In a draft class that’s typically perceived as weak at the quarterback position, the 2025 NFL Combine provides the nation’s top collegiate passers a chance to improve their stock.
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders will not be participating in on-field positional drills, a trend that many consensus top passers have followed in recent years. That said, he remains the only quarterback to have announced their decision to opt out of drills, as of this writing.
Top 2025 NFL Combine Quarterbacks
Much of the value teams get from quarterbacks at the NFL Combine doesn’t come from the workouts.
Sure, it’s always fun to see quarterbacks put up tremendous testing numbers. Additionally, you’ll sometimes get a Josh Allen or an Anthony Richardson throwing in drills, showing off their tremendous arm talent.
There’s only so much one can take away from a workout that doesn’t involve any defenders, though. If anything, the most important part of the Combine is the chance to get firsthand medical access to the prospects and get to interview them, evaluating them as a potential fit for that team’s organization.
The future group of NFL signal-callers can choose to partake in testing events like the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, and broad jump. Other popular Combine testing events include the bench press, 20-yard shuttle, 60-yard shuttle, and 3-cone drill, but quarterbacks often don’t participate in these events.
After testing and measurements are completed, passers will then take to the field to showcase their talents in various drills: pocket movement, three-five-seven-step drops (some of which include a hitch and others that don’t), seven-step rollout drill in both directions (throwing a pass to stationary targets on the run), and throwing slant, out, curl, dig, post-corner, and go routes to wide receivers.
Which quarterbacks should you pay attention to the most in Indianapolis during the 2025 NFL Combine?
Cam Ward, Miami (FL)
As of this writing, it has not been announced whether or not Cam Ward will participate in positional drills at the 2025 NFL Combine. If he does, though, his workout will be highly anticipated.
A consensus All-American and the Davey O’Brien Award winner in 2024, Ward put together a stellar performance in his only season at Miami. Stints at Incarnate Word and Washington State displayed his serious potential, but he took the next step with the Hurricanes and proved to be a true difference-maker at quarterback.
If Ward does choose to work out, teams will be able to see his strong arm firsthand in Indianapolis. He generates ideal velocity behind his throws and has the juice to stretch the field vertically. He has also proven himself as an above-average athlete at the quarterback position, which could see him perform well if he does partake in testing.
The question with Ward isn’t so much if he’s a gifted athlete; that much is certain. Rather, it’s his decision-making and consistent touch down the field that come into question. While he won’t be going through progressions at the Combine, a good throwing session could really boost his chances of being one of the first two picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Jalen Milroe, Alabama
Anthony Richardson turned plenty of heads with his athletic testing results at the 2023 NFL Combine, solidifying him as a top prospect despite shaky tape. Though not as tall as Richardson, Jalen Milroe has the potential to do something similar in 2025.
Milroe is arguably the most athletic quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft. He possesses tremendous breakaway speed and dizzying agility, making him a threat with the ball in his hands. Should he choose to run at the Combine, he’ll likely put together an impressive 40-yard dash time.
Watching Milroe’s tape, he has a combination of athleticism and arm strength that gives him a high ceiling at the NFL level. The floor for him is quite low, however. Questionable decision-making processes and general inaccuracy plagued him at Alabama, and he’ll need to become much more precise in the pros if he is to live up to his full potential.
What will also be particularly interesting is Milroe’s hand measurements. His hand size came in at 8 3/4 inches at the Senior Bowl, which is below the nine-inch minimum that’s typically accepted as the threshold for quarterbacks. Those measurements can vary by the slightest of fractions at the Combine, so a nine-inch measurement would be huge for him.
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
With a strong performance at the Senior Bowl, Jaxson Dart has started inching his way into first-round draft pick conversations.
A three-year starter at Ole Miss after starting off his collegiate career at USC, Dart enters the NFL with 11,970 career passing yards and 95 total touchdowns, 81 of them coming through the air. He consistently got better throughout college and peaked in his final year, earning first-team All-SEC recognition in 2024.
Dart is an accurate thrower of the football who can get the ball out quickly and distribute at a high level. He has a nice arm to work with, and he’s a pretty good athlete. If he demonstrates good ball placement at the 2025 NFL Combine in positional drills, it would only bolster what he displayed in college.
During in-game situations, Dart has a tendency to struggle going through his progressions and looking past his first read. That part won’t be tested at the Combine, but it will be interesting to see how his accuracy fares on deep balls and when he’s tasked with throwing on the move. Those were inconsistencies of his at Ole Miss.
Quinn Ewers, Texas
Quinn Ewers enters the 2025 NFL Draft with a superstar pedigree coming out of high school and a 21-5 record as a starter over the last two seasons. His arrival to the league is naturally going to be highly anticipated.
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Though one could argue Ewers was more inconsistent than some had hopes from one of the best high school recruits in recent memory, he turned Texas’ football program back around and brought them to the College Football Playoff in consecutive seasons.
The setting at the 2025 NFL Combine should benefit Ewers. He has an impressive arm, with great elasticity in his off-platform throws and ideal velocity behind his passes. He has that trick-shot ability that teams have a tendency to fall in love with at the quarterback position.
Where Ewers will need to prove himself, though, is in terms of his accuracy. His footwork has a tendency to become skittish, particularly when he’s under pressure. This greatly affects the consistency of his accuracy on a down-by-down basis. He probably won’t be a first-round pick, but Ewers can boost his stock in Indianapolis with refined footwork and better anticipation on the deep ball.
Quarterbacks Invited to 2025 NFL Combine
- Max Brosmer, Minnesota
- Brady Cook, Missouri
- Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
- Quinn Ewers, Texas
- Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
- Seth Henigan, Memphis
- Will Howard, Ohio State
- Riley Leonard, Notre Dame
- Kyle McCord, Syracuse
- Graham Mertz, Florida
- Jalen Milroe, Alabama
- Kurtis Rourke, Indiana
- Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
- Tyler Shough, Louisville
- Cam Ward, Miami (FL)