There are a ton of talented quarterbacks in the AFC. Let's rank the starting passers in the loaded conference ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. Has there ever been a time in recent NFL history with a conference being as loaded at the QB position as the AFC is right now?
My goodness - this conference has so many talented passers, and it's turned the AFC into one of the more competitive and dramatic versions we have seen in quite some time. There were some shocking teams in the conference who were a lot better or worse than expected in 2024.
Did anyone think the Denver Broncos would be better than the Cincinnati Bengals, for example?
We'll see how the AFC shakes out in 2025. Ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, let's rank the current projected starting QBs.
NFL Power Rankings: Ranking AFC starting QBs ahead of 2025 NFL Draft
16. Kenny Pickett, Cleveland Browns
Kenny Pickett on the Cleveland Browns sounds like a sick joke for Browns fans, but here we are. Truthfully, I would personally bet a lot on Kirk Cousins being their starting QB for 2025.
15. Anthony Richardson/Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts
Pick your poison! No literally, poison.
Both Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson are horrific, and this is just bad news for Colts fans, who may have to watch another disaster QB product in 2025.
14. Will Levis, Tennessee Titans
Cam Ward is likely the Tennessee Titans starting QB for the 2025 season, but he's not on the team right now, so Will Levis is the de-facto starter. He's 14th in our AFC QB power rankings.
13. Justin Fields, New York Jets
I have no idea how Justin Fields keeps getting starting chances in the NFL, but here we are. Fields is not good and isn't going to do much with the New York Jets in 2025. He is probably replaced by the time 2026 rolls around.
12. Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh Steelers
Mason Rudolph is back with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it feels like the Black and Gold are trending toward signing Aaron Rodgers in free agency, so things could change here.
11. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Someone who could be yet another great QB in the AFC, Drake Maye is 11th in our power rankings but is certainly trending in the right direction.
10. Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders
I have no idea why people think Geno Smith is great. There is a reason why the Seattle Seahawks practically gave him away. In the AFC, he is the 10th-best QB and isn't going to lead the Las Vegas Raiders to much of anything.
9. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Someone who has much more potential than being the 9th-best passer in his own conference, Trevor Lawrence is already set to enter his fifth year in the NFL.
8. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Tua Tagovailoa is an insanely efficient QB when he is on the field, but that's the problem. One of two left-handed starting QBs in the NFL, Tagovailoa is relatively average in the grand scheme of things and can both win games and lose games for the Miami Dolphins.
7. CJ Stroud, Houston Texans
I was extremely high on CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans entering the 2024 NFL Season, but the Texans really suffered from a poor offensive line and did not grow at all. Stroud is currently seventh in our QB power rankings but does have a path to shoot up a few slots as the 2025 NFL Season begins and progresses.
6. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert has been in the NFL since 2020 and has truly been the same exact QB in each year of his career. I do struggle to see how Herbert is thought of as being elite. If he wasn't tall and didn't have a rocket arm, would we be looking at him the way some do now?
5. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Bo Nix threw for 29 touchdown passes in 2024, the fifth-most in the NFL. He also ran for four scores and caught one as well, carving out one of the best rookie QB seasons in the history of the NFL. he is fifth in our AFC QB power rankings,
4. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Another down year statistically for Patrick Mahomes, he and the Kansas City Chiefs have just made three Super Bowls in a row, winning two of them. The roster isn't all that special and does seem too Mahomes-reliant at times. He is fourth in our recent rankings.
3. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen won the MVP in the 2024 NFL Season, but it was not a slam-dunk vote and ended up being a bit controversial. If you ask me, Lamar Jackson was the winner by far, but I'm not an MVP voter...
Allen is the third-best QB in our power rankings ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.
2. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow's MVP-caliber season in 2024 was wasted away by the inept defense, so if the Cincinnati Bengals can field an even ever-so-slightly-below-average unit in 2025, this team is going to win at least 10 games and get back into the postseason.
1. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson is already a future Hall of Fame QB, the best rushing QB of all-time, and is the best QB in the AFC by a considerable margin. Jackson and the Ravens fell to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round in 2024, but that doesn't erase just how good Jackson is. Frankly, he should have won the MVP last year.ss