Grading NFL rookie QBs, other young signal-callers from Week 6: Caleb Williams rocks in London vs. Jaguars - CBSSports.com

Oct 16, 2024

Drake Maye and Spencer Rattler flashed in their NFL debuts but ultimately didn't make enough plays to emerge victorious in their first games as professional starters.

In Week 6, Bo Nix came back to Earth after a stellar effort in his last time out, Jayden Daniels played mostly quality football, as did C.J. Stroud, and Will Levis struggled connecting with well-covered receivers in a narrow defeat at the hands of the division-rival Colts.

Oh, and Caleb Williams had his finest game to date for the Bears. Stellar performance across the pond against the Jaguars.

There were a whopping eight quarterbacks selected in the past two NFL Draft classes who saw considerable playing time during a tightly contested Week 6. 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 6 stats

High-caliber throws/plays

Low-caliber throws/plays

Summary: The game started awfully for Nix, and while he really didn't provide any semblance of competence through the air until late in the third quarter, his play improved from then until the late stages of this mini comeback that just ran out of time. His athleticism is helping him get by when he doesn't like what he sees, but Nix still needs to improve his ball placement to all levels of the field. This was a clear step back from his "A-" last week, but not a drastic one.

Grade: CSeason Grade: C

Week 6 stats

High-caliber throws/plays

Low-caliber throws/plays

Summary: There were flashes from Maye in his NFL debut, but they were few and far between. More than anything else, as the game progressed, he seemed a bit jittery against one of the league's better pass-rushing units, and missed on some layups that could've kept the Patriots ahead of the sticks. He was not a deer in headlights, though, as the arm talent that made him the No. 3 overall pick was on display in Week 6. Plus, the offensive scheme provided many easy completions.

Grade: C-Season Grade: C-

Week 6 stats

High-caliber throws/plays

Low-caliber throws/plays

Summary: Stroud has provided better, flashier games in his NFL career to date, but he displayed his ultra-quick release and exquisite ball placement on more than one occasion on the road against a reasonably stingy defense in a convincing win.

Grade: BSeason Grade: B-

Week 6 stats

High-caliber throws/plays

Low-caliber throws/plays

Summary: Williams shredded a low-level defense in London. His arm strength and pinpoint accuracy were on display often, as was his ability to evade defenders inside the pocket, then mash the turbo button to create space for himself to throw the football. His only noticeably bad play was the deep interception in the first half.

Grade: A-Season Grade: C+

Week 6 stats

High-caliber throws/plays

Low-caliber throws/plays

Summary: Daniels held his own on the road against the Ravens defense in a slugfest; he just couldn't deliver the huge, dynamic, game-altering play down the field through the air or with his legs, but he very much looked like a veteran quarterback in this tightly contested game against a quality opponent.

Grade: B+Season Grade: B

Week 6 stats

High-caliber throws/plays

Low-caliber throws/plays

Summary: This was a vintage game from O'Connell on the lower end of his capabilities. The game plan was extremely conservative, and he made a few ill-advised throws in the second half.

Grade: DSeason Grade: C

Week 6 stats

High-caliber throws/plays

Low-caliber throws/plays

Summary: Rattler's NFL debut began with plenty of pop. During the first half, he was in sync with his receivers, looked like a veteran throwing on the run and the accuracy was on-point. Not so much in the second half, although his misses weren't drastic. Importantly, the same confidence Rattler played with in college remained in this outing against the Buccaneers.

Grade: C-Season Grade: C-

Week 6 stats

High-caliber throws/plays

Low-caliber throws/plays

Summary: This game featured an overwhelming amount of throws to covered receivers. Some of that is on Levis, some of it on the scheme, some of it on Tennessee's wideouts. It was an ugly, disjointed passing effort altogether, and Levis still took too many risks in this one.

Grade: FSeason Grade: D+

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