2025 NFL Draft: Mel Kiper makes big shake up to Top 10 QB rankings

As the calendar formally flips to April, it’s officially NFL Draft month. The NFL world is roughly three weeks away from welcoming its latest class of rookies at the 2025 NFL Draft, which will be held April 24-26 from Green Bay, Wisconsin.

With that in mind, longtime ESPN NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. unveiled his updated Big Board Top 25 player rankings on Tuesday, including another massive shakeup to his Top 10 quarterack rankings. Kiper remains a steadfast defender of Colorado‘s Shedeur Sanders, and continues to keep the much-ballyhooed son of NFL legend Deion Sanders atop his personal positional ranking.

Following closely behind is Miami‘s Cam Ward — widely believed to be the likely No. 1 overall pick — with fast-rising QBs Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss and Tyler Shough of Louisville making their own cases to be Day 1 picks. But it’s at No. 5 that Kiper throws a curveball, as dual-threat Alabama QB Jalen Milroe leapfrogs back into the Top 5 after showing out at his Pro Day two weeks ago, where he reportedly ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash.

Check out Mel Kiper Jr.’s full Top 10 QB ranking below:

1. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

To no one’s surprise, Kiper Jr. continues to carry water for Sanders while many of his fellow draft prognosticators debate whether or not Sanders is even a Top 10 pick. Sanders’ reputation took a bit of a hit after anonymous criticism described him as “arrogant” during team meetings at the NFL Combine.

Nevertheless, Kiper has a special appreciation for Sanders’ combination of toughness, relisiency and accuracy after posting a FBS-leading 74-percent completion rate along with 4,134 passing yards and 37 touchdowns in 2024.

2. Cam Ward, Miami

Despite Kiper’s personal rankings, Ward remains the overwhelming favorite to not only be the first quarterback selected, but likely the first overall player off the board on April 24.

Ward all-but-guaranteed that reality with a stellar Pro Day last week, when the Hurricanes signal-caller dazzled in front of NFL personnel from nearly all 32 teams. That effort only reinforced Ward’s status after directing Miami’s FBS-leading offense with 39 passing touchdowns and 4,313 yards in 2024.

3. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss

Dart remains at No. 3 on Kiper’s positional ranking, but the record-breaking former Ole Miss quarterback continues to climb draft boards all across the NFL after a strong Pro Day showing last week following impressive performances at the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine.

Kiper even believes Dart could work his way into the Top 10, projecting the Rebels’ all-time leading passer could land at No. 9 in his latest mock draft. Dart capped his Ole Miss career by leading the SEC with 4,279 ppassing yards and a 29-to-6 touchdown to interception ratio in 2024.

4. Tyler Shough, Louisville

Another big climber up draft boards is the veteran Shough, who holds pat at No. 4 on Kiper’s board but could work his way into a Day 1 selection after turning heads at the NFL Combine.

Multiple NFL Draft prognosticators have made the case for the 25-year-old Shough to even be the second quarterback off the board after a career year in his lone season at Louisville following several injury-plagued years at Oregon and Texas Tech.

5. Jalen Milroe, Alabama (+2)

Milroe continues to be a bit of a mystery depending on who’s talking about the dual-threat former Alabama QB. But for NFL evaluators, Milroe’s rare combination of elite athleticism and powerful throwing arm have some seeing the second-coming of Lamar Jackson.

Whether or not that’s enough to earn Milroe a Day 1 selection is yet to be seen, but Kiper clearly sees the writing on the wall and pushes Milroe back into his Top 5 after reportedly running 4.4- and 4.5-second 40s at Alabama’s Pro Day two weeks ago.

6. Kyle McCord, Syracuse

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound McCord holds steady at No. 6 on Kiper’s board following a transformative senior season at Syracuse, where he led all of college football with 4,779 passing yards and 34 touchdowns in 2024.

Despite those credentials, McCord appears to be atop Kiper’s third-tier of quarterbacks and could be a potential gem late on Day 2 or early on Day 3 of the NFL Draft.

7. Will Howard, Ohio State (-2)

Given Milroe’s climb, Kiper pushes the national champion-winning Howard back a bit in his personal ranking despite a strong showing at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Howard capped his stellar five-year collegiate career by leading the Big Ten with 42 total touchdowns, including seven rushing scores, en route to guiding the Buckeyes to a national title.

8. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon

Kiper remains somewhat down on Gabriel’s draft potential despite being among college football’s most productive quarterbacks ever with 18,722 career passing yards and 72 touchdowns over six collegiate seasons at Oregon, Oklahoma and UCF.

Still, Gabriel’s resume is hard to deny and the former Oregon quarterback could get a nice boost after NFL coaches witnessed his Ducks predecessor, Bo Nix, making a serious push for offensive rookie of the year last season.

9. Quinn Ewers, Texas

The former Longhorns quarterback remains at No. 9 on Kiper’s board despite a solid effort at Texas’ Pro Day last week, where shined with a self-scripted throwing routine.

Still, Ewers remains a bit of an injury concern after dealing with various nagging injuries during his time in Austin, where he threw for 9,128 yards and 68 touchdowns over 36 career games.

T-10. Riley Leonard, Notre Dame

Kiper continues to split the baby at No. 10 with Leonard and Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke both earning Top 10 consideration from the ESPN expert.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Leonard is a natural dual-threat option that could give NFL coaches Josh Allen vibes after racking up 17 rushing touchdowns to go along with 21 passing scores in 2024.

T-10. Kurtis Rourke, Indiana

The 6-foot-5 Hoosiers QB just embodies consistency after leading the Big Ten with a 176.01 passer rating in 2024, despite playing much of the 2024 season with a partially torn ACL.

The 24-year-old Rourke has all the makings of becoming a reliable career backup QB in the NFL that could be counted on to win games when called into action.