The 2025 NFL Mock Draft frenzy is mercifully about to come to an end, but we get the opportunity to speculate for just over a week yet. And we've got plenty of exciting scenarios to explore.
The quarterback position is always in focus when it comes to the NFL Draft and this year's class, while not as strong as last year's class, is perhaps even more polarizing. It seems like things are trending toward Cam Ward being the #1 overall pick, but there could be mayhem and confusion beyond that.
Could we see surprise teams get into the quarterback mix? Could we see four quarterbacks land in the first round? We're going to explore some ideas in this quarterback-only mock draft, fixated on finding the best possible landing spots for each player at that position in this year's class.
2025 NFL Mock Draft: Predicting landing spots for top QBs
Cam Ward, Miami: Tennessee Titans (1st overall)
This one seems to be the most obvious at this point. In fact, it might be the only one that qualifies as "obvious". The Titans have been trending toward taking Cam Ward with the 1st overall pick since they decided to cancel workouts with players like Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. They have unofficially already made this pick and therefore are able to make plans for the rest of the draft.
Watching Ward last year, you see a player who is supremely confident in his abilities, no matter the situation or the deficit his team faced. Ward simultaneously did a great job of putting the Miami Hurricanes in some rough situations but also geeting them out of those rough situations. He has the playmaker gene, there's no question about it.
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado: New York Giants (trade up from 2nd-round pick)
I don't know exactly where the Giants will take him, but they are a team that has shown the most substantial interest in Shedeur Sanders up to this point.
Peter Schrager, who is now working with ESPN, recently reported that Giants GM Joe Schoen has not only been to Colorado games in person this season, but he's also gone to practice in person. The Giants have held a dinner with Sanders and are working him out privately just a week before the draft.
They might try to have their cake and eat it, too with this one. They could potentially be attempting to draft both Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, even if they have to trade up to make it happen.
Jalen Milroe, Alabama: Pittsburgh Steelers (21st overall)
At this point in time, the Pittsburgh Steelers have yet to strike a deal with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers. And at this point, how likely is that to happen? Even if the Steelers can find a way to get a deal done with Rodgers, it doesn't solve their problem over the long haul.
The quarterback position in Pittsburgh has been in purgatory since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger. Jalen Milroe offers a real chance to get out of that purgatory. He's extremely athletic, a great fit for the Arthur Smith offense, and would have two absolute studs to showcase his skills throwing the deep ball in DK Metcalf and George Pickens.
The Steelers have made the bold move to get another playmaker in the offense, now they have to do what it takes to get him a quarterback.
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss: Los Angeles Rams (26th overall)
One of the quarterbacks who could really thrive in the right situation is Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss. Not that other quarterbacks can't thrive in the right situations, but Dart is one of those types of prospects who will thrive in an offense that heavily incorporates play-action and the Rams fit the bill.
The Sean McVay offense, a branch of the Shanahan tree, incorporates plenty of play-action and Dart had one of the best success rates in all of college football last season off of play-action.
Dart has tremendous talent and maybe some unrealized potential. His situation this year feels somewhat similar to that of Bo Nix last year, in that if he can land with the right coaching staff, he could be significantly better than anyone expects.
Will Howard, Ohio State: Cleveland Browns (3rd round)
For the Browns in this year's draft, I'm torn between Will Howard and Jalen Milroe. Those guys couldn't be more different in their overall makeup as prospects, but this feels like the ideal type of scenario for the Browns on Day 2 of the draft. If they want to kick the can down the road at quarterback, then few options would be as intriguing in this draft class as Will Howard.
Howard is a local product who just helped lead Ohio State to a National Championship. He showed great improvement as an NFL prospect this past season and has actually got some dynamic abilities as a runner even if he's not the fastest in this class.
Howard has that gamer mentality and after transferring from Kansas State, we saw the type of poise he has and that kind of confidence will be absolutely necessary if he's going to do anything to help a Browns franchise that desperately needs it.
Tyler Shough, Louisville: New Orleans Saints (2nd round)
In the game of quarterback musical chairs, we've got to get serious about finding someone who could potentially start some games for the New Orleans Saints as early as the 2025 season.
Derek Carr's situation is murkier than ever with his latest injury update. This is Kellen Moore's first shot at being an NFL head coach and you never know when you're going to get one of those. The Saints could absolutely go with a 1st-round quarterback, but there's always going to be extra pressure to make things work in that scenario.
A second-round pick at QB may or may not work out, and is a much more worthwhile risk/reward proposition. Getting Tyler Shough, one of the fastest-rising players at the position in this class, could be a nice lottery ticket for the Saints and an option to make this new coaching staff look really good if it works out.
Kyle McCord, Syracuse: Las Vegas Raiders (3rd round)
The Las Vegas Raiders made a trade to acquire Geno Smith this offseason, but that doesn't mean they're going to be done adding at the quarterback position.
New head coach Pete Carroll could repeat history after acquiring a veteran quarterback in a trade and use a third-round pick on an upside play at the position, just like he did back in 2012 when he traded for Matt Flynn and then turned around and drafted Russell Wilson.
Kyle McCord, just like a lot of quarterbacks lately, has been gaining some steam the closer we get to the NFL Draft. The Raiders still have a third-round pick after sending one to the Seahawks for Geno Smith and they could use it to double up on the quarterback position. McCord led the FBS last season with 4,779 passing yards.
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon: Miami Dolphins (3rd-4th round)
Dillon Gabriel could be this year's version of a Case Keenum. He's an older quarterback prospect who lacks ideal measurables, but his lack of ideal measurables haven't prevented him from being extremely productive over a long collegiate career.
The Miami Dolphins have one of the shakiest quarterback situations in the NFL with Tua Tagovailoa, and they added former 2nd overall pick Zach Wilson this offseason as some valuable insurance. After the debacle that was the 2024 season for the Dolphins, I would expect them to hedge their bets even further by drafting someone at quarterback.
Gabriel is a good fit for the Mike McDaniel offense and could probably even start in a pinch as a rookie. His experience at the college level will help him tremendously.
Quinn Ewers, Texas: Seattle Seahawks (4th round)
The Seattle Seahawks are going to be a very interesting team to monitor in the game of quarterback musical chairs. After trading Geno Smith to the Raiders, I really feel like just about any outcome is on the table.
They could take Jalen Milroe or Jaxson Dart at 18 overall. They could take someone like Tyler Shough in the 2nd round. They could go after a quarterback at any juncture, and even with Sam Darnold in place, I think you could make it make sense.
In this quarterback-centric mock draft, we'll take a conservative approach and project them to go after Quinn Ewers, effectively punting the situation to next offseason. The Seahawks could be in a position to draft a quarterback again next year, but Ewers has the look of a high-end backup at worst, so he would be a worthwhile Day 3 investment.