2025 NFL Draft matchmaker: Best fits for Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, other top QBs

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At the least past Cam Ward, there isn't any consensus on the place every of this yr’s crop of quarterbacks might get drafted. After Ward presumably turns into a Tennessee Titan, the remainder of the group is an entire thriller. It’s simply as possible Ward is the one quarterback we see on Thursday night time as it's that 4 quarterbacks go within the first spherical.

Fortunate for us, we’re going to chop by means of all that uncertainty and play quarterback matchmaker, putting all of this yr’s high quarterback prospects on the groups that take advantage of sense. In some circumstances, that has extra to do with what sort of quarterback the group wants; in others, it’s about discovering the fitting setting for getting essentially the most out of a specific ability set.

Let’s get to the stunning new {couples}.

Cam Ward: Tennessee Titans All indicators level to Ward being the Titans’ beginning quarterback subsequent yr. It’s not even price entertaining completely different prospects for both QB or group at this level. Ward is each a great match for the core of Brian Callahan’s offense and would convey components that Titans’ quarterbacks final season didn't.

The Titans’ 2024 offense was all about maximizing play-action alternatives and attacking down the sphere. Ward has the arm expertise and fearlessness as a thrower to excel in that setting. Nevertheless, Ward additionally massively improved his quick-game operation in faculty, and he’s way more comfy taking part in from unfold and empty formations than Will Levis has ever been. Ward is leaps and bounds forward of Levis (or Mason Rudolph) as a creator outdoors of the pocket, too.

There are going to be rising pains with Ward’s overzealous play fashion early on, however they are going to be price it in the long term. Ward has each a flooring and ceiling worthy of being the No. 1 choose on this class.

Shedeur Sanders: New Orleans Saints Discovering Sanders’ greatest match was trickier than I anticipated. Kevin Stefanski’s downfield play-action offense in Cleveland shouldn't be best; Brian Daboll’s faster passing assault in New York may make sense, however that offensive line is a sieve and Sanders shouldn't be athletic sufficient to faucet into a number of the greatest elements of Daboll’s playbook.

The concept of Sanders being Kellen Moore’s first crack at a quarterback is intriguing, although. Sanders is at his greatest working unfold passing ideas, particularly within the beneath space. He’s a dependable short-area passer who makes use of the intermediate and deeper areas of the sphere to maintain defenses trustworthy, fairly than making these his most popular areas of assault. That’s completely effective for a West Coast-inspired offense.

After all, falling to ninth total isn't any assure. The Browns or the Giants might really feel the itch of desperation and draft Sanders within the high three. If Sanders does slide somewhat bit, nonetheless, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Saints cease that fall.

Jaxson Dart: Seattle Seahawks It might be gorgeous if the Seahawks left the primary two days of the draft with no quarterback. The deal Sam Darnold signed in March is successfully a one-year contract with group choices from then on out — if that doesn’t scream “a developmental quarterback is coming,” I don’t know what does.

Seattle might go in just a few instructions, however Dart is sensible for his or her new offense underneath Klint Kubiak, and vice versa.

Dart jogs my memory a whole lot of Jimmy Garoppolo as a passer. The 2 are fairly comparable in construct, arm expertise and skill on throws over the center of the sphere. A majority of Dart’s greatest throws on movie are slants, quick posts and crossers. The identical was true of Garoppolo at his greatest in San Francisco. Neither Dart nor Garoppolo is a quarterback you need studying out a full development fairly often.

In principle, Kubiak’s offense performs into all of that. It’s constructed off the run recreation, which is then parlayed into a powerful play-action assault. Not solely does that simplify reads for the quarterback, it additionally calls for the QB usually makes tight throws over the center of the sphere, which is the place Dart shines.

With a yr on the bench to study the tempo of the league, possibly Dart could make it work with the Seahawks.

Tyler Shough: Cleveland Browns The Browns’ greatest path to a quarterback is to take the Day 2 participant most prepared to begin instantly. For my cash, that's Shough.

Outdoors of Ward, Shough is essentially the most proficient thrower within the class. He has a versatile but explosive launch that works effectively from all platforms, out and in of the pocket. Although he’s extra of a straight-line thrower than somebody with incredible contact, he nonetheless will get the job achieved from an accuracy perspective.

Shough is a top quality processor, as effectively. Much like Ryan Tannehill, he could be a hair gradual coming off of reads early within the down however typically doesn’t make weird errors, and he protects the ball effectively.

When it comes to professional readiness and arm expertise, Shough simply makes essentially the most sense for Kevin Stefanski’s offense proper now.

Jalen Milroe: Los Angeles Rams If Sean McVay needs to maintain the offense roughly the identical in an eventual post-Matthew Stafford world, Milroe shouldn't be the reply — he’s really the furthest factor from Stafford on this draft class (apart from the 2 or three weird misfires every QB has each recreation).

McVay has lengthy flirted with the thought of a cellular quarterback, although. He was keen to provide John Wolford an opportunity on the finish of the Jared Goff saga, then held onto him because the group’s backup by means of the 2022 season. McVay additionally gave Bryce Perkins a begin in 2022, a recreation through which Perkins carried the ball 19 instances for 90 yards.

Milroe will stroll into the league as the most effective athletes on the place. As a passer, he’ll want no less than a yr to repair his footwork and adapt to the pace of protection on the NFL stage, however that’s okay. There can be no stress on Milroe to compete with Stafford for the job.

This may be a protracted play. No matter it being a great or practical thought, I simply so badly need to see the world through which McVay will get to re-unlock the boot-action recreation and dabble in a quarterback-centric speeding assault.

Riley Leonard: New York Giants Brian Daboll’s greatest work through the years — outdoors of his time with Josh Allen — was at Alabama in 2017, with Jalen Hurts, and in 2022, with Daniel Jones.

Although completely different high quality gamers, Hurts and Jones can each typically be described as sturdy, athletic quarterbacks with the arm expertise to push the ball down the sphere somewhat bit. Each gamers added one thing to the offense through their mobility, and Daboll took benefit.

Apart from possibly Milroe, Leonard is Daboll’s greatest swing at that type of athlete. Leonard is 6-foot-4, 218 kilos with severe wheels. He’s pretty explosive in brief areas and excels when he actually will get to stride out, much like Jones. He’s clearly a weapon within the designed-run recreation and the crimson zone.

Leonard nonetheless has lots to show as a passer, however his athletic skill and toughness offers him a flooring to work with whereas he figures it out.

Kyle McCord: Dallas Cowboys It’s exhausting to seek out and maintain onto good backup quarterbacks — the Cowboys had been fortunate to draft and retain Cooper Rush for so long as that they did. Boring as he's to look at, Rush was a superbly competent quarterback when it got here to working the offense and never taking part in outdoors of his means.

With Rush now in Baltimore, the Cowboys are looking for the subsequent man to fill that function. McCord is their greatest guess.

McCord shouldn't be an awesome expertise. His arm is simply okay, and he’s not going to scare anybody on the transfer. Like all good NFL backup, nonetheless, McCord can run an offense effectively and persistently. He actually realized to play inside himself at Syracuse, displaying good rhythm and decision-making as a thrower.

It’s unlikely he ever ascends to something above an excellent backup, however that’s fairly alright for a Cowboys group searching for that actual type of participant.

Will Howard: Pittsburgh Steelers They need to draft someone, proper? Even underneath the idea Aaron Rodgers lastly drops the charade and indicators, the Steelers have to make some type of effort to safe a younger quarterback.

Howard, if nothing else, suits Arthur Smith’s offense. He isn't somebody who must be a high-volume passer, which already leans into Smith’s run-first method. Moreover, Howard’s greatest traits are his measurement and arm expertise, which permits him to comfortably throw down the sphere, in addition to ample athletic skill for a participant his measurement. Smith’s total play-action and boot menu can be open with Howard at quarterback.

It’s exhausting to think about Howard creating the down-to-down accuracy and play pace to essentially thrive as an NFL starter, however Smith’s offense in Pittsburgh no less than would give Howard an opportunity to cover his weaknesses and lean into his strengths.

Dillon Gabriel: Miami Dolphins Placing the quick lefty quarterback prospect as a backup to the quick lefty NFL quarterback looks like a bit, nevertheless it’s not. It is sensible when you think about every participant’s strengths and the dynamics of being a left-handed vs. right-handed thrower.

Firstly, pass-catchers usually discuss concerning the flight and spin of the ball being completely different from lefty quarterbacks — the ball rotates in the other way of 99 % of quarterbacks, so it seems to be completely different coming right into a receiver’s imaginative and prescient.

Gabriel, like Tua Tagovailoa, additionally thrives with RPOs and throws over the center. He has a versatile and explosive launch, making him completely geared up to handle these RPOs at a excessive stage. And he thrives on in-breaking throws, even providing extra velocity than Tagovailoa does.

The Dolphins desperately have to spend money on a backup quarterback by some means. Gabriel suits.

Quinn Ewers: Buffalo Payments Not each participant or group will get their best match in an train like this. Typically, groups need to accept whoever is left on the dance flooring.

From the Payments’ perspective, a younger backup quarterback must be on the desk, as a result of Mitchell Trubisky has only one yr left on his deal. It makes some sense for the Payments to get forward of issues early and get a developmental participant within the pipeline.

Ewers would convey practical athleticism and arm expertise for Joe Brady. He nonetheless struggles with pocket presence and contact accuracy, particularly down the sphere, however there’s sufficient expertise there to mildew a practical backup.