The 2025 college football regular season is over and with many of the top draft-eligible quarterbacks not in the College Football Playoff, there’s no more opportunity to provide more film for teams. While the 2025 NFL Draft is months away, there is an early leader in the battle between Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward to be the top QB.
Ward, age 22, came into the season with a lower perceived draft stock than Sanders. The 6-foot-2 quarterback then starred in the Miami Hurricanes offense, finishing as a Heisman Trophy finalist and earning consensus All-American honors. However, Miami was kept out of the College Football Playoff because of two losses caused by the Hurricanes’ defense.
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- Cam Ward stats (2024): 4,123 passing yards, 36-7 TD-INT, 88.1 ESPN QBR, 67.4% completion rate, 9.5 yards per attempt, 22 sacks taken, 196 rushing yards, 4 rushing touchdowns
Likewise, Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes aren’t in the College Football Playoff. However, the 22-year-old quarterback won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors this past regular season. With both entering the 2025 NFL Draft, now the question is which signal-caller is preferred by teams.
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Jeff Howe of The Athletic wrote that as of late December, Ward “has the early lead” in the race to be the consensus No. 1 quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft. While Sanders “will have his supporters” among teams, he is currently not the preferred choice around the league.
- Shedeur Sanders stats (ESPN): 3,926 passing yards, 35-8 TD-INT, 78.3 ESPN QBR, 74.2% completion rate, 8.6 yards per attempt, 38 sacks taken, 4 rushing touchdowns
Furthermore, Howe noted that Sanders needs to “nail the interview process” even to solidify himself among the two best quarterbacks and that comes directly from several NFL personnel evaluators.
Reports previously surfaced in November of baggage teams were concerned about with Sanders. He’s also not viewed as the caliber of prospect who could dictate which team will pick him in the 2025 NFL Draft. Although, the two teams believed to have the most interest in him right now (New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders) currently have the top picks.
While Ward is currently viewed as the best quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft, that also is a knock on this year’s class. Multiple talent evaluators have said that Ward and Sanders might not finish with scouting grades higher than the six quarterbacks drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. While the pre-draft process will push some passers up, NFL teams have been pretty adamant that this year’s quarterback class isn’t strong.
