With a little under two weeks until the 2025 NFL Draft, we all feel pretty certain that Miami's Cam Ward will be the first quarterback selected. It's difficult, though not inconceivable, to find anyone who believes any QB other than Shedeur Sanders from Colorado will be the second quarterback to come off the board. Both are expected by most to be taken in the first dozen or so picks. After that, well...
The battle for QB3 is wide open. Jalen Milroe from Alabama, Tyler Shough from Louisville and Ole Miss product Jaxson Dart have all seen recent arguments made on their behalf to be the third quarterback selected in this year's draft.
Tyler Shough
Shough might have the best, NFL-ready quarterbacking skills of any QB in this draft, and that includes Ward and Sanders. He's got an NFL build at 6-foot-5 and nearly 220 well-honed pounds. Good arm, can hit anticipatory throws all over the field, and impressively athletic, the well-traveled Shough has the mental toughness and field awareness of a veteran…
…and that's part of the issue with Shough. He hails from the high school class of 2018 and will turn 26 in September. He began his college career as Justin Herbert's backup at Oregon, spending three seasons with the Ducks. Shough then had three more seasons at Texas Tech before finishing at Louisville.
All three seasons at Texas Tech saw Shough miss considerable time with different injuries. He plays with an athletic derring-do that does little in the way of self-preservation, which doesn't help his durability outlook. He might be the best QB in this class for the 2025 season, but that's simultaneously a low bar and a seeming high water mark for Shough. Much like another older QB prospect, Brandon Weeden, Shough at times displays an overdeveloped panic gene that can be quite problematic.
Jalen Milroe
At the opposite end of that spectrum is Jalen Milroe. Alabama's quarterback for the last two seasons, Milroe is brimming with long-term potential. After mentoring behind 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young for two years, Milroe took over the Crimson Tide and kept the flow rolling even after a coaching change. He's got a huge arm and is an elite, fun athlete who can hit the turbo button and destroy defenses with his speed.
To borrow from the golf world as The Masters takes place, Milroe can drive for show better than anyone in the class — again, Ward and Sanders included. It's the short game that ruins Milroe, quite literally; his accuracy and anticipatory throws in the 5-12-yard range are as bad as any viable NFL passer to hit the league in several years. It often feels like even Milroe doesn't expect to complete those passes. During Senior Bowl practices, Milroe struggled to hit simple swing passes to undefended running backs in drills. Outside of Josh Allen and perhaps Colin Kaepernick, that's not something quarterbacks typically overcome.
Milroe consistently draws raves for his character and leadership. Not that Shough and Dart don't earn praise for those either, but there's something a little different about the reaction to Milroe--good different. The athletic upside will need to outweigh the very real concerns about Milroe's accuracy and lack of ability to try and consistently win from the pocket.
Jaxson Dart
Dart sort of splits the difference between Milroe's more youthful upside and athleticism and Shough's anticipation and ability to manage a game. That combination has generally kept him prominent as the de facto QB3 since at least the Senior Bowl week, where he was ...
