The 2024 NFL Draft tied the record for most quarterbacks taken the first round. In just two seasons, four out of the six QBs selected in the top 32 overall picks have led their teams to the divisional playoffs.
Last year, Jayden Daniels, taken No. 2, carried the Commanders all the way to the NFC championship game before falling short to the eventual Super Bowl 59 champion Eagles.
This season, with Daniels missing 10 games with injury, now the playoff spotlight shines on sophomore sensations Caleb Williams (No.1), Drake Maye (No. 3) and Bo Nix (No. 10). Williams' Bears and Maye's Patriots and respective NFC and AFC No. 2 seeds. Nix's Broncos are coming off a bye as the AFC's No. 1 seed.
There's no doubt, Chicago, New England and Denver are happy with how the dratt played out with their highest picks. Here's revisiting how all three teams were positioned to make the right decisions:
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How Bears locked into drafting Caleb Williams at No. 1
Williams wouldn't have become a Bear in 2024 had the organization not had some clear foresight in 2023. In choosing to give Justin Fields a last-gasp bridge-like third season, the Bears didn't force themselves into what's turned into a weak '23 QB class, with the exception of the Texans' C.J. Stroud.
That allowed them to move No. 1 to the more QB desperate Panthers, who ended up taking Bryce Young at the top. The Panthers responded with a rough rookie season for Young, giving the Bears instead first crack at a much stronger QB class in '24, in a sense deferring to have the fortune of
Although there was a little early debate on whether Williams should be the top pick, he was the surefire choice as an elite prospect who lived up to expectations and Oklahoma and USC, winning the Heisman Trophy in his penultimate college year in 2022. His arm talent, athleticism, leadership and rare improv ability made him a can't-miss no-brainer pick in the end. The only thing needed was attaching him to the right offensive play-call, which happened in Year 2 with the hiring of coach Ben Johnson.
How the Patriots jumped on Drake Maye at No. 3
The Patriots, like the Bears, took a first-round QB just outside the top 10 overall in 2021. Mac Jones gave New England a lot more promise than Fields offered Chicago, but had some significant pocket passing regression from his rookie year to the point he was benched by Bill Belichick in the coach's final season.
That led the Patriots to also do the three-year reset at the position, which is possible because of the limited investment with the rookie contracts. With Williams looking like a Bear early in the draft process and Daniels becoming the Commanders' guy for Kliff Kingsbury's offense, it was clear the Patriots would have a clear shot at Maye.
Maye's high value behind Williams and Daniels was evident when many teams wanted to trade a lot to move up to No. 3 to grab him. The Patriots passing was an indication of how much they loved Maye's arm and athleticism, on par in many ways with Williams and Daniels.
The Patriots were also smart to not rush Maye into action at first over Jacoby Brissett, in what turned out to be a transitional year with coach Jerod Mayo and the lame-duck offensive system. Much like the Bears, the Patriots tailored their team more to Maye in Year 2 by hiring the combination of Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels.
New England backed that up by drafting left tackle Will Campbell in the first round in 2025 and also adding veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Much like Tom Brady before him, Maye's passing development was accelerated under McDaniels.
How the Broncos stole Bo Nix at No. 12
Once Williams, Daniels and Maye were off the board with the top three picks, there was a real question on which of the next three QBs would come off the board next: Nix, Michael Penix Jr. Or J.J. McCarthy.
McCarthy had the most cachet by leading Michigan to the national title over Penix and Washington. The Falcons, however, despite giving Kirk Cousins a big free-agent contract, shocked everyone by taking Penix at No. 8. Then the Vikings, who couldn't make a deal for Maye at No. 3, traded up a spot to No. 10 to snag McCarthy.
Those were fortunate moves by the other teams, because Broncos coach Sean Payton has hinted at how much he coveted Nix most for having a high degree of efficiency ane experience in college from his long stints at Auburn and Oregon.
Payton wanted a fresh start with young QB playing within his and Joe Lombardi's scheme after dealing with too much of veteran Russell Wilson doing his own thing. The Broncos didn't need to do much to have Nix click in their game plans, making him an easy choice to start right away as a rookie.
Nix, like Daniels, played well enough with his passing and running to lead the Broncos to the playoffs as a rookie. In Year 2, he's padded his profile with his intangibles in close games, orchestrating five fourth-quarter comebacks and a league-leading seven game-winning drives.
Daniels fell just short off the Super Bowl. With wins on the 2026 divisional wild-card weekend, Williams, Maye and Nix can also get to their first conference championship games to raise the bar for the rest of their long careers.
2024 NFL Draft first-round results
| Round | Pick | Team | Pick |
| 1 | 1 | Chicago Bears (from Carolina) | Caleb Williams, QB, USC |
| 1 | 2 | Washington Commanders | Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU |
| 1 | 3 | New England Patriots | Drake Maye, QB, UNC |
| 1 | 4 | Arizona Cardinals | Marvin Harrison, WR, Ohio State |
| 1 | 5 | Los Angeles Chargers | Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame |
| 1 | 6 | New York Giants | Malik Nabers, WR, LSU |
| 1 | 7 | Tennessee Titans | JC Latham, OT, Alabama |
| 1 | 8 | Atlanta Falcons | Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington |
| 1 | 9 | Chicago Bears | Rome Odunze, WR, Washington |
| 1 | 10 | Minnesota Vikings (from N.Y. Jets) | J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan |
| 1 | 11 | New York Jets (from Minnesota) | Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State |
| 1 | 12 | Denver Broncos | Bo Nix, QB, Oregon |
| 1 | 13 | Las Vegas Raiders | Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia |
| 1 | 14 | New Orleans Saints | Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State |
| 1 | 15 | Indianapolis Colts | Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA |
| 1 | 16 | Seattle Seahawks | Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas |
| 1 | 17 | Minnesota Vikings (from Jacksonville) | Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama |
| 1 | 18 | Cincinnati Bengals | Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia |
| 1 | 19 | Los Angeles Rams | Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State |
| 1 | 20 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Troy Fautanu, OG, Washington |
| 1 | 21 | Miami Dolphins | Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State |
| 1 | 22 | Philadelphia Eagles | Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toldeo |
| 1 | 23 | Jacksonville Jaguars (from Minnesota through Cleveland and Houston | Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU |
| 1 | 24 | Detroit Lions (from Dallas) | Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama |
| 1 | 25 | Green Bay Packers | Jordan Morgan, OT, Arizona |
| 1 | 26 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Graham Barton, C, Duke |
| 1 | 27 | Arizona Cardinals (from Houston) | Darius Robinson, EDGE, Missouri |
| 1 | 28 | Kansas City Chiefs (from Buffalo) | Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas |
| 1 | 29 | Dallas Cowboys (from Detroit) | Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma |
| 1 | 30 | Baltimore Ravens | Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson |
| 1 | 31 | San Francisco 49ers | Ricky Pearsall, WR, Florida |
| 1 | 32 | Carolina Panthers (from Buffalo through Kansas City) | Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina |