The 2025 NFL season is closing in on the home stretch as teams prepare for Week 13. Given where we are in the campaign, it’s worth taking a look at the young quarterbacks now sitting in starting jobs across the league.
The 2024 NFL draft saw five quarterbacks selected in the first round. Three of them came off the board in the first three selections, while all five were picked in the top 12. All five of those players are currently starting for their teams.
What follows is our redraft of those quarterbacks, selecting where they would wind up if the draft was held again right now.
Actual Pick: Caleb Williams
After a middling rookie season, Maye has exploded in Year 2 to become a legitimate MVP contender for the surprising Patriots. The 23-year-old has his team 10–2 entering Week 13 and has shown steady improvement as a passer. On the season, he has completed 71.0% of his passes for 3,130 yards, with 21 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has shown impressive mobility for his 6' 4" 225-pound frame, adding 307 yards and two touchdowns in 75 carries.
Josh McDaniels has done an outstanding job molding Maye into a legitimate star. Coach Mike Vrabel’s decision to bring McDaniels back as the team’s offensive coordinator has paid off, as Maye’s growth has accelerated exponentially this season. New England’s franchise signal-caller currently leads qualifying NFL quarterbacks in passing yards and completion percentage, and is third in passer rating (110.7), and second in QBR (72.7).
The Bears should be happy with their selection at No. 1, as Caleb Williams has steadily improved and has shown a knack for performing his best late in games. But in a redraft, Maye would absolutely be the top choice.
Jayden Daniels, Washington Commander
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has had mixed results in his second season. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Actual pick: Jayden Daniels
This was a tough one. Based solely on 2025, I’d put Caleb Williams here, but Daniels had an outstanding rookie season that saw him carry the Commanders all the way to the NFC championship game. If this redraft had been done before the season, he would have been the easy No. 1 choice. It has been difficult to truly evaluate his progress in 2025 due to knee, hamstring and elbow injuries.
Daniels shone as a rookie after the team made him its Day 1 starting quarterback. He completed 69.0% of his passes for 3,568 yards, with 25 touchdowns, nine interceptions, a passer rating of 100.1, and a QBR of 67.7. He added 891 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. His QBR ranked fourth in the NFL behind only Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow. That’s pretty lofty company for a rookie.
Daniels has seen action in six games this season. While he has dealt with injuries, the 24-year-old also showed clear regression before being sidelined. He has completed 62.5% of his passes for 1,184 yards, with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. His passer rating (94.4) and QBR (51.2) have taken a big hit, and he has only rushed for 262 yards and two touchdowns.
Washington has taken a step back as a team in 2025, and, as noted, it’s hard to fully evaluate Daniels based on his injuries. But while Maye and Williams have taken steps forward, the reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year has not. Still, I don’t think the Commanders regret their pick.
Caleb Williams, Chicago Bear
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has shown big improvement in his second season. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Actual pick: Drake Maye
The Patriots are thrilled with their top choice from the 2024 draft, but in this scenario, he’s gone, so they land with a solid consolation prize. Williams likely has the highest upside from the 2024 QB class. He showed some of that potential in a disjointed rookie campaign, but under new Bears coach Ben Johnson’s tutelage, he has shown marked improvement.
In 17 games as a rookie, Williams completed 62.5% of his passes for 3,541 yards, with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. He added 489 yards on the ground and posted a passer rating of 87.8 and a QBR of 43.3. He has gotten significantly better in 2025, though not all of his numbers have jumped up.
Through 11 games this season, Williams is completing 59.2% of his passes for 2,568 yards, with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions, while adding 293 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. His passer rating (91.3) and QBR (55.3) are vastly improved from his rookie year. Williams has also gotten better at avoiding sacks. He was brought down a whopping 68 times in 2024, and has reduced that to 17 this season. While his completion percentage is down, part of that is due to Chicago’s receivers dropping 18 passes in 2025.
Perhaps Williams’s best trait is how he has played late in the games. He has authored five comeback game-winning drives in the fourth quarter this season. After an 0–2 start, the Bears are 8–3, have won eight of their last nine games, and own first place in the NFC North. A lot of that is due to Williams’s late-game heroics and his growth in his second season.
Bo Nix, Denver Bronco
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix has the team winning games in his second season. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Actual pick: J.J. McCarthy
Let’s be real, the Vikings want this one back. Minnesota jumped up one spot to ensure they could select J.J. McCarthy out of Michigan as the heir apparent to Kirk Cousins, and things haven’t gone to plan. Knowing what the team knows now, Nix is the far safer choice in this spot.
Nix hasn’t blown anyone away during his two seasons with the Broncos, but he has been steady, and the team is winning games. As a rookie in 2024, Nix started all 17 games and completed 66.3% of his passes for 3,775 yards, with 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He added 430 yards and four rushing touchdowns, while clocking a passer rating of 93.3 and a QBR of 53.5. Remember that last number in a bit. More importantly, the Broncos went 10–7 and reached the playoffs for the first time since they won Super Bowl 50 during the 2015 season.
The numbers haven’t been quite as good for Nix in his second season. He has completed 61.2% of his passes for 2,421 yards, with 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He has added 213 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. His passer rating (86.1) has taken a step back, while his QBR is, you guessed it, 53.5. Despite their quarterback’s slight regression in 2025, the Broncos are 9–2 and have ripped off eight wins in a row.
The 4–7 Vikings would give up a lot for that right now.
Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcon
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr.’s second season has been a mixed bag. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Actual pick: No. 8 to the Atlanta Falcons
The 2–9 Saints are terrible and have used two recent draft picks at quarterback this season without much success. Spencer Rattler was a fifth-round pick in 2024, and Tyler Shough, a 2025 fourth-rounder, have both failed to impress during their time under center. While Penix has had his own struggles and is now out for the season with a torn ACL, he would represent a marked improvement to the current quarterback room.
Given how he’s played, in this scenario, the Falcons likely would have passed on Penix at No. 8, leaving him on the board for the Saints. The 25-year-old saw action in five games during his rookie season but opened the 2025 campaign as Atlanta’s starting quarterback. He has flashed some good things, but the results have been mixed overall.
Before his injury, Penix completed 60.1% of his passes for 1,982 yards, with nine touchdowns and three interceptions. He added 70 yards and one more touchdown on the ground, while boasting a passer rating of 88.5, and a QBR of 56.4.
Penix is an old-school pocket quarterback with an outstanding arm, but his lack of mobility has presented problems for the Falcons. That’s his big drawback. Well, that and his penchant for getting injured. Penix tore the ACL in his right knee twice during college and has now torn the left one. If he can stay healthy, he shows promise as a passer, but that has eluded him thus far.
J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Viking
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has put up atrocious numbers during his young NFL career. / Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images
Actual pick: No. 10 to the Minnesota Vikings
Let’s not sugarcoat this: J.J. McCarthy has been bad as an NFL quarterback. The Vikings took him with the 10th pick in the 2024 draft, and very quickly, he was lost for the season due to a torn meniscus in his right knee. He returned in 2025 as the team’s starter, but it has been a mess so far.
He led Minnesota to a comeback win over the Bears in Week 1, but a high-ankle sprain in Week 2 caused him to miss five games. He hasn’t played well since.
In six games this season, McCarthy has completed 54.1% of his passes for 929 yards, with six touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He has also rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns. His passer rating (57.9) and QBR (24.8) both rank last among quarterbacks with at least six starts. He has genuinely been one of the worst quarterbacks to ever play a down in the NFL.
So why would the Raiders take him here? Well, McCarthy may be pretty bad, but Geno Smith, who was acquired this past offseason, leads the NFL in interceptions, is second in sacks taken, and his QBR is only one spot better than McCarthy’s. At least the 22-year-old has some upside Las Vegas could bank on moving forward.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
FREE NEWSLETTER. SI BTN Newsletter. Start off your day with SI:CYMI. dark