The 2025 NFL Draft brought a mix of established talent and emerging quarterbacks, with teams looking to secure their future at the most important position in the game.
Here’s a breakdown of every quarterback selected and what they bring to their new teams.
1. Cam Ward, Miami (Fla.) | Tennessee Titans
Round 1, Pick 1
The Titans needed a quarterback. They got the best one in the 2025 NFL Draft with Miami’s Cam Ward. Heading into Year 2, Brian Callahan needed to get “his guy,” and Ward is a worthwhile investment with his high-end creative tools and gunslinger skill set.
There’s still room for Ward to keep growing, but his rare mix of pocket mobility, change-of-direction, arm elasticity, layering ability, and fearlessness gives him unique roster elevation upside that no other 2025 QB can match.
With their prospective franchise QB now in tow, the Titans should turn their focus to attacking lingering deficiencies on defense and bolstering Ward’s weapons core. With the right support, Ward can hit the ground running as a starter and potentially grow into a top-12 QB.
2. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss | New York Giants
Round 1, Pick 25
We knew someone was going to trade back into the first round for a quarterback, the only question was who and when. In the end, it was the New York Giants who made the first move, trading with the Texans to acquire the 25th overall pick, where they then selected Jaxson Dart.
The move to add Dart has an undertone of desperation; Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen need results to save their jobs, and drafting a young QB can be a way to extend one’s window of opportunity. Dart is in an ideal situation where he has a WR1 in Malik Nabers and doesn’t have to start right away with Russell Wilson in-house – but he has work to do in order to reach his ceiling.
There are redeeming qualities with Dart. He’s athletic, competitive, and flashes legitimate middle-of-field anticipation, and his arm is supremely loose and elastic. But the Ole Miss offense didn’t insulate many NFL-translatable processing skills, and he’ll need to become a more consistent progression thrower. Dart has some time to sit and learn as it stands, but there will undoubtedly be pressure at some point in New York. He has to be ready when it comes.
3. Tyler Shough, Louisville | New Orleans Saints
Round 2, Pick 40
The first quarterback of the Day 2 slate has been taken off the board – and it’s not Shedeur Sanders. It’s surprising, but reports from those keyed in with New Orleans suggested he wasn’t the preferred choice for Kellen Moore. Now, Moore gets his choice in Louisville’s Tyler Shough.
Shough is a polarizing prospect, to say the least. He’ll be a 26-year-old rookie, and his injury history is a long one. But of the remaining QBs, he’s one of the most talented.
He’s big, athletic, malleable off-platform, and has easy velocity generation and angle freedom, and his flashes of progression work and fearlessness are inspiring. With Derek Carr’s availability uncertain, Shough’s talent and experience ensure that he could start early on, and the long-term upside is there.
4. Jalen Milroe, Alabama | Seattle Seahawks
Round 3, Pick 92
This is the range where teams should’ve started considering adding Jalen Milroe as a developmental QB. I wouldn’t have expected the Seahawks to be the ones, however, given that they went all-in on Sam Darnold this offseason. That third-rounder they spent on Milroe is one they can no longer spend on an extra WR or offensive lineman for Darnold, and that could be costly.
As a pure player, Milroe is good value at this point. He’s an elite athlete and running threat with a rocket arm, and he could develop into a starter with more mechanical development. However, his vision runs very hot and cold, and he’ll sometimes force bad throws as a result. The long-term gain for Seattle is unclear here, but he does infuse the QB room with some security.
5. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon | Cleveland Browns
Round 3, Pick 94
The Cleveland Browns finally addressed the quarterback position in late Day 2, but it wasn’t the QB many expected. Instead of ending Sanders’ slide, the Browns dropped jaws by selecting Dillon Gabriel as an alternative.
Gabriel was a record-setting collegiate quarterback, but he shouldn’t have been worth consideration so early in the draft for a Browns team that could still stand to invest in WR, offensive line, or EDGE talent.
Gabriel is small, has a below-average arm, is volatile operationally, and likely profiles as a backup at best. Even if the Browns didn’t have Sanders on their board, Will Howard would’ve been a much better value pick here.
6. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado | Cleveland Browns
Round 5, Pick 144
After many speculated the Browns might take Shedeur Sanders second overall, the Colorado quarterback does end up in Cleveland after all…142 picks later. No matter what you think of Sanders’ personality or the potential off-field distraction he brings, this is an absurd value for a player who was a consensus Round 2 player at worst entering the draft.
Cleveland immediately becomes the site of the most fascinating training camp QB competition. Sanders joins a fray that includes fellow rookie Gabriel and veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. Who wins that battle is anyone’s guess, but Sanders should have every opportunity to play for last year’s 32nd-ranked offense by most metrics (including PFSN’s Offense+).
At this price point, Sanders comes with no risk. Since 2000, no QB drafted in the fifth round has started more than 18 games (A.J. Feeley and Sam Howell).
Howell or former Texans QB T.J. Yates was probably the most successful passer out of that group, and Howell has already been traded twice after getting dealt minutes before the Browns picked Sanders. Even if he never develops into an above-average regular, Sanders comes with more upside than almost any QB picked at this point in recent NFL history.
7. Kyle McCord, Syracuse | Philadelphia Eagles
Round 6, Pick 181
As a junior, Kyle McCord earned the starting role for the Buckeyes, starting all 12 games, leading Ohio State to an 11-1 record. Their lone loss, however, came against “TTUN.”
After losing to the eventual national champions, it became clear to all involved that a change was imminent at the quarterback position, prompting McCord to enter the transfer portal shortly after the regular-season finale. He committed to Syracuse before Ohio State’s Cotton Bowl loss to Missouri.
In his lone season with the Orange, McCord started all 13 games, lighting up the stat sheet with 4,779 passing yards — an ACC record — along with 34 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions. Five of those picks came in a painful loss to Pitt. His performance earned him CSN second-team All-ACC honors behind Miami’s Cam Ward, and he quietly finished No. 10 in the Heisman Trophy voting.
8. Will Howard, Ohio State | Pittsburgh Steelers
Round 6, Pick 185
The 2023 season marked the first and only year Will Howard was the unquestioned starter for K-State, though the brief tenure wasn’t due to another presence in the Wildcats’ quarterback room. Rather, Howard gained attention for leading them to an 8-4 record as their starter. He ran for nine touchdowns and threw for 24, compiling 2,643 passing yards with a 61.3% completion percentage and earning a Second-Team All-Big 12 nomination.
Though Howard was clearly on the rise, questions followed when he initially transferred to Ohio State regarding whether he would be the quarterback to lead them to postseason success.
He silenced doubters pretty quickly, however. A Third-Team All-Big Ten member in 2024, Howard reached career highs with 4,010 passing yards, a 73.0% completion percentage, a 175.3 passer rating, and a 14-2 record as a starter. He capped off his strong season with a national championship, defeating Notre Dame and earning the Offensive MVP for his efforts.
9. Riley Leonard, Notre Dame | Indianapolis Colts
Round 6, Pick 189
Injuries limited Riley Leonard’s 2023 season, and his production took a step back as a result. Even when he was healthy, his completion percentage dropped to 57.6%, and he threw just three touchdowns to three interceptions. That said, he did run for 352 yards and four touchdowns, improving his yards-per-carry average from 5.6 the year before to 6.1.
Leonard put together a strong campaign, finishing with a career-high 21 passing touchdowns and a 66.7% completion percentage. He also threw for 2,861 yards with eight interceptions, and he dominated on the ground with 906 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns.
10. Graham Mertz, Florida | Houston Texans
Round 6, Pick 197
Graham Mertz didn’t have a big start to his college career. He played in just two games during his first year at Wisconsin, completing 90% of his passes for 73 yards and rushing for six touchdowns. Over the next three seasons, he started 32 games, completing 59.3% of his passes for 5,332 yards with 38 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.
In 2023, Mertz transferred to Florida, becoming the Gators’ starting quarterback and leading them to a 5-6 record. He completed 72.9% of his passes that year for 2,903 yards, 20 touchdowns, and just three interceptions.
Mertz returned as the starter in 2024 but played in only five games. He completed 76.6% of his passes for 791 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions before suffering a season-ending ACL tear against Tennessee.
11. Tommy Mellott, Montana State | Las Vegas Raiders
Round 6, Pick 213
In 2024, he earned the prestigious Walter Payton Award, recognizing him as the top offensive player in FCS football. As a FCS All-American, Tommy Mellott also showcased his versatility at Montana State’s Pro Day by working out as a receiver, hinting at a possible position change at the professional level.
During the 2024 season, he passed for 2,138 yards, posting an impressive 22:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
12. Cam Miller, North Dakota State | Las Vegas Raiders
Round 6, Pick 215
Cam Miller started the last 54 games of his college career after becoming the starting quarterback midway through the 2021 season. During his time as the Bisons’ starter, he led the team to a 45-11 record and secured two NCAA Division I FCS national championships in 2021 and 2024.
By the end of his career, Miller ranked third all-time in FCS history for wins. He set school records in total offense (11,998 yards), completion percentage (69.4), completions (759), and passing yards (9,721), while also finishing second in passing touchdowns (81).
13. Kurtis Rourke, Indiana | San Francisco 49ers
Round 7, Pick 227
Kurtis Rourke played in 48 games and made 46 starts during his career at Ohio and Indiana, amassing 10,692 passing yards, 79 passing touchdowns, and 13 rushing touchdowns. In 2024, he set Indiana’s single-season passing touchdown record with 29 while completing 69.4% of his passes, ranking eighth in the FBS.
Standing 6’5″ and weighing 231 pounds, Rourke was a two-time Second-Team All-Conference selection, earning honors in both the Mid-American Conference and the Big Ten. He was named MAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2022 after throwing for 3,256 yards, 25 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. Over his college career, he totaled 11,486 yards of offense and 92 touchdowns.
14. Quinn Ewers, Texas | Miami Dolphins
Round 7, Pick 231
Quinn Ewers posted a 21-5 record as a starter over the past two seasons at Texas, guiding the Longhorns to their only two bowl victories during that time.
After transferring from Ohio State, he accumulated 9,128 passing yards and 68 touchdowns across three seasons at Texas. Ewers completed 64.9% of his passes and threw 24 interceptions. He finished his career as the Longhorns’ all-time leader in both passing yards and touchdown passes.