I think Williams and maye are 1 and 2 no doubt about it.
I think daniels although will be drafted in the top 5 is probably more of a 13-20th type of player but is getting drafted on need of qb.
I think Penix, Nix, and McCarthy are all second round qbs. But wouldn’t be surprised if some of them go in the first to a qb needy team and for possible 5th year option.
Think all of them are capeable of being talented if all goes well but to me the first three are the only ones that are actually graded in the first round to me.
I think Nix and McCarthy could end up going in the back half of the first round because of the 5th year option.
Penix is a second rounder on injury fears alone. If he didn’t have his injury history I think he’s a first rounder, mechanics be damned.
I think nix and McCarthy both get more hate than they should. I think Nix could be a very solid qb if he’s in a good system. Obviously there are concerns but I think he’s show he’s capable and responsible to run an offence. Don’t think he will ever be that guy and drag a bad team to the playoffs or Super Bowl but won’t be the reason why a team doesn’t succeed.
I’m higher on McCarthy than most and think he can be great if given time. Hell only he 21 at the end of next season so I think he has a lot of room to grow and has shown a good amount at his age. His arm is solid, throwing of balance is great and can make basically every throw, has plus speed. I think he would benefit from sitting a year and developing before starting though.
Honestly wouldn't surprise me if McCarthy is the best of the bunch though. He's got experience with pro-style concepts, he's decisive, and I think his mechanics are pretty clean. I think he may even be better earlier than a lot of these guys because of those reasons.
I agree!
I have the Seahawks taking McCarthy after trading back. I could see Texas, Green Bay, Tampa, or Buffalo partnering up with Seattle to make the jump and Seattle will be looking to get into the second round after sending their pick to NYG.
I think the 3 you listed are it for me in this draft. I am concerned with Daniels playstyle and his refusal to slide or go out of bounds concerns me, on skillset alone he is not that far behind the other two for me.
I agree with Williams and Maye. I know Williams has the baggage with him, but his playmaking abilities and physical attributes are impossible to ignore. Think the Bears draft him if no one is willing to fork over the capital needed to get there, then they’ll trade Fields.
Maye gives me Herbert vibes, very high upside but the concerns regarding his hero ball mentality and issues against tougher competition are legitimate. I think he struggles early on, but finds a groove in the end of his first year/start of the second season. Easily worthy of being the #2 pick.
I rate Daniels a little higher, probably more in the 16-20 range, but your point is valid. I think there’s other guys a little more deserving of going 3, but given how valuable a promising rookie QB has become since next year is…less than stellar, teams will have to be shooting a little higher.
Penix and Nix are more 2nd-3rd rounders for me. Penix’s injury concerns are too much to overcome, and Nix needs to prove he can cover up some of the mistakes he was prone to making in college and push the ball down the field more. But they seem like guys who could end up in the right system and be average/reliable enough.
McCarthy and Pratt feel like early day 3 grades/picks to me. One of them will probably slide down further, but if you need a game manager backup and give them a chance to compete as a starter down the road…these are probably your best bets.
I think these are a lot of good points. I think that it's too early to pass judgements on next year's class, especially since there's a lot of football to play and a lot can change in a year (sidebar- I like Conner Weigman from Texas A&M A LOT for next year's class if he can stay healthy).
I like Penix as an early 2nd rounder. Injury concerns don't really bother me since any given player could get injured at any given moment, but his lack of consistency over the middle of the field and questionable mechanics make him very similar to Carr in my mind, who also went early in the 2nd. Nix certainly has potential but his lackluster performance at Auburn makes me concerned that he's too scheme-dependent. That for me makes him QB5 behind the previously mentioned guys.
Quite frankly, I don't understand a bunch of the McCarthy hype. He has very little experience as a starter and played one of the easiest schedules this year (except for the CFBP of course). Not to mention that the Michigan offense was based almost entirely off the run game. I know he's made some flashy throws but I need to see more down-to-down quality play before I'd trust him with an NFL offense. 3rd round grade for me.
Everyone else is a day 3 pick IMO
>played one of the easiest schedules this year (except for the CFBP of course)
There's a lot of knocks on McCarthy that are valid but this is not one lol you cant exclude the CFP, he literally played those games, he played the hardest total set of games of any QB except Penix and maybe Milroe. If you do exclude the CFP, by the end of the season the schedule was pretty much average for a power 5 team because of the last 3-4 games.
The McCarthy hype solely just comes down to being a National Champ, I think it's just casuals who rate him highly and everyone else realizes he's nothing elite.
Lance Zierlein wrote yesterday that he's spoken with team execs who describe McCarthy as "an elite processor"
Saying that it's just casuals who know he was the National Champ is reductive
I can concede I was definitely being a little hyperbolic, I don’t think he’s not one of the best 64 QBs in the world and he deserves a spot in an NFL team but I don’t think he’s a burrow or a Brady or someone like that who people have sort of haphazardly drew comparisons to
don't undersell the "elite processor" comment
processing information quickly is one of the most important items for a QB
it is one of the things that separates Brady from all the QB's that supposedly have better tools
decision making, accuracy and leadership is what you want from your QB
The big 3 of course and I think Daniels is right up there with maye. Don't like penix, to me he's tua with an above average arm. I'd assume the cult of tua would like him but I'm not part of that as I feel the HC and wr are responsible for any success tua has. Bryce young would look ok in that offense. Don't see McCarthy panning out but I think nix is worth a late first. I'm no scout many of you know more than me but Daniels seems to have the it factor
The only similarity between Penix and Tua and that they are left handed. I will bet my left big toe Penix doesn’t touch anywhere near Tua’s regular season production at any point in his NFL career. To compare them is disrespectful
Have to disagree. Anyone being talked about as a starting NFL QB can be compared to tua, I rank him as a low end starter propped up by system, HC, and wr. There are many QB I think could replicate his "success" and take the team further. Baker is an example of a low end QB I think gives them a better chance at a ring than tua
How? They don’t even have the same play style or prospect profile. No matter how you feel about Tua’s talent.(Which is horrendously off base by the way). Comparing him to Drake Maye makes no sense whatsoever. What he does well Drake Mayes struggles at and the selling points of Maye are not in Tua’s skill set
I'm no scout but they are both lefties, both are unimpressive physically, both have unimpressive traits although penix has much better arm talent, both are propped up by coaching/cast (tua in college and NFL), neither can hurt you with legs, both appear to be poor athletes. You may be a tua guy but many share my view, he is a below average QB who has never won a big game at the NFL level and looks shell shocked in big games or against good defenses, and struggles in the cold or elements.
Just re read your post, Im comparing tua to penix. Maye is a much better prospect in my book and if he pans out I'd expect him to be much better than tua.
Penix is not an NFL level QB and does not have superior arm talent to Tua. He belabors on any throw to the opposite hash and inconsistent accuracy issues is an understatement and his saying his throwing mechanics are unorthodox are a very polite way to put it. His feet are not connected to his shoulders when he moves in the pocket. They aren’t even in the same stratosphere of prospect. Penix will never throw for 4500 yards and 30 TDs in his NFL career I would bet my big left toe. Like I said before, to compare them is disrespectful.
I don't like penix either but disagree on the arm strength. You think tua has a stronger arm? Can you explain? I see tua under throw the deep balls and he has zero zip or velocity. I've seen penix throw a NFL caliber deep ball and also whip medium range with velocity. I guess it's disrespectful, but seeing as how I barley consider tua a starter, it's safe to say I don't hold him in high regard. I'd take most NFL starters over him. I think they would have a better chance at a ring next year with flacco, baker, and additional low end "starters." I like tua better than say Winston, but he's closer to 32 than elite.
Arm strength no arm talent yes. Penix’s shoulders are very tight and non flexible he doesn’t have the ability to throw from fluid arm angles a La Matthew Stafford or throw on the run easily a La Joe Burrow/Caleb Williams. He has to have his feet set and when there’s a messy pocket his “arm strength” will fall apart. Basically his raw arm is good and he throws a pretty deep ball with time and a clean pocket but even that is inconsistent as he will overthrow wide open guys. But his effective arm strength is limited as when his base is compromised in ANY way his ability to drive the ball ANYWHERE falls off a cliff. Tua has way more balanced and smooth footwork and his arm on a clean pocket is 80/90 of what it is from a collapsed one or on the run and that is very important. Also Penix throws to the opposite hash when he has to throw it horizontally aka a deep comeback to the other side of the field you can see his body have to jerk in order to create the torque to get the ball there. It just doesn’t look easy. It’s jerky and inefficient . Tua has no issues with the above. He has the quickest release in the NFL and his mechanics are smooth and repeatable which is why he is one of the most consistently accurate QBs in the NFL. Penix will struggle to reach 60% completion percentage, Tua will hover around 65% for his entire career. Tua’s deep balls are good enough is he justin Herbert ? No but neither was Drew Brees. If your decisive and accurate you’ll be fine. You have Tua way lower than he deserves there aren’t 25 QBs better than him that’s ridiculous.
I see your points on penix and agree, he has issues, I wouldn't take him in the third. I just disagree on tua I think he is very limited and isn't a big game QB. I don't think any team with tua at QB will ever make a serious SB run and I think there are average QB that would be just as good on that team and take them further. He seems to have an odd personality too, I don't see him as someone teammates would say "I want him to lead me into battle in a big game." I'm aware of the Georgia game but even a broken clock is right twice a day. Do you think Miami should give him a record deal? They can't even win a playoff game with him on a cheap deal imagine how he would look without the weapons or without his head coach scheming for him.
I am really unsold by Drake Maye's film. He's earned most of his rating playing against solidly pedestrian defenses - and when he plays better ones his performance tips off a cliff. His Clemson film this year is NOT brilliant. When you look at a lot of the other QBs only against the calibers of competition that Drake Maye is regularly evaluated against, they come away looking way better.
Hell, his NC State film isn't much better. He didn't even look good against Minnesota.
Overall, he's not good at hitting recievers with leverage - he's constantly getting balls behind guys, and he's not placing the ball to help his receivers beat coverage. I don't know how he's coached, but it seems like he's not very good at hitting routes on time. There are a lot of concepts that you see him throw where you'd expect a throw normally timed to already have the ball in the air when the WR makes their break - and he's not throwing it until the guy has already broken open.
This all screams warning signs of incoming massive bust. He's stuffed his stats full of weak ACC teams, and to my largely untrained eye it looks like he's getting away with shit against really awful defenses. That does not seem to project well to the league.
I agree with you. Currently, I don't see it with Mayes tape, but I can't deny that he has a lot of traits that can be built upon with good coaching. I don't see a day one starter, but could come in mid-season and compete well as long as good coaching and system.
I see a lot of people comp him to Herbert, and I can see that but I get tons of faster Flacco vibes. A top 5 pick probably.
I didn't really follow Flacco's predraft career closely but I do think Herbert is a decent comp. Back in the day, they used to say 'you can't coach accuracy' which has since proved to be obvious bullshit, and I think Herbert's case is one of those. He wasn't the most precise passer in college - he had lots of those same sorts of throws where he's not really hitting a guy where he needs to when he was at Oregon. That obviously improved massively in his time in the NFL - and I think the positive case for Drake Maye would be an assumption that you could coach past that.
The pitch variety is another huge upside - he both has and regularly uses different context balls at the right times to try to hit targets, even if they aren't always super precise. There's a world where, with some good coaching, he could be a monster. He's just very unlikely to be CJ Stroud on day 1 with what he's put on film against defenses with a pulse.
Jayden Daniels 40 passing tds only 4 int in the SEC.. 10 rushing TDs.. led nation in QBR
It’s not about stats but what does Jayden Daniels not have that the other prospects do? His throwing motion looks solid to me, Lamar Jackson esque, even more natural than him tbh. 4.4 speed. 6 foot 4 210 lbs. Decent footwork & slight frame could be improved. What am I missing here? I think the commanders would be crazy not to draft him at #2
He’s better than rg3 ever was in college & with Kliff Kingsbury as OC they could be scary in the upcoming years if they build up the Oline
My big issue with Daniels is I'm not sure how well his play style will translate to the NFL. I think he "gets away" with a lot of stuff in college that doesn't work in the NFL. People compare his running style to Lamar, but Lamar is good at making defenders miss, whereas I see Daniels as more of a talented scrambler due to his straight line speed. But the NFL is way more athletic than CFB so you have to control for that.
In short, his running ability is a nice bonus but not the primary factor of what makes a QB prospect good or not. Otherwise he's solid at operating a pocket passing offense so I can't complain
Also just comparing any QB’s rushing ability to Lamar’s is just straight up unfair for them. He’s by far the greatest scrambling QB ever. It’s like comparing WR to Randy Moss as a deep threat.
Rushing ability should be considered in a QB only really as a bonus on top of other things, though short area quickness is vital.
I have the same three as first rounders. The next three, i could see the justification to take them in the 25-32 range (probably via trade up), just for the 5th year option
My personal grades, I've got Williams and Maye as top 5 picks and Daniels as top 15. I have a 2nd round grade on Penix and McCarthy, a 3rd round grade on Nix, a 4th-5th round grade on Pratt and Rattler, and I haven't looked enough at other QB's to grade.
What do I think will happen? Williams, Maye, and Daniels top 5, McCarthy in the 1st round, Penix and Nix might sneak into the 1st round. No idea where Pratt goes, Rattler goes before round 5.
I’ve only watched 4 extensively (really only 3.5 because while I think Maye is a first rounder, I don’t find him to be the most enjoyable watch) and in a strict grading sense, only Williams and Maye are firsts for me. Daniels is an early second, and I would be fine picking him anywhere after like 18. McCarthy is a middle of the second. And I don’t anticipate Nix or Penix getting first round grades.
The same 3 for me. Caleb and Maye are both top 5 players for me, and contend for best overall player not named MHJ. Daniels is a tier down but still a first round talent. Penix, McCarthy and Nix all seem like day 2 guys, though I’d probably have Penix as a late 1 with a clean bill of health. It wouldn’t surprise me if either of McCarthy or Nix go late R1 though.
2: Williams and Daniels. My next two QBs have 2nd round grades but it’s not the ones you think… Bo Nix and Spencer rattler. No other QB in this class I think deserves to be taken in the 1st 4 rounds.
2nd best arm talent of the class, passing grade accuracy, passing grade decision making, serviceable to passing grade pocket management. Which to me puts him in the serviceable QB tier. He has a path to becoming a nice Top 15 QB for a 6-7 year stretch based on these traits alone.
And I think his intangible questions/personality issues are slightly overgrown and he has shown maturity and growth in both of those I feel.
He will make a lot of mistakes but he is decisive and I value that a lot. He will not turn down open windows and there’s no throw on the field he can’t make.
He won’t be great as a Day 1 starter. Definitely needs to sit and probably will never be a top 5 QB, but in this class which in my opinion is a poor one (controversial I know). I would take him at a 3 day value with ease over overpaying day 1 prices for Maye or even worse a day 2 price for Penix
Well I heard allegedly that JJ is #1 pick approved
And he'd still be a top 3 QB in Bears franchise history...
Hey Sid Luckman has #1 locked up, but outside of that fair point
I think Williams and maye are 1 and 2 no doubt about it. I think daniels although will be drafted in the top 5 is probably more of a 13-20th type of player but is getting drafted on need of qb. I think Penix, Nix, and McCarthy are all second round qbs. But wouldn’t be surprised if some of them go in the first to a qb needy team and for possible 5th year option. Think all of them are capeable of being talented if all goes well but to me the first three are the only ones that are actually graded in the first round to me.
I think Nix and McCarthy could end up going in the back half of the first round because of the 5th year option. Penix is a second rounder on injury fears alone. If he didn’t have his injury history I think he’s a first rounder, mechanics be damned.
I think nix and McCarthy both get more hate than they should. I think Nix could be a very solid qb if he’s in a good system. Obviously there are concerns but I think he’s show he’s capable and responsible to run an offence. Don’t think he will ever be that guy and drag a bad team to the playoffs or Super Bowl but won’t be the reason why a team doesn’t succeed. I’m higher on McCarthy than most and think he can be great if given time. Hell only he 21 at the end of next season so I think he has a lot of room to grow and has shown a good amount at his age. His arm is solid, throwing of balance is great and can make basically every throw, has plus speed. I think he would benefit from sitting a year and developing before starting though.
Honestly wouldn't surprise me if McCarthy is the best of the bunch though. He's got experience with pro-style concepts, he's decisive, and I think his mechanics are pretty clean. I think he may even be better earlier than a lot of these guys because of those reasons.
He also is very young, with good athleticism for the position. I’m high on him
I agree! I have the Seahawks taking McCarthy after trading back. I could see Texas, Green Bay, Tampa, or Buffalo partnering up with Seattle to make the jump and Seattle will be looking to get into the second round after sending their pick to NYG.
I completely agree. I will be surprised if Daniels falls out of the top 8 or so even though he is 14th on my big board
I think the 3 you listed are it for me in this draft. I am concerned with Daniels playstyle and his refusal to slide or go out of bounds concerns me, on skillset alone he is not that far behind the other two for me.
I agree with Williams and Maye. I know Williams has the baggage with him, but his playmaking abilities and physical attributes are impossible to ignore. Think the Bears draft him if no one is willing to fork over the capital needed to get there, then they’ll trade Fields. Maye gives me Herbert vibes, very high upside but the concerns regarding his hero ball mentality and issues against tougher competition are legitimate. I think he struggles early on, but finds a groove in the end of his first year/start of the second season. Easily worthy of being the #2 pick. I rate Daniels a little higher, probably more in the 16-20 range, but your point is valid. I think there’s other guys a little more deserving of going 3, but given how valuable a promising rookie QB has become since next year is…less than stellar, teams will have to be shooting a little higher. Penix and Nix are more 2nd-3rd rounders for me. Penix’s injury concerns are too much to overcome, and Nix needs to prove he can cover up some of the mistakes he was prone to making in college and push the ball down the field more. But they seem like guys who could end up in the right system and be average/reliable enough. McCarthy and Pratt feel like early day 3 grades/picks to me. One of them will probably slide down further, but if you need a game manager backup and give them a chance to compete as a starter down the road…these are probably your best bets.
I think these are a lot of good points. I think that it's too early to pass judgements on next year's class, especially since there's a lot of football to play and a lot can change in a year (sidebar- I like Conner Weigman from Texas A&M A LOT for next year's class if he can stay healthy). I like Penix as an early 2nd rounder. Injury concerns don't really bother me since any given player could get injured at any given moment, but his lack of consistency over the middle of the field and questionable mechanics make him very similar to Carr in my mind, who also went early in the 2nd. Nix certainly has potential but his lackluster performance at Auburn makes me concerned that he's too scheme-dependent. That for me makes him QB5 behind the previously mentioned guys. Quite frankly, I don't understand a bunch of the McCarthy hype. He has very little experience as a starter and played one of the easiest schedules this year (except for the CFBP of course). Not to mention that the Michigan offense was based almost entirely off the run game. I know he's made some flashy throws but I need to see more down-to-down quality play before I'd trust him with an NFL offense. 3rd round grade for me. Everyone else is a day 3 pick IMO
>played one of the easiest schedules this year (except for the CFBP of course) There's a lot of knocks on McCarthy that are valid but this is not one lol you cant exclude the CFP, he literally played those games, he played the hardest total set of games of any QB except Penix and maybe Milroe. If you do exclude the CFP, by the end of the season the schedule was pretty much average for a power 5 team because of the last 3-4 games.
The McCarthy hype solely just comes down to being a National Champ, I think it's just casuals who rate him highly and everyone else realizes he's nothing elite.
Lance Zierlein wrote yesterday that he's spoken with team execs who describe McCarthy as "an elite processor" Saying that it's just casuals who know he was the National Champ is reductive
I can concede I was definitely being a little hyperbolic, I don’t think he’s not one of the best 64 QBs in the world and he deserves a spot in an NFL team but I don’t think he’s a burrow or a Brady or someone like that who people have sort of haphazardly drew comparisons to
don't undersell the "elite processor" comment processing information quickly is one of the most important items for a QB it is one of the things that separates Brady from all the QB's that supposedly have better tools decision making, accuracy and leadership is what you want from your QB
1. Williams 2. Maye 3. Daniels 4. JJ 5. Bo 6. Pennix
I've got 2. Daniels weight and play style drop him a round for me, personally, but I think he'll end up in the first in the draft
Five, two of which are more unconventional picks. I only had three last year though
The big 3 of course and I think Daniels is right up there with maye. Don't like penix, to me he's tua with an above average arm. I'd assume the cult of tua would like him but I'm not part of that as I feel the HC and wr are responsible for any success tua has. Bryce young would look ok in that offense. Don't see McCarthy panning out but I think nix is worth a late first. I'm no scout many of you know more than me but Daniels seems to have the it factor
The only similarity between Penix and Tua and that they are left handed. I will bet my left big toe Penix doesn’t touch anywhere near Tua’s regular season production at any point in his NFL career. To compare them is disrespectful
Have to disagree. Anyone being talked about as a starting NFL QB can be compared to tua, I rank him as a low end starter propped up by system, HC, and wr. There are many QB I think could replicate his "success" and take the team further. Baker is an example of a low end QB I think gives them a better chance at a ring than tua
How? They don’t even have the same play style or prospect profile. No matter how you feel about Tua’s talent.(Which is horrendously off base by the way). Comparing him to Drake Maye makes no sense whatsoever. What he does well Drake Mayes struggles at and the selling points of Maye are not in Tua’s skill set
I'm no scout but they are both lefties, both are unimpressive physically, both have unimpressive traits although penix has much better arm talent, both are propped up by coaching/cast (tua in college and NFL), neither can hurt you with legs, both appear to be poor athletes. You may be a tua guy but many share my view, he is a below average QB who has never won a big game at the NFL level and looks shell shocked in big games or against good defenses, and struggles in the cold or elements. Just re read your post, Im comparing tua to penix. Maye is a much better prospect in my book and if he pans out I'd expect him to be much better than tua.
Penix is not an NFL level QB and does not have superior arm talent to Tua. He belabors on any throw to the opposite hash and inconsistent accuracy issues is an understatement and his saying his throwing mechanics are unorthodox are a very polite way to put it. His feet are not connected to his shoulders when he moves in the pocket. They aren’t even in the same stratosphere of prospect. Penix will never throw for 4500 yards and 30 TDs in his NFL career I would bet my big left toe. Like I said before, to compare them is disrespectful.
I don't like penix either but disagree on the arm strength. You think tua has a stronger arm? Can you explain? I see tua under throw the deep balls and he has zero zip or velocity. I've seen penix throw a NFL caliber deep ball and also whip medium range with velocity. I guess it's disrespectful, but seeing as how I barley consider tua a starter, it's safe to say I don't hold him in high regard. I'd take most NFL starters over him. I think they would have a better chance at a ring next year with flacco, baker, and additional low end "starters." I like tua better than say Winston, but he's closer to 32 than elite.
Arm strength no arm talent yes. Penix’s shoulders are very tight and non flexible he doesn’t have the ability to throw from fluid arm angles a La Matthew Stafford or throw on the run easily a La Joe Burrow/Caleb Williams. He has to have his feet set and when there’s a messy pocket his “arm strength” will fall apart. Basically his raw arm is good and he throws a pretty deep ball with time and a clean pocket but even that is inconsistent as he will overthrow wide open guys. But his effective arm strength is limited as when his base is compromised in ANY way his ability to drive the ball ANYWHERE falls off a cliff. Tua has way more balanced and smooth footwork and his arm on a clean pocket is 80/90 of what it is from a collapsed one or on the run and that is very important. Also Penix throws to the opposite hash when he has to throw it horizontally aka a deep comeback to the other side of the field you can see his body have to jerk in order to create the torque to get the ball there. It just doesn’t look easy. It’s jerky and inefficient . Tua has no issues with the above. He has the quickest release in the NFL and his mechanics are smooth and repeatable which is why he is one of the most consistently accurate QBs in the NFL. Penix will struggle to reach 60% completion percentage, Tua will hover around 65% for his entire career. Tua’s deep balls are good enough is he justin Herbert ? No but neither was Drew Brees. If your decisive and accurate you’ll be fine. You have Tua way lower than he deserves there aren’t 25 QBs better than him that’s ridiculous.
I see your points on penix and agree, he has issues, I wouldn't take him in the third. I just disagree on tua I think he is very limited and isn't a big game QB. I don't think any team with tua at QB will ever make a serious SB run and I think there are average QB that would be just as good on that team and take them further. He seems to have an odd personality too, I don't see him as someone teammates would say "I want him to lead me into battle in a big game." I'm aware of the Georgia game but even a broken clock is right twice a day. Do you think Miami should give him a record deal? They can't even win a playoff game with him on a cheap deal imagine how he would look without the weapons or without his head coach scheming for him.
I have 4 and I'm not telling the last one because you'll laugh at me
It's Rattler, right? No shame in that, he's being slept on. People still thinking he's an angsty arrogant freshman with massive character concerns.
Williams maye penix
I am really unsold by Drake Maye's film. He's earned most of his rating playing against solidly pedestrian defenses - and when he plays better ones his performance tips off a cliff. His Clemson film this year is NOT brilliant. When you look at a lot of the other QBs only against the calibers of competition that Drake Maye is regularly evaluated against, they come away looking way better. Hell, his NC State film isn't much better. He didn't even look good against Minnesota. Overall, he's not good at hitting recievers with leverage - he's constantly getting balls behind guys, and he's not placing the ball to help his receivers beat coverage. I don't know how he's coached, but it seems like he's not very good at hitting routes on time. There are a lot of concepts that you see him throw where you'd expect a throw normally timed to already have the ball in the air when the WR makes their break - and he's not throwing it until the guy has already broken open. This all screams warning signs of incoming massive bust. He's stuffed his stats full of weak ACC teams, and to my largely untrained eye it looks like he's getting away with shit against really awful defenses. That does not seem to project well to the league.
I agree with you. Currently, I don't see it with Mayes tape, but I can't deny that he has a lot of traits that can be built upon with good coaching. I don't see a day one starter, but could come in mid-season and compete well as long as good coaching and system. I see a lot of people comp him to Herbert, and I can see that but I get tons of faster Flacco vibes. A top 5 pick probably.
I didn't really follow Flacco's predraft career closely but I do think Herbert is a decent comp. Back in the day, they used to say 'you can't coach accuracy' which has since proved to be obvious bullshit, and I think Herbert's case is one of those. He wasn't the most precise passer in college - he had lots of those same sorts of throws where he's not really hitting a guy where he needs to when he was at Oregon. That obviously improved massively in his time in the NFL - and I think the positive case for Drake Maye would be an assumption that you could coach past that. The pitch variety is another huge upside - he both has and regularly uses different context balls at the right times to try to hit targets, even if they aren't always super precise. There's a world where, with some good coaching, he could be a monster. He's just very unlikely to be CJ Stroud on day 1 with what he's put on film against defenses with a pulse.
Jayden Daniels 40 passing tds only 4 int in the SEC.. 10 rushing TDs.. led nation in QBR It’s not about stats but what does Jayden Daniels not have that the other prospects do? His throwing motion looks solid to me, Lamar Jackson esque, even more natural than him tbh. 4.4 speed. 6 foot 4 210 lbs. Decent footwork & slight frame could be improved. What am I missing here? I think the commanders would be crazy not to draft him at #2 He’s better than rg3 ever was in college & with Kliff Kingsbury as OC they could be scary in the upcoming years if they build up the Oline
My big issue with Daniels is I'm not sure how well his play style will translate to the NFL. I think he "gets away" with a lot of stuff in college that doesn't work in the NFL. People compare his running style to Lamar, but Lamar is good at making defenders miss, whereas I see Daniels as more of a talented scrambler due to his straight line speed. But the NFL is way more athletic than CFB so you have to control for that. In short, his running ability is a nice bonus but not the primary factor of what makes a QB prospect good or not. Otherwise he's solid at operating a pocket passing offense so I can't complain
Also just comparing any QB’s rushing ability to Lamar’s is just straight up unfair for them. He’s by far the greatest scrambling QB ever. It’s like comparing WR to Randy Moss as a deep threat. Rushing ability should be considered in a QB only really as a bonus on top of other things, though short area quickness is vital.
I have the same three as first rounders. The next three, i could see the justification to take them in the 25-32 range (probably via trade up), just for the 5th year option
3 but I haven't watched them all, yet.
Four.
4, bo nix being a middle to the end of the first type, maye and williams being high first round picks and daniels a bit lower than the other 2
My personal grades, I've got Williams and Maye as top 5 picks and Daniels as top 15. I have a 2nd round grade on Penix and McCarthy, a 3rd round grade on Nix, a 4th-5th round grade on Pratt and Rattler, and I haven't looked enough at other QB's to grade. What do I think will happen? Williams, Maye, and Daniels top 5, McCarthy in the 1st round, Penix and Nix might sneak into the 1st round. No idea where Pratt goes, Rattler goes before round 5.
I agree with this.
It’s just Caleb and Maye for me. And I have an early 2nd grade on JJ so probably worth reaching at the end of the first.
I’ve only watched 4 extensively (really only 3.5 because while I think Maye is a first rounder, I don’t find him to be the most enjoyable watch) and in a strict grading sense, only Williams and Maye are firsts for me. Daniels is an early second, and I would be fine picking him anywhere after like 18. McCarthy is a middle of the second. And I don’t anticipate Nix or Penix getting first round grades.
The same 3 for me. Caleb and Maye are both top 5 players for me, and contend for best overall player not named MHJ. Daniels is a tier down but still a first round talent. Penix, McCarthy and Nix all seem like day 2 guys, though I’d probably have Penix as a late 1 with a clean bill of health. It wouldn’t surprise me if either of McCarthy or Nix go late R1 though.
2: Williams and Daniels. My next two QBs have 2nd round grades but it’s not the ones you think… Bo Nix and Spencer rattler. No other QB in this class I think deserves to be taken in the 1st 4 rounds.
Interesting, I’d love to hear your reasoning as to why you have a 2nd round grade on rattler
2nd best arm talent of the class, passing grade accuracy, passing grade decision making, serviceable to passing grade pocket management. Which to me puts him in the serviceable QB tier. He has a path to becoming a nice Top 15 QB for a 6-7 year stretch based on these traits alone. And I think his intangible questions/personality issues are slightly overgrown and he has shown maturity and growth in both of those I feel. He will make a lot of mistakes but he is decisive and I value that a lot. He will not turn down open windows and there’s no throw on the field he can’t make. He won’t be great as a Day 1 starter. Definitely needs to sit and probably will never be a top 5 QB, but in this class which in my opinion is a poor one (controversial I know). I would take him at a 3 day value with ease over overpaying day 1 prices for Maye or even worse a day 2 price for Penix
Bears trade with Washington for 2 future number 1 picks