Beyond Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward, has any QB emerged in the 2025 NFL Draft class?

Last year featured one of those rare cycles when the stars of futility truly aligned the number of starting-level quarterback prospects and the number of teams who needed them in the NFL Draft was close to even.

We likely wont see a repeat in 2025.

As weve explained all season, the quarterback group for the 2025 NFL Draft is not necessarily bad, it just doesnt stop traffic the way some groups have.

Most agree Colorado s Shedeur Sanders and Miami s Cam Ward should be considered first-round prospects this year.

There are, of course, more than two teams in the NFL thatll need a QB this offseason, be it via free agency or the draft.

Beyond Sanders and Ward, though, whos next? Drew Allar , Penn State 6 feet 5, 235 pounds | Jr.

Season stats: 2,894 yards (69.1 percent completions), 21 TDs, 7 INTs, 14.2 percent off-target, 8.7 air yards per attempt A little more than a year ago, many people watched former Michigan QB J.J.

McCarthy attempt all of eight throws against Penn State and wondered how any team could consider him in the first round.

Not only did that ultimately happen, but also McCarthy wound up being a top-10 pick.

Allar, the QB on the other sideline that afternoon in Happy Valley, is sort of going through a similar situation now.

Advertisement Allar throws more than McCarthy did, but barely hell enter the College Football Playoff averaging fewer than 25 attempts per game.

Penn State is often careful with what it does (and doesnt) allow Allar to do, which complicates Allars scouting evaluation.

Much like McCarthy, Allar will end his junior year without an overly large film inventory of translatable NFL throws.

He does, however, have some more than he did a year ago.

And theyre impressive.

Allars performance against Oregon in a competitive Big Ten championship game loss wasnt unlike his day in a win at USC earlier this year.

He made too many mistakes, showed sloppy footwork and missed layups, but he also displayed outstanding arm talent with the ability to attack the entire field.

Allar has flashed outstanding velocity and accuracy over the middle of the field.

Hes also made several impressive opposite-hash throws and shown better touch over the top.

Allar has prototypical size, and hes a great athlete who can make throws on the move both inside and out of the pocket.

The number of careless plays he makes is still a concern, and his accuracy is nowhere near consistent enough to be a reliable starter in the NFL tomorrow.

His traits on the whole, however, are first-round quality.

Allar has a decision to make this winter.

He isnt a top-30 prospect overall in this class, but he does have more than enough for a QB-needy team to see him as a first-round-worthy option.

GO DEEPER 2025 NFL mock draft: Predicting all 32 first-round picks in polarizing class Jalen Milroe , Alabama 6-2, 225 | R-Jr.

Season stats: 2,652 yards (65.9 percent), 15 TDs, 10 INTs, 15.0 percent off-target, 9.7 air yards per attempt Another player with a decision to make, Milroe offers physical tools that are undeniable.

Twitchy and powerful, Milroe can be the type of lethal runner in space that few NFL teams have right now.

(Many expect him to flirt with a 40 time in the 4.3-second range.) His arm strength is elite.

Hes also very hard to sack, keeps plays alive and is an aggressive player.

Advertisement If we stopped right there, Milroe would be a top-five pick ...

But we cant stop there.

Not only are Milroes accuracy issues more of a worry than Allars, but theyve gotten a bit worse this season (15 percent off-target rate, up from 14.8).

Hes also thrown 10 interceptions and lost five fumbles.

From 30,000 feet, the Jalen Hurts comparison is very easy.

He and Milroe are nearly the same size.

Hurts took a lot of chances with the football in college, too, even during his terrific final year at Oklahoma, and had more than his share of accuracy issues.

However, Id argue Hurts then was ahead of where Milroe is now in terms of accuracy and consistent ball placement.

So, though it only takes one team to fall in love with a first-round QB even if he might be a project its easy to see Milroe sliding to Day 2 should he declare.

Would he be better served playing a fifth year in college and taking his chances with what could be a very talented 2026 QB class, or should he roll the dice? Garrett Nussmeier , LSU 6-2, 200 | R-Jr.

Season stats: 3,735 yards (63.7 percent), 26 TDs, 11 INTs, 13.3 percent off-target, 9.1 air yards per attempt Nussmeier, 22, just finished his first full season as a college starter and had some of the best flashes of arm talent from any player in the country.

The son of Philadelphia Eagles QB coach Doug Nussmeier, the LSU QB has shown an outstanding ability to work around pressure in the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield.

His arm talent is first-round worthy.

And though NFL teams might prefer a bigger QB, Garrett Nussmeier is hardly small.

That said, he might be the most inconsistent player on this list right now, due to his inexperience.

He yo-yos between looking elite and nowhere close to ready as much as any prospect in the class.

If he tries his luck in the draft this year, Nussmeier would at least be discussed as a first-round option by several QB-needy teams though itd be hard to justify a top-15 pick on a player who needs at least one more year to develop and wont be able to provide much until then.

Should Nussmeier return to LSU, find a way to get rid of the ugly games (Texas A&M, Alabama this year, for example) and repeat more of the good ones ( Ole Miss , Arkansas, UCLA ), hed have top-10 potential in 2026.

GO DEEPER NFL Draft 2025 Big Board: Travis Hunter takes No.

1 spot, 4 QBs in updated top 50 Carson Beck , Georgia 6-4, 220 | Fifth-year Season stats: 3,485 yards (64.7 percent), 28 TDs, 12 INTs, 9.4 percent off-target, 8.4 air yards per attempt No player in America has missed former teammates this season more than Beck has missed Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey .

Its been a challenging season for the two-year Georgia starter and, frankly, his stock has taken a serious hit to this point.

Not only do I believe Beck wouldve been a first-rounder had he declared last year, but seeing where Michael Penix Jr.

went I often wonder how high he might have climbed.

Advertisement A year later, its pretty difficult to justify any of that now.

It hasnt been a total collapse, mind you Beck still has put plenty of big-time throws on tape, remains a fine processor and is a good athlete who can throw with touch over the middle.

However, Georgias offense has needed more from him this season.

There also have been way too many poor stretches, including a disastrous start to the Alabama game.

Beck (who left the SEC title game at halftime with an elbow injury ) is a good-sized passer who can make plays if hes surrounded by talent.

Its hard to envision teams having anything but a backup grade on him right now, though.

Hed likely be ticketed for a spot toward the back of Day 2 or later.

Quinn Ewers , Texas 6-2, 210 | R-Jr.

Season stats: 2,665 yards (66.2 percent), 25 TDs, 9 INTs, 11.1 percent off-target, 6.9 air yards per target Texas is headed to the Playoff, so calling Ewers season a disappointment might not be fair.

Its been frustrating, though, and there is no better example of that than Saturdays 3-point loss to Georgia .

Texas is arguably the most talented team in America, and Steve Sarkisians offense remains the envy of every QB.

Those realities come with a lot of pressure for the Longhorns QB.

And even though Ewers has displayed arm talent and touch in basically every game hes played, the questions about whether he can handle a starting NFL job are still there.

Ewers has always had the arm talent and confidence.

Now the game feels a fraction slower for him.

pic.twitter.com/TA1Wzs8jR2 Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) September 8, 2024 Ewers has missed games because of injury every year hes been at Texas.

His process at this point isnt consistent.

He misses way too many layups, takes too many chances and struggles with layering throws over the middle.

Hes also not very big, and his arm is not as strong as he sometimes seems to think it is on tight-window throws.

Ewers has flashed enough over the years for a team to take a chance on him by the end of Round 3.

However, NFL teams likely wont be certain he can emerge as a full-time starter.

Kurtis Rourke , Indiana 6-5, 223 | Sixth-year Advertisement Season stats: 2,827 yards (70.4 percent), 27 TDs, 4 INTs, 10.1 percent off-target, 10.1 air yards per attempt One of the best stories of the season, Rourkes joyride with Curt Cignetti hit a bump in mid-October when he broke his right thumb.

Rourkes accuracy hasnt been the same since, and it was especially poor during a 5-point win over Michigan and a lopsided loss at Ohio State easily the two most talented defenses Indiana saw all year.

Rourkes quick processing, confidence over the middle and accuracy from the pocket (when hes protected) are enough to be of use in the NFL, albeit likely as a long-term backup with spot-starting capability.

Think of him like Aidan OConnell or possibly Gardner Minshew II.

There are lingering concerns, though.

Rourkes arm talent can be underwhelming, and as we saw late this season, his accuracy fades far too easily when windows tighten.

Rourke has a gigantic opportunity in front of him during Indianas first-round Playoff game at Notre Dame.

If the Hoosiers make a run, and Rourkes accuracy returns to what it was before that thumb injury, he can be a potential high-Day 3 sleeper.

GO DEEPER Which 2025 NFL Draft prospects most improved their stock this season? Riley Leonard , Notre Dame 6-4, 216 | R-Jr.

Season stats: 2,092 yards (66.2 percent), 16 TDs, 5 INTs, 14.7 percent off-target, 7.6 air yards per attempt Leonard got better this season its pretty hard to argue otherwise.

The question is whether he improved enough for the NFLs liking, and on a grander scale: Will he ever? One of the best QB athletes in this class, with a great frame and a big-time arm, Leonard has been on scouting radars for at least three years since dotting his erratic Duke tape with several NFL-caliber dimes.

Hes a great thrower; hes not always a great quarterback.

RILEY LEONARD 50 YARD TOUCHDOWN #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/ZNLEaTyDfx Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 21, 2024 Leonard is still nowhere near accurate enough, but hes also less all over the place than he was during an injury-shortened 2023.

When the pocket is calm, Leonard can look great.

When its not, his process tends to collapse and he often looks to run far too early.

Leonards arm talent will keep him in NFL conversations the whole way, however, and his upcoming Playoff run will tell us plenty about where he is as a prospect.

Others of note in the 2025 class: Cade Klubnik , Clemson ; Jaxson Dart , Ole Miss; Kyle McCord , Syracuse ; Diego Pavia , Vanderbilt; Will Howard , Ohio State; Dillon Gabriel , Oregon (Photo of Drew Allar: Michael Allio / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images).

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