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Caleb Williams? Shedeur Sanders? Drake Maye? Where do these quarterbacks rank in the top five for the 2024 NFL draft?
Though it is a tad early to make concrete statements on where we think all the prospects in next year’s draft class will go, we have been shown flashes and potential by a ton of players that clearly have NFL talent. There is plenty of weeks to go for players to flash that talent needed at the next level, but for the moment here is what we have for the top five quarterbacks in the 2024 class so far.
Let’s dive in.
The 2024 quarterback class is starting to become clearer
A quarter of the college football season is done, and the ranking of quarterbacks eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft doesn’t look any clearer.
While this problem is a mix of poor opponents (some teams have yet to play a marquee game), the quarterback class appears to be an uncertain mix of talents and ceilings.
Week 3, however, brought a solid mix of top games and performances, which may help paint a better picture as we head toward next year’s NFL Draft.
Quarterbacks who did not play: Tulane’s Michael Pratt (injury), USC’s Caleb Williams (bye week)
The Minnesota Vikings likely will be selecting a quarterback in the 2024 draft. Here is who the top prospects are playing in week 3
As the college football season heats up, the games become more important.
While some teams are still working through their non-conference schedule, which includes a fair share of “cupcakes,” some are beginning to play formidable opponents.
As the games become more critical, the tape becomes more valuable. While ripping through the defense of an FCS team can be fun, it won’t get a quarterback drafted. A strong performance against a Power 5 opponent, though? That will get you selected in the NFL Draft.
Here are the games this weekend that involve potential early-round quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Plenty of quarterbacks impressed during Week 2 of the college football season, but which draft eligible quarterbacks helped their stock?
Through two weeks, the quarterback picture for the 2024 NFL Draft doesn’t look clearer than before the season.
While USC’s Caleb Williams still looks to be the best in the class, impressive performances from players like Shedeur Sanders (Colorado), Drake Maye (UNC), and J.J. McCarthy (Michigan) make the rest of this class a giant question mark.
Given the uncertainty in this class, keeping a close eye on a deep list of options is prudent. About 12 different prospects could improve their draft stock enough to become viable options for the Minnesota Vikings, especially if they choose to pick in the first round.
The quarterback class appears to be deep and @TheKevinFielder breaks down who each will be playing in week 2
Welcome to the most exciting part of the year.
Most of the week will be engulfed by football in the foreseeable future. The NFL will officially begin, and a handful of college football games will start on Saturday. College football will then heat up over the weekend as teams kick off Week 2. And, of course, most NFL teams will kick off their season on Sunday.
While the 2024 NFL Draft is still eight months away, it’s never too early to begin discussing prospects. For a team like the Minnesota Vikings, that discussion will likely revolve around the quarterbacks in the class.
While the Week 1 games were a mixed bag, the second full slate of games will bring another opportunity for draft-eligible quarterbacks to help their stock.
Duke fans weren’t happy to hear Riley Leonard didn’t get more homework time.
After Duke quarterback Riley Leonard led his team to a stunning upset of Clemson on Monday night, a last-minute plea to one of his professors didn’t quite go as planned.
After the game, Leonard was filmed asking one of his teachers, Dr. Donald Taylor, if he could get an extension on one of his assignments since he had been playing football the night before it was due.
Well, Taylor congratulated Leonard on his team’s big win, but he didn’t grant the extension since some of Leonard’s teammates told the professor they’d gotten the assignment in before it was due.
It all seemed like it was in good fun, but some Duke fans didn’t take it that way.
The good news: Riley Leonard and Duke upset Clemson on Monday
The bad news: Riley Leonard cannot have an extension on his assignment, his professor says 😂
🎥 @DukeU pic.twitter.com/jFOODTjH1C
— The Athletic CFB (@TheAthleticCFB) September 5, 2023
Taylor’s page on the teacher rating site Rate My Professor began getting review bombed by petty Duke fans who felt Leonard should’ve gotten a pass on his late homework.
“Give my man Riley a break,” one faux-review posted on the page.
“How natural it is to destroy what we cannot possess, to deny what we do not understand, and to insult what we envy!” another faux-review read.
It got to the point where Rate My Professor restricted reviews on Taylor’s page to prevent any trolling from going on.
The whole situation was clearly in jest, and we’d guess Leonard actually got a little more time to work on his homework after Monday’s game.
If you’re a Duke student wondering if Taylor’s class is worth taking, we’ll leave you with this positive Rate My Professor review from another of his students.
“Didn’t know what to expect before taking this class but Prof. Taylor really surprised me,” the review reads. “He is one of the nicest and most caring faculty members I’ve interacted with so far and really enjoyed taking his class. There were times where I didn’t know where I stood grade-wise but it is obvious he really cares about his students’ learning.”
Breaking down Clemson QB Riley Leonard from an NFL draft perspective in the Blue Devils’ win over Clemson
It was a Monday night to remember for the Duke football program. The Blue Devils waxed conference rival and college superpower Clemson, 28-7. Quarterback Riley Leonard, No. 8 in the preseason QB draft rankings, led the way with an effective, poised performance that will only help his draft stock.
Duke runs a shotgun spread style of offense with a lot of bunched receiver concepts, layering multiple route options that are designed to create quick, obvious throwing lanes. It demands Leonard to quickly progress through his options, both pre-snap and post-snap.
Leonard did that very well against Clemson. One thing that stood out: the ball comes out fast. No double-clutching, no hesitation; see the throw, make the throw. It’s akin to watching Joe Burrow at LSU or Kenny Pickett at Pittsburgh with the trust in the system and the receivers.
Ball placement was good-not-great from Leonard. A couple of shorter throws wound up being a little behind optimal placement. By my count, he missed two completions due to inaccuracy. Not all incompletions are the same, with some being passes that are leveraging against coverage, or the play just isn’t there. Pinpoint ball placement and timing with open receivers is where I’m looking here. Leonard isn’t missing, but rather making his receivers work a little more than they have to at times. Clemson’s defensive speed might’ve had something to do with that, too.
Leonard showed his athleticism and escapability a few times, too. He’s 6-foot-4 and has a long stride when he runs. Leonard doesn’t accelerate quickly, but he did show balance and strength through contact, most notably on a long scamper up the right sideline that he created by running through an arm tackle. It’s reminiscent of early Ben Roethlisberger, though Leonard isn’t that thickly built.
Overall, it was an impressive display. Leonard’s poise and steadiness will definitely appeal, as will his ability to quickly process the field and deliver.
Who was the ACC’s top perforrmer’s in week one?
The Atlantic Coast Conference had an eventful week one of action that included several entertaining matchups and a pair of statement wins.
The major winners from the week were easily Florida State and Duke. The Seminoles dominated LSU on Sunday night 45-24, while Duke shocked the Clemson Tigers on Monday night 28-7. North Carolina also was a big winner Saturday night with a 31-17 win over rival South Carolina.
On the other hand, Boston College suffered a shocking loss to Northern Illinois, while NC State survived an upset scare from the UConn Huskies. On top of that, last Friday’s conference officially added Cal, SMU, and Stanford to the conference.
There is plenty of talking points regarding the ACC heading into week two. As College Sports Wire wraps up week one of the 2023 college football season, we look at the ACC’s top performers.
Swinney and the Tigers suffer a brutal loss on the road against Duke to start their 2023 season.
Dabo Swinney and the Tigers 2023 season start off on a bad note, with Clemson falling 28-7 on the road to Mike Elko and the Duke Blue Devils.
Things went about as poorly as they could for No.9 Clemson (0-1, 0-1 ACC), who started the game slow on the offensive side of the ball. Duke got the game’s first points on a 22-yard field goal on their first possession. They later extended their lead to 6-0 after a 42-yard field goal to start the second quarter.
Clemson’s only points of the game came in the second quarter as the result of a muffed punt. Starting the drive on the 19-yard line, after a few plays, after a few plays, starting quarterback Cade Klubnik found star running back Will Shipley on an easy 2-yard touchdown pass.
It was all Duke from there on as sloppy play, red zone turnovers, and lack of discipline saw the Tigers suffer a brutal second half. Things went about as poorly as they could for the Tigers in this one.
It’s not the start Swinney or Clemson fans wanted for the program.
#Eagles have scouts in attendance for Clemson at Duke
The Eagles are always doing their due diligence on potential draft picks.
With Monday being a national holiday, all ayes are in Durham for the ACC opener between Clemson and Duke.
ESPN’s Jordan Reid is in attendance, and Philadelphia is among 16 teams on campus, with three organizations sending their GM.
16 NFL teams on-hand at the Clemson-Duke matchup: BAL, BUF, CAR, CHI, GB, KC, LAC, LVR, MIN, NE, NYG, PHI, SEA, SF, TEN, WAS
3 GMs in attendance: Beane (BUF), Poles (CHI) and Schoen (NYG)
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) September 4, 2023
Duke junior quarterback Riley Leonard is a top-50 prospect, while Blue Devil left tackle Graham Barton looks like a solid Day 2 prospect who’ll move inside to guard.
Clemson has sent 11 draft-day defenders to the NFL over the past five years.
Junior cornerback Nate Wiggins and linebacker Barrett Carter are top 20 prospects, along with defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro and linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr.
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