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It appears we could see three quarterbacks taken with the first three picks in the 2024 NFL draft this spring.
NFL draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, who reiterated that he typically bases his mock drafts on what he’s hearing around the league, unveiled his latest mock draft on Friday.
Jeremiah has the Chicago Bears selecting USC standout Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick followed by the Washington Commanders picking UNC signal-caller Drake Maye at No. 2 and the New England Patriots landing Jayden Daniels at No. 3.
The first non-quarterback off the board in Jeremiah’s mock draft is Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 4 to the Arizona Cardinals.
Here’s what Jeremiah had to say about his choices for the top three picks:
No. 1 Chicago Bears: USC QB Caleb Williams
“We’ve seen Justin Fields continue to improve, but I still believe GM Ryan Poles’ decision at No. 1 overall will be an easy one. The Bears select Williams, the most talented quarterback in the class.”
No. 2 Washington Commanders: UNC QB Drake Maye
“It’s a new era in Washington led by general manager Adam Peters. The Commanders find their quarterback of the future in Maye.”
No. 3 New England Patriots: LSU QB Jayden Daniels
“While Marvin Harrison Jr. would be tempting here, the Patriots need to address the quarterback position first and foremost. Daniels is coming off a monster year as a dual-threat weapon.”
Williams is widely regarded as the best quarterback in the 2024 draft class following a standout career at USC. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2022 after throwing for 4,537 yards and 42 touchdowns against five interceptions.
The 22-year-old wasn’t as good during the 2023 campaign, though his numbers were still solid despite the team’s struggles as he completed 68.6 percent of his passes for 3,633 yards and 30 touchdowns against five interceptions.
That said, the Bleacher Report NFL Scouting Department lists Maye as the best quarterback in this year’s class, giving him the nod as the most accurate and most pro-ready signal-caller.
Maye also had a much better 2022 season, completing 66.2 percent of his passes for 4,321 yards and 38 touchdowns against seven interceptions. He followed that up in 2023 completing 63.3 percent of his passes for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns against nine interceptions.
“Overall, Maye is a supremely talented passer. He has the athleticism, arm talent and baseline processing skills to become a weapon at the next level. All he needs to do is cut out some of the ‘doing too much’ plays. Maye has the skill set to fit in any system and develop into a star.”
The B/R NFL Scouting Department lists Williams as having the best arm. Klassen wrote of the USC quarterback:
“Overall, Williams is a fascinating prospect. The arm talent oozes off the film, and he is a special playmaker when things break down. Williams is also more put together as a processor than his playing style suggests, even if he still needs work.
“In the NFL, Williams would fit best in a spread-out passing offense that gives him space and enables his playmaking ability, similar to Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray or the aforementioned Josh Allen.”
As for Daniels, the B/R Scouting Department also considers him the third-best quarterback available this spring and lists him as the most mobile of the signal-callers.
Unlike Williams and Maye, Daniels put together the best season of his college career in 2023 en route to winning the Heisman Trophy. He completed 72.2 percent of his passes for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns against four interceptions, in addition to rushing for 1,134 yards and 10 scores.
Klassen wrote of Daniels:
“Overall, Daniels has an exciting floor as a prospect. He is a veteran-like presence in the pocket, and he’s far and away the best athlete in the class at the position. Daniels’ average arm talent and inconsistent accuracy may limit his ceiling, but it’s hard to imagine him totally flaming out. Daniels would be best in an offense that leans into his rushing ability and vertical passing, similar to Kyler Murray or Jalen Hurts.”
The Bears, Commanders and Patriots seemingly can’t go wrong with any of the top three quarterbacks in this year’s class. They could all use a quarterback—probably the Patriots more than the others—and it’s going to be interesting to see how things shake out.
