Last year, the NFL draft featured six quarterbacks selected in the first 12 picks: Caleb Williams at No. 1 overall, Jayden Daniels at No. 2, Drake Maye at No. 3, Michael Penix at No. 8, J.J. McCarthy at No. 10 and Bo Nix at No. 12.
After that record-tying number of passers in the first round, it took until Day 3 of the NFL draft for another quarterback to be selected. Spencer Rattler ended the drought when he was selected in the fifth round, No. 150 overall to the New Orleans Saints.
The 2025 NFL draft features a very different landscape at the quarterback position. There's two sure-fire first round prospects: Miami's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders. Beyond those two, it's wide open with players who have different skillsets to provide teams at the NFL level.
Unlike last year, there will likely be a handful of quarterbacks that go after Day 1 of the NFL draft. Round 2 through Round 4 should see multiple prospects at the position find a new home in the NFL.
Here's how we rank the top-five mid-round quarterbacks.
2025 NFL draft: Top 5 mid-round QBs
1. Tyler Shough, Louisville
Shough started a full college season for the first time in 2024 and made the most of that opportunity. He's got prototypical size (6-foot-5, 219 pounds), a strong arm and showed off his mobility at the combine (4.63-second 40-yard dash). He can fire the ball out on the move or in the pocket and gets through his progressions well thanks to his solid field vision.
Shough's biggest knocks coming into the draft are his age and injury history. He'll turn 26 during the 2025 NFL season and missed significant time with injury in 2021, 2022 and 2023. None of those were soft-tissue injuries, though, easing some concerns about long-term availability.
As far as on-field knocks, Shough struggled at times when pressured because he's best when in-rhythm and exposing holes in zone coverage. That could be less of an issue when brought into offenses with better talent than what he had alongside him at Louisville.
If a team needs a rookie starter outside of the first round, Shough is their best bet. He has the mix of talent and starter-level skills at this point to be at least a league-average starter.
2. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
Dart was exceptionally prolific in 2024 with Ole Miss, leading the SEC in passing yards (4,279) and completion percentage (69.3%) and the country in quarterback rating (180.7). He's got NFL-caliber size at 6-foot-2 and 223 pounds.
He improved in each of his three seasons under Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin and excels in play-action and RPO (run-pass option) concepts. When in-rhythm, Dart makes the right throws and can hang in the pocket when pressured. He has the athleticism to extend plays and the arm to access all levels of the field.
The Ole Miss offense is very quarterback-friendly, though, often scheming open throws for Dart. His footwork can be lazy which makes throws harder for him and/or makes it tougher to get through progressions quickly.
Dart would likely struggle as a rookie starter in the NFL unless the team he goes to utilizes a lot of play-action and RPO concepts. He's best on a team that will take their time to develop him over at least a year. If a team is looking for a succession plan for their aging starter, Dart would be worth a look.
3. Jalen Milroe, Alabama
Milroe is one of the best athletes in the entire class, regardless of position. He's an explosive dual-threat quarterback who is built like a running back and has a strong ...
