Louis Riddick rips Quinn Ewers: 'I don't ever see him being a starter in the NFL'

Moving into the second round, Quinn Ewers was a name we had not yet heard at the 2025 NFL Draft. Ewers spent three seasons as the Texas starting quarterback and opted to leave college football for this opportunity. The scouting report on Ewers could be mixed at times, usually with a whole lot more negatives.

ESPN’s Louis Riddick saw it in a similar fashion. When Ewers was brought up, Riddick explained why he does not see an avenue for him to be a starting quarterback in the NFL one day. “Lethargic” was a word used by the draft analyst, believing Ewers would get eaten up by the league.

“Personally, I just didn’t see it,” Riddick said. And I’m not someone who gets too caught up in horsepower in someone’s arm. I think it’s about passing the football, not throwing the football. But it just never seemed like he was able to really just put any juice on it. The play style just seemed so lethargic, and it just seemed so like in the NFL, that they were going to eat him up.

“If it wasn’t open for him immediately — it reminded me, it was a little Chad Pennington-esque. But Chad was a very effective quarterback. Quinn, it just didn’t do it for me. I just don’t know what the projection really looks like for him. I don’t ever see him being a starter in the NFL, quite honestly. I’m not surprised to see him sitting here, still without a team.”

Moments after the conversation wrapped up, Ewers was taken by the Miami Dolphins. His career will begin under head coach Mike McDaniels, likely backing up Tua Tagovailoa and working alongside Zach Wilson.

Ewers played high school football at Southlake (TX) Carroll, where he was a Five-Star Plus+ prospect. He was the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2021 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

In three seasons under Steve Sarkisian, Ewers threw for 9,128 yards, 68 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions. Team success was there too, leading the Longhorns to a Big 12 championship and two College Football Playoff appearances.

Even so, the appears to be some more development required before getting a serious run in the NFL. Riddick is unsure if Ewers will ever get there. Mike McDaniels has a project on his hands after a seventh-round selection.