This isn’t shaping up to be the year to need a quarterback in the NFL Draft, yet several teams already know where their priorities must lie this coming April.

The Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants absolutely need to spend a high pick on a quarterback. The Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers almost certainly should, too, barring unexpected turnarounds from Will Levis and Bryce Young. The Cleveland Browns also need a change, although it’s fair to wonder whether ownership would support the use of a valuable draft resource on a player who could usurp Deshaun Watson, whose fully guaranteed contract runs through 2026. The Steelers may also be in limbo depending on how they feel about Justin Fields or Russell Wilson at season’s end.

Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins need a much better plan with their backup quarterback, while the New York Jets, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints need to be thinking about the future. That group of teams can at least afford to pick their spots, which is better than forcing the issue. Then again, how often does a team turn a mid-round lottery pick into a franchise cornerstone?

The point is that we’re at the time of the year when teams need to be honest about their in-house evaluations. But just because teams determine they need a quarterback doesn’t necessarily mean they can acquire a quarterback.

Remember, the Giants tried last spring. When they couldn’t move up in the draft, they punted on the rest of the class rather than forcing themselves into taking someone they didn’t love. There’s something to be said for that, but that approach also increases the need to get it right the following year.

League evaluators are still trying to figure out where to rank the likes of Texas’ Quinn Ewers, Georgia’s Carson Beck, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Miami’s Cam Ward and Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart, among others. They’re intriguing players, but it wouldn’t be overly shocking if there’s a repeat of 2022 when there wasn’t a QB taken in the top 10.

To complicate the hunt, there aren’t any proven veterans who are set to hit the market in free agency. The best of that group may come down to Sam Darnold and Fields, along with veteran stopgap options such as Wilson and Joe Flacco.

The 2026 class will be far more exciting with the likelihood of Arch Manning’s declaration. More than likely, a team that fails to solve its QB void next year will be in the running for that prized No. 1 pick.

What’s the difference?

Joe Burrow entered the NFL as the No. 1 overall pick in 2020 after guiding LSU’s historic offense to an undefeated championship run that captured the nation’s attention. He was, essentially, the Cincinnati Bengals starter from the moment he arrived.

Brock Purdy entered the NFL as the last pick of the 2022 draft after an obscure career at Iowa State. He was buried behind Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo on the San Francisco 49ers’ depth chart and only earned the starting job midway through his rookie season because of injuries.

Those labels are hard to shake, but it’s probably long overdue to consider Purdy among the game’s best quarterbacks.

Consider the pair’s regular-season stats since 2022.

The numbers are remarkably similar. Burrow has a clear edge in passing yards, but that’s to be expected with Purdy operating Kyle Shanahan’s run-heavy system.

Burrow is also 5-2 in the playoffs, and he was outstanding in 2021 when the Bengals toppled the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. They were a defensive stop shy of beating the Rams in the Super Bowl.

But Purdy is 4-2 in the playoffs, where he’s been terrific while guiding the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game in 2022 and the Super Bowl in 2023. They were also a defensive stop short of dethroning the Chiefs in February.

Purdy hasn’t gotten the same shine because of the way he entered the league. He also doesn’t get as much credit for his performance because of the 49ers’ scheme.

It’s time for that perception to change. Purdy is undoubtedly among the game’s best.

This star continues to shine in Seattle. Watch Brock Purdy’s best plays from #TNFonPrime.

More 🎥 on https://t.co/vpdsX5r07D pic.twitter.com/NXCjGiaonF

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 12, 2024

Maye day

Drake Maye delivered a strong starting debut against the Houston Texans, going 20-of-33 for 243 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also led the New England Patriots with 38 rushing yards and lost a fumble.

Drake Maye DIME for his first career touchdown pass!

📺: #HOUvsNE on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/psTLjZvOoK

— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2024

Maye registered the most passing yards against the Texans this season, which is impressive considering they’ve played Anthony Richardson, Caleb Williams, Sam Darnold, Trevor Lawrence and Josh Allen. It can be argued that his total deserves an asterisk considering the lopsided score, but let’s not dock Maye too much in his first career outing against a quality defense while the Patriots’ entire offensive operation around him has been in shambles.

Maye endured some issues, for sure. He sputtered with his accuracy, especially early, but he got into a groove with the hurry-up drive before the half. Maye delivered the exclamation point there with a majestic 40-yard touchdown to Kayshon Boutte, as the throw helped his second-year wideout gain late separation against cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. It was probably the best throw from a Patriots quarterback since Tom Brady wore the uniform.

Once Maye gets comfortable enough to readily make the more consistent throws, which he did more of in the second half, he’ll grow even more in that offense. He’ll also improve his confidence eventually, though that could take more time considering the state of New England’s offensive line.

Speaking of which, Maye’s performance should take some heat off Jerod Mayo. The first-year head coach has had some inconsistencies with his quarterback explanations over the last couple of months, and rival executives have taken notice. Then, people around the league wondered if Mayo rushed into the decision to start Maye last week, perhaps feeling some heat from the losing streak and breaking from the plan to ease Maye into action.

What’s more, the Patriots’ offensive line has been one of the worst units in the NFL, and those issues have only been compounded by injuries. Maye was under a lot of duress Sunday, particularly with two backup tackles playing the majority of the game.

However, he still delivered a better stat line than Jacoby Brissett in any of his five starts. Maye produced a Patriots season high in completions and passer rating (88.3), and he had more touchdowns in his debut than Brissett had all season (two).

This was an encouraging start. Now, Maye will take center stage Sunday morning in London when the Patriots meet the Jaguars, whose defense has given up the most passing yards in the NFL.

Maye debuted at No. 23 in the rankings because of his potential for a higher ceiling due to his draft stock. It’s also a fitting spot, as fellow rookies Caleb Williams (No. 19) and Jayden Daniels (No. 22) debuted slightly higher in Week 1.

Plead the fourth

Bo Nix is a battler. His competitiveness has kept the Denver Broncos in games that otherwise looked lost before the fourth quarter, again nearly erasing a 23-0 deficit with 16 final-quarter points Sunday against the Chargers.

The question, though, is whether the Broncos have been too conservative with Nix before the fourth quarter or if defenses are loosening their looks with some of these leads.

Breaking it down by quarters, Nix has been far more productive in the fourth, and it’s not even close. That’s where he’s got his most completions (41), yards (428), touchdowns (five, including passes and runs), first downs (28, including passing and running), highest completion percentage (69.5) and passer rating (93.0).

It’s not like the Broncos open the game in neutral. Nix has 97 passing attempts in the first half and 101 in the second half this season. But there’s something about the way he thrives in those “gotta-have-it” situations in the fourth quarter.

The @oregonfootball connection!

Bo Nix finds Troy Franklin for his first career TD catch!

📺: #LACvsDEN on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/FU4T8eKNT8

— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2024

Then again, the Broncos trailed the Seahawks (26-13), Steelers (13-0) and Chargers by double digits in the fourth quarter. Nix wouldn’t be the first quarterback to improve his statistical output in “garbage time.”

It’s early in Nix’s career, so it’s important to find the bright spots in a rookie’s performance and accentuate them. It’d be fun to see if Nix could take another step in his development with the Broncos implementing some of those fourth-quarter successes earlier in their games.

Rankings notes

Dropped out: Derek Carr, oblique injury (last week, No. 21); Gardner Minshew, benched (last week, No. 27); Jacoby Brissett, benched (last week, No. 30).

Just a quick point of clarification: Carr was removed from the rankings because he is expected to miss at least one more game. Anthony Richardson remains in the rankings (rather than Joe Flacco) because his recovery timeline has been more uncertain. If the Colts had placed a more definitive timetable on Richardson’s injury, thereby vaulting Flacco definitively into the starting role, that would have led to an adjustment in the rankings.

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(Photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)