Five quarterbacks were selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. Quarterbacks went among the top three picks in 2021, and five of the top 15 players selected were quarterbacks.
Now, three years later, only one of those five quarterbacks remains on the team that drafted him: No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence.
Fast-forward to the 2024 NFL draft. Six quarterbacks landed in the first round, all within the first 12 picks. Like in 2021, quarterbacks were the first three players picked.
That’s where the comparisons end — at least for now.
Three of the six quarterbacks in the 2024 draft have started every game for their respective teams: No. 1 pick Caleb Williams (Bears), No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels (Commanders) and No. 12 pick Bo Nix (Broncos). No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye made his first NFL start on Sunday.
The other two quarterbacks, J.J. McCarthy (injured and out for the season) and Michael Penix Jr. (Kirk Cousins’ backup), have not played.
After a slow start, Williams has turned things around over the last few weeks and has the Bears at 4-2. Daniels has been the best of the bunch and it hasn’t been close. The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner has the Commanders 4-2 and in first place in the NFC East. He’s already broken numerous records and was phenomenal in Washington’s loss to Baltimore last week.
Maye made his first on Sunday, passed for three touchdowns, and presumably has the job for the remainder of the season.
How good can this quarterback class be? Well, it’s already better than the 2021 class. Could it be the best ever? CBS Sports recently named several topics from Week 6 as a “reality or overreaction.” One of the questions was whether the 2024 class is the best QB class ever, for which they said “reality.”
Forget about Bo Nix for a second. This rookie quarterback class is very impressive. Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels have their respective teams at 4-2. Williams is the fourth rookie since 1970 with 4+ passing touchdowns and 50+ rushing yards in a game (Deshaun Watson, Robert Griffin III, Troy Aikman) while Daniels is the first player in NFL history with a 75% completion rate, 1,400 passing yards, and 300 rushing yards in a six-game span. Daniels is also the first player in NFL history with 1,400 passing yards and 300 rushing yards in his first six career games.
Drake Maye made his first career start on Sunday and threw for more touchdown passes (3) than the Patriots did in their first five games (2). Maye is the first quarterback since at least 1950 with 3+ passing touchdowns to lead his team in rushing in his first career start.
The top three picks have made an instant impact as rookies. They are carrying this rookie quarterback class to levels never seen before.
While this could be a transformative class, we are six weeks into their rookie seasons, and Maye has one start under his belt. These quarterbacks will face adversity this season and in the future. It’s a little too soon to call this the greatest quarterback class of all time.
The 1983 and 2004 quarterback classes would like a word here. Those classes produced Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, John Elway, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger.
Yes, this class looks special, but it’s still early.
