2024 NFL Draft: Quarterback deep dive and player comparisons

The 2024 NFL draft is just over a month away, making the next few weeks of scouting the most important as teams lock in their draft boards. In this gallery, we will compare the top quarterback prospects to current NFL players.

These comparisons are stylistic only, not an endorsement of their possible ability, just because we may use a Hall of Fame player to describe a play style, does not mean we think that player will be in Canton. It’s an exercise in context, nothing more.

Williams is the best QB prospect in this year’s draft, offering creativity, arm strength, and mobility. His arm talent is, “elite”, per NFL Draft Buzz (and others), allowing him to make any throw, anywhere on the field.

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Aaron Rodgers helped set the prototype for the current “meta” in the NFL, able to escape the pocket, create outside of structure, and consistently make plays while off-balance. Many in NFL draft media circles are comparing Williams to Mahomes, but we can’t help but think of Rodgers when we see him play.

Maye offers archetypal size for an NFL quarterback, standing 6’4”, 223 lbs. He operates offenses well, making plays consistently from the pocket. As Dave Richard for CBS Sports writes, “[Maye] Consistently made full-field reads and properly scanned through his progressions.” His mobility is good enough to make plays with his legs if needed.

We aren’t convinced Maye is as good a prospect as Herbert, but there is certainly some overlap to his play. Football Scout 365 has compared Maye to Josh Allen, which we disagree with, Allen is far more reliant on his alien-like physicality, while Maye is far more discerning on when to break the pocket.

Another QB with great size at 6’4”, 210 lbs, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner played himself into a likely top-three selection in 2024. Daniels is the best runner in the class, running for 1,134 in 2024, per ESPN. He is reckless at times, both with his body and his decision-making, which could come back to bite him in the NFL if he doesn’t reign it in.

Both Daniels and Jackson can operate perfectly well within the pocket, but when they break loose, they are impossible to bring down. Rob Rang for Fox Sports describes trying to tackle Daniels as, “like trying to bottle up smoke.” Where have we heard similar statements before?

McCarthy’s statistics won’t wow anyone, throwing for under 3,000 yards and just 22 TDs in 2023, per ESPN, but he was handcuffed by the system he was in. NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein is critical of McCarthy’s pocket passing, which others are describing as his strength. We can’t see McCarthy being anything more than an average NFL starter, but he loves to prove people wrong.

We were struggling to find a good comparison for McCarthy until we read Football Scout 365 which used Smith as an example. It’s the best we’ve seen, even if McCarthy is less of a threat with his legs. Both are going to try and slowly pick you apart rather than go for the kill shot, and both have a competitive fire that will keep them coming back for more.

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We like Nix more than others and are starting to think he may be a better prospect than McCarthy. Chris Simms for NBC Sports has him as his number three QB, which is too high for us, but his rationale makes sense: “His ability to read the field, make quick decisions, throw the appropriate ball... his backyard playmaking ability, I think, is elite.” Certainly a fascinating prospect.

This is the de facto comp for Nix and this stage, and while it’s the best there is, it’s not quite right. Hurts was a devastating runner in college, whereas Nix never rushed for more than 510 yards in a season, per ESPN. They do both like to take the aggressive option, happily throwing multiple deep shots a series if they see an opening, and both are happy to play out of structure.

The National Championship runner-up seems to be confounding evaluators, with some having him as a first-rounder, while others don’t want anything to do with him. We think he has a chance to be a long-term starter in the NFL given his accuracy and pocket presence, the two key attributes Rob Rang looks for while scouting QBs.

This is a lofty comparison for us to make as we love Stafford as a passer, but there is certainly overlap in their games. Stafford may have a slightly stronger arm, but in terms of pure accuracy, decisiveness in the pocket, and a willingness to change their arm angles to make the tough throws, they have a lot of similarities.

If you spend as much time as we do reading about and watching draft prospects, you may have noticed Rattler is steadily becoming the draft hipster’s QB of choice. We feel like his lack of elite arm strength and size could cause some issues in the draft. He is so close to being a great prospect, but his size, arm strength, and athleticism aren’t quite there.

Rattler may be less suited to the rigidity of a Kyle Shanahan offense, but, like Purdy, he can make the aggressive throw when needed. Damian Parson for The Draft Network writes, “He will take a risky throw or two into compromising coverage,” something Purdy regularly tries and often gets away with, but when it doesn’t work, it looks awful.

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