As we have seen over the opening weekend of NFL preseason, some of the best young talents college football had to offer, for the first time, took to the field as an NFL player.
The step up from college to pro football has often been documented as a major challenge, even for the best college football has to offer.
The increased physicality and pressure of the NFL has often got to many players, this is especially the case for the quarterback position.
Many have fallen down the path of not living up to their hype, and their struggles have caused them to be lovingly labelled as ‘busts’.
Players on this list include Jamarcus Russell and Johnny Manziel who were both failed quarterbacks selected in the first round of the NFL Draft over the past 20 years.
For this reason, pre-season is important for the quarterbacks of the next generation, as they get to soak in the feeling of life in the big league and test plays and compatibility with teammates and coaches' playbooks alike.
CALEB WILLIAMS – PICK 1 – CHICAGO BEARS
We have seen this over the past weekend, a test of who is ready to play regular football. No better test could be taken than what we saw from the Chicago Bears’ Caleb Williams. The number one 2024 NFL Draft pick impressed immediately in the 33-6 win over the Buffalo Bills.
Williams flexed his impressive attributes early on, albeit only throwing seven passes in his short stint on the field; four were completed for a solid 95 yards. In his two drives on the field, Williams led his team to two successive field goals and connected with two of his strongest weapons in D’Andre Swift and D.J. Moore. Not only did he look comfortable in the pocket, but he also showed impressive improvisation abilities scrambling for first downs and throwing on the run.
Through the first week of pre-season, Williams was far away the most efficient quarterback from the first week of the preseason in EPA (expected points added) per dropback with 0.97, his closest challenger being Joe Burrow who had 0.62.
JJ MCCARTHY – PICK 10 – MINNESOTA VIKINGS
The next most efficient rookie in this ranking was J.J McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings with a 0.57. This, of course, does not come without an asterisk next to his name as we will now not see him for the rest of the season as it was revealed he is to undergo knee surgery and will be out indefinitely after tests revealed a meniscus tear in his right knee.
In his time on the field, however, McCarthy had a solid showing despite throwing an interception on only his fourth play. He displayed his ability to bounce back from adversity and rack up two Touchdown passes over his six drives, where he managed 188 yards. He completed 11 out of his 17 passing attempts. Overall, it was a decent performance from last year’s national championship-winning quarterback.
BO NIX – PICK 12 – DENVER BRONCOS
Another first-round rookie quarterback who notched his first NFL touchdown pass over the past weekend was Bo Nix. The number 12 pick led the Denver Broncos to a 34-30 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Despite not starting the game, he took the most snaps of any Broncos QB on the weekend, completing 15 of 21 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown with a 102.3 passer rating, complemented by three runs for 17 yards.
Despite having his fair share of rough moments, throwing with unsettled feet and having some apparent miscommunication with receivers, Nix also displayed impressive efficiency in a two-minute drill leading to a field goal at the end of the first half.
In five drives, Nix orchestrated the Broncos to a pair of touchdowns and two field goals, with a laser of a 1-yard touchdown to Marvin Mims opening his scoring account for the 2024 season.
MICHAEL PENIX JR – PICK 8 – ATLANTA FALCONS
The surprising eighth pick of the 2024 NFL Draft Michael Penix Jr also made his NFL debut last weekend and had a bit of an up-and-down game. In his quarter and a half of work, Penix completed 9-of-16 passes for 104 yards.
Penix made some mistakes in his opening ordeal, throwing too high to Casey Washington on an open pass early in the first quarter. Moreover, he rushed a third-down pass, under pressure, which was then thrown too far and was incomplete. These are all expected in what was a decent first showing and are mistakes that can be ironed out as he builds NFL experience and tucks game time under his belt.
The Falcons have said that Penix will play a lot this preseason, which will be good for him because his opportunities may be sparse once September rolls around.
Along with the few mistakes, he also showcased some of his impressive arm talent which led the Falcons to take a chance on him.
There were some nice plays, including his highlight of the night being a deep pass that went for 41 yards.
Other Round One Quarterbacks ( JAYDEN DANIELS, DRAKE MAYE)
The two other quarterbacks who were also selected in the first round but did not have enough game time to accurately assess whether they were in the shape to play, both only had three pass attempts.
In Daniels' case, he completed two of his three passes for 45 yards, impressing many with a 42-yard toss in the Washington Commanders’ 20-17 loss to the New York Jets.
For Maye, he had the same pass completion percentage, with slightly less impressive yardage than Daniels. He completed two of his three pass attempts for 19 yards.
Despite the less-than-impressive stat line, Maye received kudos following the game for his demeanour and execution in his limited time on the field, completing two screen passes that exuded confidence, not often seen from a rookie.
