An early look at the top quarterback prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft

The 2024 quarterback class is loaded at the top and features plenty of solid players who could come off the board early on Day 2 and work their way into a starting NFL job at some point down the line.

The same can’t be said about the 2025 class, which is perceived as one of the weaker ones in recent memory. In fact, an anonymous NFL scout told ESPN in early February at the Senior Bowl that "[i]t won't be anything close to this year.”

While two or three signal callers may come off the board in Round 1 next April, there’s no true top-of-the-draft QB prospect who stands out right now heading toward the fall collegiate campaign. Here's an early look at the top QB prospects in the 2025 draft.

Quinn Ewers, Texas

Considered a mid-first-round prospect in the 2024 draft, Ewers chose to return to school for his junior season, which is a bit of a gamble given he is losing his top three receivers (Adonai Mitchell, Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington), his top tight end  (Ja’Tavion Sanders) and his starting running back (Jonathon Brooks) to the draft next month.

Ewers had a strong sophomore year, passing for 3,479 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 69% of his passes, but he’ll be breaking in a whole new group of pass-catchers in 2024 and Texas is losing a lot of talent on both sides of the ball from this year’s College Football Playoff team. Ewers has the biggest boom-or-bust potential in the class and it wouldn’t surprise this author if he was a projected to go as high as the top 10 or as low as the final few picks of Round 1.

Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

Sanders likely would have been a first-rounder had he come out this year following his strong debut season at Colorado in which he threw for 3,230 yards, 27 touchdowns and three interceptions. The knock on Sanders is that some question whether he is the kind of quarterback who can elevate those around him and carry a team on his back – Colorado lost eight of its last nine games after starting 3-0 this past season.

The Buffaloes did some serious upgrading on the offensive line, so if Sanders stays upright and doesn’t take the beating he took during the 2023 season (he was sacked 52 times), he could show off his arm talent and natural skill-set, which may just push him near the top of some draft boards.

Carson Beck, Georgia

Beck had some big shoes to fill in 2023 taking over for two-time national champion Stetson Bennett, but he was more than game, leading the Bulldogs to a 12-1 record and 63-3 rout of No. 5 Florida State in the Orange Bowl.

The 6-foot-4 junior completed 72.4% of his passes and threw for 3,941 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2023 while vaulting himself to the top of most preseason Heisman watch lists for the coming campaign. If he can replicate or surpass what he did this season, Beck could give Sanders or Ewers a run for their money as the top QB prospect in next year’s class.

Riley Leonard, Notre Dame

There was a moment early during the 2023 season that Leonard was being talked about as the potential QB3 in the 2024 class behind USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye. But then a few injury setbacks and some ineffective play at Duke led to him transferring to Notre Dame in December.

If Leonard can bounce back from his ankle injury and have a season on par with or better than his sophomore year in which he threw for 2,967 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions, he could work his way into the Day 2 conversation.

Drew Allar, Penn State

Though his sophomore stats don’t exactly jump off the page (2,631 yards, 25 touchdowns, two interceptions), Allar had a solid showing in his first season as a full-time starter as he led the Nittany Lions to a 10-3 record and 38-25 loss to No. 11 Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl.

Of all the quarterbacks on this list, Allar perhaps has the most room for growth. He spent the offseason hitting the weight room and he came to spring practice leaner, stronger and faster – all of which bode well for him having a potential breakout year and possibly solidifying himself as a Round 1 prospect.

Best of the rest:

Jalen Milroe, Alabama 

Cam Ward, Miami

Brady Cook, Missouri

Will Howard, Ohio State 

Dillon Gabriel, Oregon