Read Dane Brugler’s 2025 “Beast” NFL Draft Guide.
There is no consensus on where all quarterbacks can be drafted this year, at least outside of Cam Ward. Probably after Ward became the Tennessee Titan, the rest of the group was a complete mystery. Ward may be the only quarterback we saw Thursday night because it was the quarterback in the first round.
Fortunately for us, we will cut all uncertainties and play quarterback matchmakers, making the quarterback prospects the most meaningful team this year. In some cases, this has to do with the type of quarterback the team needs. In other cases, it is to find the right environment to make the most of a specific skill.
Let’s find a cute new couple.
CAM Ward: Tennessee Titan
All signs suggest Ward is the starting quarterback for the Titans next year. Currently, it is not even worth the different possibilities for QB or team. Wards are all perfect for the core of Brian Callahan’s offense and will bring elements that the Titans quarterback didn’t have last season.
The Titans’ 2024 offense is to maximize game opportunities and attack the field. Ward has talent and fearlessness in this environment. But Ward also greatly improved his quick game in college, and he was more comfortable with the spread and empty formations before Levis. Ward is also a leap for Levis (or Mason Rudolph) and a creator from the out of pocket.
Ward’s early fanatical play styles will grow, but in the long run, they will be worth it. Ward has both floors and ceilings, and deserves to be ranked No. 1 in this class.
Shedeur Sanders: Saints of New Orleans
Discovering Sanders’ best health is trickier than I expected. Kevin Stefanski’s next game offense at Cleveland was not ideal. Brian Daboll’s faster pass offense in New York might make sense, but the offensive line is a sieve and Sanders’ movement is not enough to take advantage of some parts of Daboll’s script.
The idea that Sanders is Kellen Moore’s first crack in quarterback is fascinating, though. Sanders is his best operational delivery concept, especially below the area. He is a reliable short-zone passerby, who uses intermediate and deeper areas of the field to maintain honest defenses rather than make those of his preferred offensive areas. This is totally OK for West Coast-style offense.
Of course, falling to ninth place is not guaranteed. Brown or Giants may feel the itch of despair and Sanders in the top three. But if Sanders did slip a little bit, it wouldn’t be shocking to see that fall Saints stop.
Jaxson Dart: Seattle Seahawks
It would be amazing if the Seahawks didn’t have quarterbacks in the first two days of the draft. The deal that Sam Darnold signed in March was actually a one-year contract, and since then, with the team’s choice – I don’t know what there is without screaming “development quarterback is coming.”
Seattle can go in some directions, but Dart’s new offense under Klint Kubiak makes sense and vice versa.
Dart reminds me a lot of Jimmy Garoppolo as a passer. The two are very similar in construction in the middle of the field, arm talent and ball throwing ability. DART’s best championships on movies are slopes, short posts and crossovers. The same is true of Garoppolo at his best in San Francisco. Neither Dart nor Garoppolo are quarterbacks, and you want to read the full progress frequently.
In theory, Kubiak’s offense involves all of this. It is built in a running game and then broken down into strong game attacks. Not only does this simplify quarterback readings, it also requires the QB to throw tightly in the middle of the field, where DART shines.
A year of learning the league’s pace on the bench, maybe DART can make it work with the Seahawks.
Tyler Shoough: Cleveland Browns
The best way for the Browns to get to quarterback is to make the next day’s players most ready to start immediately. For my money, that’s it.
Outside Ward, Shought is the most talented thrower in the class. He has a flexible but explosive release that works from all platforms and pockets. Although he is more of a straight thrower than someone with a great touch, he still gets the job done from an accurate perspective.
Shought is also a high-quality processor. Similar to Ryan Tannehill, he might be slow because in early readings at the bottom, he reads very slowly but usually doesn’t cause singular errors, and he can protect the ball well.
In career preparation and arm poses, Shought now makes the most sense for Kevin Stefanski’s offense.
Jalen Milroe: Los Angeles Rams
If Sean McVay wants to keep the offense roughly the same in the final Matthew Stafford world, Milroe isn’t the answer – he’s actually the farthest thing in that draft class (each QB has every game except for two or three weird turnovers per QB).
McVay has long flirted with the idea of mobile quarterbacks, though. He is eager to give John Wolford a chance at the end of Jared Goff Saga and then stay alert in the 2022 season’s reserve game. McVay also started the game for Bryce Perkins in 2022, who passed the ball for 90 yards 19 times.
Miro will be one of the best athletes in the position to enter the league. As a passer, he needs at least a year to fix his footwork and adapt to NFL-level coverage speed, but that doesn’t matter. Milroe competes with Stafford for the job without any pressure.
It will be a long drama. Whether that’s a good or realistic idea, I’d love to see McVay relocking the world of launching games and sprint attacks centered on quarterbacks.
Riley Leonard: New York Giants
Brian Daboll’s best jobs over the years – outside of his time with Josh Allen – were in Alabama in 2017 and in Alabama with Daniel Jones in 2022.
While different quality players can often be described, Jones can all be described as a solid, athletic quarterback with arm talent that pushes the ball to the field. Both players added something to the offense through mobility, and Daboll took advantage of it.
Apart from Milroe, Leonard is Daboll’s best swing in that kind of athlete. Leonard is 6-foot-4 and weighs 218 pounds. He’s pretty explosive in a short area and is good at it when he really strides, similar to Jones. He is obviously a weapon in the design running game and red zone.
Leonard still has a lot of passers worth proof, but his athleticism and toughness allow him to work with him when he figures out.
Kyle McCord: Dallas Cowboys
It’s hard to find and stick with a good backup quarterback – as long as they do, the Cowboys are lucky to be able to draft and retain Cooper Rush. Rush is a very capable quarterback when he is about to watch, and his offense is not beyond his means.
Now, with Rush in Baltimore, the Cowboys are looking for the next person to play the role. McCorder is their best choice.
McCorder is not an overwhelming talent. His arms are OK, he won’t scare anyone. But like any great NFL backup, McCorder can commit an offense effectively and consistently. He did learn to play his own inner race in Syracuse, showing good rhythm and decision making as a thrower.
He is unlikely to be on any very good backup, but it’s not bad for the exact kind of player in the Cowboys shopping.
Will Howard: Pittsburgh Steelers
They have to draft someone, right? Even with the assumption of Aaron Rodgers and finally giving up on charm and signs, the Steelers need to do some effort to secure the young quarterback.
Howard, if nothing else, is suitable for Arthur Smith’s offense. He is not someone who should be a big passer, which has leaned towards Smith’s first approach. In addition, Howard’s best trait is his size and arm talent, which allows him to comfortably throw himself into the court and provide enough athleticism for the player’s figure. Smith’s entire game performance and boot menu will open with Howard quarterback.
It’s hard to imagine Howard developing down-to-earth accuracy and speed of play to truly grow into an NFL starter, but Smith’s offense at Pittsburgh would at least give Howard a chance to hide his weaknesses and rely on his strengths.
Dillon Gabriel: Miami Dolphin
It feels a bit good to have the prospect of a short left and right quarterback as a backup for a short left and right NFL quarterback, but that’s not the case. This makes sense when you consider the strengths of each player and the dynamics of being left-handed versus right-handed thrower.
First, passers often talk about the flight and rotation of the ball differently than the left and right quarterbacks – the ball spins towards 99% of the quarterbacks, so the receiver’s field of vision looks different.
Like Tua Tagovailoa, Gabriel also flourished with rpos and threw it in the middle. His flexible and explosive release allows him to have the perfect ability to manage these RPOs at a high level. And he thrives in constant throwing, even if it offers a higher speed than Tavavaloya.
The Dolphins desperately need to invest in backup quarterbacks in some way. Gabriel is suitable.
Quinn Ewers: Buffalo bills
Not every player or team can get the ideal game in such practices. Sometimes, the team has to settle for the rest.
From Bill’s point of view, the young backup quarterback should be on the table, as Mitchell Trubisky has a year left in the trade. It makes sense that the bills are ahead early and bringing developing development participants into the pipeline very early.
Ewers will bring functional athleticism and arm talent to Joe Brady. He still struggles with pocket presence and touch accuracy, especially on the court, but there is enough talent there to shape the dysfunction.
(Top photo of Jaxson Dart: Justin Ford/Getty Images)
