Two springs ago, Caleb Williams was the consensus best quarterback in the 2024 draft class. Redraft it this offseason, and he does not crack the top two. That was the verdict on PFSN’s Football Debate Club, where CBS Sports’ Mike Renner and The Ringer’s Austin Gayle agreed on a QB1 that neither had atop his board in April 2024.
The name is Drake Maye.
Why Drake Maye Is the 2024 Redraft QB1
Renner did not hedge. He entered the 2024 cycle with Williams at 1A and Maye at 1B. Not anymore. “I do think it’s Drake hands down,” he said.
His case rests on what Maye did with the least around him. “He had a top-two quarterback season in the NFL last year, in year two, with objectively a worse supporting cast than either [Jayden] Daniels had in his best season or Caleb Williams had in his best season,” Renner said.
The production backs it. Maye threw for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns against 8 interceptions, completed 72% of his passes and posted an NFL-best 113.5 passer rating. He made second-team All-Pro, won the Bert Bell Award as the NFL’s player of the year and was named the league’s Most Improved Player.
He also carried a 14-3 New England team to Super Bowl LX and became the third quarterback to reach a Super Bowl before turning 24, joining Ben Roethlisberger and Dan Marino. The Patriots lost 29-13 to Seattle, but the run itself reframed the class.
“He’s already reached about the pinnacle of the position in year two,” Renner said. “How much higher do you want to swing for him?” He granted Williams the edge in arm strength and athleticism, then waved it off. “Drake’s taller and Drake’s played a lot better football. So to me, it’s the no-brainers of no-brainers.”
Gayle reached the same finish from a different lane. “I had Caleb, Drake, [Jayden] in that order going into the draft,” he said, “and after now you have to kind of have Drake over Caleb with the Super Bowl run.” Host Cam Mellor scored the round for Renner and did not argue the pick.
Does Caleb Williams Reclaim the Belt in 2026?
Gayle would not bury Williams. He framed QB1 as a title that changes hands. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Caleb kind of overtakes Drake in 2026 with just some of the differences in the offense,” he said. “I’m on Caleb over Drake long term potentially. But right now, where the belt stands, it’s Drake, Caleb, [Jayden].”
There is a foundation for the bet. In his first year under head coach Ben Johnson, Williams set a Bears single-season record with 3,942 passing yards, threw 27 touchdowns against 7 interceptions and pushed Chicago to a division title and a home playoff win. The catch is accuracy. He completed 58.1% of his throws, a number that did not crack the top 50 among qualifiers.
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Jayden Daniels, the second pick and the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year, slid to third for a simpler reason. A dislocated left elbow in Week 9 wrecked his second season. He played 7 games, threw for 1,262 yards and watched Washington fall out of the race. Health, not talent, dropped him.
So the belt sits with Maye, and the only live debate is how long he keeps it. Gayle is betting on the scheme around Williams to close the gap. Renner is betting on the quarterback who already touched the ceiling. Run it back in 12 months and the order may move again. For now, the quarterback taken third is the one this class would take first.
