Which college quarterbacks are helping, or hurting, themselves as the draft process approaches?
The future of New York Giants quarterback position lacks any kind of clarity heading into the 2024 NFL season. There’s an increasingly common belief that the Giants will be moving on from Daniel Jones. We don’t, however, know whether that means they’ll sign a veteran bridge quarterback, or whether the Giants will turn to the draft for a long-term answer.
Meanwhile, the 2024 college football season rolls on, and the race for the expanded College Football Playoffs is starting to heat up.
We aren’t into Draft Season proper yet, but the advancing college schedule means we’re getting into the games between competitive teams which give us our best scouting tape. The Giants currently hold the No. 7 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, which could position them to select a quarterback to succeed Daniel Jones.
So with that in mind, who helped themselves in Week 10 of the college season?
Shedeur Sanders (Colorado), Jalen Milroe (Alabama), Garrett Neusseier (LSU), and Quinn Ewers (Texas) all had bye weeks, so their stock should be considered “neutral”.
Cam Ward (Miami)
Stock: Up
Notes: The Miami quarterback got off to a shaky start against Duke, going 1 of 11 on his last 11 passes of the first half. Miami was down 28-17 by the time they got the ball for the first time in the third quarter, in large part because the Ward pretty much is the Miami offense and struggled to sustain drives in the second quarter. However, he rallied in the second half and Miami outscored Duke 35-3 and ultimately threw for 400 yards and 5 touchdowns on the day.
A bad game wouldn’t have tanked Ward’s stock, but playing through a rough patch is a good enough sign to keep it rising.
Next game: Georgia Tech vs. (4) Miami – 11/9 (ESPN, noon)
Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss)
Stock: Up
Notes: Dart was at the center of a historic performance on Saturday, powering Ole Miss to a 63-31 drubbing of Arkansas. Dart’s game against the Razorbacks put him in the Ole’ Miss record books next to Archie and Eli Manning. He tied Eli’s school record for passing touchdowns in a single game with six, and broke Archie’s record for passing yards with 515. The elder Manning’s record for single-game passing yardage had stood for 50 years before Saturday.
Dart also put receiver Jordan Watkins in the record books, setting the school’s single-game receiving record with 254 yards on 8 receptions — five of which went for touchdowns.
He’ll have a definitive test this week against a fantastic Georgia defense.
Next game: (16) Ole Miss vs. (2) Georgia – 11/9 (ABC, 3:30 p.m.)
Carson Beck (Georgia)
Stock: Down
Notes: Carson Beck had the opportunity to be the first quarterback off the board this year, and instead is tumbling down draft boards.
Beck’s draft stock took another hit this week with a nightmare 25-40, 3-interception game against a bad Florida team.
I’ve been skeptical of Beck’s accuracy since watching Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey’s tape last spring, and it’s starting to be obvious just how much those players helped the Georgia quarterback. Beck hasn’t been precise nor particularly accurate with the ball and his decision making seemingly degrades as the pressure rises.
Next game: (16) Ole Miss vs. (2) Georgia – 11/9 (ABC, 3:30 p.m.)
Kurtis Rourke (Indiana)
Stock: Up
Notes: Rourke is stepping onto the national stage in a big way. He wasn’t certain to play against Michigan State due to injury, but was able to take the field. Rourke threw completed 19 of 29 (65.5 percent), throwing for 263 yards and 4 touchdowns, and leading the Hoosier to their first 9-0 start in program history. Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti has compared Rourke to Philip Rivers (who Cignetti coached at NC State), and the NFL might not find that comparison quite so far-fetched if Rourke keeps this up.
Next game: (8) Indiana vs. Michigan – 11/9 (CBS, 3:30 p.m.)
Drew Allar (Penn State)
Stock: Down
Notes: Penn State, as a whole, was outmatched by OSU, but Allar didn’t take the opportunity to rise above his circumstances. He was able to show his physical traits with a couple of nice runs, but he’ll be drafted to play quarterback not running back. Allar completed 12 or 20 pass attempts for 146 yards and an interception.
It was a largely uninspiring performance against the kind of defense top prospects should be using to highlight their abilities and upside.
Next game: (6) Penn State vs. Washington – 11/9 (Peacock, 8 p.m.)
Dillon Gabriel (Oregon)
Stock: Up
Gabriel might have slipped a bit in the Heisman Trophy odds (he’s still in the top four, though), but he keeps building his resume for the 2025 NFL Draft.
As I’ve said before, it would probably be a surprise if Gabriel is drafted before the middle rounds. He’s going to be an “old” rookie and will simply fall below size thresholds for some teams. However, he’s also the most consistent quarterback in the country this year. Gabriel completed 22 of 34 (64.7 percent) for 294 yards and a touchdown, and also carried the ball three times for 23 yards and a touchdown.
Gabriel could wind up drawing comparisons to Russell Wilson coming out of Wisconsin as an undersized (Wilson was 5-foot-11, 205 pounds at the Combine), but mature quarterback who had success in multiple systems at multiple schools.
Next game: (1) Oregon vs. Maryland – 11/9 (Big 10 Network, 7 p.m.)
