NFL Player News

The Patriots selected Milton in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 193rd overall.

The Tennessee signal-caller predictably wowed folks with a bazooka of an arm during throwing drills at the NFL Scouting Combine and ran a respectable 4.62-second 40-yard dash time at 6-foot-5, 246 pounds, but he didn't carve out a full-time starting role until his sixth collegiate season in 2023. Even then, Milton failed to put up eye-popping stats in an offense in which Hendon Hooker had been a Heisman Trophy contender one year prior. Milton is the definition of a project at the quarterback position, and if he's unable to beat out Bailey Zappe for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart behind veteran Jacoby Brissett and first-round pick Drake Maye, Milton could be converted to tight end, where he might profile as an interesting prospect thanks to his size and athleticism.

The Jets selected Travis (leg) in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 171st overall.

If not for a severe leg injury suffered late in his senior year, Travis may have heard his name called much earlier than the end of the fifth. He was a dynamic, longtime starter at Florida State who progressed each season. He never threw more than six interceptions in any season and left Tallahassee with 65 passing touchdowns in 42 games. He had strong rushing ability that will perhaps return when he's recovered, rushing for 1,682 yards and 28 touchdowns. Tyrod Taylor gives the Jets immediate cover if Aaron Rodgers is to miss any time, but Travis projects as an eventual backup with little likelihood to become a starter.

The Saints selected Rattler in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 150th overall.

Rattler entered college as an elite prospect with Oklahoma but was displaced as the starter after 15 games by Caleb Williams. Rattler finished out his collegiate career with South Carolina and rehabilitated his draft stock a bit in his final year by posting a 19:8 TD:INT with 3,186 passing yards. He's trended in the wrong direction since leaving high school and slipped even further than anticipated in the draft, though his landing spot should give him the chance to immediately claim the backup job behind Derek Carr.

Following the selection of No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, Bagent is viewed as the favorite to open the season as the Bears' primary backup quarterback, USA Today's Vincent Parise reports.

With Justin Fields traded to the Steelers earlier in the offseason, it leaves Bagent and Brett Rypien behind Williams. There's a chance Chicago adds an experienced veteran to what is currently a pretty young quarterback room, but Bagent showed well enough as a rookie last year to enter 2024 with a chance to claim backup duties. Bagent went 2-2 in four games as a starter, completing 65.7 percent of his passes for 859 yards, three touchdowns and six interceptions and adding 109 rushing yards and two additional scores on 23 attempts.

Cousins (Achilles), who signed a four-year deal with Atlanta in March, is slated to be joined in the team's QB corps by Michael Penix, who was taken with the No. 8 overall pick in Thursday's NFL draft, Terrin Waack of the Falcons' official site reports.

Despite the franchise's surprising decision to select Penix, Cousins, who is rebounding from an Achilles tear that he sustained Oct. 29, remains locked in as the Falcons' No. 1 QB for the foreseeable future. Regarding that topic, GM Terry Fontenot noted Thursday, "Kirk Cousins is our quarterback. We're very excited about Kirk, very excited about this team. (With) Michael Penix we're talking about the future. The draft is you look at the future and you look at big picture." In terms of his injury recovery, Cousins relayed last month that he's progressing well and is "optimistic that (he) can be full speed at practice before (the Falcons) break for the summer." In any case, barring any setbacks, Cousins -- who turns 36 in August -- is entrenched atop Atlanta's depth chart, with Penix providing the team with both an insurance policy for the veteran signal-caller, as well as a potential successor down the road.

Brissett is in line to compete with newcomer Drake Maye for the Patriots' starting QB job ahead of the upcoming NFL season, Mike Reiss of ESPN reports.

Given that New England selected Maye with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, it's only a matter of time before the North Carolina product is installed as the team's starter. That said, it's possible that the rookie begins the season as Brissett's understudy, with coach Jerod Mayo noting Thursday of the Patriots' signal-caller situation that "at the end of the day, our philosophy is the best players will play. We will compete and the best player will start." Brissett rejoined the franchise that drafted him in 2016 on a reported one-year, $8 million deal, providing New England with an experienced option who can either helm the offense until Maye is deemed ready to do so, or alternatively serve as quality backup and mentor to Maye, who doesn't turn 22 until Aug. 30. Meanwhile, 2022 fourth-rounder Bailey Zappe and Nathan Rourke are also on hand to provide the Patriots with QB depth ahead of training camp.

Mariota will be joined by fellow Heisman winner and No. 2 overall draft pick Jayden Daniels in Washington's QB room.

The incoming rookie was a four-year college starter (five if you count a COVID-shortened season) and is already 23 years old, making him a strong bet to quickly take over as QB1 in Washington. Mariota presumably knew the Commanders were likely to use the No. 2 overall pick on a quarterback when he signed with them in March, but the team at least traded Sam Howell to Seattle, leaving the 30-year-old unchallenged for a backup role. It remains to be seen how the Commanders divide reps between Daniels and Mariota this spring and into summer.

The Broncos selected Nix in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 12th overall.

The Broncos might have preferred to target Nix in a trade back, but it might have understandably scared them a bit when the Falcons shockingly selected fellow quarterback Michael Penix eighth overall, inflating the quarterback market at a time that the Broncos probably weren't expecting. Nix (6-foot-2, 214 pounds) in any case always made sense as Denver's eventual target, especially after dominating at Oregon the last two years (74 passing touchdowns to 10 interceptions and 20 rushing touchdowns in 27 games). His two years at Auburn before that were less promising, as the Tigers offense routinely struggled and Nix only threw for 23 touchdowns in his 21 games. Perhaps Nix's Auburn struggles can be forgiven since he was a true freshman/sophomore on a team with a lot of problems. Nix's fantasy upside could be considerable if his rushing activity carries over to the NFL level, and it seems like it should. Nix is unafraid and seasoned as a runner, but he might need to be as the Denver offense rebuilds.

The Vikings selected McCarthy in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 10th overall.

The Vikings moved up from the 11th spot to nab McCarthy, who was almost universally expected to go before fellow quarterback Michael Penix (eighth overall, Atlanta). From that frame this could arguably be a good value for the Vikings. What's less clear is whether McCarthy is immediately prepared to take the starting Minnesota quarterback role from free agent pickup Sam Darnold. McCarthy (6-foot-3, 216 pounds) was extremely successful but largely untested at Michigan, where he averaged only 22.6 pass attempts per game over the last two years. The good news is that McCarthy raked with his otherwise limited pass volume, finishing his Michigan career completing 67.6 percent of his passes at 8.7 yards per pass, with 49 touchdowns versus 11 interceptions. If McCarthy can immediately earn the starting role in Minnesota then it would bode well for his long-term future, and it would also make him an immediate fantasy consideration if only for his enviable group of pass catchers (Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson).

The Falcons selected Penix in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, eighth overall.

It's a stunning pick for Atlanta to make, both because Penix wasn't expected to go this high and because the Falcons just gave Kirk Cousins a four-year, $180 million contract. Penix will be about 24.5 years old as a rookie, and he'll have no shot to play anytime soon if Cousins is healthy. Penix in any case boasts a uniquely strong arm, and he was memorably good at avoiding sacks as a college quarterback. Before Penix emerged as a star passer for Washington he did his best to carry the Indiana program before that, but unsurprisingly he found it easier to move the ball in a Washington offense with three NFL receivers and two NFL tackles. Despite possessing a 40-yard dash time just under the 4.60 mark, Penix very rarely attempted to run in college and therefore is unlikely to leverage his speed in the form of rushing production at the NFL level. It's possible that Penix's lack of rushing activity was influenced somewhat by his injury history, as he tore his ACL twice (2018 and 2020).