This is an assessment of some of the QBs that are projected to be drafted this year, whether that would be in the 1st Round, or even undrafted. The QBs were viewed on a few websites and video clips and then analyzed to assess their positives and negatives. This would include athletic traits, production, effort, amongst other things. Stats would also be looked at to see how much production the players had in college. Finally, a projection would be given to the player to see where they should be drafted.
*Note: Dillon Gabriel from Oregon is not on here as there are not any recent video clips of him playing. The latest is from a month ago, which is a while ago. He will be in the updated rankings later this draft season.
Ward can throw the football from a multitude of angles, whether that would be the typical throwing motion, the side-arm motion, amongst other interesting angles. He is able to both loft and zip the ball deep down the field. Despite his throwing motions (and even throwing off his backfoot), he is accurate the majority of the time. However, this may result in dangerous passes at times that may be intercepted. Ward can make plays happen out of nowhere, as he is elusive in the pocket and can avoid getting sacked, resulting in giving his receivers more time due to his athletic abilities. He can also stand in the pocket and throw it, even with milliseconds of getting hit. He can also make plays with his legs, whether that would be running for the 1st down or for as much yardage as he can. Additionally, he makes smart business decisions by sliding or running out of bounds.He does prefer to make plays with his arm than his legs. He is also great at executing play fakes, as he can trick the defense (and the viewers) pretty easily. Overall, he is a very toolsy prospect that comes with a lot of upside and experience.
Projection: Top 9 in 1st Round
The best attribute to have at QB is the ability to throw the ball, but that is not the case here. Milroe has crazy athleticism that allows him to do a lot on the field. He can run away from the defense for big gains using his extraordinary speed and can break tackles in the process with his strength and toughness. It is nearly impossible to stop him in the open field due to his size, along with the aforementioned attributes above. These abilities can also help him improvise to throw his guy open or he can just take off and run with the ball. He can throw the ball well, but not great however. He needs to throw the ball better so he does not exit the league sooner than expected due to taking hits while running, as that can take a toll on a player. Overall, he has unbelievable athletic abilities that can make him dangerous everywhere, and he reminds me of a bigger Lamar Jackson coming out of college. Right now, he needs to focus on throwing the ball better, as that is one of the most important attributes for a QB. He is a very high-risk, high-reward prospect.
Projection: Bottom of 1st Round to Top of 2nd Round
Howard can throw the ball to all parts of the field and is an efficient threat to run the ball, though not dynamic. He has a big arm and has good placement all over the field. He has above-average athleticism and the toughness to survive. He does slide at times once converting the 1st down, which are smart business decisions. He also runs it into the end zone, and some of the plays that helped him score a TD were designed specifically for Howard. However, he can underthrow the ball at times, which can result in bad things from time to time. This is shown in the stats, as he threw 10 interceptions in 2024. Howard has a very high ceiling but also has a very low floor. Howard is similar to Josh Allen, as he has the arm, the toughness, the ability to run the ball and the physique. Unfortunately, they are also comparable in terms of being turnover machines.
Projection: Bottom of 1st Round to Top of 2nd Round
Some positives are that he can throw the ball accurately at times and the football has a wonderful spiral each time he throws the ball. Sanders also has nice touch passes. He also can buy time by being elusive, despite having a lack of athletic ability. His elusiveness also helps him avoid a few pass rushers, but Sanders is a much better pocket passer. However, Sanders can underthrow the ball at times, forcing his receivers to adjust so they can catch the ball. He also cannot throw the ball deep and every pass is lofted, with no zip on the ball, which is concerning. QBs need at least some speed on their throws and as mentioned, Sanders does not. While Sanders is a pocket passer, which may extend his NFL career as he does not depend on his athletic ability, there are not any “wow” attributes. The tight spiral on the pass he throws is his best ability. Shedeur Sanders may not live up to the hype.
Projection: Bottom of 1st Round to Middle of 2nd Round
Dart can throw the ball excellently, as he has great touch and zip on his deep passes. The deep passes are a thing of beauty. He can tight rope the football when there are close windows between the receiver and defender(s), but this does result in risky passes, despite Dart only throwing 6 interceptions in 2024. He can throw 50-50 balls and underthrow passes. Dart can also throw on the run when the pocket is collapsing. He also has the ability to run the ball, as he has the speed to get away from defenders. He is not afraid to take the hit either. He can break tackles and even truck the defender down to the ground, which is crazy to think of. He does play a lot from shotgun. Dart is a speed demon and not afraid to get hit by defenders, and has the ability to throw wonderful passes. However, he does throw scary passes at times, which can cause turnovers. If that tendency continues, he will throw way more than 6 interceptions per year than he did in college.
Projection: Top of 3rd Round to Top of 4th Round
Ewers is mobile and can throw the football on the run. He can tight rope the ball to the right spot for his receiver to catch it at times. He can also do some side-arm throws. But Ewers is inconsistent, as he does not look the part of an NFL player at times. He threw 12 interceptions on the year and his good passes were mostly to wide-open receivers. Since his difficulties mostly occurred when trying to give his receiver a chance, it is concerning, as not many receivers are that wide open in the NFL compared to college when he was able to make those easy layups. There will not be a ton of busted coverages at the next level, so Ewers needs to learn how to read the coverages. He is a very risky prospect.
Projection: Middle of 4th Round to Bottom of 5th Round
Rourke throws a fantastic ball and has great touch to it. He can throw the ball to all parts of the field. What is more impressive is that he played on a torn ACL the entire season. He was more mobile than expected with that type of injury. The injury hindered his game a lot, as he played a lot of shotgun and not under center. This also shows his toughness, as there are not many people that would play through that type of injury, albeit a whole season. He is aware of when the pocket collapses, so he runs out of it and improvises to lead his receiver into an open spot where Rourke can throw it to him. He also plays well in a quick passing game. He did play smart though, as he never (if rarely) ran past the line of scrimmage this season. However, he does have medical concerns that will likely scare some teams off. He tore his ACL this year and decided to play through it, but he also tore the same ACL in 2022. This will only increase the risk of reinjury, and considering he tore it twice already, it will be easier to tear one of his ACLs (the one he tore twice and even the one he never tore). He would be higher up in the rankings if not for the injury concerns, as he is a good player. Overall, it is an unfortunate situation.
Projection: Middle of 6th Round to Top of 7th Round
Leonard likes to run the ball a lot and take the game into his own hands, as he does not throw the ball very often. His running ability does help him find open receivers as the defenses focus on him due to how much he scrambles. The extra attention that Leonard receives does make his job easier, as it also allows him to extend the play and lets his receivers have a better chance of finding the soft spot/becoming open. He does play smart though, as he will at times, slide once he is past the 1st down marker. He does not have the greatest arm, but can make the throws when needed to. Overall, he is a runner and can be tough, but is not an above average athlete. He also does not have that great of an arm. He has a very low ceiling and floor.
Projection: Bottom of 7th Round to Undrafted