2024 NFL Draft: The top-10 quarterback prospects if everyone in college football was eligible

• Caleb Williams still leads the way: Despite every quarterback in college football being eligible, Williams is still the first off the board.

• Carson Beck places in the top five: The early favorite to be QB1 in 2025 places fourth on this list.

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The NFL is unique to other sports leagues in that players cannot enter it until they are three years removed from high school.

What if that rule changed and players could enter the draft after playing just one year of college football? Here’s how the top-10 quarterback prospects would shake out for the 2024 NFL Draft if everybody in college football was eligible to be selected.

(Please note: Only players eligible for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 NFL Drafts were considered. Incoming true freshmen were not eligible.)

1. Caleb Williams, USC, Class of 2024

Even with every quarterback in college football eligible, Williams would still easily be the first signal-caller off the board.

He’s earned 90-plus PFF grades in all three of his collegiate seasons and has top-tier traits for the NFL level, especially in terms of creation ability. While he might not be an Andrew Luck/Trevor Lawrence-level of prospect, he’s likely in that next tier of the best quarterback prospects over the last decade-plus.

Highest-graded Power Five quarterbacks of the PFF College era (Since 2014)

2. Drake Maye, North Carolina, 2024

Like Williams, Maye has been elite since he became a starter. His 91.6 PFF passing grade since 2022 leads all FBS quarterbacks, as do his 80 big-time throws. His fantastic arm talent combined with his two years of elite production would make him a No. 1 pick in most drafts.

3. Jayden Daniels, LSU, 2024

The top three quarterback prospects in this year’s draft remain the top three in the all-eligible version. That means two things:

1. The 2024 quarterback class is loaded.
2. The next couple of classes are more uncertain at the position.

By all accounts, Daniels was the best signal-caller college football had to offer this past season. His 94.7 PFF grade led all quarterbacks in the country as he was third in big-time throw rate (8.4%) and led them all in rushing yards (1,250). He’s an elite runner for the position who’s drastically improved as a passer throughout his five-year collegiate career.

4. Carson Beck, Georgia, 2025

The first non-2024 quarterback listed in this exercise is Beck. He finished as the fourth-most valuable quarterback in the nation according to PFF’s wins above average metric. The three above him were all Heisman finalists who are now heading to the NFL (Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr. and Jayden Daniels). 

Beck’s 91.5 overall PFF grade and 90.8 PFF passing grade were also fourth among FBS signal-callers. The rising redshirt senior is a supremely accurate quarterback with precise timing. While he hasn’t quite reached the levels that the three above him have, Beck is still the early favorite to be QB1 in 2025.

Carson Beck against Ole Miss
18-25
306-yards
2-TD’s
Still Undefeated #GoDawgs
pic.twitter.com/VHqO0JqVo5

— NFL Highs (@frito_paw) November 12, 2023

5. J.J. McCarthy, Michigan, 2024

McCarthy may be the most polarizing prospect in the entire draft. On the one hand, he earned an elite 90.6 PFF grade this past season while quarterbacking Michigan to a national championship. On the other, he was hardly the biggest reason for the Wolverines’ title run, tying for 61st among FBS quarterbacks with only 370 dropbacks.

He has the requisite physical and mental tools to be a long-term starter in the league, but he’ll need some time to physically mature and reach his ceiling.

J.J. McCarthy is actually kinda growing on me.. pic.twitter.com/ILaTQeHe2o

— Marcus Whitman (@TFG_Football) March 10, 2024

6. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado, 2025

While Colorado may have received more hype than it deserved last year, Sanders did not. The junior’s 89.2 PFF passing grade ranked seventh among FBS quarterbacks this past season. Sanders kept the ball out of harm’s way at an elite rate as his 1.6% turnover-worthy play rate in 2023 was fourth among all quarterbacks in the nation.

He’s an advanced processor who’s lethal when operating within a clean pocket. Sanders’ 92.9 PFF grade when kept clean trailed only Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels this past season. If Colorado’s offensive line can improve, the rising senior has a real chance at dethroning Beck for the top quarterback prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Shedeur Sanders put on a show for @CUBuffsFootball fans vs TCU 🦬🔥

38/47 | 510 Pass Yards | 4 TDs pic.twitter.com/wejyGD4s4j

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 2, 2023

7. Michael Penix Jr., Washington, 2024

There are a few reasons to doubt Penix as a potential NFL starter. He’s a sixth-year senior, has had four season-ending injuries and played with some elite talent at Washington this past season.

However, Penix also has NFL-caliber arm talent and elite tape over the last two years for a team to take a chance on him, potentially in the first round of April’s draft. His 91.2 PFF passing grade since 2022 is sixth among all quarterbacks in the country and his 70 big-time throws trail only Drake Maye in that span.

8. Bo Nix, Oregon, 2024

Like Daniels and Penix, Nix needed a change of scenery to revive his collegiate career. After struggling as a gunslinger at Auburn, the fifth-year senior became an efficient assassin during his two years in Eugene. His 92.7 PFF passing grade in 2023 led all quarterbacks in the country and so did his 85.5% adjusted completion rate. 

Like Penix, Nix did play in an advantageous system with elite talent both in the receiving corps and along the offensive line. He also didn’t push the ball downfield that much, with a 6.8-yard average depth of target that was the fourth-lowest in the country. Still, he has the requisite tools to survive in the NFL and excelled within the system he played in. 

9. Quinn Ewers, Texas, 2025

Ewers led the Longhorns to a Big 12 title and College Football Playoff berth this past season after losing the mullet and the gunslinger mentality that anchored him in 2022. He cut his turnover-worthy play rate by more than half (1.7% in 2023 compared to 3.6% in 2022) and upgraded his PFF passing grade to an 85.6 mark after earning just a 70.9 PFF passing grade as a redshirt freshman. 

Ewers led the Power Five in play-action dropbacks this year (240) and wasn’t nearly as effective without it. His 72.2 PFF grade on non-play action dropbacks was just 83rd in the nation. He’ll also need to shoulder more of the weight of the offense next year as Texas lost nearly all of its top weapons to the NFL Draft. If Ewers can keep improving like he did this past season though, he can push Beck and Sanders to be the top quarterback prospect in 2025.

Alabama Quinn Ewers is back https://t.co/d2aNFI2eLc

— Nico (@elitetakes_) September 10, 2023

10. Jalen Milroe, Alabama, 2025

Milroe is a big play waiting to happen with his elite tools. The redshirt sophomore was second in the nation with a 9.2% big-time throw rate in 2023 while his 35 runs of 10-plus yards were fourth among FBS quarterbacks. Milroe’s 96.9 passing grade on deep throws trailed only Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels among the country’s signal-callers as well.

He still needs to improve his internal clock and be sharper in the short and intermediate parts of the field. If he can do that, the sky’s the limit. 

Bombs away💣 @JalenMilroe throws his first TD pass of the night to Jermaine Burton to take the lead over Texas. pic.twitter.com/wQx86wEN8t

— Alabama Crimson Tide | AL.com (@aldotcomTide) September 10, 2023

2026 Prospect to Know: Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee

While no 2026 quarterback cracked the top 10, that was more due to a lack of playing time than potential. There were five true freshman quarterbacks last year who were top-15 overall recruits coming out of high school. Since 2004, the previous high in a class was three.

The one with the highest ceiling of them all is Iamaleava. At 6-foot-6, he has a strong arm to pair with impressive mobility at that size. The true freshman made his lone start in the Citrus Bowl against Iowa. Despite the Hawkeyes featuring one of the best defenses in the country, he finished with an 84.9 PFF grade, two big-time throws and three rushing touchdowns in the 35-0 victory. With starter Joe Milton III off to the NFL, Iamaleava can stake his claim as the 2026 QB1 as the full-time starter next season.

The Nico Iamaleava era is officially underway for Tennessee.

The true freshman 5⭐️ QB runs in for his first collegiate rushing touchdown to give the Volunteers a 7-0 lead over Iowa in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl 🌬️pic.twitter.com/5emDBDqD5t

— 247Sports (@247Sports) January 1, 2024