2025 NFL Draft: How many teams could target a first-round quarterback?
The 2025 NFL Draft is still a ways away, but the amount of teams that could use a first-round quarterback is flat-out insane. And if we couple this with the projected QB class, this could be shaping up to be a brutal time for QB-needy teams, as it seems like the year to get a QB was last year.
The 2024 NFL Draft saw six passers go in the first round, and all of Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and Bo Nix have started a ton of games, and all have shown some very promising things here and there. For the most part, the truly bad teams in the NFL are bad because they do not have a franchise QB, and that is very true as we head into the 2025 NFL Draft.
Besides the Jacksonville Jaguars who are currently picking first overall, who could use a first-round QB? Well, based on the current draft order, you could argue that all of the following teams need one:
Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, and New Orleans Saints. By my count, eight teams are in need of a QB in the 2025 NFL Draft, and while it is possible to find a franchise QB outside of the first round, it's not likely that they are the type of franchise savior that these teams need.
Non first-round QBs in the NFL include guys like Kirk Cousins, Derek Carr, Dak Prescott, Jalen Hurts, and Brock Purdy, and it's just hard to imagine any team winning a Super Bowl with these types of players, and that's the risk that teams run. Are they fine with just winning games here and there...?
Or do they want to truly pursue being great, because there may be a Kirk Cousins or Derek Carr in the middle of the 2025 NFL Draft that could be a 12-year starter for some team. Oddly enough, I still do not believe that teams are aggressive enough in fixing their own QB situations.
Another example of this is the Seattle Seahawks. I mean, what are they trying to do with Geno Smith at QB? Many teams across the NFL have huge question marks at QB, and now that I think of it, I would lump the Seattle Seahawks in with this teams who need a first-round QB.
Almost one-third of the NFL could justify taking a QB in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, so for the teams that got their QB in 2024, they should breathe a huge sign of relief. There could be a ton of quarterback drama in the coming months...