“He’s a franchise quarterback and I think that’s a big reason why you haven’t heard the Titans involved in any conversation with any veteran quarterback because I think they see what I see.” – Simms on ranking Ward No. 1
“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.” – Simms on Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders (No. 2)
“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.” – Simms on Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart (No. 3)
“There’s 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.” – Simms on Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard (Honorable Mention)
STAMFORD, Conn. – March 17, 2025 – NBC Sports’ Chris Simms discusses this year’s top quarterback prospects heading into the 2025 NFL Draft and unveiled his QB draft rankings on the Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast, listing Miami’s Cam Ward No. 1. In the episode, Simms ranks and analyzes Ward, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, Syracuse’s Kyle McCord, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, and more.
Simms, a third-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2003 NFL Draft who played eight NFL seasons, is joined by NBC Sports’ Ahmed Fareed on the podcast. The two offer in-depth breakdowns, rankings, and NFL comparisons for this year’s top quarterback prospects.
Simms has had success in projecting college quarterbacks – including naming Jayden Daniels, who was named AP’s 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year following a season that saw him lead the Washington Commanders to the NFC Championship Game, as his No. 2 QB prospect in 2024. Additionally, Simms has named C.J. Stroud, who was named AP’s 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year, as his top QB prospect in 2023, Patrick Mahomes as his most exciting prospect in 2017, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen as his top-two QBs in 2018, and Justin Herbert as his No. 2 QB in 2020.
In the lead up to April’s NFL Draft, Simms will rank and break down every position group, provide a list of sleeper prospects, and issue a final mock draft.
The following are highlights from Simms’ QB draft rankings:
No. 1: Cam Ward, Miami
“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…His decision-making is better than I thought…Fading away from pressure and seeing him go backwards and flick a ball 30 yards and drop it over a linebacker and a safety, that’s as good as you’ll see in that department. That’s a gift that he has that only the special ones have. He’s a franchise quarterback and I think that’s a big reason why you haven’t heard the Titans involved in any conversation with any veteran quarterback because I think they see what I see.”
No. 2: Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
“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…He is a true pocket-passing quarterback, and for 2025, he is just an above-average athlete for what we see coming into the league now, but where he is special – and similar to Cam Ward – he is fearless in the pocket…I look at Shedeur Sanders and I certainly do think he is a first-round quarterback.”
No. 3: Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
“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.”
No. 4: Kyle McCord, Syracuse
“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.”
No. 5: Quinn Ewers, Texas
“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 Mention: Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
“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.”
Honorable Mention: Riley Leonard, Notre Dame
“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.”
-NBC SPORTS-
