• Who will be the first quarterback off the board: Caleb Williams could go No. 1 but are the Chicago Bears his best fit?
• Are the New York Giants picking high enough to grab a top QB?: Even at pick No. 6, the Giants will have a good quarterback option, such as LSU's Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels.
• Draft and trade for yourself: Try PFF's Mock Draft Simulator — trade picks and players and mock for your favorite NFL team.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
With the 2023-2024 NFL regular season in the book, we have a clearer picture of team needs heading into the offseason and the upcoming NFL draft. The question that everyone wants to know the answers is: Where are the new quarterbacks going to be picked?
Here are some ideal team fits for the top quarterback prospects in the 2024 draft.
Caleb Williams, USC: Washington Commanders
We’ve penciled in Caleb Williams’ name for the Chicago Bears quarterback spot for a while now – assuming they move on from Justin Fields, which is no guarantee. Williams is certainly still a fit for the Bears, but if we’re talking about ideal (yet still realistic) landing spots, Washington gets my vote. Williams is not only supremely talented (elite overall PFF grades in each of the last three seasons), but he’s also from the D.C. area and was even named Washington, D.C. Gatorade Football Player of the Year his sophomore season of high school. With the Commanders cleaning house in a lot of ways since the new owner(s) came in, the canvas can be blank and dedicated to building around Williams as a bit of a homecoming. With Washington solidifying the No. 2 pick in the draft, that dream could become a reality.
Drake Maye, North Carolina: Chicago Bears
If we’re giving Williams to the Commanders, Maye gets slotted to the Bears' spot. Williams may be the most commonly picked quarterback by Chicago just out of natural muscle memory, but Maye is absolutely in play to go No. 1 overall. There isn’t a specific fit here other than Maye having top-two pick talent. It feels as though Chicago will have a new offensive coordinator next year, whether the team keeps Fields or not. No quarterback in the FBS recorded more big-time throws (76) than Maye over the last two seasons. That’s the kind of prolific passer the Bears would want if they move on from Fields.
Jayden Daniels, LSU: New York Giants
The Giants had a roller coaster year at quarterback. In March, they signed Daniel Jones to a four-year extension, but he missed time this season due to a neck injury before tearing his ACL, which forced him to miss entire second half of the year. They had some highs with Tommy DeVito and Tyrod Taylor, but neither is a building block, and whether Jones is or isn’t is still a big question mark. All of that to say, if they have a shot at Daniels, they should take it. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner was electric this season. He finished 2023 with a 94.7 overall PFF grade, a 92.0 PFF passing grade and a 92.4 PFF rushing grade. He posted 29 big-time throws and 41 explosive rushes (10 yards or more). He would be the dual-threat player on a rookie contract who could help accelerate their team building.
Michael Penix Jr., Washington: Atlanta Falcons
Penix has always been talented, but his age (he’s a sixth-year player) and injury history (torn ACLs in 2018 and 2020, a sternoclavicular joint injury in 2019, and an AC joint shoulder issue in 2021) felt like they would hold him back from being a first-round pick. Then 2022 happened: a fully healthy season in Washington’s offense that led to really good production. Then 2023 happened: another fully healthy season in Washington’s offense where he led the FBS in big-time throws (40) and passing yards (4,652) while finishing as a Heisman Trophy finalist. The Falcons have had the chance to invest in the quarterback position in a major way over the last few years, but they either passed or weren’t able to get it done. I would love to see Penix with Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson.
Bo Nix, Oregon: Minnesota Vikings
Even hearing Nix’s name when talking about first-round quarterbacks sometimes causes people to roll their eyes given what they saw from Nix at Auburn. Nonetheless, since he’s donned the flashy Oregon colors over the last two years, he’s been a different quarterback. Nix has earned 87.6 and 93.1 overall PFF grades in each of the last two seasons. He’s a true dual-threat signal caller who has NFL-level tools in both arm talent and mobility. His improved play under pressure his been notably impressive. At Auburn, his best season PFF passing grade under pressure was just 62.4. This past season, it was a 91.7. In fact, he’s only recorded one turnover-worthy play under pressure in the last two years on 147 attempts under pressure (164 combined attempts from 2020-2021). He’d be a great fit with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell.
J.J. McCarthy, Michigan: New England Patriots
Truth be told, a good quarterback fit for the Patriots would be any quarterback on this list — I could have easily put Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels in this spot given the fact the Pats pick No. 3 and are in range for all three. However, if they miss out on Williams and Maye, maybe they are enamored by the elite wide receiver prospect, Marvin Harrison Jr., enough to take him at the top of their draft and get aggressive to move back up into the first round to get a quarterback later. McCarthy has led Michigan to two college football playoff berths over the last two seasons, but this year was more his doing than the previous year. He is still working out the finer parts of playing the position (seeing the field quicker, adapting to pressure, etc.), but he has improved on all that and more this year, which has been encouraging. As a baseline, his arm talent is up there with the best in this class.
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