Will Levis (No. 26), Michael Penix Jr. (No. 27), Jayden Daniels (No. 28), Bo Nix (No. 29), and J.J. McCarthy (No. 30)
“As far as playing in the NFL right now, playing in the pocket and making NFL type throws, Michael Penix Jr. is ready.”– Simms on Penix Jr. at No. 27
“You better start putting some respect on his name a little bit. Stop reading the stats everybody, stop looking at that all the time.”– Simms on McCarthy at No. 30
Simms’ Top 40 QB Countdown Continues with Nos. 30-26 and Culminates with the Top Four on Monday, June 10; In-Depth Breakdowns for Each Ranking Weekly on Chris Simms Unbuttoned Podcast
STAMFORD, Conn. – May 22, 2024 – Over the course of the next month, NBC Sports’ Chris Simms unveils his list of the top 40 quarterbacks in the NFL on the Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast and on “PFT Live.” Highlighting Simms’ third set of rankings are 2024 first round draft picks Michael Penix Jr., Jayden Daniels, and J.J. McCarthy.
Continuing the countdown, Simms unveiled his quarterbacks ranked 30-26:
| Ready Rookies | Throwbacks | ||
| 26. | Will Levis, Tennessee* | 36. | Jacoby Brissett, New England |
| 27. | Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta | 37. | Joe Flacco, Indianapolis |
| 28. | Jayden Daniels, Washington | Backup+ | |
| 29. | Bo Nix, Denver | 38. | Kenny Pickett, Philadelphia |
| 30. | J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota | 39. | Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas |
| For Hire | 40. | Jarrett Stidham, Denver | |
| 31. | Ryan Tannehill, Free Agent | ||
| The Young & The Reckless | |||
| 32. | Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis | ||
| 33. | Sam Darnold, Minnesota | ||
| 34. | Bryce Young, Carolina | ||
| 35. | Jameis Winston, Cleveland | ||
* Simms on Levis in the Ready Rookies section - “Not a rookie, but we’re treating him a little bit like one. He’s still kind of in there.”
Culminating Monday, June 10 with his top four quarterbacks, Simms will unveil a group of quarterbacks on each Chris Simms Unbuttoned episode and discuss his rankings on “PFT Live” with Mike Florio.
Simms, a third-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2003 NFL Draft who played eight NFL seasons, will also offer in-depth player breakdowns and rankings explanations throughout each week on Chris Simms Unbuttoned.
Simms has had recent success in projecting quarterbacks – including naming C.J. Stroud, who was named AP’s Offensive Rookie of the Year following his first season with the Houston Texans, as his top QB prospect in 2023. Additionally, Simms has named Patrick Mahomes as his most exciting prospect in 2017, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen as his top-two QBs in 2018, and Justin Herbert as his No. 2 QB in 2020.
The rankings will continue Monday, May 27, with numbers 25-21 on the next episode of Chris Simms Unbuttoned.
The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Chris Simms Unbuttoned:
No. 30: J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
“You better start putting some respect on his name a little bit. Stop reading the stats, everybody, stop looking at that all the time. The guy is made for the NFL, he’s an NFL talent. His arm didn’t get the credit it deserves through the draft process. This is a guy that has NFL-ready pedigree and ready to lead a football team.”
No. 29: Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
“Another guy that is coming into a perfect situation and is NFL-ready. Like McCarthy, his college system was kind of used against him in the draft process. The narrative is wrong because if you sit down and look at the tape, you see a power arm. He is a precision passer plus has the power in his arm and has amazing athletic ability.”
No. 28: Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
“Does he need some work here and there? Yes, sure, but there is a lot more to build on than anything. He is a consistent machine for the most part. He’s got a great motion which he can replicate time after time and make any throw on the field. All of that and then of course his get-out-of-jail free card with his running ability.”
No. 27: Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons
“I will say, as far as playing in the NFL right now, playing in the pocket and making NFL-type throws, Michael Penix Jr. is ready. I don’t have any doubt about that. Penix can survive with keeping the tight end in to block and sending everyone down the field. He’s going to make the right read and throw off of that.”
No. 26: Will Levis, Tennessee Titans
“Exceeded expectations. Got to give him a lot of credit because some of the things I didn’t love about him coming out of college, I could see that he tried to get better at them. The arm is elite powerful. It’s up there in the higher rankings of powerful arms in all of football. He can also really get it out of his hand quickly, even on power throws.”
To listen to the full player breakdowns on Chris Simms Unbuttoned, click here.
-NBC SPORTS-
