The 2025 NFL Draft takes place on Thursday, April 24 and runs through Saturday, April 26. In the latest episode of Chris Simms Unbuttoned, Simms takes a close look at this year’s quarterback class, revealing his top 5 QB rankings along with honorable mentions. See below to find out if your favorite quarterback made Chris Simms’ 2025 Top 5 QB Prospects list.
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2025 NFL Quarterback Rankings:
Tier 1:
1) Cam Ward (Miami)
What Simms said:
“There’s no secret here. My No. 1 quarterback is the same guy that’s No. 1 on all 32 teams’ boards and that would be Cam Ward…I think this is a slam dunk. A lot of high-level, ‘wow’ throws…His ability to throw on the run is elite. He’s always calm and cool. When he wants to throw a rocket, he can find another gear in his arm that nobody in this draft class has…"
Tier 2:
2) Shedeur Sanders (Colorado)
What Simms said:
“Great presence on the football field. That’s undeniable. He certainly seems to have something about him that radiates throughout the rest of the football team. I do believe he’ll be able to be a starter in the NFL and people will be able to rally around him as a human being. He’s got a strong arm, and it doesn’t take him much effort to throw a fastball. He’s very accurate and rarely loses control of the football. You don’t see him make too many dicey decisions…"
3) Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss)
What Simms said:
“The guy can play. He wants to stand in there and play in the pocket. His arm is not as strong as [Ward’s or Sanders’], and there’s more effort and space needed to throw the ball hard. He’s a below-average athlete for 2025…but the number one thing I love about his game is the amount of high-level 15-20 yard throws he makes. He has three years of playing high-quality football [at USC and Ole Miss]…He does have a variety of arm angles and has pretty good feet in the pocket. He’s a guy that you wish some of his physical attributes were a hair better, but I do like the way he plays and I certainly could see him being a starting quarterback in the NFL one day.”
Tier 3:
4) Kyle McCord (Syracuse)
What Simms said:
“There’s a lot to like with Kyle McCord. I would tell you that I think he got a raw deal at Ohio State. His play there was good enough to where I think they could have kept him. I think his play that year was better than Will Howard’s play for them this year. Athletic, strong-looking. He’s just the right blend of things…His mechanics are flawless. Maybe a little robotic at times, as far as we’re not going to see side-arm, it’s usually going to be the same arm angle. I do wish his release was a little bit faster, but he can let it rip. In fact, I think he can let it rip just about as good as anyone in this draft, maybe besides Cam Ward. I would say he makes the most power, ‘wow’ throws in the draft, other than Ward.”
5) Quinn Ewers (Texas)
What Simms said:
“Quinn’s arm is gifted. He has experience in big-time college football. He can make every throw in the world and has a beautiful motion. He’s got great touch and there’s only one thing you can look at: he was beat up this year and I do think that hurt him a little. But there’s just a throw or two every game where you’re just like ‘Why? Just drive the ball and hit him in the chest.’ That would be the negative of him, but the positives are smooth stroke, effortless throwing, and an extremely flexible arm that allows him to get power without ever needing to get his body into it. With all that said, he throws the changeup, the anticipation ball too much.”
Honorable Mentions:
Tyler Shough (Louisville)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA - OCTOBER 12, 2024: Tyler Shough #9 of the Louisville Cardinals throws a pass during the second half against the Virginia Cavaliers at Scott Stadium on October 12, 2024 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
Diamond Images/Getty Images
What Simms said:
“Some of that athletic ability doesn’t really show on the film. His arm, to me, was not quite in the class of a McCord or Quinn Ewers. On top of that, I think they have untapped potential to go up to another level. I kind of look at Tyler and go, ‘No, he is what he is. He’s a good player, he’s been coached well, he’s tall, he’s big, he’s got good mechanics. He’s a smooth thrower—you saw that at the combine—but he’s not a wow thrower. He is accurate. It’s effortless, all of that. No doubt he can throw it off-platform pretty well. I give him a lot of credit there...’”
Jalen Milroe (Alabama)
What Simms said:
“It’s the tale of two seasons because when you start the first game of the year, and if you watch the first few games, you go, damn, this guy’s special. But then you get to the end of the year, and it starts to fall apart as far as decision-making and throwing the football. And that’s where he needs work in those areas.”
Dillon Gabriel (Oregon)
What Simms said:
“When you watch him, it’s quick decisions, quick release, more power on the arm than you’d imagine, but the size limitations are real. When he wants to throw the football down the field, his arm does get a little longer and he does need extra space. He is a damn good athlete that knows how to play and where to go with the ball. He’s got the abilities to be a good backup quarterback. He’s got side-arm when he needs to, and I think the thing that jumped out to me more than anything was that the ball jumps out of his hand a little bit more powerfully than I thought. But again, I think the size limitations is where I worry about Dillon Gabriel a little bit.”
Riley Leonard (Notre Dame)
What Simms said:
“It’s not always perfect with Leonard. There are certain parts of the game where you can tell that they don’t trust him, they don’t want him throwing the ball. He got better as the year went on and let me just say when he throws it well, it really opens your eyes. It looks really easy, natural, and perfect. Between that, the size, the smarts, he’s a really good athlete, way bigger than people realize, and there’s just more power behind his arm than TV gives it credit for. By the end of the year, you started to see more quality, big-time throws. He’s tough, but he’s nowhere near a finished product.”
Graham Mertz (Florida)
What Simms said:
“I liked Graham Mertz from what I saw. First off, great look, good size, good legs, very nice motion — really one of the sneaky, more powerful arms in the draft, in my opinion. When he was standing there in the pocket, you talk about the ability to throw 30-yard corner routes and 25-yard in-cuts. I mean, he could put a lot of heat on it with very little effort. I liked his motion and his mechanics. He’s a better athlete. He could play the position pretty well. To me, he was kind of one of my most pleasant surprises of this whole process...”
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