There’s no official start to NFL draft season, but we’re declaring it unofficially here as the 2023 NFL season hits the stretch run and college football turns its attention to bowls and the College Football Playoff. Over the coming weeks, intrigue will grow around a talented 2024 draft class, which includes a handful of potential franchise quarterbacks.
With the first round set to begin les than five months from now — April 25 in Detroit — plenty can change. The draft order, for one, won’t be fully set until mid-February, and the No. 1 pick is still very much up in the air. Most players entering the draft still have at least one game to play, along with all-star events, combine and pro day workouts and tons of pre-draft interviews. But we are at least starting to get some clarity on this group of prospects.
We brought in our NFL draft experts — Mel Kiper Jr., Matt Miller, Jordan Reid and Field Yates — to answer 30 big questions about the class at this point in the process. Is Caleb Williams locked in as the first QB, and which passers could follow him over the course of seven rounds? Which receivers, edge rushers and cornerbacks have first-round upside, and who are potential sleepers to watch? How will teams with multiple early-round picks approach the draft? What are the best pro comps in the class, and which prospects will post eye-popping numbers at the combine? Let’s get cooking on this exciting draft class.
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Let’s talk through this quarterback class: How many passers have a Round 1 grade?
Reid: There’s only two on my board — USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye. Williams is the class’ top QB (No. 2 overall for me), with the instincts to create off-script and the playmaking ability to change an NFL offense. But Maye — who has a great arm and solid ball placement — is certainly making it interesting as the No. 3 player on my board. They both look like early picks come April. The QB3 spot is where things get interesting, and while there will likely be more than two signal-callers taken on Day 1, only Williams and Maye are graded there for me at the moment.
Is Williams locked in as the clear No. 1 QB?
Kiper: Yes, at least on my board. Williams — assuming he enters the draft — is going to have his 2023 season picked apart for the next five months, but when you really study his tape, you’ll see he was still tremendous. He is an outstanding talent, a passer who can do rare things when he’s moving in and outside the pocket. Plus, the reality is Maye had some inconsistent games and didn’t grab his chance to move up down the stretch. Williams is going to go wire to wire as my No. 1 QB.