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Pete Thamel, Senior College Sports Insider
ARLINGTON, Texas — The top of the quarterback market appears to have solidified for the 2025 NFL draft, with an ESPN poll showing that Colorado‘s Shedeur Sanders and Miami‘s Cam Ward have separated themselves from the rest of the class.
ESPN repolled 20 scouts and executives, asking them the same thing we did in October: Who is the top quarterback for the 2025 NFL draft?
In the latest poll, Sanders got 11 votes and Ward received nine, a distinct difference from the results prior to the weekend of Oct. 5.
The results from the first poll showed a much wider variance, as Sanders got nine votes ahead of Georgia‘s Carson Beck (5), Alabama‘s Jalen Milroe (4), Ward (1) and Texas‘ Quinn Ewers (1).
One scout initially described the quarterback class as “muddy,” and the consensus among scouts is that this crop of quarterbacks is a distinct downgrade from last year. In the 2024 NFL draft, a record six quarterbacks went in the first round, all of them going in the first 12 picks.
Ward and Sanders are significantly different players, which could impact decision-making at the top of the draft. Ward is a prototype dual-threat who will be called on for designed runs in the NFL. Sanders isn’t a plus athlete in the minds of scouts, as he is more of a dropback quarterback who isn’t a good enough athlete for called running plays.
“This is one of the weakest classes,” a veteran scout said. “There’s not a lot of depth to it, and there’s not a lot of high-talent players either.”
That reality is going to collide with the number of teams with a significant need for a quarterback. The draft’s top three teams — the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and New York Giants — all could pick a QB and join the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets and New Orleans Saints as most needing quarterback help. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts also could look to address the position in the draft, though not with the urgency of the others.
When picking their top quarterback, scouts and executives used words such as “reluctantly” and “don’t love it.” One scout said he was unsure if there are any franchise quarterbacks in this draft.
The crop got even weaker Thursday when Beck reversed course and decided to enter the transfer portal and go back to college. Beck injured his elbow in the SEC title game Dec. 7 and had surgery in Los Angeles on Dec. 23 by renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
He follows Ward in his path — Ward declared for the draft before joining the Hurricanes in January 2024 — and in destination, as sources told ESPN on Friday that Beck had committed to Miami. His choice to return to school has been viewed as a wise one.
“Smart move,” one scout told ESPN. “He had an up-and-down year, lots of question marks, he came back and answered them. He’s very talented, very inconsistent. He needs a better body of work, in my opinion.”
LSU‘s Garrett Nussmeier and Penn State‘s Drew Allar will be ahead of Beck and Clemson‘s Cade Klubnik in the conversation for the top quarterback in the 2026 draft.
Allar’s name gained buzz in NFL circles in recent weeks, even though he has stated publicly that he is coming back.
“I look forward to making more memories with my teammates this year and beyond,” he said in a statement prior to the start of the College Football Playoff.
His performance against Notre Dame on Thursday proved a difficult one, as he failed to complete a pass to a wide receiver and threw a late interception that led to the Irish’s winning field goal.