Bears quarterback Caleb Williams’ eyes lit up when asked Wednesday about the passers drafted alongside him last year.
“It’s a pretty badass class, right?” he said.
It has a chance to be. How the six quarterbacks taken with the first 12 picks of the 2024 draft fare will shape the NFL for years to come. Each of the six have had a compelling start to their careers, jostling with one another for position and to be the standard-bearer of a class with the potential to be the strongest since the 1983 group that produced three Hall of Fame quarterbacks.
Monday night’s matchup between Williams and Jayden Daniels, who led the Commanders to the NFC title game last season, will showcase the top two picks of last year’s draft. Neither quarterback has been the best of their class this year, though — the Patriots’ Drake Maye ranks fifth in passing yards and sixth in passer rating among all NFL quarterbacks.
All six sophomores are intriguing. Bo Nix, the Broncos’ No. 12 overall pick, made the playoffs last year and just beat the Eagles on the road. Michael Penix, whom the Falcons drafted eighth overall, threw for a career-high 313 yards in Week 4 before going on a bye. J.J. McCarthy, whom the Vikings took 10th, missed all last season with a knee injury before being named NFC Offensive Player of the Week in his NFL debut, a win against the Bears. He’s sat out the past three games with a high ankle sprain.
“It’s pretty unique to get, one, six different quarterbacks in one draft class that early,” Williams said. “Then, obviously, to have guys that are so different — but also very similar in a lot of ways.”
Despite having his own standout quarterback in Jared Goff, Ben Johnson scouted the class extensively as the Lions’ offensive coordinator. As different as each quarterback was on tape, they were all accurate throwers. The Bears head coach thought back to a truism shared by Bruce Arians, who won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers — quarterbacks need to execute on third down and the two-minute drill. That takes accuracy.
“You get all these athletes nowadays coming on out, and if you can’t really picture them excelling in those two situations, I think you kind of hamstring your football team,” Johnson said. “In regards to that draft class, I thought all those guys were capable of winning games for you with their arm on third down and two-minute.”
Each has flashed this year. Three of the six has led the sophomore class in passer rating in at least one week this season — and four have finished last. McCarthy led his draft class in passer rating in Week 1 and was last the next week. Williams did the same in Weeks 3 and 4.
Maye and Williams struggled enough last year to mandate a head coaching change — and lead the Class of 2024 in passer rating this year. The Patriots swapped out Jerod Mayo for head coach Mike Vrabel and, more importantly, hired offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who won six Super Bowls alongside Tom Brady.
That move, combined with Williams being paired with Johnson, ramped up the arms race. Nix is working with Super Bowl winner Sean Payton and Daniels with coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, who is mentoring McCarthy, is considered among the league’s brightest minds.
“You have to work hard and figure out ways to get better, and not be OK with just being where you were at coming out of college,” Williams said. “I think those guys have done a good job, I think they’re all going to keep growing, myself included. But having the right situation always does help.”
To prove his point, Williams pointed to players from another highly touted draft class — Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, who were taken first and third in a 2018 draft that also featured stars Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.
Mayfield landed with the Buccaneers, his fourth team, and is among the early NFL MVP favorites. Darnold is on his fifth team, the Seahawks, and ranks third in the league in passer rating.
“They just have gotten into some really good situations where they have connected with the coaches, connected with the players and the area around,” Williams said. “And I think they have found their home.”
The Bears hope Williams has found his. The other five teams can say the same about their second-year quarterbacks. History shows not everyone will be correct. For now, though, all have a case to be their team’s next franchise quarterback.
“I think it’s awesome for those guys to be able to go out there and compete the way that they’ve been competing from last year to this year,” Williams said. “I’m excited to see where they go next.”
Season totals
How the six quarterbacks drafted in Round 1 last year have fared this year:
1. Patriots QB Drake Maye: 113-153 for 1,261 yards, 7 TDs, 2 INTs, 107.8 passer rating
2. Bears QB Caleb Williams: 81-for-130 for 927 yards, 8 TDs, 2 INTs, 97.8 passer rating
3. Commanders QB Jayden Daniels: 58-for-98 for 664 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs, 93.2 passer rating
4. Broncos QB Bo Nix: 114-for-176 for 1,103 yards, 8 TDs, 4 INTs, 87.9 passer rating
5. Falcons QB Michael Penix: 78-for-125 for 918 yards, 3 TDs, 3 INTs, 82.7 passer rating
6. Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy: 24-for-31 for 301 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs, 67.2 passer rating
Career totals
How the six quarterbacks drafted in Round 1 last year have fared during their careers:
1. Commanders QB Jayden Daniels: 389-for-578 for 4,232 yards, 29 TDs, 9 INTs, 98.9 passer rating
2. Patriots QB Drake Maye: 338-for-491 for 3,537 yards, 22 TDs, 12 INTs, 94.2 passer rating
3. Broncos QB Bo Nix: 490-for-743 for 4,878 yards, 37 TDs, 16 INTs, 92 passer rating
4. Bears QB Caleb Williams: 432-for-692 for 4,468 yards, 28 TDs, 8 INTs, 89.7 passer rating
5. Falcons QB Michael Penix: 139-for-230 for 1,693 yards, 6 TDs, 6 INTs, 80.9 passer rating
6. Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy: 24-for-31 for 301 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs, 67.2 passer rating
