Ranking the 2025 QB draft class: Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward No. 1? Who's next?

Teams searching for signal-callers this year will have to cast a much wider net than in 2024, when a record-tying six quarterbacks were selected in the first round (and all by the 12th pick).

Expect a fraction of that total in the first round this year.

But make no mistake, there is intriguing talent in this class. In fact, it is possible that all eight of the quarterbacks listed below are selected by the end of Day 2.

Eight might seem like a random number, but the quantity of quarterbacks ranked below is reflective of both this year's unique talent and an acknowledgment of recent NFL draft history. An average of 7.6 quarterbacks were selected among the first 150 picks over the past decade.

Only the 49ers' Brock Purdy — famously the final pick of the 2022 draft — has started multiple games the past three seasons after entering the NFL beyond the top 150.

These are the candidates I see as worthy of that high of a pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Experience: 50 starts (23 years old)
Prospect grade: 1st Round
Best-case comp: Jared Goff

There are five categories I use in evaluating quarterbacks, and Sanders stands apart from the others in this class in arguably the most important two of them: anticipation and accuracy. The stats (74% completion rate) and game tape don't lie — Sanders is the most precise quarterback in the country. Flat-footed in the pocket or on the move, he fires short and intermediate passes with confidence and lofts the ball downfield with plus touch and trajectory, often throwing his receivers open. His offensive coordinator the past two years at Colorado was longtime NFL coach Pat Shurmur, so there isn't the projection to a pro attack for Sanders that there is for many others.

And while his flashy persona might be viewed by some as a concern, it is precisely his experience and apparent comfort in the spotlight that could, in fact, make Sanders popular with teammates and unusually well-prepared for the media glare that comes with being the face of an NFL franchise. In an uptempo passing attack (and protected by a solid offensive line), I think Sanders can be a Jared Goff-like maestro, very much worthy of an early first-round pick.

2. Cam Ward, Miami (6-2, 223)

Experience: 57 starts (22 years old)
Prospect grade: 1st Round
Best-case comp: Jordan Love

Ward's journey from Incarnate Word to Washington State to Miami is like something out of a movie — and his highlights are just as exciting. Ward is an even more gifted passer than Sanders with a snappy release that generates impressive velocity and accuracy, even on the move. There are circus plays on tape that have earned comparisons to Patrick Mahomes for some. Personally, I am more comfortable with a comparison to a young Jordan Love at Utah State.

While Ward's highlights are spectacular, there are some reckless throws on tape that are legitimately concerning. For a player who threw for more touchdowns than anyone in D-I college football history (158), there are still too many late throws across the middle, for example. Pro Football Focus charted Ward with 18 turnover worthy plays in 2024. Sanders, by comparison, had eight. And don't think NFL decision-makers won't question Ward's decision to sit out the second half of the bowl game, which Miami lost 42-41.

While Ward ranks second on my personal board, if teams are satisfied with his answers to these concerns, it is entirely possible that he could leapfrog Sanders as QB1 and even be the Tennessee Titans' pick at No. 1 overall.

Experience: 25 starts (22 years old)
Prospect grade: Top 50
Best-case comp: Michael Vick

With all due respect to Sanders and Ward, the most gifted quarterback of the Class of 2025 is Milroe, a testament to his frame, speed, arm and mind. Milroe is the only player in the FBS responsible for over 30 touchdowns through the air and ground in each of the past two seasons. He was also honored with the William J. Campbell Trophy (often described as the "Academic Heisman") and was voted team captain in 2023 and 2024, as an underclassman.

I'm showing my age with this comparison, but physically-speaking, Milroe reminds me of a young Michael Vick. He has a compact, muscle-bound frame and a rare speed/power combination for a quarterback. He's not as agile as Lamar Jackson, as powerful as Jalen Hurts or as large as Josh Allen, but he projects as a similarly dynamic dual-threat in the NFL. Milroe has a rocket for an arm that can deliver the kind of deep shots which force safeties to think twice about creeping up in an attempt to slow him down in the running game. And that's the spin with Milroe. He's likely never going to develop into a "traditional" pocket passer, but few in the NFL are looking for that anymore. Milroe averaged just over 12 carries a game the past two seasons for Alabama. If an NFL team invests a first-round pick in him, its offensive coordinator will be planning more of the same.

4. Kyle McCord, Syracuse (6-3, 224)

Experience: 26 starts (22 years old)
Prospect grade: 2nd Round
Best-case comp: Sam Darnold

After going 11-1 as the starter for Ohio State in 2023, McCord transferred to Syracuse and simply led the country in passing yards (4,479), silencing critics who suggested his 65.6% completion rate and 24-6 touchdown to interception ratio a year earlier was more about the Buckeyes' supporting cast. He was particularly good down the stretch, outdueling Ward to upset the Hurricanes and tossing a career-high five touchdowns in a bowl game win over Washington State. Speaking of bowls, McCord continued his stellar final year of college football this week at the East-West Shrine, turning heads during practices before sitting out the game itself.

McCord is a classic rhythm passer, showing the ability to make every throw in the NFL playbook when he's comfortable in the pocket. He has an efficient release and can drop his arm angle, possessing enough velocity for the deep game and very good touch to feather passes between defenders. When pressured, however, McCord has shown a tendency to panic and throw to his first read, sometimes blindly. An ugly five-interception game against Pittsburgh this year will make for some tough questions for any scout touting McCord to their boss. But with just two years as a starter, perhaps McCord just needs a little more seasoning to really get cooking, à la Sam Darnold.

5. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss (6-2, 226)

Experience: 35 starts (21 years old)
Prospect grade: 2nd Round
Best-case comp: Jimmy Garoppolo

The youngest quarterback on this list and one who leaves SEC competition after three years with 50 more touchdowns thrown than interceptions, Dart will be the darling of many in the buildup to the 2025 draft. Despite his youth, Dart already possesses a well-proportioned frame and a live arm. He has a quick setup and delivery of the ball and can drop his arm angle to throw around defenders, as well as over them. Further, he is a quality athlete, capable of making plays in rhythm or improvising and extending plays. Frankly, Dart has all the physical characteristics scouts are looking for to project as a future NFL starter.

He also excelled in a system that rarely asked him to make multiple reads, raising concerns about his readiness to command an NFL offense (or locker room, for that matter). Dart needs time to learn, and the NFL rarely allows that. Pushing him onto the field too early could result in lots of silly mistakes early (Will Levis), but if allowed time to learn, Dart could be a second-round bullseye, similar to Jimmy Garoppolo, the 62nd pick of the 2014 Draft (by New England).

Experience: 36 starts (22 years old)
Prospect grade: 2nd-3rd Round
Best-case comp: Brock Purdy

Questions about the offense he ran won't plague Ewers in the buildup to the draft; it'll be concerns about his size and durability. The slim-shouldered Ewers, who missed seven games over his three years in Austin, doesn't look the part of a prototypical NFL quarterback. Neither does Brock Purdy, and yet that's who Ewers — at his best — reminds me of.

Both are quick decision-makers who distribute the ball all over the field, making up for a lack of RPMs with anticipation and accuracy and a willingness to attack tight windows down the seams. Both are often characterized as "sneaky athletic," a begrudging acknowledgment of their ability to navigate a collapsing pocket and squirt free for 10 yards on a third-and-8. Ewers threw four interceptions in Texas' three postseason games before heading to the draft and leaving the Longhorns' mantle to Arch Manning rather than transferring and earning millions in NIL money. What teams think of that decision could very well determine where Ewers lands on Day 2.

Experience: 41 starts (22 years old)
Prospect grade: 3rd-4th Round
Best-case comp: Daniel Jones

With 45 passing touchdowns and 31 rushing scores over his career, any NFL team looking for a dual-threat quarterback will certainly consider Leonard. Though not as flashy as many of the others on this list, his gritty play helped propel Notre Dame to the national title game. As his rushing touchdowns suggest, Leonard is athletic, projecting nicely to an offense that asks its quarterbacks to run a lot of bootlegs and attack the short to intermediate zones. He has an efficient over-the-top release with plenty of arm strength. While there are some impressive throws on tape, he's more of a "ballpark" thrower than the precision passer his 66.7% completion percentage and 1.8 interception rate might suggest.

Battle-tested with an ideal frame, mentality and athleticism, there are shades of another former Duke star — Daniel Jones — in Leonard's game. I view Leonard as a mid-round talent and borderline starter, not a future No. 6 overall pick.

8. Will Howard, Ohio State, (6-4, 235)

Experience: 43 starts (23 years old)
Prospect grade: 4th Round
Best-case comp: Dak Prescott

Howard's sterling 73% completion rate with 35 touchdowns against just 10 interceptions for the national champion Buckeyes makes for a heckuva opener on the résumé. He's bigger than the other quarterbacks on this list, as well, and is a quality, bullish athlete with 26 rushing touchdowns over his college career. He isn't the most aesthetically-pleasing passer — throwing with an elongated over-the-top delivery – but he can make every NFL throw with deep shots to the perimeter and down the seams among his specialties.

For a quarterback of his experience, however, Howard puts the ball up for grabs more than he should. Only Milroe (3.0%) has a worse interception rate than Howard's 2.9 over his career.

Then again, given the way he and Ohio State's gamble on each other turned out this year, perhaps Howard is right to trust his arm. NFL decision-makers (and teammates) could fall in love with that bravado, as well, as the Cowboys have with a similarly-built and skilled Dak Prescott, the 135th overall pick back in 2016.

My favorites of the rest:

Tyler Shough, Louisville (6-5, 224)
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon (5-11, 202)
Seth Henigan, Memphis (6-3, 213)
Cam Miller, North Dakota State (6-1, 210)
Brady Cook, Missouri (6-2, 209)

Rob Rang is an NFL Draft analyst for FOX Sports. He has been covering the NFL Draft for more than 20 years, with work at FOX, Sports Illustrated, CBSSports.com, USA Today, Yahoo, NFL.com and NFLDraftScout.com, among others. He also works as a scout with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. Follow him on X @RobRang.

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