NFL Scouting Combine Invites 14 Quarterbacks: How They Fared in 2023, ’24 Draft Projections
With Super Bowl LVIII in the rearview mirror, it is officially NFL draft season. On Tuesday, the league released its complete list of attendees for the 2024 scouting combine, which is scheduled to run from Feb. 26 to March 4 in Indianapolis.
Of the 321 invitees, 14 of the players expected to attend are quarterbacks. Casual fans are probably familiar with some of the big names—USC’s Caleb Williams, UNC’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner. The invite list also features some intriguing big-school signal callers that flew a bit under the radar last year, such as South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler and small school passers like Tulane’s Michael Pratt and Western Kentucky’s Austin Reed, who will seek to impress on a big stage.
Williams remains the odds-on favorite to go No. 1 in April’s draft, as the Chicago Bears weigh whether to take a quarterback with the top pick or move forward with former first-rounder Justin Fields. The group as a whole, though, could produce four or five first-round picks and boasts a host of intriguing players.
USC’s Caleb Williams is the favorite to go No. 1 in the 2024 NFL draft.
Darren Yamashita/USA TODAY Sports
Here’s a look at all 14 quarterbacks in this year’s NFL scouting combine, their measurables (via official program rosters), college stats and how Sports Illustrated projects them to fare as we near the combine:
Jayden Daniels, LSU (6' 4", 210 lbs)
| Completion % | Pass Yds | YPA | Pass TDs | INTs | Rush Yds | Rush TDs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 72.2% | 3,812 | 11.7 | 40 | 4 | 1,134 | 10 |
Career | 66.3% | 12,750 | 8.9 | 89 | 20 | 3,307 | 34 |
Daniels joined Brian Kelly at LSU in ’22 after spending his first three collegiate seasons at Arizona State, and he thrived in the former Notre Dame coach’s offensive system. LSU didn’t make a huge leap as a team after a strong first year under Kelly, but Daniels became a singular offensive force, accounting for nearly 5,000 yards from scrimmage and 50 touchdowns in his fifth season. Now, he finds himself discussed near the top of the 2024 NFL draft.
SI quarterback ranking: No. 3
SI’s latest mock draft (updated Feb. 15): No. 2 to Washington Commanders
Sam Hartman, Notre Dame (6' 1", 212 lbs)
| Completion % | Pass Yds | YPA | Pass TDs | INTs | Rush Yds | Rush TDs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 63.5% | 2,689 | 8.9 | 24 | 8 | 123 | 3 |
Career | 59.8% | 15,656 | 8.2 | 134 | 49 | 978 | 20 |
After becoming a Wake Forest great during his five-year tenure in Winston-Salem, N.C., Hartman finished his lengthy college career at Notre Dame. He led the team to a 9–3 regular season and an appearance in the Sun Bowl, though he would sit out that 40–9 win over Oregon State.
Statistically, Hartman’s most prolific seasons came in his final two seasons at Wake Forest. In ’21, he threw for a career-high 4,228 yards with 39 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions, and he followed it up with 3,701 yards, 38 touchdowns and 12 picks the following year. However, his completion percentage, yards per attempt and quarterback rating topped out in ’23 with the Fighting Irish.
Hartman is widely projected as a day-three draft pick.
SI quarterback ranking: N/A
SI’s latest mock draft: N/A
Devin Leary, Kentucky (6' 1", 217 lbs)
| Completion % | Pass Yds | YPA | Pass TDs | INTs | Rush Yds | Rush TDs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 56.3% | 2,746 | 7.4 | 25 | 12 | -60 | 1 |
Career | 59.1% | 9,553 | 7.3 | 87 | 28 | -81 | 6 |
Another quarterback who transferred between Power 5 programs, Leary began his career at NC State before playing his fifth year in the SEC at Kentucky. His one year with the Wildcats was fairly nondescript, and his best college season actually came with the Wolfpack in ’21, when he completed over 65% of his throws for 3,433 yards, 35 touchdowns and just five interceptions.
Entering the combine, Leary is most commonly mocked at the end of the draft.
SI quarterback ranking: N/A
SI’s latest mock draft: N/A
Drake Maye, North Carolina (6' 4", 230 lbs)
| Completion % | Pass Yds | YPA | Pass TDs | INTs | Rush Yds | Rush TDs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 63.3% | 4,321 | 8.5 | 24 | 9 | 449 | 9 |
Career | 64.9% | 8,018 | 8.4 | 63 | 16 | 1,209 | 16 |
If a quarterback can supplant Williams as the No. 1 pick, it likely will be Maye, who is coming off two fantastic seasons under center for the Tar Heels. After playing a bit as a freshman in ’21, he threw for 4,321 yards, 38 touchdowns and just seven picks in ’22. He also brings an element on the ground, with more than 1,100 rushing yards and double-digit touchdowns over his two seasons as starter.
SI quarterback ranking: No. 2
SI’s latest mock draft: No. 3 to New England Patriots
J.J. McCarthy, Michigan (6' 3", 202 lbs)
| Completion % | Pass Yds | YPA | Pass TDs | INTs | Rush Yds | Rush TDs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 72.3% | 2,991 | 9.0 | 22 | 4 | 202 | 3 |
Career | 67.6% | 6,226 | 8.7 | 49 | 11 | 632 | 10 |
There is no more intriguing prospect in the draft than McCarthy, who is fresh off of leading the Wolverines to a national championship.
His stats don’t jump off the page, and during large stretches of Michigan’s title run, the team seemed to avoid having him do too much, though the Wolverines’ overpowering rushing attack afforded them that luxury. Even so, he was efficient, he proved he can extend plays with his legs, he rarely threw interceptions or made backbreaking mistakes and his record as a winner is undisputable.
SI quarterback ranking: No. 5
SI’s latest mock draft: No. 12 to Denver Broncos
Joe Milton III, Tennessee (6' 5", 235 lbs)
| Completion % | Pass Yds | YPA | Pass TDs | INTs | Rush Yds | Rush TDs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 64.7% | 2,813 | 7.9 | 20 | 5 | 299 | 7 |
Career | 61.5% | 5,353 | 8.2 | 37 | 11 | 661 | 12 |
Milton looks like an NFL prototype under center and likely has the biggest arm in the draft class. What he doesn’t have is a ton of game experience despite a six-year career at Michigan and Tennessee, and although he played pretty well for the Volunteers in ’23, he didn’t set the world on fire.
Expectations were high after Milton stepped in for Hendon Hooker and absolutely shredded Clemson to the tune of 251 yards and three touchdowns the Orange Bowl to end the ’22 season. He was far more pedestrian as the full-time starter in ’23, but his measurables and arm strength have to be enticing for an NFL team.
Milton is being widely projected as a day-three pick, though he can definitely help himself at the combine.
SI quarterback ranking: No. 9
SI’s latest mock draft: N/A
Bo Nix, Oregon (6' 2", 217 lbs)
| Completion % | Pass Yds | YPA | Pass TDs | INTs | Rush Yds | Rush TDs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 77.4% | 4,508 | 9.6 | 45 | 3 | 234 | 6 |
Career | 66.4% | 15,352 | 7.9 | 113 | 26 | 1,613 | 38 |
One of this class’s many super senior stars, Nix went from three-year starter and game manager at Auburn to a force of nature in his final two years at Oregon. He emerged as one of college football’s best quarterbacks in ’22 and took things to a new level in ’23, finishing third in Heisman voting.
Nix has a ton of experience, has played in a variety of offenses and is a proven winner. He’ll likely be off the board in the first half of the NFL draft and may even go in the first round.
SI quarterback ranking: No. 6
SI’s latest mock draft: No. 13 to Las Vegas Raiders
Michael Penix Jr., Washington (6' 3", 213 lbs)
| Completion % | Pass Yds | YPA | Pass TDs | INTs | Rush Yds | Rush TDs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 65.4% | 4,903 | 8.8 | 36 | 11 | 8 | 3 |
Career | 63.3% | 13,741 | 8.2 | 96 | 34 | 265 | 13 |
Few quarterbacks have enjoyed a more productive two-year stretch than Penix did at Washington in ’22 and ’23. Last season’s Heisman runner-up eclipsed 4,600 passing yards and 30 touchdown passes in consecutive years, leading the Huskies to the national championship game in January.
Penix’s injury history may hurt him come draft time. In four years at Indiana, he appeared in just 21 total games, though he showed signs of what was to come when healthy competing in the Big Ten. When healthy, he’s one of the most explosive passers in the country.
SI quarterback ranking: No. 4
SI’s latest mock draft: No. 39 to New York Giants
Michael Pratt, Tulane (6' 3", 220 lbs)
| Completion % | Pass Yds | YPA | Pass TDs | INTs | Rush Yds | Rush TDs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 65.4% | 2,406 | 8.5 | 22 | 5 | 286 | 5 |
Career | 60.6% | 9,611 | 8.0 | 90 | 26 | 1,147 | 28 |
Pratt took over as starter during his freshman year at Tulane and helped engineer the program’s impressive turnaround under Willie Fritz. With Pratt under center, the Green Wave went 28–17 over four years, including a turnaround from 2–10 in 12–2 with a bowl win over USC a year later.
SI quarterback ranking: No. 8
SI’s latest mock draft: No. 83 to Los Angeles Rams
Spencer Rattler, South Carolina (6' 1", 218 lbs)
| Completion % | Pass Yds | YPA | Pass TDs | INTs | Rush Yds | Rush TDs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 68.9% | 3,186 | 8.0 | 19 | 8 | 104 | 4 |
Career | 68.5% | 10,807 | 8.2 | 77 | 32 | 410 | 16 |
What a long, strange trip college football was for Spencer Rattler. Once the No. 1 high school quarterback in the country and later a Heisman favorite at Oklahoma, Rattler wound up losing his starting job to Caleb Williams as a sophomore, midway through the ’21 season. He re-emerged at South Carolina, following former Sooners assistant Shane Beamer to the program, and turned in two very solid years as the Gamecocks starter.
Although he never reached the heights expected of him after the beginning of his college career, Rattler will likely be a pro in a few months time.
SI quarterback ranking: No. 7
SI’s latest mock draft: No. 81 to Seattle Seahawks
Austin Reed, Western Kentucky (6' 2", 220 lbs)
| Completion % | Pass Yds | YPA | Pass TDs | INTs | Rush Yds | Rush TDs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 61.5% | 3,340 | 7.1 | 31 | 11 | 100 | 4 |
Career | 63.2% | 8,086 | 7.5 | 71 | 22 | 324 | 12 |
Western Kentucky has a recent history of prolific passers, and Reed certainly fits the bill. After beginning his college career by winning a Division II national title at West Florida, he played two seasons at WKU, throwing for over 4,700 yards and 40 touchdowns in ’22.
With Pratt, Reed is one of just two non-Power 5 quarterbacks that will be present in Indianapolis. Reed is currently mocked as a late-round draft pick.
SI quarterback ranking: N/A
SI’s latest mock draft: N/A
Kedon Slovis, BYU (6' 3", 215 lbs)
| Completion % | Pass Yds | YPA | Pass TDs | INTs | Rush Yds | Rush TDs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 57.5% | 1,716 | 6.5 | 12 | 6 | -41 | 3 |
Career | 64.5% | 11,689 | 7.6 | 80 | 39 | -259 | 3 |
Slovis may have the strangest college football résumé of any quarterback attending the combine. He began his career at USC, taking over as starter during his freshman year. After three seasons with the Trojans, he transferred to Pitt for a year, ultimately finishing his career at BYU.
His best season came as a true freshman back in ’19, when he posted career highs in yards (3,502), yards per attempt (8.9), touchdowns (30) and passer rating (167.6). He set lows in all of those categories except for touchdowns in ’23, though he only appeared in eight games for the Cougars. Prior to the combine, he seems like a long shot to be drafted.
SI quarterback ranking: N/A
SI’s latest mock draft: N/A
Jordan Travis, Florida State (6' 1", 212 lbs)
| Completion % | Pass Yds | YPA | Pass TDs | INTs | Rush Yds | Rush TDs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 63.9% | 2,756 | 8.5 | 20 | 2 | 176 | 7 |
Career | 62% | 8,715 | 8.5 | 66 | 20 | 1,950 | 31 |
Travis will go down as a Florida State legend for his final year with the Seminoles, leading the program to an undefeated record and the cusp of the College Football Playoff before going down with a season-ending leg injury late in the year. Travis, who played one year at Louisville before five in Tallahassee, was instrumental in the program’s resurgence under Mike Norvell.
Now, he prepares for the combine just months into rehab from the injury. It is unclear how much he’ll be able to participate in Indianapolis. The injury also makes his draft potential a bit unpredictable, and he’s being mocked all across the final four rounds.
SI quarterback ranking: No. 10
SI’s latest mock draft: N/A
Caleb Williams, USC (6' 1", 215 lbs)
| Completion % | Pass Yds | YPA | Pass TDs | INTs | Rush Yds | Rush TDs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 68.6% | 3,633 | 9.4 | 30 | 5 | 142 | 11 |
Career | 66.9% | 10,082 | 9.2 | 93 | 14 | 966 | 27 |
The quarterback that comes last in this alphabetical list is likely to hear his name called first in April’s draft. Williams has been the heavy favorite to go No. 1 since his Heisman season in ’22. Although a flawed USC roster and leaky defense hurt him in ’23, he still put together an impressive season that hasn’t substantially altered his draft stock.
Williams has tremendous arm talent and pinpoint accuracy, and he’s a dangerous improvisor in and out of the pocket. The Bears find themselves in a unique position, as Fields has made progress during his time in the league, but most draft prognosticators still project Williams to be the pick at No. 1.
SI quarterback ranking: No. 1
SI’s latest mock draft: No. 1 to Chicago Bears
