Phil Steele's 2025 NFL Draft QB rankings leave fans shocked
The 2025 NFL Draft is still quite a ways away, but that doesn't mean college football nerds like myself and Phil Steele aren't projecting what could happen next April. The 2025 class has a ton of question marks around it, so that means quarterback rankings will be especially volatile. Steele, the long-time college football analyst […]
The 2025 NFL Draft is still quite a ways away, but that doesn't mean college football nerds like myself and Phil Steele aren't projecting what could happen next April. The 2025 class has a ton of question marks around it, so that means quarterback rankings will be especially volatile. Steele, the long-time college football analyst with ESPN and author of the yearly magazine, shocked everyone with his personal projections.
Phil Steele 2025 NFL Draft QB Prospect Rankings
On3 released a graphic with Steele's rankings, showing off Carson Beck as the top quarterback in the class, to little surprise. Our team also has Beck as the early QB1 in our 2025 QB NFL Draft rankings. But then things get interesting as Jaxson Dart is No. 2, and Drew Allar follows Shedeur Sanders at No. 4.
Dart has the experience and mobility to be viewed as a potential NFL quarterback, but I don't see him as a future impactful starter. His accuracy and overall arm talent are lacking, putting him in the bucket of someone like Kenny Pickett. He'll have to show off elite pocket skill in 2024 to be considered more than a Day 3 prospect on my board.
I'm not surprised to see Sanders so high, even if my co-worker Travis May disagrees and is low on the controversial playmaking passer. Sanders' work ethic, creation ability, and accuracy all check the boxes to be an above-average NFL starter, but he does have to work quicker as a pocket presence.
Allar then sits over Jalen Milroe, Quinn Ewers, and Cam Ward. Ward has been described to me as someone who needs to commit himself to the game of football to be viewed as a more serious prospect, but his physical traits are incredibly intriguing. Allar, a former top prospect, has a cannon for an arm, but his accuracy and decision-making can leave room for improvement.
I can see Steele's argument for Allar over these two, but it's somewhat jarring. Milroe came on as a major improvement over the end of 2023, showing off elite athleticism, a strong, flexible arm, and a terrific aptitude for development. Ewers is less athletic than both and has a weaker arm, but much more control of his game and accuracy.
Maybe an equally big shock was the two names rounding out the top 10 with Kyle McCord and Miller Moss. McCord, frankly, is not an NFL prospect after his milquetoast 2023 season with Ohio State. His physical traits are average and he failed to guide a loaded Buckeyes team to what should've been a relatively clear path to a title. His mental makeup just isn't there.
Moss is another weird inclusion over players like Garrett Nussmeier. Sure, he played wonderfully in USC's bowl game in relief of Caleb Williams, but is he even better than new backup Jordan Maiava? I think we'll see the latter on the field this fall at some point.
