Ranking rounds 1-2 QBs from the past two NFL drafts

10 quarterbacks were selected in the first two rounds of the past two NFL drafts, including a record-setting six in the top-12 picks in 2024. 

Of the 10, Atlanta's Michael Penix Jr. (backup to Kirk Cousins) and Minnesota's J.J. McCarthy (season-ending meniscus injury in August) have yet to make their first starts, but the other eight have played extensively.

Here's how we rank each of those eight among their peers after Week 11.

1. C.J. Stroud | Houston Texans (second overall pick, first round, 2023)

Career stats: 6,736 yards passing, 35 TD passes, 12 INTs, 63.7 completion percentage | 16-10 record as starter

Stroud looked like a seasoned veteran in his first year in the NFL, becoming the first rookie since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to lead the league in touchdown-to-interception ratio (4.6). Despite enduring a minor slump early in his second year, Stroud merits the top spot on this list, especially because of his historic rookie season.

Ahead of the Dallas Cowboys-Houston Texans "Monday Night Football" matchup in Week 11, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy commended Stroud's arm talent and composure, per CBS Sports' Garrett Podell.

"I think just the way he came onto the scene, the first thing that jumped off to me was his arm talent, but really his ability to get the ball out in tight quarters," McCarthy said. "There's throw after throw on college tape, and I thought it translated very well to the pro game...He can make all the throws. Good athlete. ...his composure in the pocket is very impressive."

2. Bo Nix | Denver Broncos (12th overall pick, first round, 2024)

Career stats: 2,275 passing yards, 14 TD passes, six INTs, 65.5 completion % | 6-5 record as starter

After throwing zero touchdowns and four interceptions through his first three starts, Nix has found his footing and is one of the league's premier young QBs. In Week 11 against the Falcons, he became the second rookie in NFL history to throw for 300+ yards and four touchdowns in a game while posting a 140+ passer rating, per NFL Communications.

On ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter's podcast on Tuesday, Hall of Fame QB John Elway, the former Broncos star, praised Nix's skillset and sky-high potential.

"Bo's got all the tools, and I think in today's game, even though you can get by without the movement, it sure is an added bonus to be able to move around and extend plays like Bo's been able to do," Elway said. "I think the sky's the limit for him and he's just going to continue to get better and better the more comfortable that he gets."

3. Jayden Daniels | Washington Commanders (second overall pick, first round, 2024)

Career stats: 2,338 passing yards, 10 TD passes, three INTs, 68.7 completion % | 7-4 record as starter

Before suffering a rib injury in Week 7, Daniels was the league's most efficient quarterback and looked like a copy of former Washington QB Robert Griffin III, who excelled as a rookie in 2012. Although he has struggled to regain his magic in recent weeks, Daniels remains the odds-on favorite (-400) to win Offensive Rookie of the Year and ranks 12th in MVP odds (+2500) on DraftKings Sportsbook (as of Nov. 20).

Following Daniels' 52-yard game-winning Hail Mary pass against the Chicago Bears in Week 8, ESPN's Domonique Foxworth said the former LSU star deserved the MVP award. That's a stretch now but still illustrates Daniels' potential.

"He took a team that we all thought was a bad situation — with an offensive coordinator that we all kind of snickered at in Kliff Kingsbury and a head coach in Dan Quinn that no one was climbing all over themselves to hire — and now this team is one of the best in the NFC," said Foxworth, who played cornerback six seasons in the NFL. "He's doing magical things."

4. Caleb Williams | Chicago Bears (first overall pick, first round, 2024)

Career stats: 2,016 passing yards, nine TD passes, five INTs, 61.8 completion % | 4-6 record as starter

While he hasn't yet blossomed into the superstar he was projected to, Williams has shown numerous flashes that he's capable of doing so. Playing behind one of the league's worst offensive lines, Williams has thrown for 300+ yards in a game twice and tossed four touchdown passes in a London game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But he's far from perfect. In an article for The Athletic by Insider Jeff Howe, an unnamed rival executive of the Bears pointed out key flaws in Williams' game.

"He is doing the same things he did in college in terms of holding the ball [too long] and being inconsistent with his reads," the executive said. "He could get away with running around, throwing the ball up for grabs, throwing across his body, and he had some success doing that. You don't get away with that at the NFL level too often. I'm a little surprised they haven't been able to clean some of this up."

5. Anthony Richardson | Indianapolis Colts (fourth overall pick, first round, 2023)

Career stats: 1,807 yards passing, eight TD passes, eight INTs, 52.2 completion % | 6-5 record as starter

Richardson has struggled in the NFL, getting benched in favor of Joe Flacco following a Week 8 loss in which he completed just 10-of-32 attempts. After reclaiming the starting role in Week 11, however, Richardson seemed to have regained his confidence after leading two 70-yard fourth-quarter touchdown drives in a win against the New York Jets.

Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III weighed in on Richardson's situation following the Colts-Jets game in a post on X.

"Richardson isn't the most polished QB yet, but you knew that when you drafted him," Griffin III wrote about the 22-year-old. "He needs time to develop and understand the gravity of being the franchise QB. Today he showed why he's worth it. Head to head against Aaron Rodgers, he was the best player on the field."

6. Drake Maye | New England Patriots (third overall pick, first round, 2024)

Career stats: 1,236 yards passing, nine TD passes, six INTs, 66.8 completion % | 2-4 record as starter

In six career starts, Maye, who turned 22 in August, has looked surprisingly comfortable leading one of the least talented offensive units, passing for at least 200 yards four times. In a 28-22 home loss in Week 11 to the Los Angeles Rams, Maye threw for 282 yards and completed 75% of his passes (both season-highs).

Rams head coach Sean McVay took note of Maye's efforts against his team, as ESPN's Mike Reiss noted.

"He looks like a stud," McVay said. "I do know a lot of people that studied him really hard, that I truly respect their opinions, and they loved what he was all about. You can just see the impact he has on his teammates. He looks like he's going to be a special player for a long time."

7. Bryce Young | Carolina Panthers (first overall pick, first round, 2023)

Career stats: 3,697 passing yards, 15 TD passes, 16 INTs, 59.9 completion % | 4-17 record as starter

It would be unjust to entirely pin the blame on Young for his tumultuous start because Carolina has a rock-bottom roster. But he's certainly failed to meet expectations a year-and-a-half into his career. In 21 starts, Young has surpassed the 250-yard passing mark once and has more games with multiple interceptions (five) than multiple touchdown passes (three).

Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield, who started six games for the Panthers in 2022, offered his opinion on Young's struggles during a September news conference.

"Quarterback's hard, especially for young guys, when you're not given the opportunity to have success," Mayfield said. "A lot of the time guys have the talent, they might have the brains, but they don't have the right opportunity or the right fit... For Bryce, a guy that can relate to this, finding that belief within yourself again and he'll get it. His story is far, far from finished."

8. Will Levis | Tennessee Titans (33rd overall pick, second round, 2023)

Career stats: 2,977 passing yards, 16 TD passes, 12 INTs, 61.5 completion % | 4-12 record as starter

The lone second-round QB pick from the past two years, Levis has endured highs, such as his 98-yard touchdown pass to WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine in Week 11, and extreme lows, headlined by his unfathomable fourth-quarter interception against the Chicago Bears in Week 1 of this season.

Following Tennessee's recent loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Titans senior writer Jim Wyatt suggested Levis potentially saved face despite an awful record as starter.

"Levis has been a punching bag for a lot of fans since since he arrived in Nashville, and he's given those that never liked him plenty of ammunition along the way," Wyatt wrote. "He's made too many mistakes, and the Titans have lost too often with Levis at the controls. But Levis was hardly the problem on Sunday. I thought he showed guts against a tough Vikings defense, when he was running for his life on a lot of plays."