NFL Power Rankings: Ranking rookie quarterbacks following Week 6 action

Two more rookie quarterbacks got their first NFL start in Week 6. Let's roll out our latest rookie QB power rankings after the latest action. The 2024 NFL Season is getting more intense, folks! The games are slowly but surely having more at stake, and we're not far off from the halfway point of the season.

Week 7 kicks off in a few days when the New Orleans Saints host the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football in a battle of two rookie QBs in Spencer Rattler and Bo Nix.

But besides Rattler and Nix, let's try to rank the rookie QBs after Week 6 action.

NFL Power Rankings: Ranking rookie quarterbacks following Week 6 action
5. Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints

Spencer Rattler's first NFL start most certainly looked like it. There was some good and a lot of bad for the New Orleans Saints in their blowout loss at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I really do not see how Derek Carr gets his starting job back if Rattler can show some promise in the coming weeks.

He's got a short week, as the Saints host the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football. The fifth-round rookie was actually probably underdrafted and has some nice qualities when he's within the pocket. Rattler will come in at last on the latest rookie QB power rankings. Among the other rookie QB making his first NFL start in Week 6, Rattler just was not as good, and that's OK!

4. Drake Maye, New England Patriots

It was definitely a raw game from Drake Maye in his first NFL start, but he did throw three touchdown passes and 243 yards on 60.6% completion. It was a pretty solid start from the rookie, who took over for Jacoby Brissett and certainly played well enough to keep the job for the rest of the season.

Maye has a high ceiling and some nice tools, but the raw-ness of his game will need to be refined by the Patriots' coaching staff. It's hard to rank Drake Maye any higher than four given that there have been three other rookie QBs who have started since Week 1 and actually look decent.

In the coming weeks, though, we could see Maye climb these rookie QB power rankings.

3. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

Bo Nix is continually asked to make chicken salad out of chicken you-know-what. Over the last four games, the Denver Broncos are 3-1, and Nix has been responsible for a total of seven touchdowns and has thrown just one interception. His passer rating is 88.1 over this stretch, so he's definitely produced at a decent level over the last month.

The Broncos' playmakers on offense are among the worst in the NFL, so you can't really fault Nix for what has gone wrong on offense. Still, though, Denver is 3-3 on the season with two winnable games in front of them, but Bo Nix is a clear tier below Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams thus far among the rookie QB performances, and that's OK.

2. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears

Don't look now, but here come Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears. Another strong performance from the offense has this team trending up in a big way. Williams threw for four touchdown passes in what felt like his best game as a professional. Now on the season, Williams has nine touchdowns against five interceptions. His passer rating has climbed to 88.7 on the season. Chicago is far from perfect on offense, but Williams is beginning to find his groove.

1. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders

Jayden Daniels still takes his top spot in the rookie QB power rankings after the Week 6 action. Daniels was again pretty darn good for the Washington Commanders in a tough game against the Baltimore Ravens. He's maintained his high-level production after six weeks and is very much still in the driver's seat for the Offensive Rookie of the Year race.

The Commanders simply have mostly everything working for them on offense, and even with this latest loss, they are still 4-2 on the season and first in the NFC East. There still isn't much of an argument to rank any rookie QB ahead of Jayden Daniels in our power rankings.