Expect to hear a lot of quarterback names Thursday night during the first round of the NFL Draft in Detroit, Michigan. The mock draft guys are predicting five-to-six QB’s could hear their name called in the Motor City in Round 1.
More: NFL Draft Tracker Returns
Below are highlights of all of the top guys during their high school days.
Caleb Williams – Gonzaga (Washington, DC)
Williams, who is expected to be taken No. 1 overall by the Chicago Bears, was a 5-star prospect at Gonzaga. He was consisted the No. 1 quarterback prospect in the Class of 2021.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Williams didn’t play his senior season. However, he was still able to compete at the 2020 Elite 11 quarterback competition, winning the MVP award.
He passed for nearly 4,400 yards during his sophomore and junior seasons with 45 touchdown passes. He also ran for over 1,200 yards with 28 touchdowns.
Jayden Daniels – Cajon (California)
Jayden Daniels played at Cajon High School in Southern California. He was a four-year starter, finishing with 14,007 yards passing with 170 touchdowns. He ran for 3,635 yards with 41 touchdowns.
Drake Maye – Myers Park (North Carolina)
Like Williams, Maye didn’t play his senior year, because the pandemic moved North Carolina’s high school football season from the fall to the spring. Mane was already enrolled at North Carolina.
During his junior year, Maye threw for a school-record 3,512 yards with 50 touchdowns.
J.J. McCarthy – IMG Academy (Florida)
McCarthy’s senior season, in his home state of Illinois, was also wiped-out by the pandemic. That led to him moving to Florida to play for powerful IMG Academy.
During his two seasons as a starter at Nazareth Academy in suburban Chicago, McCarthy played in two Illinois state championship games, winning one during his sophomore season.
In 2020, he led IMG to an 8-0 record. The Ascenders were crowned as High School Football America’s national champ.
Bo Nix – Pinson Valley (Alabama)
Nix was High School Football America’s National Player of the Year in 2018. He played high school football under his father, Patrick, the head coach at Pinson Valley. The elder Nix is currently the head coach at Central (Phenix City), which won the 2023 Alabama 7A state title, finishing No. 23 in the High School Football America 300, powered by NFL Play Football.
The future Auburn Tiger and Oregon Duck left the scholastic scene as the state’s all-time leader in total offense (12,497 yards) and touchdowns accounted for (161). He was the first player to ever top 12,000 in total offense.
Michael Penix, Jr. – Tampa Bay Tech (Florida)
Penix tossed 61 touchdown passes during his high school days against only 6 interceptions. His father was a very good high school football player. Michael, Sr. ran for over 1,200 yards at Pasco (Florida) and was an all-state defensive back.
