In the modern era of the National Football League (NFL), where hype and hysteria surround the annual Draft, immense pressure and anticipation are instantly applied to the shoulders of the early first-round picks.
Long gone are the days of a season or two to settle into their new surroundings and adjust to the step up in class from college football to the NFL. Instead, these young players are thrust into the limelight and expected to perform from week one of the regular season.
Some rise to the occasion, while others crumble under the burden of trying to guide their respective franchises to glory from the off. That said, let’s examine the top three selections from the 2024 Draft and see how they performed as we reach the halfway point of the regular season.
1. Caleb Williams – Chicago Bears
Caleb Williams, the no.1 draft pick by the Chicago Bears, arrived in the NFL with plenty of potential—having received various individual awards during his glittering college career with Oklahoma and USC Trojans, including the prestigious Heisman Trophy in 2022.
The 22-year-old endured a slow start to his NFL career, notably throwing more interceptions (2) in his two games than touchdowns (0). But he had a solid stint of four games where he racked up over 1,000 passing yards for nine touchdowns—including four in the London game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Williams’s form has reclined in the last couple of games against the Washington Commanders and Arizona Cardinals, especially as he completed just 41.7% of his pass attempts for 131 yards and no touchdowns against the former.
2. Jayden Daniels – Washington Commanders
Another Heisman Trophy winner, picking up the award in 2023 after scoring 50 touchdowns (40 passing and 10 rushing) in a historic season for the LSU Tigers, Jayden Daniels has been a consistent performer for the Commanders this season.
The 23-year-old boasts a pass completion rate of 71.5% for 1,945 yards and nine touchdowns, with just two interceptions, after his side’s opening nine games of the regular season—helping the Commanders to a surprising record of 7-2 as they sit top of the NFC East.
Daniels looks nailed on to win the Rookie of the Year award, with the bookies pricing the quarter-back at 1/14 to receive the personal accolade in the NFL odds.
3. Drake Maye – New England Patriots
It came as no surprise that the first three picks of the 2024 Draft were all quarterbacks, with the New England Patriots picking up Drake Maye in the hopes of ending their struggles under center since Tom Brady departed the Gilette Stadium in 2019.
Jacoby Brissett returned to the Patriots in March after stints with the Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, and Commanders since leaving New England in 2016 and was named starting QB by head coach Jerod Mayo ahead of Maye.
However, after losing four straight games, Brisset was dropped for the third-round pick last month and Maye is showing the Patriots what they have missed with solid performances against the Jags and Tennessee Titans—notably throwing a last-second winning TD against the latter.
