Where do Kurtis Rourke and Riley Leonard rank?

The 2025 NFL Draft is right around the corner. But with the College Football Playoffs starting, it’s fair to wonder how many of these postseason quarterbacks will make their way to the pros next year.

These 2025 NFL Draft QB Rankings highlight the strength of the opening round teams with Kurtis Rourke and Riley Leonard leading their respective teams.

2025 Draft QB Rankings, 1-10

We’ve been looking at these quarterbacks as college football prospects for some time now here at the College Football Network. And while these Draft QB rankings will look a little different than our college football QB rankings, one thing is for sure: We know what these quarterbacks have brought to the table during their college careers, and now we’re compiling what they will take them to the NFL eventually.

The list of top 10 2025 NFL Draft QBs is evolving, but we’re pretty sure who belongs at the top.

QBs just outside the top 10

10) Will Howard, Ohio State

Howard debuted with the Ohio State Buckeyes to a national audience in 2024 and was a dominant quarterback who once led an overmatched Kansas State team to a Big 12 championship. Howard’s arm isn’t the greatest, but when he’s at the top of his game, few can cut defenses underneath like Howard.

His knock will be an inability to burn defenses deep, but in an NFL system he might not be asked to do that as often. What Howard sees as major success is playing within the structure of his offense.

Playing from behind can cause problems, but when push comes to shove, anywhere from 0-19 yards downfield, in or out breaking, Howard can push the ball accurately to either side of the field.

9) Kyle McCord, Syracuse

Elevating his platform with the Syracuse Orange — and not the Ohio State Buckeyes — Kyle McCord looked like a completely different quarterback in 2024. From the confines of the Orange offense, McCord dominated.

He had a few hiccups here and there this year, but by all accounts he outplayed the player Ohio State replaced him with in Will Howard.

McCord has a strong arm and makes quick, lively decisions. When his decision-making is at its best, McCord has no problem dicing up defenses and picking them apart from every angle.

However, when pressure is applied, he typically struggles with accuracy and the aforementioned decision making. Honing his talents for another year isn’t a bad decision at this point.

8) Dillon Gabriel, Oregon

There’s a lot to love about Gabriel’s playing. He has all the arm talent you’d expect from an NFL-caliber quarterback, and in the same offensive system that helped Bo Nix thrive last year, Gabriel has really hit his stride.

However, this is where the comparisons to Nix end. The big-armed lefty is a completely different type of quarterback. Gabriel is a progressive-read passer with excellent anticipation, excelling at dissecting defenses step by step.

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What separates Gabriel in the battle for this no. 10th place, is his skill on the field. While he hasn’t shown it consistently during his time at Oregon, his previous stops revealed just how dominant and accurate he can be on deep throws outside of the numbers. Over the past five years, few quarterbacks have matched his precision in that area.

Gabriel makes NFL-level throws with ease, and in the right system, has all the tools to be a reliable and effective QB in the near future.

7) Carson Beck, Georgia

Carson Beck’s game has so much to offer when he’s at his best. But his struggles this year in Mike Bobo’s offense have his status teetering on the edge of being tarnished.

When Beck sends it down the field, he has shown that he can throw with precision, anticipation and impressive power. But too often this season, he has faltered under both physical pressure in the pocket and the mental weight of pressure situations.

Under duress, Beck has crumbled and failed to make even the simplest throws when the heat is on.

That said, when Beck clicks, he arguably boasts the smoothest release among his peers, pairing it with sonic mechanics and precision. Unfortunately, that version of Beck has been a rare sight this season.

He has a chance to right those wrongs and cure those ills with a strong performance against Texas in the SEC Championship Game.

6) Quinn Ewers, Texas

Quinn Ewers commands the field with confidence and authority, though the lingering question of durability remains. He consistently displays the ability to read defenses and deliver accurate throws to open targets, thriving whether the pocket is clean or under pressure.

When given time, Ewers displays remarkable accuracy and arm strength, making him a dangerous threat at all levels of the field. What really sets him apart is his relentless, all-in mentality — a quality that will surely win over his future NFL fan base.

Like Beck right below him here, if Ewers can make another appearance in the SEC Championship Game and win the conference in his first season, it will truly mean more to the Longhorns.

5) Jalen Milroe, Alabama

Jalen Milroe is the athlete you would expect him to be. And he has all the elasticity in his arm to present the dominant strength he has.

But when push comes to shove, Milroe hasn’t shown the development we wanted to see in his short-to-intermediate passing game so far in 2024. The talent is there and he can win some NFL games as a starter, but right now NFL throws don’t come at a high enough rate to justify anything higher than a no. 5th place.

Milroe is arguably the most dynamic and perhaps the most athletic quarterback of the group. It just means he ‘wins’ the Combine next year, but doesn’t make up for some of the issues he presents with his accuracy and down to down consistency.

He has power tools with talent for legs and a cutting arm, but he will need to improve quickly at the next level to keep his job with his future franchise.

4) Kurtis Rourke, Indiana

For MAC fans, Kurtis Rourke needs no introduction. And for those who saw his dazzling debut with the Hoosiers – welcome to the main event.

Rourke is an electrifying athlete who followed his brother Nathan to Ohio, but it didn’t take long to see that Kurtis was the more polished and pro-ready talent.

After four outstanding years in Athens, the younger Rourke took a bold leap, entered the transfer portal and immediately turned heads on the national stage with Curt Cignetti and Indiana’s offense. He is a true dual threat with the ball in his hands, but what sets him apart is his surgical precision at all levels.

When Rourke gets a clean pocket, he’s a surgeon who dissects defenses with ease. But he’s just as dangerous when the play breaks down, showing his ability to create magic on the fly. His arm strength may not top the charts, but it’s more than enough to consistently deliver NFL-caliber throws.

3) Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss

Jaxson Dart is gaining attention for his natural leadership, his ability to lift those around him and his unwavering trust in his receivers. He’s a quarterback who can thread the needle against zone coverage, exploit soft spots with great accuracy and make sharp reads even against complex defensive schemes.

What really sets Dart apart is his ability to diagnose man coverage. He consistently identifies favorable matchups and delivers the ball with precision, giving his receivers the edge on those critical 50-50 plays. Simply put, Dart is a game-changing playmaker.

If there is a criticism, it is his tendency to lock onto deep targets a little too long, which occasionally leads to ball security issues. At the next level, those tight single-coverage throws won’t always work against NFL-caliber defenders.

To succeed, Dart will need to use his full repertoire – and he has the tools to do just that.

2) Cam Ward, Miami-FL

Cam Ward skyrocketed into the top 10 of the NFL Draft quarterback rankings after a stellar start to the 2024 season. By the end of the regular season, no quarterback had done more to increase their stock. Ward displayed precision and elite anticipation at all levels of the field.

What set Ward apart from his peers was his mastery of arm angles and pocket navigation. His rare ability to create pitches and turn chaos into opportunities was second to none. Whether launching a precise strike on the fly or threading the needle under intense pressure, Ward consistently delivered.

At times his game felt like backyard football – unpredictable and electrifying. At other times he played with a composed, commanding presence, so that even the most pressured moments seemed routine. That mix of creativity and maturity was exactly what scouts had been waiting to see.

Turnovers had always been the biggest drag on Ward’s game, but in 2024 with Miami, he made huge strides in protecting the football. With his raw talent and the progress he showed, Ward’s ceiling looked sky-high heading into the second half of the season.

1) Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

Shedeur Sanders was arguably the top quarterback prospect for the 2025 NFL Draft during the 2024 college football season. Colorado’s starting quarterback didn’t just elevate his team in 2024 — he elevated himself and reached a new peak in his own game.

Sanders proved what he was capable of when given time—a rare luxury given the relentless pressure he faced in 2023. Within the structure of the attack, he was brilliant. But where Sanders really set himself apart was in his ability to thrive under duress — something no quarterback over the last two years of college football did better.

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His play under pressure in 2024 stood out as some of the best quarterbacks of the year. When defenders closed in, Sanders had a knack for breaking content, keeping his eyes downfield and unleashing his cannon at the perfect time to hit a streaky receiver — a master class in backyard football.

The trust and chemistry he built with his Colorado receivers was remarkable, and while that will be difficult to replicate, it’s only a matter of time before he builds similar connections at the NFL level. When he does, he’ll be ready to take the next step without missing a beat.

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