Here are the top 10 quarterbacks prospects (with height, weight, projected round in parentheses) for the NFL draft, which is set for April 25-27 in Detroit:
1. Caleb Williams, Jr., USC (6-foot-1, 215 pounds, first): He won the Heisman Trophy after the 2022 season, but the Trojans had a weak defense and went 8-5 last season. Over 37 games in college, he completed 735 of 1,099 pass attempts (66.9%) for 10,082 yards, 93 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
2. Jayden Daniels, Sr., LSU (6-3, 210, first): Started his career at Arizona State and played three seasons for the Sun Devils before transferring. In 55 college games, Daniels completed 953 of 1,438 passes (66.3%) for 12,750 yards, 89 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.
3. Drake Maye, So., North Carolina (6-4, 230, first): He can’t shake the ghost of Mitchell Trubisky, the former North Carolina signal-caller, who was drafted ahead of Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes. He’s similarly considered a “boom or bust” prospect with great measurables. He played in 30 games, completed 618 of 752 passes (64.9%) for 8,018 yards, 63 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
4. J.J. McCarthy, Jr., Michigan (6-3, 202, first): McCarthy has the smaller sample size of the top prospects. He’s played in 40 games and completed 482 of 731 attempts (67.6%) for 6,226 yards, 49 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. McCarthy has plenty of experience working under center in a pro-style attack.
5. Bo Nix, Sr., Oregon (6-2, 218, first): After passing for a Alabama state high school record in yards and 161 touchdowns, he was overwhelmed at times during his three seasons at Auburn. He grew over his final two seasons at Oregon and is the most seasoned of the QB prospects. He played in 61 games, completed 1,286 of 1,936 passes (66.4%) for 15,352 yards, 113 touchdowns and 26 touchdowns.
6. Michael Penix Jr., Sr., Washington (6-3, 212, first or second): He had a private workout with the Falcons, but the No. 8 overall pick is too him for him. He’s considered the best deep-ball passer in the QB class. He started his career at Indiana.
7. Spencer Rattler, Sr, South Carolina (6-0, 219, third or fourth): He started his career at Oklahoma and played three seasons (2019-21) for the Sooners before transferring to South Carolina. He played for the Gamecocks in 2022 and 2023. Coming out of Pinnacle High in Phoenix, Rattler was considered the consensus No. 1 quarterback recruit in the nation in 2019.
8. Michael Pratt, Sr., Tulane (6-2, 216, fourth or fifth): Led a revival at Tulane after then went 2-11 in 2021 after relocating to Birmingham for part of the season because of Hurricane Ida. The Green Wave went 12-0 the next season and upset USC in the Cotton Bowl. He played in 46 games, completed 730 of 1,204 passes (60.6%) for 9,611 yards, 90 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.
9. Joe Milton III, Sr., Tennessee (6-5, 235, fifth or sixth): He played three seasons at Michigan before playing three at Tennessee. He has elite size and a powerful arm.
10. Taulia Tagovailoa, Sr., Maryland (5-10, 200, sixth): The younger brother of Tua Tagovailoa. He got stuck behind Mac Jones and Bryce Young at Alabama and transferred to Maryland after one season. He helped the Terrapins return to respectability.
Best of the rest: Western Kentucky’s Austin Reed, Florida State’s Jordan Travis, Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman and South Alabama’s Carter Bradley.
Teams in need: Vikings, Broncos, Raiders, Giants, Patriots, Bears and Commanders.
Need area for Falcons: Yes. The Falcons signed Kirk Cousins in free agency. The could select a developmental quarterback in the middle rounds. Keep an eye on Tulane signal-caller Michael Pratt. “We’re definitely going to add a quarterback, right?” Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said. “We’re not going to go into the season with two arms. But it could be the draft. It could be before or after the draft. We’ll be open minded about how we go through that.”
