As most college football teams enter conference play, the hope was likely that some quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft would begin to separate themselves.
Although Caleb Williams (USC) and Drake Maye (North Carolina) appear to be the top two prospects for the position, the rest of the group has its fair share of uncertainty.
Buy Vikings TicketsHowever, week 4 did bring some performances worth keeping an eye on. Especially in Eugene, Oregon, where 2024 prospects Bo Nix (Oregon) and Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) faced off.
Oregon QB Bo Nix
Result: 42-6 win vs. No. 19 Colorado
Stats: 28-33, 276 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT; 3 carries, 21 yards, 1 TD
Thoughts: Starting with the game of the week for the 2024 NFL Draft, Bo Nix appeared to be the better quarterback than Shedeur Sanders.
Nix was in control of the offense from the opening snap, finding wide receiver Troy Franklin for two touchdowns on nine targets. His 10.75 EPA was the highest amongst quarterbacks in this game, and Nix didn’t put a wrong foot forward.
His rushing touchdown to end the half showcased something that needs to become more apparent as the season continues. Nix is a plus-athlete for the position and can create plays with his feet. If he can continue to show that he can be another body in the run game, Nix’s draft stock could soar as the season progresses.
Bo Nix in the first half vs Colorado:
22/24, 217 yards, 4 total TD
A Heisman Half pic.twitter.com/R6mCY9BHTU
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) September 23, 2023
Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders
Result: 42-6 loss vs. No. 10 Oregon
Stats: 23-33, 159 yards, 1 TD; 3 carries, 39 yards
Thoughts: Shedeur Sanders was without his top target, as wide receiver (and cornerback) Travis Hunter missed the game with a lacerated liver. However, Sanders still struggled to produce much of anything with the other skill position players at his disposal.
However, that wasn’t entirely his fault. Sanders was sacked seven times on Saturday, as the Colorado offensive line had no answers for the Oregon defensive line.
Sanders, however, needs to learn how to progress through his reads quickly. There are moments where he processes everything quickly, but when teams have sent pressure, he’s struggled to find the open read. That can be fixed, but it needs to happen soon because most NFL quarterbacks are not seeing clean pockets for most of their dropbacks.
Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy
Result: 31-7 win vs. Rutgers
Stats: 15/21, 214 yards, 1 TD; 5 carries, 60 yards
Thoughts: It was another game where J.J. McCarthy didn’t get asked to do a lot as Michigan continued to put the ball in the hands of their two-headed rushing attack of Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards.
To McCarthy’s credit, though, he’s continued to show a large understanding of the offense. He’s efficient with the ball in his hands, finding a way to keep the offense on track. There hasn’t been a need for big plays yet, but that may change as the season continues, and McCarthy needs to be ready for the moment.
Against Rutgers, McCarthy was kept clean on 72% of his dropbacks, completing 12 of 17 attempts. His average depth of target in these situations was 8.3, indicating there was space to throw down the field.
Washington State QB Cam Ward
Result: 38-35 win vs. No. 14 Oregon State
Stats: 27-33, 380 yards, 4 TDs; 8 carries, 21 yards, 1 TD (1 fumble)
Thoughts: We haven’t talked about Washington State’s Cam Ward yet, but the former FCS transfer has continued to put together strong performances, and it’s about time we start the discussion about his NFL Draft chances.
Ward is still on the outside looking in, but 380 yards and five total touchdowns against a strong Oregon State defense warrants a discussion.
After looking uncomfortable at times last season, Ward looks like a different quarterback this season. He sneakily belongs in the Heisman Trophy conversation and continues to show similar traits to Kyler Murray. He’s not Murray, but some things out of structure look eerily similar.
🎯Cam Ward Vs Oregon St
✅28/34, 404yds, 5tot tds
✅Accurate short & deep (4-6 for 151yds, 2tds on balls thrown 20+yds)
✅Forces you to defend whole field: 193yds outside numbers , 211 inside the numbers
✅Been ballin, as @AlexBrink10 said, should be in Heisman convo pic.twitter.com/6HXOJhjaMv
— QB Spotlight (@QBspotlight) September 24, 2023
Tulane QB Michael Pratt
Result: 36-7 win vs. Nicholls
Stats: 18-23, 190 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT; 7 carries, 42 yards, 1 TD
Thoughts: We’ll keep this one short because there isn’t much to say. Tulane played an FCS opponent and handled them fairly comfortably.
Michael Pratt wasn’t at his best, but he’s missed the last few weeks with an injury, and this was his first game back in action. It’s possible he was rusty, so it’s worth keeping an eye on him as the season progresses.
Texas QB Quinn Ewers
Result: 38-6 win vs. Baylor
Stats: 18-23, 293 yards, 1 TD; 2 carries, 31 yards, 1 TD
Thoughts: It was a promising performance from Quinn Ewers, who has struggled this season when he isn’t playing Alabama. It was a dominating performance, but Ewers controlled the offense well and efficiently threw the ball when asked.
Most of his effectiveness came on play-action passes and throws over the field. It appears Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has found the formula to make him an effective player, but it remains to be seen if that can translate to NFL Draft stock.
North Carolina QB Drake Maye
Result: 41-24 win vs. Pitt
Stats: 21-29, 256 yards, 1 TD; 5 carries, 30 yards, 2 TD
Thoughts: It wasn’t Drake Maye’s finest performance, as he posted a negative EPA (-0.24) EPA through the air and was sacked five times in the win.
However, Maye still found ways to make key plays, including a left-handed touchdown while under pressure. As his season continues, it’s important to understand that not every game will be comfortable. There will be moments when Maye will have to make something out of nothing, and being able to do so will help his draft stock.
Drake Maye throwing a left-handed TD while under duress is absurd. pic.twitter.com/8c5xd4bZiZ
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) September 24, 2023
USC QB Caleb Williams
Result: 42-28 vs. Arizona State
Stats: 19-30; 328 yards, 3 TDs; 7 carries, 28 yards, 2 TDs
Thoughts: To no one’s surprise, Caleb Williams put up absurd numbers against another opponent.
Although Williams was slightly inefficient, he finished with a 13.46 EPA and a 47% success rate in the win. Some of that came on out of structure throws, as Arizona State tried to make life challenging for Williams. However, like he has all season, he had an answer. He has a lot of those.
Williams is the best quarterback prospect in this class, and that’s been confirmed as the season continues.
Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.
Result: 59-32 win vs. California
Stats: 19-25, 304 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT
Thoughts: As we head toward the midway part of the season, it’s become abundantly clear who the Heisman Trophy frontrunner is.
Michael Penix Jr. continues to put together video game-like numbers in Washington’s offense. He might not be the best NFL prospect in the conference, but he’s currently playing better football than Caleb Williams.
Penix is helped by having NFL wide receivers, including Rome Odunze (5 catches, 125 yards, 2 TDs), and a strong offensive system, but his arm talent is not just elite. It’s special. There isn’t a throw Penix can’t make with his arm talent, but he does need to figure out ways to put it all together for NFL scouts.
