David Beverly completed only four passes during his NFL career, but they popped for 129 yards. A quarterback at Sweet Water High School, Beverly played as a punter in the NFL.

His position disadvantage didn’t keep Beverly from holding a place among the top 10 passers from Auburn in NFL history (as measured by career passing yards) for more than 45 years.

That ended on the first Sunday of the NFL’s 2024 season, when Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix passed for 138 yards in his pro debut. Nix went on to compile 3,775 passing yards as a rookie, which shot him into fourth place on Auburn’s all-time NFL list after one season.

Nix and Malik Willis were the only former Auburn players to throw passes in the 2024 NFL season. Traded from the Tennessee Titans to the Green Bay Packers between the end of the preseason and the start of the regular season, Willis had to start the second and third games when Jordan Love got hurt in the season-opener. He helped deliver two victories for the Packers.

Jarrett Stidham served as Nix’s backup with the Broncos, but he did not throw a pass in his three appearances.

The top 10 NFL passers among Auburn alumni (as measured by passing yards):

1. Cam Newton: 32,382 passing yards

Carolina Panthers 2011-19, 2021, New England Patriots 2020: Newton completed 2,682-of-4,474 passes with 194 touchdowns and 123 interceptions for an 85.2 passer rating. The first player picked in the 2011 NFL Draft, Newton holds the NFL record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 75.

2. Jason Campbell: 16,771 passing yards

Washington Redskins 2005-09, Oakland Raiders 2010-11, Chicago Bears 2012, Cleveland Browns 2013, Cincinnati Bengals 2014: Campbell completed 1,519-of-2,518 passes with 87 touchdowns and 60 interceptions for an 81.7 passer rating. Campbell was Washington’s starting quarterback for five seasons and Oakland’s for one season.

3. Dick Wood: 7,153 passing yards

Denver Broncos 1962, San Diego Chargers 1962, New York Jets 1963-64, Oakland Raiders 1965, Miami Dolphins 1966: The former Lanett High School standout completed 522-of-1,194 passes with 51 touchdowns and 71 interceptions for a 52.9 passer rating. Wood made a tour of the AFL, playing for five of the nine franchises in five seasons. He was the starter in his two seasons with the Jets.

4. Bo Nix: 3,775 passing yards

Denver Broncos 2024: The former Pinson Valley High School standout has completed 376-of-567 passes with 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions for a 93.3 passer rating. The 12th player picked in the 2024 NFL Draft after two seasons at Oregon, Nix started every regular-season game and a playoff contest as a rookie for the Broncos.

5. Dieter Brock: 2,658 passing yards

Los Angeles Rams 1985: The former Jones Valley High School standout completed 218-of-365 passes with 16 touchdowns and 13 interceptions for an 82.0 passer rating. Brock’s experience at Auburn consisted of backing up Pat Sullivan before transferring to Jacksonville State. But he has more pro passing yards than any player on the list. He piled up 34,830 passing yards in the Canadian Football League. Brock got his NFL opportunity at age 34 and spent his only season in the league as the Rams’ starter.

6. Jarrett Stidham: 1,422 passing yards

New England Patriots 2019-21, Las Vegas Raiders 2022, Denver Broncos 2023-24: Stidham has completed 117-of-197 passes with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions for a 78.3 passer rating. He has played in 19 games, with four starts.

7. Pat Sullivan: 1,155 passing yards

Atlanta Falcons 1972-75: The 1971 Heisman Trophy winner and former John Carroll Catholic standout completed 93-of-220 passes with five touchdowns and 16 interceptions for a 36.5 passer rating. Sullivan started four games in the NFL.

8. Malik Willis: 900 passing yards

Tennessee Titans 2022-23, Green Bay Packers 2024: Willis has completed 75-of-120 passes with three touchdowns and three interceptions for an 83.3 passer rating. Willis played two seasons at Liberty after spending two seasons as Stidham’s backup at Auburn. He has played in 18 NFL games, with five starts.

9. Travis Tidwell: 493 passing yards

New York Giants 1950-51: The former Woodlawn High School standout completed 33-of-76 passes with five touchdowns and seven interceptions for a 48.8 passer rating. Tidwell was the seventh player picked in the 1950 NFL Draft, but his NFL career consisted of 14 games.

10. Monk Gafford: 265 passing yards

Miami Seahawks 1946, Brooklyn Dodgers 1946-48: The former Fort Deposit High School standout completed 18-of-44 passes with four touchdowns and four interceptions for a 53.7 passer rating. Auburn’s first 1,000-yard rusher, Gafford was a halfback and wingback in the pros. He led the All-American Football Conference in kickoff-return yards in 1948.

The only former Auburn and NFL QB not on the top 10 chart is Dameyune Craig, who had 34 passing yards for the Carolina Panthers in a 2001 game against the Miami Dolphins for his NFL output.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.