2025 NFL Draft: Mel Kiper makes big changes to Top 10 QB rankings ahead of College Football Playoff

The first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff officially kicks off this weekend, providing a unique national showcase for a handful of talented quarterbacks that could be weighing their next step.

Meanwhile, several other collegiate QBs have already made up their mind and have opted to forgo the 2025 NFL Draft and return to college. The biggest name among those coming back was Penn State‘s Drew Allar, who made his intentions known this past week.

Still, Allar’s decision forced ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. to overhaul his list of the Top 10 draft-eligible quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft with this week’s release of his Big Board rankings. Check out Kiper’s updated Top 10 QBs below:

1. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

Being the son of NFL legend and Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders comes with plenty of expectations, and for the most part, Shedeur Sanders has lived up to the hype. In his second season in Boulder, Shedeur Sanders led the FBS with a 74.2 completion percentage while throwing for 3,926 yards and 35 touchdowns through the air in 2024.

Kiper: “You won’t find a tougher or more resilient quarterback prospect than Sanders, who has taken 90 sacks over the past two seasons but still puts up really strong numbers. I’m always impressed watching him throw on the move, rolling either left or right. He is very accurate in those spots and has the arm to drive the ball. When his mechanics and footwork are sound, he can pick apart a defense.”

2. Cam Ward, Miami

As the fourth-place finisher in the 2024 Heisman Trophy voting, Ward established himself as a sure-first early first-round draft pick after leading the ACC’s No. 1-ranked offense with a FBS-best 36 passing touchdowns while ranking second with 4,123 yards and a 67.4 completion percentage in 2024.

Kiper: “Ward has an unorthodox delivery, but he throws with accuracy and velocity from different arm angles. … He displays solid game management traits, and … when things break down around him, Ward can extend plays with his legs, either throwing on the move or picking up first downs as a runner.”

3. Jalen Milroe, Alabama

The Crimson Tide’s second-year starting QB continued to show what makes him a unique talent at quarterback, flashing electric speed and rare playmaking ability out of the backfield. Still, inconsistencies in his first season under new Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer could raise flags with NFL evaluators.

Neverthless, Milroe’s pure talent is unmistakeable, with some NFL scouts already drawing comps for dynamic Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson due to their scrambling ability and strong throwing arm. Milroe’s scoring prowess is clear after leading the SEC with 35 total touchdowns in 2024, including finishing second in the league with 20 scores on the ground.

4. Carson Beck, Georgia

Beck remains a bit of an enigma for NFL Draft evaluators, moreso now that he’s contemplating surgery to repair an elbow injury suffered in the first half of the SEC Championship game vs. Texas earlier this month. Still, the Bulldogs’ two-year starting QB has certainly been productive and a proven winner in Athens.

Before his injury, Beck racked up an impressive 24-3 record as Georgia’s QB1, along with a combined 7,426 passing yards and 56 touchdowns over the past two seasons alone. While his draft status remains in flux due to his pending surgery, Beck would be a welcomed addition to any NFL QB room.

5. Quinn Ewers, Texas

Ewers was long expected to enter the 2025 NFL Draft after this season, ushering in the Arch Manning Era at Texas after two seasons as his backup. But recent speculation has centered around Ewers forgoing the draft in favor of another season of college, something Kiper himself suggested this week.

Kiper: “Arch Manning is going to be the quarterback at Texas next year. So if you want to play college football, you probably have to move on somewhere. I would do that if I’m Quinn Ewers,” Kiper said on Thursday’s First Draft podcast. “I don’t want to become a second- or third-round pick.”

6. Kurtis Rourke, Indiana

The Hoosiers’ QB has been the definition of consistency this season, leading Indiana on a Cinderella-like year that involved winning their first 10 straight games in convincing fashion and the program’s first-ever CFP appearance.

Still, Rourke’s efficiency can’t be ignored after completing 70.4-percent of his passes (202-of-287) for 2,827 yards and rankings second in the Big Ten with 27 passing touchdowns this season. Rourke, like Ewers, could elevate their draft stock with a strong Playoff showing.

7. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss

In his third season running Lane Kiffin‘s high-powered offense, Dart definitively made his case as a NFL-caliber QB while leading the SEC in passing in 2024 with 3,875 yards (322.9 per game) and a 25-to-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio this season.

With a sensational senior season, Dart supplanted another Ole Miss legend, Eli Manning, as the Rebels’ all-time passing leader with a combined 10,163 passing yards and 68 touchdowns over his three-year career, and could be an intriguing Day 2 option for NFL teams.

8. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon

Gabriel is the definition of a journeyman QB, staring for all three FBS programs he played for over his six-year collegiate career. Finishing third in this year’s Heisman Trophy voting, Gabriel led Oregon to an undefeated regular season and a Big Ten championship in its first year in the league.

But it’s his consistency, leading the Big Ten and ranking second nationally with a 73.2 completion percentage, along with his Big Ten-best 3,558 yards yards and 28 touchdown this season. Gabriel has thrown for 18,423 yards and 70 touchdowns over his six seasons between Oregon, Oklahoma and UCF.

9. Kyle McCord, Syracuse

The former Ohio State transfer made the most of his lone season in Syracuse with an ACC-leading 4,326 passsing yards to go along with 29 touchdowns this seasons. But consistency proved to be a buggaboo for McCord this season with a conference-worst 12 interceptions.

Still, the big-bodied McCord will be an intriguing Day 3 option for NFL teams after proving himself with 3,776 and 27 touchdowns to just eight interceptions in 2023 at Ohio State.

10. Tyler Shough, Louisville

The Louisville quarterback gets the bump after Allar opted to return to Penn State, and it’s not without merit. Shough ranked fourth in the ACC with 3,195 passing yards and a 23-to-6 touchdown to interception ratio in his lone season with the Cardinals.

Another one-year transfer, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Shough certainly looks the part and proved his worth in Louisville following an injury-plagued three-year career at Texas Tech.