Ranking the 2024 Quarterback Class Entering Year 3

How do the first-round quarterbacks drafted in 2024 stack up entering their third NFL season?

Oct 19, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) makes a pass during the first half against the New York Giants at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The quarterback class that came out of the 2024 NFL draft is already making waves in the NFL. Four of the six first-round quarterbacks have already led their teams to the playoffs, with three pushing all the way to the conference championship game, and one to the Super Bowl.

This quarterack class could end up being viewed among the all-timers, like the 1983 class that included Hall-of-Famers John Elway, Jim Kelly, and Dan Marino. The 2018 quarterback class had some winners, too, like Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson.

How will the 2024 quarterback class be viewed? Only time can answer that question, but suffice it to say, it's off to a great start.

Today, I'm ranking the 2024 quarterback class. The rankings are based on quarterback wins, stats, and my overall view of each player's outlook.

Six quarterbacks were drafted in the first round that year. Let's get to the rankings.

Jan 4, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) throws a pass against the Green Bay Packers during the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

• Record: 6-4
• Stats: 1,632 passing yards, 11 TD, 12 INT, 57.6%, 72.6 rating

McCarthy has had a rough start to his NFL career. He missed his entire rookie season with a torn meniscus. Darnold went on to win 14 games for the Vikings and absolutey tear it up, making McCarthy an afterthought of sorts.

When the Vikings opted to let Darnold hit the bricks in free agency 2025, they signaled an all-in commitment to McCarthy. It didn't exactly pan out for Minnesota.

McCarthy once again dealt with injuries and only started 10 games. But he went 6-4 as a starter, which is encouraging.

McCarthy's stats, however, aren't much to write home about. He averaged just 163 passing yards, a touchdown, and a turnover. The jury is still out on him, but he's got quite a lot of ground to make up in these 2024 quarterback rankings.

Nov 16, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) throws the ball in the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

• Record: 4-8
• Stats: 2,757 passing yards, 12 TD, 6 INT, 59.6%, 85.8 rating

Penix started his rookie season as the backup behind Kirk Cousins. The Penix pick mystified many analysts, considering how the Falcons had just gone out a month prior and signed Cousins to a massive free-agent deal.

The Falcons' 2024 season started out well, but when it began to deteriorate, it happened fast. Cousins was benched, and Penix stepped in. The rookie went 1-2 as a starter, but showed some serious potential.

Penix opened the 2025 season as the Falcons' starting quarterback. He played well for a second-year quarterback, despite only winning three of his nine starts. He didn't have a great team or coaching support around him.

The injury concerns that surrounded Penix as a prospect leapt into the fore when he suffered a partially torn ACL in Week 11 and was placed on injured reserve. He finished Year 2 with 1,982 passing yards and nine touchdowns, with just three interceptions.

If the Falcons can figure out how to keep Penix protected and healthy, and if they can give him some competent coaching, he has a chance to reach his ridiculously high ceiling. That's a lot of 'ifs,' though.

Dec 7, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) drops back to pass against the Minnesota Vikings during the first half at U.S. Bank Stadium. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

• Record: 14-10
• Stats: 4,830 passing yards, 33 TD, 12 INT, 66.6%, 96.7 rating

Daniels came out of the gates with a bang, leading the Commanders to the NFC title game as a rookie. He won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award and made the Pro Bowl, becoming an overnight NFL darling.

Then the injury bug pounced. In Year 2, Daniels only started seven games due to a couple of different injuries. The Commanders' season went down the tubes, and it's hard to say what the future holds for Daniels.

He's as talented as it gets, but I always worried about his 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame. Daniels is a bit thin and the concerns have already come out in the wash.

If the Commanders can protect him, that'll be half the battle moving forward. There's only so much the team can do, though, as mobility and scrambling are a big part of Daniels's game.

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Jan 10, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) warms up prior to an NFC Wild Card Round game against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. | David Banks-Imagn Images

• Record: 16-18
• Stats: 7,483 passing yards, 47 TD, 13 INT, 60.3%, 89.0 rating

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft started out on sketchy footing, but after a coaching change, Williams's trajectory is trending way, way up. Ben Johnson turned out to be the best thing for Williams, as the Bears won 11 games and the NFC North this past season.

Williams made some jaw-dropping plays in 2025, and he's only been picked off 13 times as a 34-game starter. His 58.1 completion percentage last year shows he can still be hit or miss, but he might have the highest ceiling among all the 2024 quarterbacks.

Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) against the Seattle Seahawks during Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

• Record: 17-12
• Stats: 6,670 passing yards, 46 TD, 18 INT, 69.8%, 103.1 rating

Maye took a quantum leap forward in Year 2, after a so-so rookie season as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 draft, although he did sneak into the Pro Bowl after a starter bowed out. The Patriots then made some smart coaching changes, bringing in Mike Vrabel as head coach and Josh McDaniels as offensive coordinator.

The Patriots shot out of the gates like a cannon in 2025, but they faced a very easy schedule. Still, Maye can only play the team on the schedule, and he turned in an MVP-caliber season, earning Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors.

Maye only played two games against plus-.500 opponents in 2025 (the Buffalo Bills both times), but he would go on to win three playoff games — two at home and one on the road at Mile High. In Super Bowl 60, he looked like a fish out of water, completely in over his head for most of the game, as the Seattle Seahawks laid the smackdown on the Patriots.

On one hand, Maye's road to the playoffs this season was as easy as it gets. On the other, he did win three playoff games. But his overall body of work — taking both of his NFL seasons under consideration — have him on very solid footing.

Dec 14, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) throws downfield during the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

• Record: 24-10
• Stats: 7,706 passing yards, 54 TD, 23 INT, 64.8%, 90.5 rating

You're saying, "Of course the Broncos On SI guy ranks Nix first. What a homer!" I know exactly what I'm doing. Pick nits in my rankings — but I'm about to lay out, with authority, why Nix is the true leader of this quarterback class.

First thing's first, Nix has started every regular-season game since being drafted at No. 12 overall in 2024, as has Williams. As a rookie, Nix led a team that was strapped down with nearly $60 million in dead money on the salary cap — which was money that all of Denver's opponents could spend on players — to a 10-win season and a playoff berth.

Daniels won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, but Nix's stats were better. Nix had more passing touchdowns and yardage than Daniels — and Williams, for that matter — but he could never garner the same level of media scrutiny and appreciation as the top two quarterbacks drafted that year.

In Year 2, Nix's Broncos co-led the NFL in wins (14), won the AFC West, and clinched the No. 1 seed. Along the way, he passed for 3,931 yards and 25 touchdowns. He also rushed for five scores, giving him 30 total touchdowns in Year 2.

Nix's Year 2 body of work wasn't as smooth as that of Williams or Maye, but the Broncos faced a much stiffer schedule than either the Bears or the Patriots. Nix beat both defending conference champions in the regular season and swept the Kansas City Chiefs.

People keep wondering what happened to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs last season. Bo Nix happened to them, that's what.

Nix led the Broncos on an 11-game winning streak and was part of arguably the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in NFL history in Week 7, when he put 33 points on the board in the final period, scoring two touchdowns with his legs and two with his arm en route to a logic-defying win over the New York Giants.

Nix also out-dueled Josh Allen in the divisional round, beating the Bills 33-30 in overtime. This was supposed to be Allen's year. Nix begged to differ. He suffered a fractured ankle three plays before the game-winning field goal vs. Buffalo, which ended his season and gifted Maye and the Patriots a trip to the Super Bowl.

We all know that if Nix doesn't get hurt, we'd be talking about the results of another Broncos-Seahawks Super Bowl.

Let's compare Nix's accomplishments to that of his 2024 quarterback brethren. He's won the most games, he's passed for the most yards and touchdowns among the 2024 quarterbacks.

Nix is the only quarterback in NFL history to win 20 games and pass for 7,500-plus yards and 50-plus touchdowns through a signal-caller's first two seasons. No quarterback has ever won more games through their first two seasons than Nix (24).

Nix reached 25 passing touchdowns and 3,500-plus yards in each of his first two NFL seasons. He joined Peyton Manning and Justin Herbert as the only two quarterbacks in league history to achieve that feat through their first two years.

Nix has eight comeback wins through two years, which is tied with Williams for the most by any NFL quarterback since the 2024 season began. These two are going to be vying for a lot of the same awards and accolades as time marches on, but at least they're in separate conferences.

Nix has already proven himself to be one of the NFL's best scorers through the air. He is just one of five quarterbacks to post at least 25 passing touchdowns and to rank in the top-10 in both the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

Nix has only been sacked 46 times through two seasons, which is the second-fewest among all NFL quarterbacks. It's the fewest among quarterbacks drafted in 2024.

Finally, Nix was the sixth and final quarterback selected in the first round of the 2024 draft, but he leads all the signal-callers in his class in total wins, passing touchdowns, and total touchdowns. That includes high-profile top-three picks like Williams, Daniels, and Maye.

You can argue that I've got Orange-colored glasses on, but clearly, Nix has out-achieved his fellow 2024 quarterbacks. The question any good-faith reader of this article must ask themselves is, why doesn't he get the credit for it?

Nix has not been selected to the Pro Bowl (although he turned down an opportunity to go as an alternate replacement in 2024, as Maye actually did), and he's yet to make an All-Pro Team. Considering his achievements, don't you find it a bit odd that he's been snubbed for such accolades thus far?

Two years in, Nix is the best quarterback from the 2024 draft class, based on wins, stats, and outlook. The Broncos are in a championship window and will be back competing for Super Bowls for the foreseeable future.

What's really cool about the 2024 quarterback class is that Nix isn't alone in that last aspect. Maye has already appeared in a Super Bowl, and Williams and Daniels have gotten dang close.

Regardless of how one is inclined to rank the six first-round quarterbacks of 2024, it's safe to say that it's been a homerun class thus far. It's going to be fun watching these guys for many years to come.

Note: There were four other quarterbacks drafted in 2024, but none are currently their team's projected starter entering Year 3.