Taking an early look at the 2025 NFL Draft QB class, could two familiar faces headline the group heading into the cycle? Let’s take a closer look at what the 2025 QB crop might look like from where we stand.
2025 NFL Draft Could Be Headlined by Shedeur Sanders, Quinn Ewers
We’ve known for a long time that the 2024 NFL Draft QB class would be special.
Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are two of the best QB prospects since Andrew Luck, and passers like J.J. McCarthy, Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix, and Michael Penix Jr. have all entered the fold behind them.
What we don’t know, however, is how good the 2025 NFL Draft QB class will be.
There are no ascending underclassmen near the caliber that Williams and Maye were at heading into the 2023 season. But at the very least, the 2025 NFL Draft QB class does have two likely returnees in Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Texas’ Quinn Ewers.
MORE: Free NFL Mock Draft Simulator With Trades
Sanders, of course, followed his father and head coach Deion Sanders to the Buffaloes in 2023, and he’s been a breakout star of the 2023 campaign, completing 292 of 420 attempts for 3,144 yards, 26 touchdowns, and three picks through 10 games.
The younger Sanders has a case to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft if he wanted to do so. He’s earned the awe of scouts with his mechanical growth, situational precision, ability to work from the pocket, and his natural talent. He would be a likely first-round pick and would be in contention for the QB3 spot behind Maye and Williams.
But in September, Shedeur’s father discussed the merits of returning to school. The elder Sanders noted that NIL laws allow Shedeur to make money without rushing the leap to the NFL.
Sanders also said, in regards to his son’s mentality: “Shedeur don’t wanna be two to nobody. He don’t get down like that.”
With an opportunity at hand in 2024 to rejoin a building Buffaloes roster and field a greater chance to be the first quarterback taken in the 2025 NFL Draft, there’s a lot of incentive for Sanders to return to school rather than declare in 2024.
The same goes for Ewers, who’s in the midst of a quality 2023 campaign with the Texas Longhorns. Ewers’ completion percentage improved from 58.1% to 70.3% in 2023, and he’s thrown 14 touchdowns to just four picks while missing several games due to injury.
Ewers has shown growth with his accuracy and decision-making in 2023. But issues with field vision, processing, and deep ball placement still loom large, and he lacks the high-end athleticism to compensate as a prospect. Recent reports suggested that Ewers “had yet to decide” on his 2024 decision, and there have been rumors that he’s likely to return.
With Ewers still in need of more refinement and Sanders in search of an opportunity to compete collegiately and be the No. 1 overall pick, both quarterbacks seem primed to return to school and throw their hats in the ring for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Were they to do so, Sanders and Ewers would be, by far, the most established passers on the 2025 NFL Draft circuit. And Sanders, in particular, would be the early QB1 favorite.
Who Else Could Join Sanders and Ewers in 2025 NFL Draft QB Class?
Sanders and Ewers, should they return, will strengthen the foundation of the 2025 NFL Draft QB class. But as we’ve seen across the 2023 NFL season, QB scarcity is not a problem that will go away overnight. And there’s room for breakouts to emerge in the 2025 cycle.
MORE: 2024 NFL Draft Prospect Watchlist
While there are no established early-round underclassmen prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft cycle, the pool of potential prospects is large.
Penn State’s Drew Allar, Texas A&M’s Conner Weigman, Ohio State’s Kyle McCord, and Clemson’s Cade Klubnik were all top recruits who’ve accrued enough experience to be on the radar. And Ty Thompson is set to succeed Nix at Oregon, with the talent and scheme to support an emergence.
Past the young QBs, there are also veterans with more to prove. Jalen Milroe has improved in 2023 and has the tools to be an early-round pick with more mechanical and operational progression. He’s joined by Kansas’ Jalon Daniels, Oregon State’s DJ Uiagalelei, Missouri’s Brady Cook, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, and Duke’s Riley Leonard.
Two more wild cards to watch are Houston’s Donovan Smith and Liberty’s Kaidon Salter. Salter is a bit undersized at 6’1″, 200 pounds, but he’s an electric athlete with exceptional creation capacity and a distinct playmaking gene.
Smith, meanwhile, is a strong-armed 6’5″, 230-pound gunslinger who has the combined size, athleticism, arm talent, and toughness to earn the zealous interest of NFL general managers.