The quarterback class in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft may not be the most appetizing, but it still has a handful of solid day-one starters. As two of the most underachieving teams of 2024, the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders will be among the first to pick from the available pool.
For the Giants, they will likely be selecting a quarterback in the first round for the first time since taking Daniel Jones at No. 6 overall in 2019. New York finally moved on from Jones late in November, when the quarterback requested his release after being benched for Tommy DeVito.
The Giants are currently on track to hold the No. 1 overall pick of the draft with few indications suggesting otherwise. If that ends up being the case, they could possibly select a first overall for the first time since 1965. The last time they walked away with the quarterback taken at the top of the draft, they ended up with Eli Manning, the franchise's all-time leading passer.
The Raiders will need to seek their first franchise quarterback since selecting Derek Carr with their second-round pick in 2014. Since Carr left in 2023, none of their replacement options have worked out. If nothing else, the 2024 campaign cemented that neither Gardner Minshew nor Aidan O'Connell can return as the team's starting quarterback.
With all the issues both teams have had under center in 2024, fans can bet that Joe Schoen and Tom Telesco have already been in the quarterback market for several months. The pressure is on for both men, whose futures may depend on the decision they make in April 2025.
Shedeur Sanders
Shedeur Sanders is the top quarterback in the draft for a reason. He is not the top overall prospect, but few consider any other name above him when it comes to signal-callers.
As a senior, Sanders led Colorado to a 9-3 record, their best since 2016. He ended the 2024 campaign with 3,296 passing yards — the third-most in the country — with 35 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He has topped 3,000 passing yards in all four of his collegiate seasons while finishing his career as the Buffaloes' fifth all-time leading passer in just two years with the program.
Sanders' arm talent and vision are excellent as a pocket passer. While he does not profile as a dual threat, his footwork and mobility are also intriguing. As the top quarterback prospect of the draft, Sanders is mostly in consideration for the Giants, who will own the No. 1 overall pick. But if he somehow slips through to the Raiders, Telesco would jump at the opportunity.
While the Deion Sanders connection carries weight, Shedeur Sanders has made a name for himself on his own. There is no other quarterback more NFL-ready than he is, and the Giants need to have him at the top of their list.
Cam Ward
If it isn't Sanders, Cam Ward is the only other quarterback to consider as the best passer in the 2025 NFL Draft. Sanders should still be the top option, but Ward is a very solid 1B to Sanders' 1A.
Although he is a five-year prospect, Ward has never been anything less than superb throughout his career. He ended 2024 with 4,123 passing yards, 36 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His passing yards were the second-most in the country behind just Syracuse's Kyle McCord.
While he is not the NFL-ready pocket passer that Sanders is, Ward is the best athlete at the position in the draft. He ran for just 196 yards and four touchdowns at Miami, sacks included, but has an Anthony Richardson-like frame and superior vision as a scrambler.
However, the concerns for Ward are as potent as his potential. Ward threw for just 17 total touchdowns while completing less than 50 percent of his passes throughout his entire high school career, per The Athletic. Those numbers led to him beginning his collegiate career at Incarnate World. He has obviously made significant strides since then, but he is not the natural-born quarterback that one would hope to see in a top prospect.
It is still entirely within the realm of possibility that the Giants make Ward the first quarterback taken in the 2025 NFL Draft. But with the Giants seemingly angling toward Sanders, it seems more likely that he will end up in Las Vegas. Either way, Ward is certainly a player either team would be delighted to use right away.
Jalen Milroe
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He would certainly be a project, but Jalen Milroe might have the highest potential of any quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft. Drawing many comparisons to Jalen Hurts, a fellow Alabama quarterback, Milroe has the potential to already be one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL off the bat.
The questions for Milroe come in the pocket, where he is not as potent of a passer as either Sanders or Ward. He threw for just 2,652 passing yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2024. Yet, in the right system, Milroe could still flourish in the NFL more than he ever has in college.
Once the NFL combine rolls around, it is difficult to imagine any quarterback performing better than Milroe. With a 6-foot-2, 225-pound frame, his size is already NFL-ready. However, his speed and athleticism will be what impress scouts.
Sometimes, the numbers don't tell the whole story for scouts. That was the case for Cam Newton, who played just one full season of Division I tape and still went No. 1 overall in 2011. It also was not the case for Anthony Richardson, who threw for just 2,549 yards and 17 touchdowns as a junior and was selected at No. 4 overall. Milroe will be a similar case.
Maybe tanking for Milroe would not be the best idea, but one team will leave the draft happy with him on their side. By the time the combine results come in, he could end up as a top-two quarterback prospect in the draft, causing either Schoen or Telesco to take a shot on him.
