2025 NFL Draft: Mel Kiper makes big changes to Top 10 QB rankings after Week 12 of college football

With just two weeks remaining in the 2024 college football regular season, many around the NFL are already looking toward the future. That includes ESPN NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr., who recently overhauled his Big Board, including shaking up his projected QB ranking following a revealing Week 12.

Kiper shook up the heart of his quarterback ranking after a resurgent effort from Georgia quarterback Carson Beck against Tennessee in Week 12, but the longtime NFL Draft expert remains very high on a pair of dynamic senior quarterbacks that will have NFL teams jockeying to select them in next April’s draft.

Check out Kiper’s Top 10 quarterback ranking below:

1. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

Mel Kiper Jr. has long been the conductor of the Shedeur Sanders bandwagon and that doesn’t change amid Sanders’ stellar 2024 season in Boulder. With 27 passing touchdowns, which is tied for second nationally, Sanders has only cemented his place atop Kiper’s QB ranking while guiding Colorado to the verge of securing a Big 12 Championship game bid — and quite possibly the College Football Playoff.

“You won’t find a tougher or more resilient quarterback prospect than Sanders, who took 52 sacks last season but still put up really strong numbers,” Kiper said. “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 (Fla.)

Ward remains Sanders’ only true challenger for the No. 1 QB spot on Kiper’s board and it’s clear to see why. Ward leads all of college football with 32 passing touchdowns and 3,494 passing yards while guiding the Hurricanes to the top of the ACC standings in his first and only season in Miami.

“Ward has an unorthodox delivery, but he throws with accuracy and velocity from different arm angles. … 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,” Kiper said. “To say Ward has been a perfect fit with the Hurricanes might still be an understatement; I like his toughness, swagger and confidence.”

3. Jalen Milroe, Alabama

Milroe remains a bit of an enigma for NFL evaluators given his supernatural playmaking ability, especially with his legs, but has given some pause regarding his ability to quickly go through his progressions and reading defenses efficiently.

Nevertheless, Milroe’s talent is undeniable and while the junior could ultimately be best served returning to Alabama for another season under first-year Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer, he remains an intriguing option for NFL teams. For that reason, Kiper keeps Milroe at No. 3.

4. Carson Beck, Georgia (+2)

The biggest change in Kiper’s QB rankings comes at No. 4, where he slotted the Bulldogs’ senior signal caller fresh off an encouraging passing effort in a win over Tennessee, when he threw for 347 yards and a pair of long touchdowns to tight end Oscar Delp to revive Georgia’s College Football Playoff hopes.

Once considered the preseason favorite to become the No. 1 overall pick in 2025, Beck’s inconsistency — including a 22-to-11 touchdown-to-intereception ratio — in 2024 has seen his draft stock plummet to the bottom of the first round if not further. Of course, there’s plenty of time for Beck to prove those inconsistencies were the exception, not the norm, and continue to climb draft boards across the NFL.

5. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU (-1)

The son of longtime NFL quarterback coach Doug Nussmeier is in his first season as LSU’s starting quarterback and has done plenty to impress. That includes ranking second in the SEC averaging 312.6 passing yards per game.

But the have been signs of concern, including the younger Nussmeier’s propensity for turnovers, including a league-leading 12 picks through 10 games this season. Just a junior, Nussmeier too could opt to return to Baton Rouge in 2025. But should NFL evaluators give him a first- or second-round draft grade, the NFL legacy could be too intriguing to pass up.

6. Quinn Ewers, Texas (-1)

The former No. 1 overall recruit in 2021 started his college journey early by reclassifying, and he’s widely-expected to begin his NFL journey early as well with much-balleyhooed 2023 No. 1 recruit Arch Manning waiting in the wings in Austin.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Ewers has all the attributes to be a successful NFL quarterback but has battled injuries throughout his collegiate career, including missing multiple games each of his three seasons at Texas. Nevertheless, Ewers has the sort of potential that could have NFL teams coveting him with a second-day pick.

7. Drew Allar, Penn State

Since a three-interception game against USC, Allar has flashed true consistency in the pocket, completing nearly 75-percent of his passes in the last four games. That includes a near-perfect 17-of-19 and three touchdown passing effort last Saturday at Purdue.

Allar is another junior on Kiper’s board that could be best served returning for his senior season, but the 6-foot-5, 235-pound former five-star quaterback still has the untapped potential talent that made him one of the country’s top QB recruits in 2022.

8. Kurtis Rourke, Indiana

Rourke has been a steady hand leading the Hoosiers’ offense in his first season since transferring from Ohio, completing nearly 72-percent of his passes while ranking third in the Big Ten with 21 touchdowns to just four interceptions in 2024.

That’s the exact type of consistency NFL teams love and could make the senior quarterback a sought-after Day 2-3 selection that could open eyes at the next level.

9. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss

Kiper keeps the talented Dart at No. 9 in his quarterback ranking despite a sensational senior season in Oxford where he’s currently leading the SEC with 3,409 passing yards and a 22-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

One reason for Dart’s standing could be how he’s fared against elite competition, struggling with sub-60-percent passing against South Carolina, LSU and Georgia. Nevertheless, Dart’s season-low 199 passing yards against the Bulldogs were enough to secure the surprise 28-10 upset two weeks ago.

10. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon

Gabriel is another highly-productive senior quarterback that finds himself at the bottom of Kiper’s Top 10, rounding out the list despite currently leading the Big Ten with 3,066 passing yards and a 73.8-percent completion percentage to go along with 28 total touchdowns.

With the Big Ten Conference title game and a likely College Football Playoff bid on the horizon, Gabriel will have plenty of nationally-televised opportunities to impress NFL evaluators, especially if he can keep the top-ranked Oregon Ducks undefeated.