2025 NFL Draft: Mel Kiper shakes up Top 10 QB rankings ahead of Week 8 of college football

Ahead of Week 8 of the college football season, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has updated his 2025 NFL Draft Big Board.

With that, Kiper has released another version of his top ten quarterbacks for the 2025 NFL Draft. While the class doesn’t inspire confidence like last season’s at the moment, there’s still a bevy of talented signal callers, and a huge need at quarterbacks for many NFL teams.

Check out where Kiper stands at the moment on the top quarterbacks in college football below, with Week 7 in the rear view and Week 8 about to take center stage.

1. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

Shedeur Sanders continues to be Kiper’s choice for the top quarterback available in the 2025 NFL Draft. He suffered another loss this past weekend against Kansas State, but Sanders played his heart out and Colorado came up just short against the Wildcats.

In the contest, Sanders passed for 388 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, completing 34-of-40 pass attempts against stiff competition. He’ll look to stay hot and get back to winning this weekend in Tucson against Arizona.

2.  Cam Ward, Miami (+1)

Miami enjoyed a bye week in Week 7, but Cam Ward still moved up in Kiper’s rankings. The quarterback has been phenomenal for Miami in 2024, and he’s up to No. 2 in the draft expert’s top ten signal-callers, by virtue of what happened around the sport last weekend.

He’ll be back on the field in Week 8 with the 6-0 Hurricanes against Louisville on Saturday. Ward’s passed for 2,219 yards and 20 touchdowns on the season thus far.

3. Jalen Milroe, Alabama (-1)

Jalen Milroe was the hot name in Kiper’s rankings after Alabama’s win over Georgia, but the past two weeks haven’t gone his way. The quarterback was at the helm for the Crimson Tide’s loss to Vanderbilt, and then Alabama barely skated by another disaster against South Carolina in Week 7.

Milroe only threw one touchdown and he was picked off twice against the Gamecocks, leading to him falling a spot in Kiper’s rankings. However, he’ll have an incredible chance at raising his stock once again in Week 8, as the Crimson Tide travel to Knoxville to face the Tennessee Volunteers.

4. Quinn Ewers, Texas (+1)

Quinn Ewers returned in Week 7 against Oklahoma, and it took him a bit to get reacclimatized to the Texas offense. However, he started to put it together throughout the game, ending the Red River Showdown with 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception on the way to a 34-3 win.

Moving ahead to Week 8, Ewers will have a shot at moving up the rankings in a big way if he can perform well against Georgia. A victory over the Bulldogs would be a statement win, and a nice feather in Ewers’ cap.

5. Carson Beck, Georgia (-1)

Carson Beck has gone from a sure-fire top pick to a bit of an unknown. He’s still in Kiper’s top five, but the fifth quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft likely won’t go nearly as high as the fifth quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft.

On the season thus far, Beck has been a bit uneven, but he’s passed for 15 touchdowns to only five interceptions. If he outplays Quinn Ewers and defeats Texas in Austin this weekend though, Beck could reignite his hype moving forward.

6. Drew Allar, Penn State

Drew Allar was anointed by many the minute he stepped onto the field for Penn State. He looks like the consummate quarterback, and after an inconsistent start to his tenure with the Nittany Lions, it seems as if he’s figured it out.

Allar has Penn State undefeated, and coming off a huge overtime win against USC, the Nittany Lions will enjoy a bye week in Week 8. He’ll be back on the field in Week 9 against Wisconsin, where he’ll look to continue improving on his numbers, 11 touchdowns, four interceptions.

7. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss

Ole Miss and Jaxson Dart seemed prime for a championship run in 2024, and while it’s not out of the question, two losses in their past three games doesn’t bode well for the Rebels. They fell to LSU over the weekend, as the Tigers won by three over Dart’s squad.

His numbers are still solid at least, as Dart has passed for 14 touchdowns to three interceptions. Ole Miss will enjoy a bye in Week 8, before getting back after it in Week 9 against Oklahoma in Oxford.

8. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

Garrett Nussmeier isn’t exactly Joe Burrow, but he’s been more than serviceable for LSU in 2024. The Tigers have rebounded nicely from their Week 1 loss, and they’re on a five-game winning streak after defeating Ole Miss this past weekend.

Nussmeier has accumulated 18 touchdowns and six interceptions on the season. He’s a bit of a gunslinger, but his talent is evident, and he’ll rise up the rankings if he keeps winning games for LSU in 2024.

9. Will Howard, Ohio State

Will Howard has been efficient for Ohio State during his first season in Columbus, but how he responds to a loss will tell a ton about the Buckeyes quarterback and his NFL potential. That’s what he’ll deal with moving forward, after falling to Oregon in Week 7.

At the least, Howard will have time to reflect on what went wrong in Eugene, even though he passed for two touchdowns, no picks and only seven incompletions. The Buckeyes are off in Week 8, and they’ll return to action against Nebraska in Week 9.

10. Kyle McCord, Syracuse 

Kyle McCord seemed to have a ton of unrealized potential when he decided to leave Ohio State, and he’s been on a mission since joining Syracuse. In 2024, he has the Orange as one of the sleeper ACC squads, at 5-1 and looking to continue their winning ways.

McCord has been a revelation for the program, throwing 19 touchdowns to six interceptions during their first six contests. Syracuse is off in Week 8, but they’ll get back to it early in Week 9, with a tough test against Pittsburgh on a Thursday night inside Acrisure Stadium.