Ranking the NFL Starting Quarterbacks
#22 Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears)
Caleb Williams’ ability to make any type of throw in every situation a quarterback can confront on a football field is what set him apart from the rest of the 2024 class. And it’s what has him as the top-rated rookie QB on my list.
Aside from the great throwing ability, Williams also has an innate sense of pressure around him. Here’s a great example of him putting together the ability to both avoid the rush and make deadly accurate downfield passes:
The pressure wasn’t substantial there, but Williams slid left to buy just a little more time and then delivered a 35-yard throw back to his right that hit his receiver in stride. That was a special pass.
On top of his ability to evade pressure and make throws from the pocket, Williams has an outstanding ability to create 2nd-reaction plays:
Williams isn’t without flaws, however. For instance, I didn’t see a ton of anticipation throws in college. There wasn’t always urgency in his desire and ability to get rid of the ball quickly. I wanted to see more plays where he planted his foot in the ground at the top of his drop and got the ball out in rhythm.
All of this surely contributed to Williams getting sacked 33 times in 12 games last year (a 47-sack pace in 17 games). That would have made him one of the most sacked quarterbacks in the NFL last season, which is concerning. And keep in mind, there will be no San Jose States on Williams’ schedule in 2024.
The lack of desire to get passes off quickly also leads to Williams holding onto the ball and trying to do too much at times:
Williams has outstanding traits and the Bears will have plenty to work with. The question is how quickly can his game mature? How quickly can he improve his sense of rhythm and timing? How quickly can he eliminate needless mistakes?
The good news for Williams is that he is entering a great situation in Chicago. You can make the argument that Williams will enter the best situation a #1 overall pick ever has in his rookie season. You can do a lot worse than D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, Cole Kmet, and D’Andre Swift.
For once, Bears fans could have something to look forward to at the quarterback position.
To read my full Caleb Williams breakdown, click here (Part 1) and here (Part 2).
Check out the rest of the rankings here:
#32 Bo Nix (Denver Broncos)
#31 Drake Maye (New England Patriots)
#30 J.J. McCarthy (Minnesota Vikings)
#29 Gardner Minshew (Las Vegas Raiders)
#28 Will Levis (Tennessee Titans)
#27 Deshaun Watson (Cleveland Browns)
#26 Anthony Richardson (Indianapolis Colts)
#25 Bryce Young (Carolina Panthers)
#24 Daniel Jones (New York Giants)
#23 Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders)
#22 Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears)
#21 Geno Smith (Seattle Seahawks)
#20 Russell Wilson (Pittsburgh Steelers)
#19 Derek Carr (New Orleans Saints)
#18 Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
#17 Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals)
#16 Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars)
#15 Jared Goff (Detroit Lions)
#14 Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins)
#13 Kirk Cousins (Atlanta Falcons)
#12 Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles)
#11 Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers)
#10 Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers)
#9 Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys)
#8 C.J. Stroud (Houston Texans)
#7 Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers)
#6 Aaron Rodgers (New York Jets)
#5 Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams)
#4 Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)
#3 Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals)
#2 Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)
#1 Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs)