NFL Draft 2024: QB professional day primer, largest storylines, what to observe for as Caleb Williams, others work out

It is the beginning of Quarterback Professional Day Weeks for the 2024 NFL Draft. So, that is not really an actual factor, nevertheless it could possibly be. I am shocked NFL Community hasn’t branded it but. Over the following two weeks, we’ll get all the highest passers throwing the soccer on the pleasant confines of their faculty campuses, beginning with Caleb Williams and J.J. McCarthy this week. 

No, we should not put an excessive amount of into professional day exercises. And groups do not. Nevertheless, they’ll function a tiebreaker, and a powerful efficiency throwing the rock towards air can barely elevate or dip a draft inventory. On this class, the place we aren’t fairly certain how the passers can be picked in April — perhaps outdoors of Williams going No. 1 total — these professional days matter greater than they’ve shortly. 

Let’s bounce into every of the massive exercises and pinpoint what every quarterback wants to indicate.

USC Professional Day 

Date: March 20
QB prospect: Caleb Williams

What he has to indicate: Williams feels just like the locked-in No. 1 total choose proper now, and, frankly, any issues the Bears could have with him in all probability do not seem on movie. So there’s in all probability not a particular drill at his Professional Day that might assuage these issues, in the event that they’re there. 

But it surely would not harm Williams to simply go on the market, sling the soccer round from a wide range of arm angles to a wide range of areas on the sphere. He has upper-level arm energy and freaky arm expertise, so why not present it off. Even when just a few passes do not hit USC’s wideouts completely in stride, his draft inventory will not transfer by any means, regardless what he or anybody in his camp might imagine. Williams’ traits are borderline particular. He ought to present them off at the beginning of this run of quarterback professional days. And provides it some aptitude. Show the reverse-of-field athleticism, stop-and-start suddenness and throws from each platform and arm-angle conceivable. 

Michigan Professional Day

Date: March 22
QB prospect: J.J. McCarthy

What he has to indicate: Quantity. I would like McCarthy to show to everybody — the NFL, followers, and media alike — he generally is a high-volume thrower. Let’s examine, one thing like 70 passes from the three-year Michigan starter. The extra, the higher. As a result of his low-volume profession in Ann Arbor is the principle normal gripe about him as a prospect. He wasn’t the point of interest of Michigan’s three straight CFP berths that culminated in a nationwide championship in January. 

Give everyone the complete McCarthy expertise. As a result of the bigger body and stay arm are there on movie. Time to indicate off the bodily traits. With the upper quantity exercise that ought to characteristic loads of “off-structure” throws — in fact a exercise that highlights his accuracy would not harm, too. Actually, except he completely tanks, there’s not a lot McCarthy might do to harm what is seemingly a powerful popularity among the many decision-makers of NFL groups. 

LSU Professional Day

Date: March 27
QB prospect: Jayden Daniels

What he has to indicate: It appears like Daniels has jumped Drake Maye en path to being the second quarterback off the board in late April, would not it? However we have seen nothing from Daniels since a four-touchdown, no-pick effort towards Texas A&M on Nov. 25. Whereas Daniels could have extra confidence now than he did then that he’d be the second choice within the draft, there is no assure that’ll occur, subsequently a exercise that enables him to show his explosive athleticism and deep-ball contact would go a good distance in cementing these strengths of his sport within the minds of the Washington Commanders brass — or another crew prepared to ascend the draft board to snag him. 

Washington Professional Day 

Date: March 28
QB prospect: Michael Penix Jr.

What he has to present: Penix had essentially the most spectacular mix throwing session. The ball got here out of his fingers in another way. And it is what we anticipated, however to see Penix and McCarthy throw primarily on the identical time, made for the distinction of their arm energy to be much more obvious. 

On the floor, Penix in all probability would not have to do far more to assist himself after what transpired on the mix. Then once more, there’s nothing that is hinted Penix as a lock for the primary spherical, so technically there’s nonetheless work to be carried out for the Washington passer. Every part about his professional day needs to be centered round his bazooka of an arm and the way, regardless of an awkward-looking launch, he will get the ball out of his fingers in a flash.  

North Carolina Professional Day

Date: March 28
QB prospect: Drake Maye

What he has to indicate: Regardless of actually doing nothing, Maye’s inventory has, for some motive unbeknownst to me, taken the largest hit in the course of the pre-draft course of. It is that, or, there’s a crew or groups working diligently to get Maye to fall into their laps. These calculated disinformation campaigns happen each single draft season. 

And whereas it would be debatable, to me he is essentially the most naturally gifted quarterback on this class, and checks essentially the most bins on the quarterback place. Dimension, arm energy/expertise, athleticism, scrambling capabilities, creativity outdoors the pocket. It is all there. Maye must get on the transfer, make a litany of throws deep down the sphere — which he did usually in his two years as North Carolina’s starter — to remind everybody of his immense bodily items and the way correct he might be regardless of possessing a noticeably robust arm.