The quarterback class in the 2025 NFL Draft not widely considered to be a strong one. There are players with talent and upside, but this is generally considered to be a down year for the most important position on the field.
At the same time, there are many teams across the NFL that are in need of quarterbacks.
Opinions on this class are highly divided, from how many passers we could see drafted in the first round to the order they should come off the board. But is the 2025 quarterback class truly weak? Or is it an average class that has the misfortune to come in the wake of a tremendous 2024 quarterback class?
SB Nation polled several of its draft analysts to determine a consensus of the top 10 quarterbacks in this year’s class. Here are the results.
11. Kurtis Rourke, Indiana
Rourke had a breakout season in 2024 after transferring from Ohio, completing 69.4 percent of his passes for 3,042 yards (9.5 per attempt), 29 touchdowns, and just 5 interceptions. In the process he led Indiana to the College Football Playoff as the 10th seed, though they quickly exited in a loss to Notre Dame.
Rourke has prototypical size at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds and is a traditional pocket passer with a solid arm. That said, he isn’t a dynamic athlete and takes too many sacks. He could develop into an NFL quarterback, but will need to bring down his concerningly high pressure-to-sack rate of 26.7 percent.
10. Riley Leonard, Notre Dame
Leonard is an athletic and tough quarterback who nearly led Notre Dame to a national championship after transferring from Duke.
He has adequate size, but lacks great arm strength to drive the ball down the field. That said, he’s a very capable runner who can pick up yardage on his own. He only threw for 2,861 yards (21 touchdowns, 8 interceptions), but did manage to run for 906 yards and 17 touchdowns.
He could be targeted as a backup for an offense that features a mobile starter and uses the quarterback as a part of their running game.
9. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
Based purely on his play at Oklahoma and Oregon, Gabriel actually compares well to the top quarterbacks in both this and the 2024 class and received a sixth-place vote from one of our experts. He has an “NFL” arm, is accurate, doesn’t take unnecessary sacks, and is very productive.
However, he’s also old (24), undersized (5-foot-11, 205 pounds), and left-handed, receiving multiple 11th-place votes in our rankings.
Gabriel might wind up being a modern Russell Wilson, but being that far of an outlier is a tough sell to ownership early in the draft.
8. Kyle McCord, Syracuse
McCord transferred from Ohio State to Syracuse prior to the 2024 season and put up video-game numbers in the Orange’s pass-happy attack. He dropped back 592 times, throwing for 4,779 yards, 34 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
Despite the production, there are some concerns that keep him from being a top QB prospect. On tape, he tends to lock onto receivers and has just an adequate arm — his average depth of target was just 8.8 yards downfield. McCord could be interesting to follow if his 2024 season was the first glimpse of him “getting it” and not just the product of weak ACC defenses.
7. Will Howard, Ohio State
Despite one fourth-place vote and multiple fives from our experts, Howard is a tier below the top six vote-getters.
Howard replaced McCord at Ohio State after transferring from Kansas State and led the Buckeyes to the National Championship. Howard is a big, strong quarterback at 6-foot-4, 236 pounds with a capable arm and solid mobility.
He has a solid arm, though he needs to continue to improve his accuracy and mechanics at the next level. That said, Howard’s size and mobility should allow him to pick up some tough yards on his own if necessary.
Considering how well he played in Chip Kelly’s offense at Ohio State, the Raiders could be a team to watch for Howard if they don’t select a quarterback early.
6. Jalen Milroe, Alabama
There can be no question about Milroe’s arm talent or athleticism. He has the strongest arm in this draft class and is a gifted deep ball thrower as well as an incredible athlete. His 4.37-second 40-yard dash backed up the wheels we saw as he ran around (or through) the best defenses in the SEC.
However, Milroe is definitely a developmental prospect who is a year (or two) away. He has significant issues with his footwork that impact his accuracy, and will also have to learn to execute an NFL offense. That’s why he had such a big spread in our voting — Milroe was the only person outside of the top three overall to earn a third-place vote, but he also came in eighth on another ballot.
5. Quinn Ewers, Texas
Ewers was considered one of the top quarterback recruits in his recruiting class and one of the top two or three quarterbacks in this class a year ago.
He had a rocky season in 2024 that saw him take too many unnecessary sacks and had some asking if it was time for Arch Manning to take over. That said, he does still have intriguing arm talent with solid touch and accuracy, the ability to make throws off-platform, and the mobility to pick up yards on his own.
Ewers could be a sleeper if he lands in the right situation and was a whisker from finishing fourth overall in our rankings.
4. Tyler Shough, Louisville
He’s been a steady riser over the course of the draft process as more people have taken a closer look at his 2024 tape. He’s the oldest quarterback of the bunch and will turn 26 in September, and has had a long and winding road to the NFL thanks to three broken bones and a couple transfers.
His tape, though, reveals a big-armed and athletic quarterback who can make all the throws. Shough was the best player on his team and is one of the most talented passers in this draft. His age may be a barrier for some teams, but he has the skills to start in the NFL.
3. Jaxson Dart, Mississippi
Dart has good size, a live arm, good athleticism, and is one of the best deep-ball throwers in the nation. Dart exploded onto the scene in 2024 as the best quarterback in the SEC and spent much of the year mirroring Jayden Daniels’ torrid pace in 2023. He fell off toward the end of the year when wide receiver Tre Harris went down with a groin injury and Dart suffered an ankle injury of his own.
While some teams reportedly have Dart as “QB2” on their boards including one of our voters, there are also concerns regarding Lane Kiffin’s offense and Dart’s performance against top opponents.
2. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Sanders doesn’t have prototypical physical traits at 6-foot-1, 212 pounds and without stand-out athleticism. He has a relatively modest arm and took too many unnecessary sacks thanks to a tendency to hold the ball.
But the team that drafts Sanders won’t be doing so for his arm or athleticism. Instead, they’ll be selecting him for his accuracy and decision-making. Sanders might not be for every team but he could be a productive starter for the right team and in a timing and rhythm-based offense.
1. Cameron Ward, Miami
Cam Ward is the best quarterback in this draft and received every first-place vote from our experts. He’s an athletic passer who’s worked his way into being the top quarterback in the country after being barely recruited out of high school.
He has a strong arm which allows him to access all areas of the field with the elasticity to make throws off-platform and from any arm slot. He also has excellent field vision and creativity out of structure which makes him very difficult to defend. He needs to learn when to check the ball down and not go big play hunting, but Ward’s gunslinging tendencies should result in more positive plays than negative.
Ward’s yards per game, EPA, completion percentage, and pressure-to-sack rate suggest that he the 2024 version of him would have been the second-best quarterback in last year’s draft.
