With the college football season approaching, it’s time to take a deeper look at some of the top NFL Draft-eligible players at each position. This will help us assemble an early list of prospects to watch this fall.
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2024 NFL Draft: Quarterback Prospects to Watch
Below are NFL Draft-eligible quarterbacks who I’ll be keeping an eye on this coming season.
Quinn Ewers (Texas)
A former top recruit, Quinn Ewers, transferred to Texas after one season with the Buckeyes. He immediately stepped into the starting role last year and put together a decent first-year line. Yet, he’ll need to take a big step forward next season to establish himself as one of the Draft’s best quarterbacks. Ewers clearly has the raw arm talent teams look for, but decision-making, ball placement and consistency were sometimes lacking in 2022. With Arch Manning now pushing him for reps, look for Ewers to lean on Xavier Worthy, one of the most flexible receivers in the class, as he attempts to follow in the footsteps of former Steve Sarkisian products who went in the first round, such as Jake Locker, Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones.
KJ Jefferson (Arkansas)
One of the biggest-bodied passers in this year’s class, should he declare, the Razorbacks quarterback weighs in at over 240 pounds and is a true dual-threat who can barrel ahead and punish defenders when working the read option. He can maneuver in the pocket and buy time to throw or take advantage of open space to convert with his legs. Over the past two seasons, he’s averaged over 150 attempts on the ground (roughly half as many per season as passing attempts) and has shown the ability to protect the football and make sound decisions under pressure. He hasn’t had to rely on his arm quite as much as some of the other prospects in the class, and it’d be nice to see how he could shoulder a heavier load from the pocket this season.
Drake Maye (North Carolina)
A consensus is forming around Drake Maye as one of the top two Draft-eligible passers after he won the Tar Heels’ starting quarterback role last season, replacing Sam Howell and racking up over 5,000 total yards and 45 touchdowns (including 698 rushing yards and seven scores) in an incredible redshirt freshman campaign. Maye has prototypical size and a big arm, showing the ability to throw with velocity and accuracy down the field. Most importantly, he has the confidence to attempt throws into tight windows. Fundamentally speaking, he’s more advanced than usual for his age but could stand to transfer weight more consistently and can occasionally trust his arm too much, leading to some risky attempts. With last year’s offensive coordinator, Phil Longo, now bringing his air raid to Wisconsin, Chip Lindsey will be calling plays for North Carolina this year. Lindsey favors a relatively more balanced offensive attack, so it’ll be interesting to see how Maye adapts.
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