The 2024 quarterback is one of the most highly scrutinized classes in years. After a recent string of classes that have either underachieved or flopped, hopes are high for this group. 

Now I’m not one for comps but I do think this class reminds me a lot of the 2004 class which featured Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and J.P Losman. Three of the four quarterbacks in that draft ended up with Hall of Fame careers. Will this class match or surpass that level of performance? Probably not but it has the potential to be a good group nonetheless.

When I think of individual comps for the top six quarterbacks, I like to look at each player from the perspective of a ceiling and a floor. 

Here are my ceiling/floor comps for this group. 

Drake Maye: 

Ceiling: Justin Herbert

Floor: Carson Wentz

Rational: I think when you watch the good parts of Maye’s film, you see a lot of Justin Herbert and even some Jordan Love in his game. 

When Maye is rattled in the pocket and is drifting and airmailing throws, I see a lot of Carson Wentz. Wentz has elite arm talent like Maye but when pressured and forced to get off his initial read, he tends to play outside of the system and makes bad decisions. 

Maye physically is in the same neighborhood as Herbert and Wentz. He has the highest ceiling in this class. He has a lot of upside but he needs time to develop and needs to be more consistent. If he does, he has a chance to turn into a franchise quarterback. 

Jayden Daniels

Ceiling: C.J Stroud/Deshaun Watson

Floor: Tyrod Taylor

Rational: Forget the Lamar Jackson comps. They are silly. At his best, Daniels has C.J Stroud, Deshaun Watson type of upside physically. He can play from the pocket, is accurate in the vertical passing game and he can vacate when things break down and make plays on the run. 

I think Daniels will be a good pro. I have Taylor as his floor because even if he doesn’t develop into a franchise quarterback, I think he has the physical tools to stick in the league as a long time back up. 

Caleb Williams

Ceiling: Brett Favre

Floor: Michael Bishop

Rational: Williams is a unique prospect. I don’t like either of my comps for him but because he is so different, he is hard to comp. The Mahomes comp is lazy and generic. Williams has Mahomesque off-platform play making ability but Mahomes is one of one. 

I liken Williams more to Favre. He has big time arm talent, can create from the pocket and make spectacular off platform plays when things break down. He is truly a unique talent.

Finding a floor for Williams was tough. I see a little Michael Bishop in his game. I don’t think he is the athlete that Bishop was. The irony is, both men are 6-1 215. I have said this all along. Williams looks the part and could end up top five in the league right out of the gate. He could also end up a big time bust. I do not think their will be much in between.  

J.J McCarthy

Ceiling: Kirk Cousins

Floor: Blaine Gabbert

Rational: I see a more athletic version of Kirk Cousins in McCarthy. He can play from the pocket, is mechanically sound and always under control. I don’t buy the nonsense that McCarthy wasn’t asked to do much in Michigan’s offense. He did plenty. He had a great supporting cast and didn’t need to be dominate as a passer. Like Cousins, his best football is ahead of him. 

If McCarthy does not work out as a starter, I can still see him having a long career like Gabbert as a back up. Put him in the tight situation like Gabbert has been in his career and he can run your offense and have success if he has to play. 

Michael Penix 

Ceiling: Jeff Blake/ Tua Tagovailoa 

Floor: Cade McNown 

Rational: When I watch Penix, he reminds me so much of Jeff Blake. The smooth, fluid delivery on his deep ball. He plays with so much touch and anticipation as a vertical passer. He also has a snap release like Tua. He would be effective in an offense that ran a lot of RPO’s. Penix ran them at Washington but he could do more in the NFL. His pocket mobility and ability to extend plays outside the pocket reminds of Blake and Tua as well. 

If Penix doesn’t develop into a franchise quarterback, we are going to be looking at this generations Cade McNown. He came in with some hype as a PAC-12 guy but never developed beyond what he was in college and fizzled out. 

Bo Nix

Ceiling: Alex Smith

Floor: Mitch Trubisky 

Rational: I don’t think Nix will be the same player in the NFL that he was in college. Like Smith, who ran the ball in Urban Meyer’s system in Utah, Nix will be more of a pocket passer in the NFL. He doesn’t have the arm talent that Smith had coming out of college. Remember, Smith was the number one overall pick in 2005. Nix has good enough arm talent that if he ends up in the right system, he could thrive.

Trubisky is more of what Nix could become if the development of him into a pocket passer experiment doesn’t work. As we saw at times while he was at Auburn, he struggles to play from the pocket. 

You can comp quarterbacks anyway you want. These are my ceiling/floor comps for the quarterbacks in this class. What comps do you see when you watch them play? I’d love to hear from you.