2025 NFL Draft: Mel Kiper makes big changes to Top 10 QB rankings after National Championship Game

With the 2024 college football season officially in the rearview mirror, longtime ESPN NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. took the opportunity to shake up his Top 10 ranking of draft-eligible quarterbacks in late April’s 2025 NFL Draft.

Kiper didn’t make any changes to his Top 4 quarterbacks, with Colorado‘s Shedeur Sanders and Miami‘s Cam Ward holding steady as the Top 2 QBs, followed by Ole Miss‘ Jaxson Dart and Alabama dual-threat Jalen Milroe.

Beyond that, the ESPN expert made some interesting moves, including sliding Syracuse‘s Kyle McCord into the Top 5 while dropping Texas QB Quinn Ewers a week after he surprised some by formally declaring for the draft.

Check out Mel Kiper Jr.’s complete updated Top 10 quarterback ranking for the 2025 NFL Draft:

1. Sheduer Sanders, Colorado

Sanders, the son of NFL legend and Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders, holds firm atop Kiper’s QB ranking despite others raising concerns about the legacy talent. Nevertheless, Shedeur Sanders lived up to the hype in his second season in Boulder, leading the FBS with a 74.0 completion percentage while finishing just behind Miami‘s Cam Ward in production with 4,134 passing yards and 37 touchdowns.

Kiper: “You won’t find a tougher or more resilient quarterback prospect than Sanders, who took 99 sacks over the past two seasons but still put 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

The fourth-place Heisman Trophy finalist lead the entire FBS with 39 passing touchdowns and just seven interceptions in 2024. Ward was also highly efficient while ranking second nationally with 4,313 passing yards on 67.2-percent passing, spearheading the Hurricanes’ No. 1-ranked offense in 2024 that averaged 537.2 total yards and nearly 44 pointer per game.

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. I like his toughness, swagger and confidence.”

3. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss

Dart represents the best of the rest behind Kipers’ only two first-round caliber QBs after cementing his place in the SEC and Ole Miss record books in 2024. Dart eclipsed Rebels legend Eli Manning as Ole Miss’ career leader in passing yards (10,617) and total offense (12,117 yards) following a school record-breaking 2024 campaign with an SEC-leading 4,279 passing yards and 29 touchdowns this past season.

Kiper: “Jaxson Dart is (my QB3), right now. Mobile, he’s athletic. He’s a tough kid and he can make NFL wow throws. We saw that with him rolling left and rolling right. Jaxson Dart. Ole Miss. My QB3.”

4. Jalen Milroe, Alabama

The dual-threat Milroe is already climbing NFL draft boards while drawing favorable comparisons to Ravens star Lamar Jackson given his strong arm and natural running ability.

An elite run threat with running back-like fluidity, Milroe racked up 36 total touchdowns and 3,570 total yards in his second season as Alabama’s starter, including 20 rushing scores. Still, he struggled with consistency and decision-making as the season went on and finished with 2,844 passing yards and 16 scores to 11 interceptions.

5. Kyle McCord, Syracuse (+2)

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Orange quarterback is the biggest climber in Kiper’s latest QB ranking, jumping into the Top 5 after an impressive 2024 season in which he led the entire FBS with 4,779 passing yards and ranked fourth with 34 touchdowns to 12 interceptions — five vs. Pittsburgh — in his lone season with Syracuse.

McCord bet on himself last offseason, transferring away from eventual National champion Ohio State for the Orange, which led the ACC in passing averaging 370 yards through the air during Syracuse’ sensational 2024.

6. Will Howard, Ohio State

Given his physical style and affinity to gain tough yards on the ground, the big-bodied Howard has drawn comparisons to Bills star Josh Allen. Howard surely caught the attention of NFL personnel while leading the Buckeyes to four double-digit College Football Playoff victories, including in Monday night’s 34-23 win over Notre Dame in Monday’s CFP National Championship Game.

Following an offseason transfer from Kansas State, the 6-foot-4, 235-pound Howard capped a stellar five-year collegiate career by leading the Big Ten with 42 total touchdowns, including seven rushing scores, and 4,010 yards on 73-percent passing in 2024.

7. Quinn Ewers, Texas (-2)

Ewers takes a dip in Kiper’s QB ranking after opting to forgo his final season of eligibility to enter the 2025 NFL Draft. Despite missing two games with an abdominal strain, Ewers set a career-high with 31 touchdown passes while throwing for 3,472 yards and 12 interceptions on 65.8-percent passing, which ranked second in the SEC behind only Dart.

Over three seasons in Austin, Ewers amassed 737 completions for 9,128 passing yards and 68 touchdowns to 28 interceptions with a 64.9-percent career completion percentage in 36 career games, though missed multiple games each season with various injuries.

8. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon (+2)

The well-traveled Ducks quarterback also gets a nice boost in Kiper’s QB ranking after establishing himself as one of the most productive quarterbacks in college football history with 18,722 passing yards and 72 touchdowns over six seasons at Oregon, Oklahoma and UCF.

Gabriel finished third in the Heisman voting and capped his lengthy college career with his best statistical season to date, leading the Big Ten with 3,857 yards and 30 touchdowns on 72.9-percent passing, which ranked second nationally behind only Sanders.

9. Kurtis Rourke, Indiana (-1)

The 6-foot-5 Hoosiers quarterback was the model of consistency in his first and only season in Bloomington, ranking fourth in the Big Ten with a 69.4 completion percentage, despite quietly playing with a partially torn ACL for much of the year.

Nevertheless, Rourke caught the attention of NFL scouts by finishing with 3,042 yards and 29 touchdowns to just five interceptions while guiding Indiana to its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.

10. Tyler Shough, Louisville (-1)

Another well-traveled quarterback, the 25-year-old Shough set career-highs in both passing yards (3,195) and touchdowns (23) in his lone season at Louisville following multi-year stints at Oregon and Texas Tech.

After battling through three injury-plagued seasons in Lubbock, Shough proved he can stay healthy, appearing in a career-high 12 regular-season games in 2024.