The college football season concluded it's sixth official week. There were plenty of moments worthy of talking about, like Oklahoma's clutch win over the No. 3 Texas Longhorns in the Red River Showdown and the USC Trojans defeating the Arizona Wildcats in triple overtime in a chaotic contest.
What those games have in common is that some of the best quarterback prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft class played in them, Caleb Williams and Quinn Ewers. But how did the other top prospects perform? Let's look at each performance while also checking in with the 2023 NFL season to see who could be in the running for a quarterback.
Previous editions of "In the Market" can be viewed below:
Taking Stock: How top 2024 NFL Draft QBs fared in Week 6
Caleb Williams, USC
The way the season has gone for the USC Trojans, they will need Caleb Williams to continue to put the team on his back to make up for a defense that has shown to be picked apart and pushed over easily. Take, for example, Week 5 when the Trojans faced the Arizona Wildcats, the very team that gave issues to the Washington Huskies.
Week 5 may have been Williams' worst performance of the year. It certainly didn't help that the defense once again struggled to stop anything the Wildcats were doing. But there were gaffes at the end of the game, notably on second and goal with seconds left in regulation, where Williams fumbled on a hand-off to running back MarShawn Lloyd. Williams completed just 56.0 percent of his passes (14-for-25) for just 219 yards and one touchdown.
But Williams did make up for the rather average passing performance with his legs, picking up three touchdowns through the 43-41 triple-overtime victory. Fans will love his play-making abilities, although it could be nerve-racking to watch when he is the quarterback for their team. But then he makes plays like this, carrying a defender on a goal-line scramble to get the touchdown.
Next Game: at No. 21 Notre Dame, Saturday, Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Drake Maye, UNC
Drake Maye returned from the bye week, taking on a tough ACC opponent in the Syracuse Orange. Simply put, this game was over as soon as it started.
The Tar Heels offense had themselves a game, as they didn't have to punt the football away for the entirety of the game. All of their drives resulted in points being put on the board and gave them the 40-7 victory.
Maye was tremendous in the contest, showing what he could do passing and on the run. Through the air, Maye completed 33-of-47 pass attempts for 442 yards and three touchdowns. On the run, Maye picked up 55 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
It's not like Maye had a clean pocket for most of the game. He was pressured on 22-of-58 dropbacks, but still managed to complete 8-of-14 pass attempts for 122 yards and two touchdowns, per Pro Football Focus.
The quarterback showed off his deep passing accuracy in his 48-yard completion to Nate McCollum. Not to mention his touch pass touchdown to Bryson Nesbitt.
Next Game: vs. No. 25 Miami, Saturday, Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Quinn Ewers, Texas
The last time that Quinn Ewers had a tough opponent on the schedule, he had a carer game against the Alabama Crimson Tide. This time around, he was facing the Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Showdown. Could Ewers put another great game on his resume this season?
Well, Ewers had turnover issues in the game, throwing two interceptions and losing one fumble. One of those interceptions, however, was more on the receiver than him. Besides that, he was really good in the passing game. Ewers completed 31-of-37 pass attempts for 346 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
One thing that does stick out is Ewers' accuracy on passes between 10 and 19 yards downfield. Ewers completed all 11 throws for 179 yards and a touchdown, per Pro Football Focus. Incidentally enough, both of his interceptions came between zero and nine yards, where he completed 8-of-11 attempts for 66 yards.
Ewers now enters the bye, where he will look to help Texas make it to the Big 12 Championship Game.
Next Game: at Houston, Saturday, Oct. 21, 4:00 p.m. ET
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Last week, Shedeur Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes nearly pulled off a massive upset over USC. After a. rough first half in that game, Sanders and the Buffaloes offense rebounded and pulled within seven points late in the second half, but it wasn't enough, as they lost 48-41. This was a massive game to build upon, as early as in Week 6 against Arizona State.
Instead, it was a pretty rough game as a whole for Colorado, which head coach Deion Sanders said the team "played like hot garbage." But Sanders showed off his clutch, playmaking ability at the right time, which he calls "Brady Mode," with a 43-yard completion to Javon Antonio.
Sanders did struggle when under pressure, completing 6-of-16 throws for 54 yards while getting sacked four times, all on 22 dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus.
Overall, Sanders threw for 239 yards and a touchdown on a 61.9 completion percentage (26-of-42) while also picking up a rushing touchdown.
Next Game: vs. Stanford, Friday, Oct. 13 at 10:00 p.m. ET
One 2024 NFL Draft QB sleeper who turned heads in Week 6
Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma
When it comes to quarterback prospects who turned heads in Week 6, it's Oklahoma's Dillon Gabriel. The senior quarterback had a great showing in the Red River Showdown against Texas and may have very well had a legacy-defining moment at Oklahoma.
Late in the fourth quarter, with the Sooners down 30-27, Gabriel led the team downfield with relative ease, highlighted by a 28-yard pass to Drake Stoops. Then, on second-and-goal, Gabriel threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Nic Anderson with pressure from Texas defenders in his face to pick up the 34-30 win.
Gabriel was four-for-four on pass attempts for 58 yards and the aforementioned touchdown.
Overall, Gabriel threw for 285 yards and a touchdown while completing 60.5 percent of his passes (23-of-38). Additionally, Gabriel ran for 113 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
One 2024 NFL Draft QB who needs to show teams more after Week 6
Tyler Van Dyke, Miami
Tyler Van Dyke had such a great rebound season with the Miami Hurricanes. He has been at full health and showed why he was considered a potential high draft pick last year. But Miami had a no-good, awful game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Yes, the talk will be about head coach Mario Cristobal opting against kneeling the game out and giving them the win, but it instead led to Georgia Tech picking up the victory. Van Dyke threw not one, not two, but three interceptions on the night, leading to 10 points being scored by Georgia Tech.
Van Dyke himself said that the interceptions were on him and that he needed to be better.
I mean, from my viewpoint, I can't put us in those situations," Van Dyke said, h/t The Draft Wire. "Three interceptions, you know, giving them those close fields and them able to capitalize on it. I mean, I put us in the situation. I got to be better. I can't force the ball, make dumb decisions. I just got to be better."
Van Dyke and the Hurricanes will look to bounce back against UNC.
Updated NFL Draft order: Who's buying in the NFL?
- Chicago Bears (via Carolina Panthers (0-5))
- Chicago Bears (1-4)
- Denver Broncos (1-4)
- Minnesota Vikings (1-4)
- New England Patriots (1-4)
- New York Giants (1-4)
- Arizona Cardinals (1-4)
- Green Bay Packers (2-3)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-3)
- Arizona Cardinals (via Houston Texans (2-3))
- New York Jets (2-3)
- Washington Commanders (2-3)
- Tennessee Titans (2-3)
- Cincinnati Bengals (2-3)
- Los Angeles Rams (2-3)
- Los Angeles Chargers (2-2)
- Houston Texans (via Cleveland Browns (2-2))
- New Orleans Saints (3-2)
- Atlanta Falcons (3-2)
- Indianapolis Colts (3-2)
- Buffalo Bills (3-2)
- Dallas Cowboys (3-2)
- Baltimore Ravens (3-2)
- Seattle Seahawks (3-1)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (3-2)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1)
- Detroit Lions (4-1)
- Miami Dolphins (4-1)
- Philadelphia Eagles (5-0)
- Kansas City Chiefs (4-1)
- San Francisco 49ers (5-0)
So, who's buying in the NFL? Well, for the second week in a row, the Chicago Bears hold the first two picks. The Bears picked up their first win of the season behind a strong performance by Justin Fields. Yet, would the allure of draft Caleb Williams be too much for the Bears to pass on him?
As for the Denver Broncos, they look to be in contention to select a top quarterback prospect. The team lost 31-21 to the New York Jets after Sean Payton went scorched Earth on former Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett. While Russell Wilson isn't playing terribly, his presence may not be enough for Payton to avoid drafting a Williams or Drake Maye early in the draft.
The Minnesota Vikings may soon have to embrace the tank, as they are going to be without star wide receiver Justin Jefferson for a minimum of four games due to a hamstring injury. With the Oct. 31 trade deadline looming, the Vikings will have to decide whether to continue seeing the season through with their current roster or opt to trade talent to gain draft capital.
When it comes to the worst teams in the AFC, the New England Patriots are certainly one of them. They are coming off another embarrassing loss to the New Orleans Saints, getting shut out 34-0. This comes one week after they lost 38-3 to the Dallas Cowboys. Mac Jones certainly doesn't look like the answer at quarterback, as he was benched in both contests. The real question is, will it be Bill Belichick having his choice of quarterback in the NFL Draft, or will the team head in a different direction with a new head coach?
The New York Giants' season is spiraling out of control, with quarterback Daniel Jones dealing with a neck injury and left tackle Andrew Thomas sidelined for the foreseeable future due to a hamstring injury suffered in Week 1. Would the Giants be drafting high enough to land a Williams or Maye? If not, they may very well opt to stick to selecting an offensive lineman or wide receiver, both of which are positions of need.
