Are you ready, Raiders fans? The 2025 NFL Draft is finally here. And with it comes The Raider Ramble‘s official draft guide, starting with the quarterback position.
Here, Alex Monfreda and Dalton Blackman break down the consensus top-10 quarterbacks in this class, giving their thoughts on each signal caller – including the most-notable strength and concern – in addition to their grade on the player.
Cheers, Raider Nation.
The Raider Ramble Official Draft Guide – Quarterbacks. Might the Raiders add one?
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Alex’s Thoughts
We often hear about high-ceiling, low-floor prospects such as Jalen Milroe and Quinn Ewers – two quarterbacks we’ll talk about a little later. With Sanders, it’s high-floor, low[er]-ceiling.
This is a signal caller who has all the tools to step in Day 1 and start with little trouble. His accuracy and ability to read defenses are evidence of that. However, the upside seems to be limited, and he’ll need to shake habits he was able to get away with in college that he won’t be able to in the NFL.
Dalton’s Thoughts
Sanders’ NFL pedigree jumps off of the tape right away. His footwork and mechanics are crisp and clean, he can read the defense, and he makes sound decisions with the football. While his measurables are not what you would call elite, they certainly meet all the NFL prerequisites. Sanders should be a coveted prospect due to his high floor combined with significant upside in the right situation.
Strengths
-Fundamentals
Sanders already does all the little things that most quarterback prospects have to learn once they get to the league.
Concerns
-Impatience
Sanders sometimes has a habit of rushing things due the offensive line struggles he had at Colorado.
Positional Ranking
Alex: QB2
Dalton: QB1
Draft Grade/Projection
Alex: Grade- First-round player, Projection- First-rounder (outside top-10)
Dalton: Grade- Top 10, Projection- Top 3
Cam Ward, Miami
Alex’s Thoughts
Ward has a lot to work on, but his strengths are traits that typically differentiate a quarterback from good to great. That’s why he’ll be the first-overall selection tomorrow. Most notably, Ward’s ability to improvise stands out when watching the tape. He has the ability to make things happen off-script in a pinch, and if he’s able to improve on some fundamental issues, we may be looking at a near-elite quarterback.
Dalton’s Thoughts
Ward oozes natural ability with his arm talent, athleticism, and instincts. However, his mechanics are raw and he is very much a “college” quarterback. He offers tremendous upside if he can successfully transition to the next level.
Strengths
– Natural talent
Ward has all the physical tools you can possibly want in an NFL QB. He has the ability to make plays that simply would not be there for most quarterbacks
Concerns
– Fundamentals
Ward’s mechanics have not improved throughout his five years of college. He is heavily reliant on making plays out of structure
Positional Ranking
Positional Ranking
Alex: QB1
Dalton: QB2
Draft Grade/Projection
Alex: Grade- Top-10 player, Projection- First-overall
Dalton: Grade- 1st Rd., Projection- Top 3
Jalen Milroe, Alabama
Alex’s Thoughts
If ever there was a dreamy prospect in terms of god given ability alone – speed, athleticism, arm talent – Jalen Milroe is that prospect. One NFL scout claimed Milroe runs with the speed of Lamar Jackson and power of Cam Newton simultaneously. However, the fundamental side of things is an absolute mess. This is a project player who needs time to develop, but if he does develop his skills well, look out, NFL.
Dalton’s Thoughts
Milroe has the physical tools to make him a solid dual-threat quarterback at the next level, in the right scheme. In college, he did not have to go through a progression frequently and was not asked to do a lot of pre-snap adjustments. Any team drafting him should be prepared to run a college-style offense tailored to his skillset.
Strengths
– Dynamic Runner
Milroe’s athleticism will allow him to be a legitimate threat as a runner at the next level.
Concerns
– Inconsistent accuracy
Milroe throws a solid ball, but it does not always go where it needs to. He will have a big adjustment to make as NFL windows are much smaller.
Positional Ranking
Alex: QB3
Dalton: QB3
Draft Grade/Projection
Alex: Grade- 1st-round player, Projection- latter-end of first
Dalton: Grade- 2nd Rd., Projection- 2nd Rd.
Raiders draft guide: QBs
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
Alex’s Thoughts
This is a player who will get the ball out quick and keep you on schedule. There’s concerns that he’s destined to stay in that lane, but this lane may have been the result of the offense Ole Miss runs. That’s a question that Dart goes into the 2025 NFL Draft with. Regardless, Dart has the ability to control an offense and stay on-script without much trouble.
Dalton’s Thoughts
Dart is your classic “game-manager-plus” quarterback. He gets the ball out quickly and accurately, and pairs that with the ability to make plays with his legs. In the right system, he could be a quality NFL starter.
Strengths
-Running Ability/Decision Making
While Dart may not be “NFL fast,” he has the mobility and instincts to pick up yards with his legs rather than force a throw that is not there.
Concerns
-Downfield Accuracy
Whenever Dart throws more than 40 yards down the field it is an adventure. He has very little control of the ball when he sends it deep.
Positional Ranking
Alex: QB5
Dalton: QB4
Draft Projections
Alex: Grade- Second-round
Dalton: Grade- Late 1st Rd., Projection- Late 1st Rd.
Quinn Ewers, Texas
Alex’s Thoughts
It’s oftentimes not easy to describe quarterbacks with one word. But with Ewers, it is. Raw. Everything you want in a quarterback is present with Ewers. Arm talent, size, mobility. However, after three seasons at Texas, it’s hard to say what skills Ewers is particularly adept at, if any at all. Still, the potential to be a starting-caliber quarterback in the NFL is there.
Dalton’s Thoughts
Ewers is a frustrating prospect. He has all the tools to be a good NFL quarterback, but it does not show up on tape consistently.
Strengths
-Ball Placement
Ewers does a good job of using his ball placement to put his receivers in positions to make plays.
Concerns
-Inconsistency
Too often, Ewers kills drives with bad misses or head-scratching decisions.
Positional Ranking
Alex: QB6
Dalton: QB5
Draft Grade/Projection
Alex: Grade- 4th-rounder, Projection- third-round selection
Dalton: Grade- 4th Rd., Projection- 3rd Rd.
Raiders draft guide
Tyler Shough, Louisville
Alex’s Thoughts
Don’t be fooled by the one clip of Shough at the Combine–this guy has legitimate arm talent. More so than some of the prospects listed thus far. Be that as it may, you can’t help but be concerned by Shough’s injury history. This is a player who spent five years as a starter at the college-level, appearing in more than seven contests just once. That’s a scary proposition.
Dalton’s Thoughts
Shough may be a late-bloomer, but he checks a lot of the boxes NFL teams look for in a quarterback. He has the prototypical size, arm talent, and mobility that GMs will salivate over.
Strengths
-Arm Talent
Shough can make just about any throw he is asked to make and consistently puts the ball exactly where it needs to be.
Concerns
-Age
Shough will be 26 this September. That drastically lowers his ceiling as a prospect.
Positional Ranking
Alex: QB4
Dalton: QB6
Draft Grade/Projection
Alex: Grade- 3rd-rounder, Projection- 4th-round
Dalton: Grade- 5th Rd., Projection- Late 3rd Rd.
Kyle McCord, Syracuse
Alex’s Thoughts
McCord is a guy who plays like he has good ball placement, but he simply does not. That’s why his turnover-worthy percentage was 3.6%, which is more than any player on this list not named Quinn Ewers. McCord often lets it fly in layered coverage, and even at the college level, the end result doesn’t usually go the way he envisioned. That translation to the NFL is a nightmare.
Dalton’s Thoughts
McCord is your classic gunslinger. There is no throw that he is afraid to make. While he does have the ability to make them, they do end up in the hands of opposing defenders quite a bit.
Strengths
-Arm Talent
From the standpoint of pure throwing ability, McCord has one of the best arms in this class.
Concerns
-Decision-Making
McCord tries to do too much at times and needs to take care of the football.
Positional Ranking
Alex: QB10
Dalton: QB7
Draft Grade/Projection
Alex: Grate- 7th-rounder, Projection- 5th-rounder
Dalton: Grade- 5th Rd., Projection- Late 3rd Rd.
Raiders draft guide
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
Dalton’s Thoughts
Gabriel enters the draft coming off of a long and productive college career. He was arguably the best quarterback in all of college football this season. However, he is also your stereotypical great college quarterback that simply won’t be able to succeed in the NFL
Strengths
-Accuracy
Gabriel consistently zips the ball into tight windows with tremendous velocity. He can also maximize short passes by getting the ball quickly to his receivers in stride.
Concerns
-Physical Tools
Gabriel lacks the prerequisite size, athleticism, and arm strength to be a successful NFL quarterback.
Positional Ranking
Alex: QB7
Dalton: QB8
Draft Grade/Projection
Alex: Grade- 4th-rounder, Projection- 4th-rounder
Dalton: Grade- 5th Rd., Projection- 4th Rd.
Will Howard, Ohio State
Dalton’s Thoughts
Howard is another guy that has had all the success in the world in college, but has question marks in regards to how he will transition to the next level. The Combine workouts and interview will be vital for him to alleviate those concerns.
Strengths
-Mobility
Howard’s sneaky athleticism is a bonus for a guy that projects as more of a game-manager.
Concerns
-Accuracy
Howard struggles to consistently put the ball where it needs to be.
Positional Ranking
Alex: QB8
Dalton: QB9
Draft Grade/Projection
Alex: Grade- fifth-rounder, Projection- fourth-rounder
Dalton: Grade- 6th Rd., Projection- 4th Rd.
Final QB on Raiders draft guide
Riley Leonard, Notre Dame
Dalton’s Thoughts
Make no mistake about it, Leonard is a running quarterback. At 6’4″ and almost 220 pounds, he is a load to bring down and is faster than you would expect.
Strengths
-Running Ability
Leonard is at his best when his legs are a feature of the offense.
Concerns
-Accuracy
Leonard simply struggles to accurately throw the football on a regular basis. That is kind of a big problem for a quarterback.
Positional Ranking
Alex: QB9
Dalton: QB10
Draft Grade/Projection
Alex: Grade- 6th-rounder. Projection- 4th-rounder
Dalton: Grade- 6th Rd., Projection- 6th Rd.
More Raiders draft content:
3 prospects Raiders could take on Day 2
Jalen Milroe rumors: Raiders QB of the future?
Ashton Jeanty full film breakdown vs Penn State
*Top Photo: Getty Images