Read Dane Brugler’s 2025 ‘The Beast’ NFL Draft guide.
At least beyond Cam Ward, there is no consensus on where each of this year’s crop of quarterbacks may get drafted. It’s not even worth entertaining different possibilities for either QB or team at this point. Ward is both a good fit for the core of Brian Callahan’s offense and would bring elements that Titans’ quarterbacks last season did not.
The Titans’ 2024 offense was all about maximizing play-action opportunities and attacking down the field. Ward has the arm talent and fearlessness as a thrower to excel in that environment. Ward is leaps and bounds ahead of Levis or Mason Rudolph as a creator outside of the pocket, too.
There are going to be growing pains with Ward’s overzealous play style early on, but they will be worth it in the long run. Ward has both a floor and ceiling worthy of being the No. Kevin Stefanski’s downfield play-action offense in Cleveland is not ideal; Brian Daboll’s quicker passing attack in New York might make sense, but that offensive line is a sieve and Sanders is not athletic enough to tap into some of the best parts of Daboll’s playbook.
The idea of Sanders being Kellen Moore’s first crack at a quarterback is intriguing, though. Sanders is at his best operating spread passing concepts, especially in the underneath area. He’s a reliable short-area passer who uses the intermediate and deeper areas of the field to keep defenses honest, rather than making those his preferred areas of attack. That’s perfectly fine for a West Coast-inspired offense.
Of course, falling to ninth overall is no guarantee. A majority of Dart’s best throws on film are slants, short posts and crossers. The same was true of Garoppolo at his best in San Francisco. It’s built off the run game, which is then parlayed into a strong play-action attack. He has a flexible yet explosive release that works well from all platforms, in and out of the pocket. As a passer, he’ll need at least a year to fix his footwork and adapt to the speed of coverage at the NFL level, but that’s okay. He’s clearly a weapon in the designed-run game and the red zone.
Leonard still has a lot to prove as a passer, but his athletic ability and toughness gives him a floor to work with while he figures it out.
Kyle McCord: Dallas Cowboys
It’s hard to find and hold onto good backup quarterbacks — the Cowboys were lucky to draft and retain Cooper Rush for as long as that they did. His arm is just okay, and he’s not going to scare anyone on the move. Like any good NFL backup, however, McCord can run an offense efficiently and consistently. He really learned to play within himself at Syracuse, displaying good rhythm and decision-making as a thrower.
It’s unlikely he ever ascends to anything above a very good backup, but that’s quite alright for a Cowboys team shopping for that exact kind of player.
Will Howard: Pittsburgh Steelers
They have to draft somebody, right? He is not someone who should be a high-volume passer, which already leans into Smith’s run-first approach. Additionally, Howard’s best traits are his size and arm talent, which allows him to comfortably throw down the field, as well as ample athletic ability for a player his size. Smith’s entire play-action and boot menu would be open with Howard at quarterback.
It’s hard to imagine Howard developing the down-to-down accuracy and play speed to really thrive as an NFL starter, but Smith’s offense in Pittsburgh at least would give Howard a chance to hide his weaknesses and lean into his strengths.
Dillon Gabriel: Miami Dolphins
Putting the short lefty quarterback prospect as a backup to the short lefty NFL quarterback feels like a bit, but it’s not. And he thrives on in-breaking throws, even offering more velocity than Tagovailoa does.
The Dolphins desperately need to invest in a backup quarterback somehow. Gabriel fits.
Quinn Ewers: Buffalo Bills
Not every player or team gets their ideal match in an exercise like this. It makes some sense for the Bills to get ahead of things early and get a developmental player in the pipeline.
Ewers would bring functional athleticism and arm talent for Joe Brady. He still struggles with pocket presence and touch accuracy, especially down the field, but there’s enough talent there to mold a functional backup.
Top photo of Jaxson Dart: Justin Ford Getty Images,
