2024 NFL draft QB class: Scouts on first-rounders, sleepers - ESPN

The 2024 NFL draft quarterback class could have the hopes, dreams and future plans of no less than 10 teams resting on it after this 2023 season. But how many starting-level quarterbacks will actually be available in April, and how good is this class overall?

We spoke to more than a dozen NFL scouts and execs over the past month to size this group up. It starts at the top: Is USC's Caleb Williams a lock to go No. 1 overall? And how far behind are North Carolina's Drake Maye, LSU's Jayden Daniels, Michigan's J.J. McCarthy and the rest of the bunch? Some teams will be more focused on the next tier. How many signal-callers overall will get picked in the draft, and which midround sleeper is a favorite among evaluators?

With the help of those pro scouts and GMs, we put this QB class in perspective and took stock of the best passers. Is this signal-caller class as good as we thought a few months ago?

Jump to:
Rating this class | Picking first-rounders
Williams' chances at No. 1 | Best traits
Biggest riser | Late-round options

Before the 2023 college football season kicked off, the 2024 quarterback class was widely billed as special, thanks not only to rare top-tier talents but also what was perceived to be very good depth. That opinion has shifted some after four months of play.

«This is a good quarterback class, but it's not as great as some people say,» said an AFC East scout with over 15 years of experience.

An AFC general manager went further, saying, «It's good at the top, but it's a bad year to need a guy after the first round. We could see four or five in the first round, one or two in the second and then none until Day 3.»

The lack of depth certainly sticks out. We watched 14 quarterbacks get drafted in 2023 — up from