This has certainly been an eventful season in the world of college football. There have been upsets galore and games in contention for best of the year. In Week 5, there were moments like Notre Dame beating Duke in the closing seconds, Colorado nearly pulling off an upset against USC, and Kentucky knocking Florida out of the AP Top 25 rankings list.
As is the case every week of the college football season, we look at how the top quarterbacks in the nation have played. Particularly the ones in contention to be selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.
While there have been five quarterbacks that have specifically been followed, we have to make a new addition. We'll let you know who that is in the Week 5 edition of "In the Market."
NOTE: UNC's Drake Maye didn't play, since the team was on a bye week.
Previous editions of "In the Market" can be viewed below:
Taking Stock: How top 2024 NFL Draft QBs fared in Week 5
Caleb Williams, USC
Last week, Caleb Williams played a full game for the first time in the 2023 season. That's because the defense, led by coordinator Alex Grinch, had difficulty stopping the Arizona State Sun Devils. So, Williams had to bail them out.
In Week 5, USC looked to be on the verge of being the second Pac-12 team in a row to blow out the Colorado Buffaloes. Instead, the Trojans blew a 35-14 lead at halftime, and Shedeur Sanders and the Buffaloes pulled within seven points. Luckily for USC, they were able to recover an onside kick late in the fourth quarter and leave Boulder with the 48-41 victory.
One of Williams' more impressive plays was his 71-yard touchdown pass to Tahj Washington, in which the quarterback waited in the pocket, scrambled outside and waited for the wide receiver to get open downfield.
Williams completed 30-of-40 pass attempts for 403 yards, six touchdowns, and one interception.
Next Game: vs. Arizona, Saturday, Oct. 7 at 10:30 p.m. ET
Michael Penix Jr., Washington
Michael Penix Jr. is perhaps the biggest threat to Williams to win the Heisman Trophy this year. Every game, Penix showed off his ability to make deep passes and to place the football directly into the hands of his wide receiver. Even though some may take credit away from Penix due in part to the offensive scheme in place, he's making some incredible plays.
In Week 5, Washington took on the Arizona Wildcats, and for the first time this season, Penix didn't throw a touchdown pass. Sure, that may seem like a bad thing, but that's not the case. The left-handed quarterback completed 30-of-40 pass attempts for 363 yards, zero touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
But Penix did struggle under pressure. On six dropbacks, Penix attempted four passes and completed one for just five yards, per Pro Football Focus.
Penix and the Huskies have a bye week, but when they return, it will be an enormous game against Oregon.
Next Game: vs. Oregon, Saturday, Oct. 14 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Bo Nix, Oregon
Bo Nix and the Oregon Ducks had a big game in Week 4 against the Colorado Buffaloes, defeating them 42-6, including taking a 35-0 lead into halftime. It showed that Oregon is still the powerhouse in the Pac-12 (until next year when they leave).
Nix had the chance to do what Williams did earlier this year -- light it up against Stanford. In the first half, that wasn't the case, as they trailed 6-0 until midway through the second quarter. Then, the offense woke up, scoring 42 unanswered points to keep their undefeated season alive.
One interesting stat to come out of this game is when Nix was blitzed by Stanford's defense on 10 dropbacks, the quarterback completed 8-of-10 pass attempts for 123 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions, per Pro Football Focus.
The senior quarterback completed 27 passes for 290 yards and four touchdowns on 32 attempts.
Nix will next take the field on Oct. 14 against Michael Penix and Washington.
Next Game: at Washington, Saturday, Oct. 14 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Quinn Ewers, Texas
Quinn Ewers had his big game against Alabama, but has yet to really replicate it. There have been ups and downs since the Week 2 matchup. This week, the Longhorns faced an AP Top 25 team entering the week, the Kansas Jayhawks.
Ewers did throw for over 300 yards (325, specifically) but was even on the touchdown-to-interception ratio with one apiece. But, he did have a big day on the run, picking up 40 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries. Take a look at Ewers' 30-yard run up the middle of the field for the score.
The Longhorns quarterback primarily threw from the 10-19 yard range, completing 12-of-18 pass attempts for 225 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, per Pro Football Focus. On deep passes, which has been an area of concern for quite some time, attempted just two passes from 20 yards and beyond, and completed none of them.
Longhorns fans will see if Ewers can have another big-time performance in another huge spot, as the team faces off against the Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Rivalry.
Next Game: vs. Oklahoma, Saturday, Oct. 7 at 12:00 p.m. ET
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
There is a new name that we are adding to the top prospects list, and it's Colorado's Shedeur Sanders. The son of head coach Deion Sander has shown that he has some unreal playmaking abilities and has quickly skyrocketed up quarterback rankings on other outlets. While he is NFL Draft eligible in 2024, it's not known if he will declare, as his father has downplayed a jump, saying he'd like him to play for another season. Either way, Sanders is a name to keep an eye on in college.
This past week, Sanders faced off against the USC Trojans. As mentioned earlier, the team trailed 35-14 heading into halftime. But the Buffaloes bounced back, with Sanders slicing and dicing through the Trojans defense.
Sanders completed 30-of-45 pass attempts for 373 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception while running for 50 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. One of those touchdown passes were thrown to freshman wide receiver Omarion Miller. Take a look at his tight-window throw to Sanders.
Colorado is already a must-watch team this season, but Sanders is the real deal at quarterback.
Next Game: at Arizona State, Saturday, Oct. 7 at 6:30 p.m. ET
One 2024 NFL Draft QB sleeper who turned heads in Week 5
Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland
While all of the attention in the Big Ten is on Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan, one team that is flying under the radar is Maryland. The team coached by Mike Locksley is currently 5-0 on the year, sitting tied with the Nittany Lions for first in the East Division. One of the reasons they are playing so well is quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, the younger brother of Miami Dolphins signal caller Tua.
In Week 5, Tagovailoa and the Terrapins faced off against the Indiana Hoosiers, leaving with a 44-17 victory. Tagovailoa threw for 352 yards and five touchdowns while completing 24-of-34 pass attempts. It certainly helped that the quarterback was kept clean in the pocket, only being pressured on 5-of-35 dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus.
This season, Tagovailoa threw for 1,464 yards, 13 touchdowns, and three interceptions, while completing 65.7 percent of his passes.
Tagovailoa has played well this season, and now has a big game ahead of him on Oct. 7, facing off against Ohio State.
One 2024 NFL Draft QB who needs to show teams more after Week 5
Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
Two years ago, Spencer Rattler was considered to be one of the top upcoming quarterback prospects. That all changed after a 2021 season that saw him get benched at Oklahoma for Caleb Williams. In 2022 Rattler would transfer over to South Carolina, where he showed real promise at the end of the season. Thus far in 2023, Rattler's played some good football, even giving the No. 1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs a fight in Week 3.
But this past week against Tennessee, Rattler had a rough outing. The quarterback didn't have much help, as he was under pressure for 20-of-45 dropbacks in the game and was sacked six times. But even with a clean pocket, Rattler couldn't do much, completing 20-of-24 passes for just 163 yards, per Pro Football Focus.
Overall, Rattler threw 24 completions for 169 yards, zero touchdowns, and an interception on 35 attempts.
Rattler was lauded for his ability to make plays. But in Week 5, the quarterback couldn't do so.
Updated NFL Draft order: Who's buying in the NFL?
With the 2023 NFL season a month in, now is the time to take a look at the NFL Draft order. But, which teams will be in the market for a quarterback this upcoming April? Lets' look at the updated NFL Draft order (after NFL Week 4).
- Chicago Bears (0-4)
- Chicago Bears (via Carolina Panthers (0-4))
- Las Vegas Raiders (1-3)
- Denver Broncos (1-3)
- Minnesota Vikings (1-3)
- New York Jets (1-3)
- New England Patriots (1-3)
- Cincinnati Bengals (1-3)
- Arizona Cardinals (1-3)
- New York Giants (1-3)
- Green Bay Packers (2-2)
- New Orlean Saints (2-2)
- Arizona Cardinals( via Houston Texans (2-2))
- Los Angeles Chargers (2-2)
- Houston Texans (via Cleveland Browns (2-2))
- Washington Commanders (2-2)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2)
- Los Angeles Rams (2-2)
- Atlanta Falcons (2-2)
- Indianapolis Colts (2-2)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2)
- Tennessee Titans (2-2)
- Seattle Seahawks (3-1)
- Dallas Cowboys (3-1)
- Detroit Lions (3-1)
- Miami Dolphins (3-1)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1)
- Buffalo Bills (3-1)
- Baltimore Ravens (3-1)
- San Francisco 49ers (3-0)
- Kansas City Chiefs (3-1)
- Philadelphia Eagles (4-0)
We now come to a section that was in last year's column -- "Who's buying in the NFL?" This is where we take a look at how the NFL Draft order looks and which teams could be in the running for one of these top quarterback prospects.
With every NFL team playing four games, it's a good enough sample size to see which organizations will need a quarterback.
After Week 4 of the NFL season, the Chicago Bears sit with the top two picks in the draft. The second pick comes via the Carolina Panthers from last year's trade for the No. 1 overall pick, which was used to select Bryce Young. If things are to go awfully wrong for the Bears, it would not be surprising if the team were to pivot away from Justin Fields for Williams.
Behind the Bears in the top five are the Las Vegas Raiders, Denver Broncos, and Minnesota Vikings, all of whom can feasibly draft a quarterback. The Raiders have Jimmy Garoppolo, who is not a given to be their long-term answer. The same goes for the Broncos with Russell Wilson, even though they are stuck with his exorbitant contract. As for the Vikings, they won't have Kirk Cousins under contract after this season, and they have yet to sign him to a contract extension.
Other teams that could be in the running for a quarterback are the New York Jets, New England Patriots, and New York Giants, who sit in the Top 10 if the season were to end after Week 4 of the NFL season.
It's still extremely early in the season, but fans of certain teams are already looking forward to the NFL Draft, completely giving up on the season.
