A year ago that was still how much. Today it is: do we have any left?
The topic of conversation a year ago was the availability of potential franchise quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft. And by mid-November 2023, there was little doubt that the coming wave of talent – including the varied experience among the player pool – had placed the league on the doorstep of a huge pool of players. It was a class that featured a generational talent (Caleb Williams), a quick riser (Jayden Daniels), a nitpicky but abundantly talented prototype (Drake Maye), a winner with raw upside (JJ McCarthy) and two deeply experienced starters seen as ready to go rookies (Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix).
For the personnel departments, this was the quarterback party.
And now the famine.
That’s still the general consensus from a dozen personnel sources across the spectrum, from general managers to area scouts, who spoke with Yahoo Sports this week about where the 2025 quarterback class is trending. The bad news? When the college football season started, the class was below average, and as we enter the final few weeks of the regular season, the trend is largely flat. There were some big surprises, but also some disappointments.
But it is the common thread running through the class that is deflating: no megawatt star has emerged yet. So much so that if the entire 2025 QB class was compared to the 2024 class, the best player in the 2025 class would only have come off the board after the top six players from the class of 2024.
When asked if even one bona fide star had emerged at QB in the next draft class, an NFC executive said the search is still ongoing.
“Not yet,” he said. “I think more have faded than risen.”
With that in mind, I’ve put together a two-sentence explanation of the current top five QB prospects (which will change somewhat in the coming months) based on the opinions of evaluators. Then I asked the more relevant question: what is left to shape this class?
First, the prospects. Two sentences for each that explain the general feeling of a majority of the raters (which meant there were disagreements with each player).
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado Buffaloes: Refined and resilient, but with some concern that there isn’t much growth left in his development to reach a new level in the NFL. And there is definitely growing concern that his father, Deion Sanders, is acting as a consistent critic with a bullhorn for all the staff who call him out.
Cam Ward, Miami Hurricanes: Creative with the football and has shown (for the most part) the ability to limit turnovers when playing against higher level competition. However, his decisions can be a bit of a roller coaster and he can be downright reckless at times (which he doesn’t get away with very often at the NFL level), which is part of the reason he was considered a Day 3 pick. best in the 2024 draft.
Quinn Ewers, Texas Longhorns: Solid overall package but never really reached a spectacular level, nor showed that he can create consistently. There is certainly some concern about the consistency with which he has dealt with injuries throughout his career.
Carson Beck, Georgia Bulldogs: Has regressed from the trend improvement shown in 2023, possibly under the weight of early expectations that he could be QB1 in the 2025 draft and potentially the top pick in the draft. He still has the tools you like, but some of his decisions and his quick turnover are a nightmare that suggests he’s much more of a project.
Jalen Milroe, Alabama Crimson Tide: Special as a runner but still a long way to go to continue his development as a passer. In some ways he’s reminiscent of Justin Fields, but with a much, much less refined overall game than when Fields was drafted, essentially putting Milroe at a long-term project level.
These weren’t the only five players mentioned. Others were involved. But this was certainly the central group. I won’t go into the specific complaints of the evaluators or some of the more colorful thoughts, because there is still an ocean of evaluation ahead of us. But one thing I will say: The 2025 quarterback class looks remarkably similar to the 2024 running back class, leaving NFL teams with an array of divided opinions within the group — but also a consensus that it was relatively suprising if it was about the “center” star department.
So what happens now? The evaluators all agreed that the 12-team College Football Playoff could play an important role in building consensus around the players. For example, if Sanders and Colorado were able to get into the playoffs and then put together an impressive run when the stakes and competition are at the highest level, that could create significant draft momentum. That’s the case for all five players, each of whom could battle through the postseason.
Consider how much CJ Stroud’s draft stock was helped when he put together an impressive game in a loss to an NFL talent-laden Georgia defense in the 2022 CFP semifinals. That raised eyebrows and helped Stroud on his way to No. 2 in the 2023 draft. The 12-team playoff could absolutely mean the same for someone in this group of five. Maybe even projecting them to the top of the design.
So take your seats for the play-off. NFL quarterback evaluators certainly will.
And one final thought that can’t be ruled out, and it came from an NFC general manager when it comes to this upcoming quarterback class:
“Whether you have a high rating on any of the topics or think they fit what you’re looking for, all you need is an owner to walk into a meeting and say, ‘I think this guy is who we need ‘,” he said. “That can happen. Or the coaches don’t think the guy is the right choice, but someone else inside the building, or sometimes outside the building, convinces an owner that this is someone who can turn the tide.”
“You should not ignore that good work can guide a good decision and that an owner can go against that. A homeless man told me [Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam] to formulate [Johnny] Manziel. How’s that for a variable?”
It’s certainly food for thought. Especially in a draft where Mark Davis, the quarterback-needy Las Vegas Raiders owner, might be at the top.
