Final Rookie Report Card: Quarterbacks
Throughout the 2024 season, the Rookie Report Card series covered 34 of this season’s incoming rookie class. We looked at the performance to date, their potential for the rest of the season, and, of course, their long-term potential as fantasy assets. Now that we’ve wrapped up the regular season, it’s time for final grades. This week, I’ll start with the rookie quarterbacks, grading them on their 2024 performance and what I think they’ll do moving forward in this edition of the Final Rookie Report Cards.
Michael Penix Jr, QB ATL
2024 stats: 61/105, 775 passing yards, three touchdowns, three interceptions, seven carries, 11 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown
Regular Season Rookie Report Card: Week 17
I didn’t expect to see Penix at all this season, so the fact that he even managed to get three starts to close out the season was a surprise. Sadly, he didn’t light up the scoreboard in his limited sample size. One would assume he’ll greatly benefit from a full off-season as the entrenched starter, and he should take a significant step in his development in year two. He’s going to have to develop quickly, as he’ll turn 25 this off-season and will be 28 if/when the Falcons exercise his fifth-year option. While he didn’t look terrible, I personally didn’t think I saw any flashes of the player we saw at Washington over the previous two seasons. He has decent weapons surrounding him, and one would assume Atlanta will do more this off-season to get him as much protection and weaponry as possible to put him in the best position to succeed, giving him a bright future in the near term.
Spencer Rattler, QB NO
2024 stats: 130/228, 1,317 passing yards, four touchdowns, five interceptions, 18 carries, 146 rushing yards
Regular Season Rookie Report Card: Week 8
Rattler was an elite prospect and had many eyes on him for years by the time he found himself in the NFL. It seems like a little bit of shine fell off of his star at every step of the way, culminating in a fairly bleak performance in the NFL as a rookie. He was QB40 on a point-per-game basis, which, if you’re not too good at math, is terrible since we only have 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL. He played in seven games, never once coming close to 300 yards passing while heaving more interceptions than touchdowns. Simply put, he was a pedestrian backup at best, and that looks to be his ceiling in the NFL going forward as well.
Drake Maye, QB NE
2024 stats: 225/338, 2,276 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 54 carries, 421 yards, two rushing touchdowns
Regular Season Rookie Report Card: Week 16
Initially, I had graded Maye as a B- long-term, but with the firing of Jerod Mayo, I dropped the minus. After we were led to believe that Mayo was the heir to the Belichick throne in Foxborough, his firing signals that the team will likely be going in a completely different direction and want a coach who can help develop Maye and the PAts’ offensive unit. He had a solid rookie showing, finishing as QB21 and seventh among all rookies. While not a certified league-winner, Maye has the athleticism to get there, and if the offense as a whole can step up around him, he could be a solid QB2 in superflex leagues for multiple seasons to come.
Caleb Williams, QB CHI
2024 stats: 351/562, 3,541 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, six interceptions, 81 carries, 489 yards
Regular Season Rookie Report Card: Week 6
In the leagues where I was picking 1.01 last off-season, I really wanted to trade back, but I had very few takers. My primary motivation was knowing that I would be forced to draft Caleb Williams, and I was less than convinced he was deserving of the first overall pick in real football or fantasy football. With his first season under his belt, my feelings have been validated. No franchise has the ability to hinder the development of their quarterback of the future more than the Chicago Bears. To be fair, even in a season that was looked down on by many, Williams was still the third-highest-scoring rookie and a high-end QB2. It is certainly possible that this is as bad as it gets for him, and we’ve seen his floor. It’s also possible that a new coach and (eventually) a new GM are going to want their own guy in the 2027 draft. I’m cautiously optimistic that the Williams experiment will work in Chicago, but I think we all need to temper our expectations moving forward.
Bo Nix, QB DEN
2024 stats: 376/567, 3,775 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 92 carries, 430 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns
Regular Season Rookie Report Card: Week 11
What a pleasant surprise. Many people didn’t “love” Nix as a prospect, but almost everyone thought he was a safe option. He ends the 2024 season as QB7, the second-highest-scoring rookie, and seems to be set for a long career in Denver under the tutelage of Sean Payton. Going as late as mid-to-late round two in some superflex rookie drafts, Nix might wind up as one of the all-time greatest draft steals. Given Payton’s track record, there is no reason to believe this will end anytime soon. If Denver can put together a solid running game, add a capable tight end and some secondary receivers to help Courtland Sutton, Nix might be a year-in-year-out QB1 without doing much with his legs, a rarity in today’s fantasy landscape.
Jayden Daniels, QB WAS
2024 stats: 331/480, 3,568 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 148 carries, 891 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns
Regular Season Rookie Report Card: Week 3
There isn’t much to say here. Daniels has been nothing short of amazing. He’s currently QB4 in start-ups, and considering he is four years younger than Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, if he repeats his rookie performance in 2025, he’ll probably be THE QB1 a year from now as Allen and Jackson push 30 years old. It will be worth keeping an eye on the Washington offensive coordinator job if Kliff Kingsbury moves on this off-season, but I’m sure Dan Quinn and company will bring in someone who will specifically be able to work with and develop Daniels’ skill set.
JJ McCarthy, QB MIN
2024 stats: None, on injured reserve for his entire rookie season
This hurts. I’m a Michigan fan. McCarthy went to my high school, and I have friends on staff who coached him, so I was already a huge fan before he took a snap in the NFL. An injury robbed us of his rookie campaign, but here’s my take: If Kevin O’Connell can make Sam Darnold look this good, I don’t see how McCarthy won’t be as good or better whenever he takes the reins. I suspect Darnold gets franchise-tagged for 2025, and if he turns back into Sam Darnold, they can turn it over to McCarthy in-season. In the worst-case scenario, he gets to pepper Justin Jefferson with targets for the next several seasons. That alone should produce fantasy goodness for the foreseeable future.
- 2025 Off-Season Mock Drafts: 1QB Startup Comparison - February 15, 2025
- Final Rookie Report Card: Tight Ends - February 8, 2025
- Off-Season Mock Drafts: Mocking the Mocks - February 1, 2025
Throughout the 2024 season, the Rookie Report Card series covered 34 of this season’s incoming rookie class. We looked at the performance to date, their potential for the rest of the season, and, of course, their long-term potential as fantasy assets. Now that we’ve wrapped up the regular season, it’s time for final grades. This week, I’ll start with the rookie quarterbacks, grading them on their 2024 performance and what I think they’ll do moving forward in this edition of the Final Rookie Report Cards.
Michael Penix Jr, QB ATL
2024 stats: 61/105, 775 passing yards, three touchdowns, three interceptions, seven carries, 11 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown
Regular Season Rookie Report Card: Week 17
I didn’t expect to see Penix at all this season, so the fact that he even managed to get three starts to close out the season was a surprise. Sadly, he didn’t light up the scoreboard in his limited sample size. One would assume he’ll greatly benefit from a full off-season as the entrenched starter, and he should take a significant step in his development in year two. He’s going to have to develop quickly, as he’ll turn 25 this off-season and will be 28 if/when the Falcons exercise his fifth-year option. While he didn’t look terrible, I personally didn’t think I saw any flashes of the player we saw at Washington over the previous two seasons. He has decent weapons surrounding him, and one would assume Atlanta will do more this off-season to get him as much protection and weaponry as possible to put him in the best position to succeed, giving him a bright future in the near term.
Spencer Rattler, QB NO
2024 stats: 130/228, 1,317 passing yards, four touchdowns, five interceptions, 18 carries, 146 rushing yards
Regular Season Rookie Report Card: Week 8
Rattler was an elite prospect and had many eyes on him for years by the time he found himself in the NFL. It seems like a little bit of shine fell off of his star at every step of the way, culminating in a fairly bleak performance in the NFL as a rookie. He was QB40 on a point-per-game basis, which, if you’re not too good at math, is terrible since we only have 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL. He played in seven games, never once coming close to 300 yards passing while heaving more interceptions than touchdowns. Simply put, he was a pedestrian backup at best, and that looks to be his ceiling in the NFL going forward as well.
Drake Maye, QB NE
2024 stats: 225/338, 2,276 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 54 carries, 421 yards, two rushing touchdowns
Regular Season Rookie Report Card: Week 16
Initially, I had graded Maye as a B- long-term, but with the firing of Jerod Mayo, I dropped the minus. After we were led to believe that Mayo was the heir to the Belichick throne in Foxborough, his firing signals that the team will likely be going in a completely different direction and want a coach who can help develop Maye and the PAts’ offensive unit. He had a solid rookie showing, finishing as QB21 and seventh among all rookies. While not a certified league-winner, Maye has the athleticism to get there, and if the offense as a whole can step up around him, he could be a solid QB2 in superflex leagues for multiple seasons to come.
Caleb Williams, QB CHI
2024 stats: 351/562, 3,541 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, six interceptions, 81 carries, 489 yards
Regular Season Rookie Report Card: Week 6
In the leagues where I was picking 1.01 last off-season, I really wanted to trade back, but I had very few takers. My primary motivation was knowing that I would be forced to draft Caleb Williams, and I was less than convinced he was deserving of the first overall pick in real football or fantasy football. With his first season under his belt, my feelings have been validated. No franchise has the ability to hinder the development of their quarterback of the future more than the Chicago Bears. To be fair, even in a season that was looked down on by many, Williams was still the third-highest-scoring rookie and a high-end QB2. It is certainly possible that this is as bad as it gets for him, and we’ve seen his floor. It’s also possible that a new coach and (eventually) a new GM are going to want their own guy in the 2027 draft. I’m cautiously optimistic that the Williams experiment will work in Chicago, but I think we all need to temper our expectations moving forward.
Bo Nix, QB DEN
2024 stats: 376/567, 3,775 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 92 carries, 430 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns
Regular Season Rookie Report Card: Week 11
What a pleasant surprise. Many people didn’t “love” Nix as a prospect, but almost everyone thought he was a safe option. He ends the 2024 season as QB7, the second-highest-scoring rookie, and seems to be set for a long career in Denver under the tutelage of Sean Payton. Going as late as mid-to-late round two in some superflex rookie drafts, Nix might wind up as one of the all-time greatest draft steals. Given Payton’s track record, there is no reason to believe this will end anytime soon. If Denver can put together a solid running game, add a capable tight end and some secondary receivers to help Courtland Sutton, Nix might be a year-in-year-out QB1 without doing much with his legs, a rarity in today’s fantasy landscape.
Jayden Daniels, QB WAS
2024 stats: 331/480, 3,568 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 148 carries, 891 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns
Regular Season Rookie Report Card: Week 3
There isn’t much to say here. Daniels has been nothing short of amazing. He’s currently QB4 in start-ups, and considering he is four years younger than Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, if he repeats his rookie performance in 2025, he’ll probably be THE QB1 a year from now as Allen and Jackson push 30 years old. It will be worth keeping an eye on the Washington offensive coordinator job if Kliff Kingsbury moves on this off-season, but I’m sure Dan Quinn and company will bring in someone who will specifically be able to work with and develop Daniels’ skill set.
JJ McCarthy, QB MIN
2024 stats: None, on injured reserve for his entire rookie season
This hurts. I’m a Michigan fan. McCarthy went to my high school, and I have friends on staff who coached him, so I was already a huge fan before he took a snap in the NFL. An injury robbed us of his rookie campaign, but here’s my take: If Kevin O’Connell can make Sam Darnold look this good, I don’t see how McCarthy won’t be as good or better whenever he takes the reins. I suspect Darnold gets franchise-tagged for 2025, and if he turns back into Sam Darnold, they can turn it over to McCarthy in-season. In the worst-case scenario, he gets to pepper Justin Jefferson with targets for the next several seasons. That alone should produce fantasy goodness for the foreseeable future.
- 2025 Off-Season Mock Drafts: 1QB Startup Comparison - February 15, 2025
- Final Rookie Report Card: Tight Ends - February 8, 2025
- Off-Season Mock Drafts: Mocking the Mocks - February 1, 2025
