Can the 2025 NFL Draft quarterbacks live up to the promise of the 2024 group? The 2024 class had six passers go in Round 1, as well as the first three picks off the board.
The signal-callers in the coming class have more work to do to leave their mark. The 2025 NFL Draft QB class appears to be much weaker than its preceding group in the early stages, but it’s also very early in the process. Nonetheless, there is great potential in the present, and the regular season may help give us answers.
If the last class taught us anything, it’s how quickly things can change and how no name can be overlooked as a potential riser.
10) Donovan Smith, Houston
The son of Indianapolis Colts running backs coach DeAndre Smith, Donovan Smith has a football pedigree and had his best season yet as a full-time starter at Houston in 2023, completing 64.5% of his passes for 2,801 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.
To be frank, Smith has played poorly to kick off the 2024 campaign — poorly enough to place his status as Houston’s starting QB at risk. But until he loses the job, he has the raw talent to command a degree of patience.
Smith can still improve his decision-making, as lapses can create turnover opportunities for opposing defenses. Yet, he quietly has all the necessary talent to be a compelling developmental passer.
At 6’5″ and 235 pounds, Smith is athletic, malleable off-script, and an excellent pocket manager. His flashes of anticipation and situational precision are inspiring. But before he can rise or lock in his standing, he needs to build on this foundation.
Other QB prospects contending for this spot include Kyle McCord, Garrett Nussmeier, Cade Klubnik, and Taylen Green.
9) Noah Fifita, Arizona
The 2024 offseason was chaotic for Arizona’s football program — emphasized by the departure of head coach Jedd Fisch to Washington. However, quarterback Noah Fifita and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan remain steady constants in 2024.
Though Fifita doesn’t have the same early-round upside that McMillan has, he could contend for draft capital as a high-quality backup.
Fifita, who stands around 5’11”, 195 pounds, quietly had a terrific 2023 campaign, completing 72.4% of his passes for 2,869 yards, 25 TDs, and just six INTs.
He’s undersized and lacks elite tools, but Fifita’s control in the pocket and gamer mentality serves him well.
8) Conner Weigman, Texas A&M
On the surface, the 2025 NFL Draft QB class looks relatively light on underclassmen talent. Yet, one prospect who could ascend with a full year as a starter is Texas A&M’s Conner Weigman — now playing under the Aggies’ new head coach, Mike Elko.
A former five-star recruit with a prototypical 6’3″, 215-pound frame, Weigman completed 82 of his 119 (68.9%) pass attempts for 979 yards, eight TDs, and two INTs before an injury cut his 2023 campaign short.
Weigman’s 2024 campaign began poorly in an ineffective showing against Notre Dame. However, he still has the functional athleticism and drive velocity to buoy a first-round profile, and he’s shown to use loft to attune situational precision.
With more time, he could yet rise.
7) Jalen Milroe, Alabama
Down the stretch in 2023, Jalen Milroe made a midseason benching for Tyler Buchner feel like nothing more than a bad dream. Milroe grew throughout the 2023 season, putting up over 3,000 yards and 35 touchdowns while becoming an undeniable star for the Crimson Tide.
There’s still plenty of room for Milroe to keep refining his mechanics and process as a passer, but he’s an electric creator and running threat at 6’2″, 220 pounds, with the arm strength to drive the ball downfield.
This was a big week for Jalen Milroe: His first test against a secondary with potential NFL talent (Ricardo Hallman, Hunter Wohler).
So far, he’s been spectacular. 9-12, 130 yards. 50 rush yards, 3 Total TDs. And this immaculate bucket throw.
— Ian Cummings (@IC_Draft) September 14, 2024
Milroe has all of the requisite talent to be a future NFL starter. He’s a superlative athlete and competitor with blistering speed, explosiveness, and agility. He also has a strong arm with good angle freedom and elasticity.
Going further, NFL teams will be won over by Milroe’s toughness and resolve as a leader. He could have faded away after being benched early in the 2023 season by Nick Saban. But a week later, he returned and, down the stretch, became Alabama’s most important player.
Working with Kalen DeBoer could help Milroe take the next step as a quarterback, much as he did for Michael Penix Jr. Milroe will be tested more later on in the 2024 season.
6) Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
Jaxson Dart was one of the biggest reasons Ole Miss went 11-2 a season ago. Along the way, he completed 65.1% of his pass attempts for 3,364 yards, 23 TDs, and just five picks. He also added eight scores on the ground for good measure.
A former Mr. Football in the state of Utah, Dart has all the requisite talent. He’s a good athlete and a tough competitor, with the arm elasticity to layer pace and touch. If he can keep growing — primarily as a pocket manager — Dart has Round 1 upside.
He’s been immaculate so far in the 2024 campaign, but he also hasn’t been challenged yet. SEC play down the road will change that.
5) Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
No QB prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft has more fanfare than Shedeur Sanders. That’s what comes with being not only a premier 2023 transfer signing but also the son of former Hall of Fame cornerback and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders.
The Buffaloes didn’t meet expectations after a hot start in 2023, but Shedeur did his job and did it well despite having very little help from his offensive line. Over 12 games, Sanders completed 298 of 430 passes for 3,230 yards, 27 TDs, and just three INTs.
Early on in the 2024 season, it appears as if the storyline will be more of the same. Colorado has been up and down early on, but Sanders remains one of the team’s best components on the offensive side of the ball.
As a player, Sanders has drawn comparisons to Seattle Seahawks Pro Bowl QB Geno Smith with his smooth mobility, crisp accuracy and touch, and easy arm talent. But a lack of clean pockets continues to make Sanders skittish, and off the field, his leadership style has drawn ire.
There’s still time for Sanders to correct his flaws and right the ship. And with his arm and accuracy, he does have early-round upside. However, there’s still work to do before Sanders’ stock matches his prestige.
4) Quinn Ewers, Texas
Quinn Ewers‘ arc has been one for the ages.
Five-star recruit. Top talent in the nation out of high school. Celebrated signing of the Ohio State Buckeyes — famed developer of NFL talent.
And then the prized transfer addition of the Texas Longhorns.
From the very start, Ewers has been one of the biggest names in college football. But all through the 2023 campaign, he carried a Day 3 grade on my board. The talent was undeniable, but there was still a lack of discipline, both with mechanics in timing.
Quinn Ewers and @TexasFootball are putting on a CLINIC in Michigan 🔥pic.twitter.com/dxp86eCoSJ
— College Football Network (@CFN365) September 7, 2024
It’s still early in the 2024 campaign, but Ewers might have changed his game for the better. His stellar showing against an elite Michigan defense displayed a different version of Ewers, one who channeled his elite arm elasticity and off-platform ability with previously unseen control and maturity.
Ewers isn’t quite an elite athlete or creator, but if he can remain consistent operationally, he has the uncommon arm talent to elevate his stock and ascend into the early rounds.
Another College Football Playoff run would only magnify the momentum.
3) Drew Allar, Penn State
Drew Allar doesn’t yet grade out as a first-round prospect, but he’s one of the young quarterbacks most primed to rise with another good season.
As a true sophomore in 2023, Allar threw for 2,631 yards, 25 touchdowns, and just two picks. Thus far, in the 2024 campaign, he’s remained productive while his efficiency metrics have improved.
At 6’5″, 241 pounds, Allar — a former five-star recruit — has arm talent to the max, and he can drive passes with eye-popping velocity with minimal strain. To that end, Allar can also work off-platform and use his arm elasticity to widen throwing windows.
Allar can still be more consistent with his accuracy and precision, but already in 2024, he’s shown off a greater propensity to use touch and situational precision on his throws. If he keeps climbing, he can enter the first-round discussion.
2) Cam Ward, Miami (FL)
Cam Ward started the 2023 season on a four-game heater for Washington State. Over that stretch, he threw for 1,394 yards, 13 touchdowns, and zero interceptions. But his output dropped over the season’s remaining eight games, tossing just 12 TDs to seven interceptions.
When he’s on, Ward has the elite arm talent to make throws that no other quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft can make. He also has the change-of-direction ability at 6’2″ and 223 pounds to be a stellar creative presence.
Maturing and putting it all together is the key for Ward. And the returns have been very promising at Miami. He’s been immaculate to start the season, and one could argue he’s been the best QB in the nation so far in 2024.
This season, Ward has matched his high-level passing talent and creation capacity with a newfound sense of timing, discipline, and authority as a field general. If he can keep this up, Round 1 capital is within reach.
1) Carson Beck, Georgia
Right now, Carson Beck is safely the present QB1 in the 2025 NFL Draft. Looking at how he already operates in the pocket after one full year as a starter, it’s hard to turn away from Beck’s potential.
Even though the Bulldogs missed the College Football Playoff last year after a heartbreaking SEC Championship loss to Alabama, Beck was a central force for the team’s success, completing 302 of 417 attempts (72.4%) for 3,941 yards, 24 TDs, and six INTs.
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At around 6’4″ and 215 pounds, Beck is a lean, nimble pocket operator. He’s incredibly poised under pressure, adept at scanning the field, and has the laser-like velocity and layering ability to fit the ball into incredibly tight windows.
He’s not the same athlete, but some aspects of Beck’s physical profile as a passer are reminiscent of Trevor Lawrence.
If he can make his high-level flashes of anticipation a regularity, Beck has the potential to lock down the No. 1 overall pick in a similar fashion.
