for a heavy percentage of quick-game throws. Hiers has below-average size and average velocity but does flash arm talent with some of his throws. He’s not overly mobile but can maneuver around the pocket to buy time and is improvisational enough to create for himself here and there. He operates with a natural accuracy on many throws but found it tougher to find his deep receivers with good placement. He might flash enough potential to be picked late on Day 3 as a developmental backup.

Solidly built but shorter, Hartman plays with a competitive temperament but a lack of consistency. He can play inside structure, but at heart, he's an improv-oriented passer. He has big hands to pump and reset the football, and his Wake Forest tape showed a player capable of beating defenses on extended plays. He processes quickly and can go from read to throw in an instant, but the arm strength is average and could be exploited by ball-hawking defenders. There are flashes on tape that can be compelling, but his lack of physical traits and high turnover totals during his career could limit him into a role as an average backup.

Bradley has a good understanding of his offensive design and where to go with the football. He’s intelligent but limited as an athlete and doesn’t have the accuracy to sit in a pocket and beat NFL defenders on intermediate and deep throws. He might need to improve his footwork and delivery mechanics to make an NFL roster.

Five-year starter with experience at three different schools. Slovis was the talk of college football after completing 72 percent of his passes with 30 touchdowns and 9 interceptions as a freshman in 2019. Since that time, his overall play and production have declined. He has good size and throws with decent timing but doesn’t have enough arm strength to make pro throws into tight windows on a consistent basis. He struggles with deep-ball accuracy and occasionally puts throws up for grabs when he’s under pressure. Slovis will likely face an uphill battle to make a team.

Richard’s dual-threat potential is appealing, but it’s hard to project his production as translatable to the league. He has good arm strength but is too often tardy with his delivery and needs to throw with much better placement and accuracy. He has a nose for the end zone when he gets close, but his work as a passer might not be able to carry him into that position as a pro.

Reed has impressive career production but lacks NFL traits for the position. He benefited from a scheme that featured almost 30 percent of his throws targeted behind the line of scrimmage in 2023 -- and he still completed under 60 percent of his passes, per Pro Football Focus. While his receivers dropped too many easy throws, Reed often lacked the touch and accuracy needed to make their jobs easier. He's a competitor who can slip away from pressure and make plays out of structure, but he simply doesn't have the arm to make the intermediate and deep throws required for the position in the NFL.

Bryant will be a 25-year-old rookie after spending six seasons in college. He has good size and enough arm strength, but his long stride and issues operating against pressure can create inconsistencies with accuracy and ball placement. He throws with adequate anticipation when he’s protected and is at his best in a rhythmic, controlled passing game. He’ll have a chance to fight for a QB3 spot in camp.

Based on his size alone, Tagovailoa -- the brother of Tua Tagovailoa -- is likely to be left off the draft board for some NFL teams. He doesn’t have the physical tools and arm strength to fall back on. He has plenty of starting experience and knows his way around the pocket when it heats up, but he hasn’t proven he can beat defenses in the face of pressure and throw with consistent timing.

Tall pocket passer whose accuracy and ball placement will be directly tied to the pressure he has to face. Plummer can deliver accurate throws on possession tosses and three-step drops, but his delivery and release quickness might not be able to beat ball-hawking defensive backs on the next level. He lacks ideal pocket mobility and poise when it gets hot in the kitchen and he fails to take command of games consistently enough.