2024 NFL Draft: Quarterbacks to watch for Week 8 of college football
Sep 9, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye (10) reacts after scoring in the second overtime at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sport
Unbelievable upsets, fans storming the field, highlights that can only come from 18-to-22-year-olds that have no regard for their well-being. It’s a level of chaos befitting of taking up an entire Saturday.
Amidst all that chaos, there are those diamonds that can help elevate an NFL team to the next level. Most notably at the quarterback position.
Today, we discuss draft-eligible quarterbacks that are looking to take over the reigns of an NFL team in the next year.
Here are some of the matchups to look for this weekend that feature draft-eligible quarterbacks:
If anyone needs a good performance on Saturday, it’s Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton.
He and this Tennessee Volunteer team came in with a lot of hype, most of it surrounding Milton’s raw talent.
If you look at his measurables, it makes sense. He’s listed at 6’5″, 235 pounds and has an absolute rocket-launcher for an arm. He has the mobility and athleticism to extend plays outside the pocket and add to the run game.
It’s just the nuances of the position that he doesn’t execute. For instance, his decision-making. His interception against Texas A&M was questionable to say the least. Locking on to his wide receiver and ignoring the middle of the field defensive back is not the best process.
He hasn’t produced a whole lot of optimism as far as his draft stock is concerned this season, but a big game against #17 Alabama (2:30 p.m CST, CBS) in Tuscaloosa could change the narrative very quickly.
anywhere on the field, even showing off some Matt Stafford-like ability with a no-look pass in their conference win against Memphis.
He’s not a supreme talent like a Drake Maye or Caleb Williams, but he deserves some notoriety for his consistently good quarterback play.
He has a chance to show it off again against North Texas on Saturday (2:30 p.m. CST, ESPN 2)
Speaking of USC quarterback Caleb Williams, the questions have started to mount for him after Saturday’s debacle against Notre Dame.
In what could be his worst performance as a college quarterback, Williams was 23-of-37 for 199 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions.
Williams showed some flaws that some evaluators were wary of when it came to his game. While supremely talented, he likes to go for the big play instead of taking his layups. This puts the ball in harms way and can lead to games like Saturday.
This isn’t to say that Williams shouldn’t take those shots at all, his arm talent is insane, you don’t limit that. But you do have to control it.
Turnovers are back-breakers in the NFL and sometimes, you don’t get that second chance to make up for it, no matter how talented of a player you are. Sometimes, it’s just better to take what the defense gives you.
Either way, Williams is going to need a heck of a bounce-back as #10 USC hosts #14 Utah and their stellar defense (7 p.m. CST, Fox).
