Grading NFL rookie QBs, other young signal-callers after Week 9: Drake Maye flashes major dual-threat ability

Nov 05, 2024

The Patriots lost in excruciating fashion to a previously one-win Titans team in Week 9, and the franchise should actually be happy with it, because rookie quarterback Drake Maye was fantastic for most of the afternoon.

Sure, his two interceptions weren't pretty, but he made a litany of other quality plays with his arm and legs all afternoon, and seeing those type of high-level flashes is what every club needs to see from a first-year quarterback to build confidence in him entering his second season. And, heck, with the loss, New England is the current holders of the No. 1 overall selection in next year's draft.

In other young quarterback news, back-to-back bad performances from C.J. Stroud, and Bo Nix had major problems in the loss to the Ravens. Oh, and Bryce Young had another quality effort!

With Anthony Richardson benched and Derek Carr back starting for the Saints, there were only five quarterbacks selected in the past two NFL Draft classes who saw considerable playing time in Week 9. Let's dive deep into the individual efforts of each quarterback and assign a grade on a per-snap basis, taking every individual aspect of their performance into account.

(At least 10 attempts were needed to qualify for this piece, which comes out weekly on Tuesdays.)

Week 9 stats

High-caliber throws/plays

Low-caliber throws/plays

Summary: This was as workmanlike of a performance as you'll see from a quarterback in the NFL, particularly a rookie. Daniels was hardly pressured, got the ball out quickly in most scenarios and wasn't asked to do too much, although there were a few impressive plays scattered throughout this road victory.

Grade: A-Season Grade: B+

Week 9 stats

High-caliber throws/plays

Low-caliber throws/plays

Summary: Rough outing for Nix in a difficult environment in Baltimore. While I wouldn't say he was drastically confused by the Ravens coverages all afternoon, his accuracy was below average and he often tried to do too much improvisation.

Grade: C-Season Grade: C

Week 9 stats

High-caliber throws/plays

Low-caliber throws/plays

Summary: Williams was under duress at what felt like epic proportions in this game, and while he probably could've hit a few more checkdowns instead of always looking for the home run, but relative to the numbers, I didn't think Williams played a brutal game.

Grade: CSeason Grade: C+

Week 9 stats

High-caliber throws/plays

Low-caliber throws/plays

Summary: Maye did so much in this game. Most of it was good. The two interceptions were classic rookie mistakes. In general, he demonstrated his arm talent, improvisation skill and high-level athleticism in this narrow defeat on the road in overtime.

Grade: B+Season Grade: B-

Week 9 stats

High-caliber throws/plays

Low-caliber throws/plays

Summary: No Nico Collins. No Stefon Diggs. On the road against the Jets on a short week. Those facts have to be considered here for Stroud, but I won't factor those in too much because every quarterback has to deal with shortcomings throughout a season. And flat-out, this was a dismal performance for the reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. The ball placement and antsy play in the pocket were uncharacteristically bad.

Grade: D+Season Grade: B-

Week 9 stats

High-caliber throws/plays

Low-caliber throws/plays

Summary: Back-to-back positive performances from Young, when the start to his NFL career hardly featured any of those. He wasn't sensational in the home victory against the lowly Saints, but he did make more decisive, accurate throws more frequently than ever before. The ill-advised tosses did pop up occasionally.

Grade: B-Season Grade: C-

Who's the betting favorite to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after nine weeks? It seems to be a two-man race between Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels. Check out the latest odds over at FanDuel.