Week two of the preseason is nearly complete, and a few of the rookie QBs saw significant playing time. Let’s take a look at how each one faired in their first taste of in-game action.
Caleb Williams
Grade: A
4/7 completions, 99 passing yards, 0 TDs,
1 carry, 13 rushing yards
Out of all the rookie QBs, Caleb showcased his abilities better than anyone else this weekend. Those stats don’t exactly jump off the page, but they would have looked even better if not for two dropped passes. Off platform throws, accuracy, scrambling ability, improvisation, he showed everyone why he was the number one overall pick in the daft. I see a lot of Kyler Murray when I watch Caleb Williams, but he has about two more inches on him. He also may never scramble as much as Murray will, but he showed that he can if he needs to.
Jaden Daniels
Grade: A
2/3 completions, 45 passing yards, 0 passing TDS,
1 carry, 3 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD
Daniels came out swinging on his first drop back, connecting with Dyami Brown for a 42-yard gain. In the red zone he flashed his running ability on a zone read, beating the safety outside for the score. He only played one drive against the Giants backups, but it was a very good one.
Drake Maye
Grade: C
2/3 completions, 19 passing yards
We didn’t really get to see much of Drake Maye, which was surprising. In all, he played seven snaps, which broke down this way: three runs, three passes, one false-start penalty. Two of the passes were screens — the first a 13-yarder to RB Antonio Gibson on third-and-12. Head coach Jerod Mayo said postgame that the limited playing time for Maye was tied to wanting him to play behind the top offensive line. It seems like they have a tight leash on him for now, so we’ll need to wait and hopefully see more next week.
Michael Penix
Grade: B+
9/16 completions, 104 passing yards, 0 passing TDS
Penix was 9-of-16 for 104 yards without a touchdown or an interception, playing for the majority of the first quarter. He wowed with some big plays, but also missed a few open targets with overthrows. Penix’s best pass was a beautiful floater on a go route down the sideline to WR Chris Blair for 41 yards.
JJ McCarthy
Grade: A-
11/17 completions, 188 passing yards, 2 passing TDs, 1 interception
2 carries, 18 rushing yards
Everyone will be quick to talk about the ugly pick he threw, but JJ Mccarthy had one of the best performances of the rookie QBs this weekend. He threw a pair of long third-quarter touchdown passes — one of 45 yards to Trishton Jackson in single coverage and another of 33 yards to Trent Sherfield Sr. against a busted coverage.
He enters the season as the likely backup to Sam Darnold, who started the first drive of the game. But McCarthy came in and played the next six possessions, racking up five downfield completions of 18 yards or more. It remains to be seen whether the performance will change McCarthy’s spot on the Vikings’ depth chart, but overall it left a strong first impression.
Joe Milton
Grade: A
4/6 completions, 54 passing yards, 1 passing TD
5 carries, 22 rushing yards
Drake Maye’s teammate and fellow rookie QB had the better outing of the two on Friday. The 6th round pick is the most physically gifted QB in the draft and he showed exactly why. Milton brought some excitement to the lackluster game with a 12-yard run that covered a lot of ground as he scrambled backwards initially, and later with a 13-yard run and finally a 38-yard TD pass to WR JaQuae Jackson.
Spencer Rattler
Grade: B+
9/17 completions, 70 passing yards
2 carries, 1 rushing TD
Spencer Rattler had an impressive first drive, leading the offense 70 yards down the field and capping things off with a 4-yard touchdown run. Rattler ended up playing the entire second half. He did have some stumbles late in the game behind a third-team offensive line but was able to get the offense down the field to set up a winning field goal with under two minutes remaining.
Michael Pratt
Grade: B
5/7 completions, 46 passing yards
1 carry, -1 rushing yards
You won’t hear much chatter about Michael Pratt, you probably didn’t even hear about him on draft day. But the former Tulane QB could have a shot at becoming the main backup to Jordan Love in due time.
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