Now five weeks into the 2024 college football season, it's time to provide my first quarterback rankings for the 2025 NFL Draft. While we're starting to see a glimmer of clarity at the position, there's still an abundance of football to be played, so these rankings are extremely fluid.
But it's good to get a framework for quarterback rankings now, particularly with a class that doesn't feature prospects like Caleb Williams, Trevor Lawrence or Andrew Luck.
Thus far, the strength of this quarterback group is in its depth. And remember, these are draft rankings, so the traits I've seen are weighed alongside the isolated individual production from these quarterbacks. These rankings are not based on which passer is having the best season.
Now, let's get to the rankings.
7. Miller Moss, USC
Stats: 106 of 162 (65.4%), 1,198 yards, 9 TD (1 rush), 2 INT
Trademark positives: Anticipatory throwing, toughness in pocket
Areas to improve: Velocity on throws downfield, mobility
Moss put on a show against LSU to begin the season, yet that game did feature some turnover-worthy plays. Since then, he's orchestrated Lincoln Riley's offense well, one of the most creative schemes in football that has produced three No. 1 overall picks and Jalen Hurts in the past seven years.
The heir apparent to Williams has demonstrated a firm understanding of said scheme, occasionally throwing with anticipation at the intermediate level and down the field, a next-level trait that will translate. Physically, Moss seems to leave much to be desired from arm-strength and mobility standpoints.
6. Cade Klubnik, Clemson
Stats: 73 of 110 (66.4), 984 yards 16 TD (4 rush), 2 INT
Trademark positives: High-caliber arm strength, athletic gifts as a runner
Areas to improve: Getting through his progressions, accuracy
It's impossible to watch Klubnik and not first notice his powerful arm. Whether on arcing, downfield tosses or on dig routes through the second level, this Clemson quarterback can really spin it. While he's improved on a disappointing 2023, Klubnik appears to be a tick tentative moving through his reads and maintaining his mechanics.
And for as strong as his arm is concerned, I'd like to see better ball placement on those long tosses. Regardless of any nitpicking, this is a reasonably high-upside prospect who's started to show glimmers of his potential. If his maturation process continues, Klubnik can assert himself as a legitimate pro prospect.
6. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
Stats: 138 of 198 (69.7%), 1,652 yards, 17 TD (2 rush), 4 INT
Trademark positives: Natural arm talent, aggression as a thrower, pocket navigation
Areas to improve: Balancing aggression with making smart play, second-reaction plays
Nussmeier might be the best natural thrower -- with serious arm talent -- in the entire class. He regularly makes throws with varying velocities, from different arm angles, inside the pocket and while slightly on the move. Is he a threat to amass big chunks of yardage on the ground? No.
But, critically, his pocket navigation is another seemingly natural element to his game. Nussmeier currently has a pressure-to-sack rate of 2.8%, certainly not sustainable, yet a strong start nonetheless. He's aggressive, too, which I love. But balancing his aggression with playing smart is what he'll need to work on as the season progresses at LSU.
5. Carson Beck, Georgia
Stats: 83 of 132 (62.9%), 1,119 yards, 10 TD, 3 INT
Trademark positives: Jack of all trades
Areas to improve: Developing a true trump card, ball placement
Beck is the jack of all trades and the master of none. On film, it was a challenge to pinpoint a clear flaw to his game. It was equally as difficult finding what he does exceptionally well. I don't think he's been as accurate this season as he was in 2023, as he's missed a few more open downfield throws and passes between 10-19 yards. I like his overall presence and movement inside the pocket. But once he's scrambling, he tends to drop his eyes and miss open targets. Beck isn't the type of athletic specimen to be able to get away with that.
4. Quinn Ewers, Texas
Stats: 58 of 79 (73.4%), 691 yards, 8 TD, 3 INT
Trademark positives: Supreme arm talent
Areas to improve: Coverage reading, functional mobility in the pocket, decision-making
The ball jumps out of Ewers' hand. And there are many times when he flashes the arm talent without using much of his lower half, and he delivers an accurate ball. Even in the two-and-a-half games he's played (before injury), Ewers made some tremendous throws that only he can make.
But the accuracy is still, generally, an issue. He's not a scattershot thrower, yet it's an area of his game, even when clean inside of the pocket, that needs to be cleaned up if he wants to be one of the first picks in Round 1, and, most importantly, thrive in the NFL. Despite what is now a reasonably large sample size of game action under his belt, there are moments of confusion and bad decision-making. I like that he's lost some weight, which has aided in his mobility. Ewers isn't exactly natural bouncing around just yet.
3. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Stats: 138 of 197 (70.1%), 1,630 yards, 15 TDs (1 rush), 3 INT
Trademark positives: Anticipatory throwing, accuracy, coverage reading
Areas to improve: Suddenness, holding onto the football too long
Sanders has been a smooth pocket passer with a mobility flair to his game. He wants to win from inside the pocket. At times, he trusts his athleticism a bit more than he should. In the Big 12, he'll be able to scamper away from most defenders. In the NFL, he won't.
Even now, he can be sightly awkward and his less-than-supreme athleticism is put on display when improvising. He does throw well on the run, with plenty of confidence, and in most scenarios reads the field clearly and makes good decisions. Sanders doesn't have a hose of an arm. Can't routinely drive the ball toward the sidelines and deep down the field. He counters that limitations with pinpoint accuracy.
2. Jalen Milroe, Alabama
Stats: 62 of 85 (72.9%), 964 yards, 18 TD (8 rushing), 1 INT, 523 rushing yards
Trademark positives: Dynamic athleticism, ascending pocket passing, arm talent
Areas to improve: Downfield accuracy, anticipatory skills
Milroe is such an ascending quarterback prospect. His arm has seemingly gone from good last year to great and borderline on awesome at times thus far in 2024. And the intricacies of playing the position have gotten better. Milroe's pocket navigating has improved -- especially when he feels he needs to ascending in the pocket -- but still not a strength to his game.
His downfield accuracy has been spotty. Not brutal. Just spotty. Aggressive thrower, and has started to flash anticipatory skills, particularly downfield. The cherry on top, he's a sudden, truly explosive runner with plus speed from a sizable, well-sculpted yet sleek-ish frame.
1. Cam Ward, Miami
Stats: 113 of 161 (70.2%), 1,782 yards, 20 TD (2 rush), 4 INT
Trademark positives: Calmness in the pocket, arm talent, quick release, full-field reading
Areas to improve: Accuracy while on the run, coverage reading
Ward has shown to be a magnificently calm player. Nothing has really rattled him. He's routinely patient when well protected and wants to scan the field to find an open target.
He throws with a compact three-quarter delivery, and that speed at which he can release the football is more impressive than his arm strength overall. But he does have arm talent. Will make throws from different arm angles and while on the run. Accuracy does tend to dip in those scenarios. Athletically, he's hard to peg. At times he looks dynamic. Other times, a tick slow and lacking suddenness. At this stage, I don't believe he'll be a major threat to run in the NFL. During Miami's scintillating start, he's read the full field very well and has located receivers deep down the field once he goes off-structure.
