2025: Quarterbacks

Cam Ward – QB – Miami - 96

Let me just get this out of my system, I hate how he finishes runs. Or more accurately fails to finish runs. Like at least Mahomes is trying to get a flag, Cam Ward just looks lazy like he doesn’t want to move his feet anymore. At least against Florida. Okay, much better, thanks. We’ve got ourselves a gunslinger. You know what that means, boom or bust. It’s basically synonymous. The first thing that jumps out on the film is his escapability. Look around the NFL, the best quarterbacks have high level escapability. Check. The second thing that jumps out, is he doesn’t give a fuck about footwork. Thanks but no thanks coach, I don’t know or care what a platform is. And the third thing that jumps out is the arm talent. I’m not going to say elite, but it’s high level. As a reminder – arm talent is using the combination of arm strength, touch, and accuracy to complete passes, particularly into small or irregular windows. So that’s a lot of check marks. And it sounds a lot like Caleb Williams, right? Sure does. My concerns are bad habits primarily. He drifts deep in the pocket, often bypasses in rhythm throws to make the big splash. Sounds like Caleb Williams, right? Sure does. So why does Ward have a lower grade than Caleb? I hate to say it but him not finishing runs really bothers me. Like what else does he not put effort into? Still, he’s got high level talent and remember that Kyler Murray graduated from Munchkin State to be the first overall pick, this kid deserves it too.

Shedeur Sanders – QB – Colorado - 93

Here’s the mover and shaker of the draft. So much speculation about who will draft him, where, and is what is his value. Let’s simplify. We know he can run an offense on time and in rhythm. We know he has some elusiveness in the pocket but is not a scrambler. We know he has above average accuracy, but is not elite in that respect. We know he has average arm strength. And we know that he is tough as nails both physically and mentally. This kid got battered at times for the Buffs and never complained, never let it affect his level of play. Shedeur has been in the national spotlight at a minimum since he entered Jackson State 4 years ago. Think about the number of stupid debate shows with washed up journalists and roided up athletes yelling over each other to share choreographed takes about who Shedeur really is. That’s been going on for years. And he is completely unrattled and remains supremely confident. I couldn’t be more impressed with that aspect. My reservations are his talent limitations, which is odd given his Dad was one of the most athletic players ever. Shedeur isn’t big, isn’t fast, doesn’t have a huge arm. He’s an on-time, read and throw quarterback. Nothing wrong with that. I’m just saying his ceiling is somewhere in the Brock Purdy range. Now the 49ers cut their whole team so they could pay Purdy 50 million bucks so you can easily argue that value is certainly worth a top 10 picks. But I’m a tough grader, so I put Shedeur in the second half of round one which is not a knock, just a reality check.

Kyle McCord – QB – Syracuse - 79

He sure looks like Jay Cutler. Not the same arm strength, but McCord’s got plenty of juice. Former 5 star that transferred out of Ohio State after one season as a starter and then reset the ACC record books in his one season with the Orange. He’s definitely a pocket passer, but can run in a straight line if he has to. Gotta say, he’s worth a third round flyer because he’s got traits that you can’t coach into a player. But he’s mistake prone. And why did he leave Ohio State? Did they ask him to go?

Jaxson Dart – QB – Ole Miss - 78

Very talented thrower that is best suited for 7 on 7. Outstanding accuracy, enough arm strength, and a good feel for the whole field. His trouble is pressure. His footwork gets out of whack, and his eye level comes down, and he makes bad plays. Pure and simple, keep him clean and he’ll chunk yards. But unsettle him in the pocket and you’re looking at a back-up level player.

Jalen Milroe – QB – Alabama – 76

Burners at the quarterback position. His running game is a lot like Jayden Daniels, if Daniels weighed 220 pounds. The passing game has good numbers but does not look natural. That doesn’t feel fair, but Milroe has to strain to get power behind his throws. I see evidence of full field reads which was more than I expected. This is going to be a project to turn this kid into an NFL QB. Jalen scrambles to run and his accuracy on the move really suffers. I don’t see a pocket quarterback, nor should he be, but he needs to develop his scramble to throw mentality and skillset to make it at the next level. I could not be more in love with the Kordell Stewart comparison.

Quinn Ewers – QB – Texas – 60

No.

Will Howard – QB - Ohio State – 50

I saw Will Howard say teams will regret not drafting him. Just wanted to note, no they will not.