The Triple Take crew of Dale Lolley, Matt Williamson and Mike Prisuta take a look at the top prospects in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft, which will be held in April. Today, they delve into the quarterback position.
The opinions expressed here are their own and not those of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Dale's First Look
1. Cam Ward, Miami (Fla.), 6-2, 223 lbs.
2. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado, 6-2, 215 lbs.
3. Tanner Shough, Louisville, 6-5, 225 lbs.
4. Jaxson Dart, Mississippi, 6-2, 225 lbs.
5. Will Howard, Ohio State, 6-4, 235 lbs.
Dale's Second Look
1. Cam Ward, Miami (Fla.), 6-2, 223 lbs.
2. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado, 6-2, 215 lbs.
3. Jaxson Dart, Mississippi, 6-2, 225 lbs.
4. Tanner Shough, Louisville, 6-5, 225 lbs.
5. Jalen Milroe, Alabama, 6-1 ⅞, 217 lbs.
Dale's Thoughts: I've moved Milroe back into my top-5. The Senior Bowl wasn't kind to him with his hand size coming in under 9 inches and some expected struggles during the practice week. But upon remeasuring his hands at the Combine, they were 9 ⅜ inches, meaning someone likely messed up at the Senior Bowl. And, as expected, he ran a sub-4.4-second 40 at his Pro Day. He might have the most upside potential of any QB in this draft. … Ward has clearly separated himself as the clear-cut No. 1 QB and it's not particularly close. … Dart will be the third QB selected, but I could see some teams having him ahead of Sanders. Sanders is talented, but he does hold the football, which leads to a lot of sacks. And given his lack of top-end mobility, that could be a major issue for him in the NFL. … Rourke was my sleeper, but he's coming off an ACL surgery. He played through the torn ACL all season, but what will that mean for his rookie season? Will he be forced to sit and watch with no training camp/offseason reps? … Riley Leonard of Notre Dame threw the ball much better than expected at the Combine, making one wonder why the Irish didn't trust him to throw the ball downfield more in 2024? Then again, the Irish were a defensive-minded team, so perhaps all the running Riley did was to take advantage of his best skill set.
Matt's First Look
1. Cam Ward, Miami (Fla.), 6-2, 223 lbs.
2. Tyler Shough, Louisville, 6-5, 225 lbs.
3. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado, 6-2, 215 lbs.
4. Jaxson Dart, Mississippi, 6-2, 225 lbs.
5. Jalen Milroe, Alabama, 6-1 7/8, 217 lbs.
Matt's Second Look
1. Cam Ward, Miami (Fla.), 6-2, 223 lbs.
2. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado, 6-2, 215 lbs.
3. Tyler Shough, Louisville, 6-5, 225 lbs.
4. Jaxson Dart, Mississippi, 6-2, 225 lbs.
5. Jalen Milroe, Alabama, 6-1 7/8, 217 lbs.
Matt's Thoughts: Not a lot of change for me from the first time around, but I certainly feel stronger and stronger about Ward as a prospect overall and that he is heads and shoulders ahead of all the other quarterbacks in this draft class. Many have downplayed this quarterback class as a whole and while it doesn't compare to last year's group, I would only have Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye (as prospects) ahead of Ward if we were to compare the two draft classes. I have also really warmed up to the mid round quarterbacks in this class and there could be a diamond in that rough in that group. ... I got a little aggressive the first time around by ranking Shough ahead of Sanders. While I have a lot of reservations on Sanders as a top-notch type of quarterback prospect and his ceiling overall, I did move him into the second slot and recognize that Sanders could get selected in the first three picks overall - right or wrong. His accuracy is quite impressive. ... As for Shough, I am still enamored with him overall and am not worried about his advanced age, but I do wish he handled pass-rush pressure better at this stage of his development. ... It might seem trivial, but when Milroe's hand size was measured noticeably larger at the Combine compared to the Senior Bowl (weird, I know), I did feel better about him as a prospect overall, although he still has huge concerns with short and intermediate accuracy. Milroe will need to employ a private quarterback guru to improve in this area, but in the meantime, he is a rocket ship with the ball in his hands and could see some part time duty in specialty packages during his rookie season. ... As for those quarterbacks expected to be drafted in the mid to late rounds, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Syracuse's Kyle McCord, Indiana's Kurtis Rourke, and/or Missouri's Brady Cook made a very nice living for themselves in the NFL-even if it is just as a long-term backup signal caller.
Mike"s First Look
1. Cam Ward, Miami (Fla.), 6-2, 233 lbs.
2. Jaxson Dart, Mississippi, 6-2, 225 lbs.
3. Jalen Milroe, Alabama, 6-17/8, 217 lbs.
4. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado, 6-2, 215 lbs.
5. Tyler Shough, Louisville, 6-5, 225 lbs.
Mike's Second Look
1. Cam Ward, Miami (Fla.), 6-2, 233 lbs.
2. Jaxson Dart, Mississippi, 6-2, 225 lbs.
3. Jalen Milroe, Alabama, 6-17/8, 217 lbs.
4. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado, 6-2, 215 lbs.
5. Tyler Shough, Louisville, 6-5, 225 lbs.
Mike's Thoughts: I still have them stacked the same after further review but I'm becoming more infatuated with Dart by the day. NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah's comparison between Dart and Philadelphia's Jalen Hurts as it relates to build, how the ball comes out, the ability to get better each season and the athleticism to succeed as a runner in the SEC really resonates. Dart is starting to generate some pre-draft momentum but remains underrated … Oregon's Dillon Gabriel (5-10, 202 lbs.) was my sleeper, mostly because of his size. But if you get past that there's a lot to like … Texas' Quinn Ewers (6-2, 205 lbs.) threw a career-high 31 touchdown passes in 2024 but was also intercepted in each of his last five games (six total). He also coughed up a sack/strip/scoop-and-score on fourth-and-goal from the Ohio State 8-yard line with just over two minutes left in regulation and Texas down by seven in the College Football Playoff … Ohio State's Will Howard (6-4, 236 lbs.) has the prototypical size and had a phenomenal postseason run for the Buckeyes on the way to the national championship. At question is whether he'll be able to fit the ball into tighter windows, something he didn't often have to contend with due to the separation achieved with regularity by Buckeyes receivers … Notre Dame's Riley Leonard (6-4, 216) may have NFL options beyond quarterback. "If this doesn't work out, why can't he cover kicks?" Jeremiah wondered. "Why can't you give him a look at safety? Just find a way to use him because he's a great athlete and he is tough." … Kyle McCord (6-3, 218 lbs.) of Syracuse led FBS in passing yards (4,779) and was fourth in passing TDs (34). McCord and the Orange beat Ward and the Hurricanes 42-38 on Nov. 20. McCord threw for 380 yards and three touchdowns in that one. The blemish on his resume is a five-interception meltdown that included three pick-sixes in a 41-13 loss at Pitt on Oct. 24 … Missouri's Brady Cook (6-11/8, 214 lbs.) rushed for 1,261 yards and 21 touchdowns in five seasons. He was also the only FBS player with 300-plus passing attempts (321) and two or fewer interceptions (two) in 2024 … Seth Henigan (6-3, 215 lbs.) of Memphis threw for at least 3,000 yards in each of his four seasons and for 104 career TDs.
