How Many Quarterbacks Will Be Taken in the First Round of the 2024 NFL Draft?

The sporting action is largely geared toward basketball and baseball during this time of year, but for gridiron diehards, the 2024 NFL Draft can't come soon enough.

With the annual event taking place in Detroit for this season, football's draft (April 25-27) is very near. As always, there are myriad looming questions and storylines to dive into. Still, this draft is tougher to gauge than most. The opening round is projected to be quarterback heavy.

FanDuel Sportsbook has you covered with various NFL Draft odds. For the sake of this article, let us stay with the signal-callers; how many quarterbacks will be selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft?

Notably, this class offers a couple generational talents in terms of throwing the pigskin. However, the line in this market has been set at 4.5 quarterbacks. For reference, the famed 1983 NFL Draft produced a record six QBs by end of the initial round.

With April 25th looming quite closely, let us sift through the incoming signal-caller crop. Will we see five or more quarterbacks come off the board on Day One?

All NFL odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

NFL Draft Odds

Total Number of Quarterbacks Drafted in Round 1 Over/Under 4.5

Over: -180
Under: +134

The 2024 NFL Draft is one saturated with quarterbacking talent. In the grand scheme of things, some years offer no NFL-ready signal-callers, but that does not appear to be the case with the approaching class. If you're looking for a statistical review of this year's candidates, Jim Sannes' analytical article on the matter is a fantastic place to start.

Just a season ago, we saw three quarterbacks selected in the opening round: Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson. However, it is important that we take each campaign as its own. Remember: in 2022, Kenny Pickett was the lone quarterback taken the initial time through.

Still, if you were curious, 2021 was the most recent draft in which more than four signal-callers were selected in Round One. Those five quarterbacks -- Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields and Mac Jones -- are still trying to etch out a definitive place in the NFL.

According to Pro Football Focus, we see more than 15 QBs officially declared for the 2024 NFL Draft. Surely, only a percentage of them will have their name called in the first round, but there will be a few signal-callers on hand in Motor City that can genuinely feel confident about those chances.

USC Trojans quarterback and 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams is projected to go first overall to the Chicago Bears. With Chicago trading Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers in March, the Bears' April plans seem centered around Williams.

Should Da Bears pass on Williams for whatever exorbitant reason, the Washington Commanders -- who hold the second overall selection -- absolutely won't. Williams is a D.C. native. Additionally, Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury has familiarity with the big-armed quarterback from 2023 at Southern Cal.

Like Chicago, Washington just traded away their 2023 starter (Sam Howell), so the Commanders are in the quarterback market one way or the other. Very probably, Williams won't be available at pick No. 2, which leaves the franchise from the nation's capital at a juxtaposition: Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye.

Whether you prefer the recent Heisman winner from the LSU Tigers or the big-bodied gunslinger from the North Carolina Tar Heels, we can largely consider Daniels and Maye to be selected second and third, respectively. The exact order is not cemented, but whichever signal-caller that Washington does not choose, the New England Patriots likely will at third overall.

Staying on theme, New England recently traded the aforementioned Jones, putting the Pats in another quarterback search only three seasons later. Simply, that means three signal-callers should be off the board this year before any other position is called.

Barring any trades, the teams in possession of picks No. 4-10 (excluding the Bears again at ninth) are solidified with their starting quarterbacks for 2024. However, given the rise of Michigan Wolverines signal-caller J.J. McCarthy, we could see a different team move up into this window for him (or another passer, perhaps).

It can be risky to rely on draft-day trades, but the Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders should all be eyeing their quarterbacks of the future right now. Coincidentally, those franchises are slated to be on the clock in that listed order at picks 11-13. In other words, it is difficult to imagine getting past pick No. 13 without at least four QBs being drafted.

But still, this line at FanDuel Sportsbook (4.5 quarterbacks) comes with a pesky hook. Through the early weeks of April, over 4.5 in this market has moved from a chalky -230 odds to -180 currently. Although, that still suggests support for a fifth quarterback going in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. With Williams, Daniels, Maye and (probably) McCarthy accounted for relatively early, it is tough to play the under here.

After CFP national-champion McCarthy, Bo Nix of the Oregon Ducks and Michael Penix Jr. of the Washington Huskies are still considered top-tier talents. Both displayed incredible prowess through the Pac-12's final traditional year, and both have professional-level maturity.

Following the 13th pick, teams like the Seattle Seahawks (No. 16) and Los Angeles Rams (No. 19) could be looking for a longer term solution at "football's most important position". The Seahawks and Rams have respected veterans like Geno Smith and Matthew Stafford in place for next season, but I would not be surprised at all if either of those NFC West franchises selects the fifth QB of the first round by drafting Nix or Penix.

Given the current context and landscape of the league, it seems fairly reasonable that more than four quarterbacks are selected in the opening round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Sure, we probably will not see the all-time record eclipsed, but quarterbacks are expected to be all the rage later this month in Detroit Rock City.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.