Learn Dane Brugler’s 2025 ‘The Beast’ NFL Draft information.
At the very least past Cam Ward, there isn’t any consensus on the place every of this 12 months’s crop of quarterbacks might get drafted. After Ward presumably turns into a Tennessee Titan, the remainder of the group is an entire thriller. It’s simply as doubtless Ward is the one quarterback we see on Thursday night time as it’s that 4 quarterbacks go within the first spherical.
Fortunate for us, we’re going to chop by all that uncertainty and play quarterback matchmaker, inserting all of this 12 months’s high quarterback prospects on the groups that take advantage of sense. In some instances, that has extra to do with what kind of quarterback the group wants; in others, it’s about discovering the appropriate atmosphere for getting essentially the most out of a selected talent set.
Let’s get to the stunning new {couples}.
Cam Ward: Tennessee Titans
All indicators level to Ward being the Titans’ beginning quarterback subsequent 12 months. It’s not even price entertaining completely different potentialities for both QB or group at this level. Ward is each a very good match for the core of Brian Callahan’s offense and would carry components that Titans’ quarterbacks final season didn’t.
The Titans’ 2024 offense was all about maximizing play-action alternatives and attacking down the sector. Ward has the arm expertise and fearlessness as a thrower to excel in that atmosphere. Nonetheless, Ward additionally massively improved his quick-game operation in faculty, and he’s far more snug enjoying from unfold and empty formations than Will Levis has ever been. Ward is leaps and bounds forward of Levis (or Mason Rudolph) as a creator outdoors of the pocket, too.
There are going to be rising pains with Ward’s overzealous play fashion early on, however they are going to be price it in the long term. Ward has each a ground and ceiling worthy of being the No. 1 decide on this class.
Shedeur Sanders: New Orleans Saints
Discovering Sanders’ greatest match was trickier than I anticipated. Kevin Stefanski’s downfield play-action offense in Cleveland shouldn’t be splendid; Brian Daboll’s faster passing assault in New York may make sense, however that offensive line is a sieve and Sanders shouldn’t be athletic sufficient to faucet into among the greatest elements of Daboll’s playbook.
The thought of Sanders being Kellen Moore’s first crack at a quarterback is intriguing, although. Sanders is at his greatest working unfold passing ideas, particularly within the beneath space. He’s a dependable short-area passer who makes use of the intermediate and deeper areas of the sector to maintain defenses trustworthy, somewhat than making these his most well-liked areas of assault. That’s completely positive for a West Coast-inspired offense.
After all, falling to ninth general isn’t any assure. The Browns or the Giants might really feel the itch of desperation and draft Sanders within the high three. If Sanders does slide a bit bit, nonetheless, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Saints cease that fall.
Jaxson Dart: Seattle Seahawks
It will be beautiful if the Seahawks left the primary two days of the draft with out a quarterback. The deal Sam Darnold signed in March is successfully a one-year contract with group choices from then on out — if that doesn’t scream “a developmental quarterback is coming,” I don’t know what does.
Seattle may go in a couple of instructions, however Dart is smart for his or her new offense underneath Klint Kubiak, and vice versa.
Dart jogs my memory numerous Jimmy Garoppolo as a passer. The 2 are fairly comparable in construct, arm expertise and talent on throws over the center of the sector. A majority of Dart’s greatest throws on movie are slants, quick posts and crossers. The identical was true of Garoppolo at his greatest in San Francisco. Neither Dart nor Garoppolo is a quarterback you need studying out a full development fairly often.
In concept, Kubiak’s offense performs into all of that. It’s constructed off the run sport, which is then parlayed into a powerful play-action assault. Not solely does that simplify reads for the quarterback, it additionally calls for the QB usually makes tight throws over the center of the sector, which is the place Dart shines.
With a 12 months on the bench to be taught the tempo of the league, perhaps Dart could make it work with the Seahawks.
Tyler Shough: Cleveland Browns
The Browns’ greatest path to a quarterback is to take the Day 2 participant most prepared to start out instantly. For my cash, that’s Shough.
Outdoors of Ward, Shough is the most talented thrower in the class. He has a versatile but explosive launch that works effectively from all platforms, out and in of the pocket. Although he’s extra of a straight-line thrower than somebody with implausible contact, he nonetheless will get the job finished from an accuracy perspective.
Shough is a top quality processor, as effectively. Much like Ryan Tannehill, he could be a hair sluggish coming off of reads early within the down however usually doesn’t make weird errors, and he protects the ball effectively.
When it comes to professional readiness and arm expertise, Shough simply makes essentially the most sense for Kevin Stefanski’s offense proper now.
Jalen Milroe: Los Angeles Rams
If Sean McVay desires to maintain the offense roughly the identical in an eventual post-Matthew Stafford world, Milroe shouldn’t be the reply — he’s really the furthest factor from Stafford on this draft class (except for the 2 or three weird misfires every QB has each sport).
McVay has lengthy flirted with the thought of a cellular quarterback, although. He was keen to offer John Wolford an opportunity on the finish of the Jared Goff saga, then held onto him because the group’s backup by the 2022 season. McVay additionally gave Bryce Perkins a begin in 2022, a sport by which Perkins carried the ball 19 occasions for 90 yards.
Milroe will stroll into the league as among the best athletes on the place. As a passer, he’ll want at least a year to fix his footwork and adapt to the velocity of protection on the NFL degree, however that’s okay. There can be no stress on Milroe to compete with Stafford for the job.
This is able to be a protracted play. No matter it being a very good or real looking concept, I simply so badly wish to see the world by which McVay will get to re-unlock the boot-action sport and dabble in a quarterback-centric speeding assault.
Riley Leonard: New York Giants
Brian Daboll’s greatest work over time — outdoors of his time with Josh Allen — was at Alabama in 2017, with Jalen Hurts, and in 2022, with Daniel Jones.
Although completely different high quality gamers, Hurts and Jones can each usually be described as sturdy, athletic quarterbacks with the arm expertise to push the ball down the sector a bit bit. Each gamers added one thing to the offense by way of their mobility, and Daboll took benefit.
Other than perhaps Milroe, Leonard is Daboll’s greatest swing at that form of athlete. Leonard is 6-foot-4, 218 kilos with critical wheels. He’s pretty explosive in brief areas and excels when he actually will get to stride out, much like Jones. He’s clearly a weapon within the designed-run sport and the pink zone.
Leonard nonetheless has loads to show as a passer, however his athletic means and toughness provides him a ground to work with whereas he figures it out.
Kyle McCord: Dallas Cowboys
It’s exhausting to search out and maintain onto good backup quarterbacks — the Cowboys had been fortunate to draft and retain Cooper Rush for so long as that they did. Boring as he’s to observe, Rush was a wonderfully competent quarterback when it got here to operating the offense and never enjoying outdoors of his means.
With Rush now in Baltimore, the Cowboys are in quest of the subsequent man to fill that position. McCord is their greatest wager.
McCord shouldn’t be an amazing expertise. His arm is simply okay, and he’s not going to scare anybody on the transfer. Like all good NFL backup, nonetheless, McCord can run an offense effectively and persistently. He actually discovered to play inside himself at Syracuse, displaying good rhythm and decision-making as a thrower.
It’s unlikely he ever ascends to something above an excellent backup, however that’s fairly alright for a Cowboys group searching for that precise form of participant.
Will Howard: Pittsburgh Steelers
They need to draft anyone, proper? Even underneath the belief Aaron Rodgers finally drops the charade and signs, the Steelers have to make some type of effort to safe a younger quarterback.
Howard, if nothing else, suits Arthur Smith’s offense. He isn’t somebody who ought to be a high-volume passer, which already leans into Smith’s run-first method. Moreover, Howard’s greatest traits are his measurement and arm expertise, which permits him to comfortably throw down the sector, in addition to ample athletic means for a participant his measurement. Smith’s total play-action and boot menu can be open with Howard at quarterback.
It’s exhausting to think about Howard growing the down-to-down accuracy and play velocity to essentially thrive as an NFL starter, however Smith’s offense in Pittsburgh at the very least would give Howard an opportunity to cover his weaknesses and lean into his strengths.
Dillon Gabriel: Miami Dolphins
Placing the quick lefty quarterback prospect as a backup to the quick lefty NFL quarterback looks like a bit, nevertheless it’s not. It is smart when you think about every participant’s strengths and the dynamics of being a left-handed vs. right-handed thrower.
Firstly, pass-catchers usually speak concerning the flight and spin of the ball being completely different from lefty quarterbacks — the ball rotates in the other way of 99 p.c of quarterbacks, so it seems to be completely different coming right into a receiver’s imaginative and prescient.
Gabriel, like Tua Tagovailoa, additionally thrives with RPOs and throws over the center. He has a versatile and explosive launch, making him completely outfitted to handle these RPOs at a excessive degree. And he thrives on in-breaking throws, even providing extra velocity than Tagovailoa does.
The Dolphins desperately have to put money into a backup quarterback one way or the other. Gabriel suits.
Quinn Ewers: Buffalo Payments
Not each participant or group will get their splendid match in an train like this. Generally, groups need to accept whoever is left on the dance ground.
From the Payments’ perspective, a younger backup quarterback ought to be on the desk, as a result of Mitchell Trubisky has only one 12 months left on his deal. It makes some sense for the Payments to get forward of issues early and get a developmental participant within the pipeline.
Ewers would carry practical athleticism and arm expertise for Joe Brady. He nonetheless struggles with pocket presence and contact accuracy, particularly down the sector, however there’s sufficient expertise there to mould a practical backup.
(Prime picture of Jaxson Dart: Justin Ford / Getty Photographs)
