Way too early mock drafts: First look at the 2025 quarterback class

While draft analysts like Mel Kiper Jr. get shoved back into their dusty closets this time of year, I don’t have that luxury.

Outlets around the sports media landscape have released Way-Too-Early 2025 mock drafts, and they obviously involve the New York Giants. Considering we’re still close to the 2024 draft and I’ve had plenty of exposure to many of these players, Ed asked me for my thoughts on next year’s quarterback class.

Looking ahead, pretty much every national outlet is projecting that the Giants will be drafting in the top 10 again in 2025. In fact, the Giants are projected to be drafting no later than sixth across the various outlets.

• USA Today: No. 1 overall - Carson Beck, QB, Georgia
• The 33rd Team: No. 2 overall - Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
• Pro Football Network: No. 3 overall - Carson Beck
• Pro Football Focus: No. 5 overall - Carson Beck
• CBS Sports: No. 5 overall - J.T. Tuimoloau, DE/edge, Ohio State
• Sports Illustrated: No. 6 overall - Carson Beck
• Fox Sports: No. 6 overall - Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas
• Yahoo! Sports: 6th overall - Shedeur Sanders
• The Athletic: 6th overall - Kelvin Banks Jr, OT, Texas

Obviously, nobody knows how the Giants will fare in 2024, but the early prognosticators aren’t optimistic. There’s also a definite trend in the player(s) mocked to the Giants.

Prior to the draft, Vegas oddsmakers projected the Giants to have the 13th toughest schedule. With teams like the Washington Commanders, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Minnesota Vikings each potentially improving, that could shift more.

The NFC East could look more like the NFC Beast again if Washington rediscovers competency and the Eagles were able to effectively reload after their late-season collapse. The AFC North is never easy, and could be tougher if either of Pittsburgh’s newly-acquired quarterbacks hit. Some projections now believe the Giants are looking at the sixth-hardest schedule.

The various outlets are also almost certainly operating on the assumption that this year is Daniel Jones’ last with the Giants. They’re probably looking at Jone’s injury history, his level of play prior to his injury, and the off-ramp built into his contract.

With such a focus already on the future of the Giants’ quarterback position, we thought it might be a good idea to take a very early look at the players who might be available.

2025 quarterbacks

Shedeur Sanders (Colorado)

Sanders is one of the early frontrunners to be the first quarterback picked in the 2025 draft, and could be a bit of an involved evaluation. He’s an athletic quarterback with the ability to scramble and extend plays, though he doesn’t have the open-field speed you’d assume based on his frame.

Sanders has a solid arm as a passer with a (very) slightly elongated delivery, but is able to accelerate his motion to beat coverage. He’s able to generate power from the ground up or make pure “arm” throws when he’s on the move. Either way, Sanders typically delivers a catchable ball with good placement as well as general accuracy. He’s able to drive the ball as well as throw with touch and layer the ball between defenders.

He generally processes well and visibly works through extended progression reads and knows when to find his check-down option. Sanders is something of a “see-it, throw-it” quarterback who doesn’t throw with anticipation and can be prone to holding the ball when his pre and post-snap reads don’t align.

The big question — at least for a conservative organization like the Giants — is how much “Coach Prime” comes with Shedeur Sanders. The Giants are adverse to circuses, and Shedeur may have inherited his father’s gift of gab. Even excepting social media chatter, the Giants may opt to steer well clear of Deion Sanders and the larger-than-life personality

[Game tape]

Carson Beck (Georgia)

As you may be able to tell from the way-too-early mock drafts, Beck is the other frontrunner to be the first quarterback chosen in next year’s draft.

Beck is listed at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, but listed size and weight may not hold true for the official measurements at the Combine. Regardless of whether his listed size and weight match his true measurements, he has good size on tape. He’s an adequate athlete with quick feet and enough athleticism to execute bootlegs, scramble, or pick up yards on his own if the opportunity arises. That said, nobody will confuse Beck with a truly athletic “dual threat” quarterback.

Likewise, Beck has an adequate arm. He has enough arm strength to reach down the field, but doesn’t really drive the ball. He is able to alter his trajectory and layer the ball, and has enough strength to complete most passes he’ll be asked to execute at the NFL level. Beck is the type of quarterback who’s generally accurate, but not particularly precise. He’s able to put the ball on-target, however his receivers often have to make significant adjustments (slow down, leap, or otherwise contort) to haul in the pass.

[Game tape]

Quinn Ewers (Texas)

Ewers was one of the top prospects in his recruiting class, generally considered the No. 1 or No. 2 quarterback in the 2021 recruiting class alongside Caleb Williams. Ewers started his college career at Ohio State but transferred to Texas after one season. He was also widely expected to be the Longhorns’ backup after Arch Manning committed to Texas, but has managed to hold off the youngest Manning.

Ewers has unspectacular size and is listed at at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds. That isn’t going to get scouts excited, but it’s similar to many NFL passers. He has light and active feet in his drops, and doesn’t shuffle or settle. Ewers is a pretty good athlete for a player who wasn’t considered a “dual threat” as a recruit and is able to hurt defenses with his legs.

He also has a pretty good arm to go with his athleticism. Ewers has good arm elasticity, allowing him to alter his arm angle and throw round defenders that leak into the backfield. He also has enough arm strength to reach down the field when he isn’t able to set his feet or get enough air under the ball that it drops down the chimney and into receivers’ hands.

Beck typically places his passes well and doesn’t make his receivers adjust unnecessarily. He has a surprisingly good feel for pacing his passes and seems to try to make his passes as catchable as possible — similar to a golfer trying to get their putts to melt into the cup. That can get him into trouble when he challenges tight windows with touch instead of trusting his receiver to catch a fastball.

[Game tape]

Jalen Milroe (Alabama)

Alabama’s quarterback is going to be a fascinating case study this year. He seemingly improved by the drive over the course of the season. Milroe seemed like a completely different player in the Rose Bowl as compared to the beginning of the year.

He’s well-respected around the Alabama program and was named a permanent team captain this year.

Milroe sports a dense frame, listed at 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, and combines a strong arm with good athleticism. He is a true “dual threat” who was a factor in Alabama’s running game as well as their passing attack. Milroe has some undeniable similarities with former Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts. He’s athletic enough to execute read-option plays or designed QB runs, and also has a strong enough arm to attack the intermediate area of the field with velocity when on the move.

Like most of these quarterbacks, Milroe is still young and developing the mental side of his game. He can be slow to recognize pressure or coverage rotations, and needs to improve his eye discipline as well.

Perhaps the biggest test will be how Milroe adapts to a new system under new head coach Kalen DeBoer. DeBoer succeeded Nick Saban after the latter retired, coming over from the Washington Huskies. Milroe has the chance to rocket up draft boards if he performs well in a similar offense as the one run by Michael Penix Jr.

[Game tape]

Brady Cook (Missouri)

Cook doesn’t seem to be on the national radar as he’s ranked 668th on the 2025 Consensus Big Board.

However, of all the young quarterbacks in the country, he’s the one who intrigued me the most while studying the 2024 draft class. He probably won’t stay hidden for long, as Cook will almost certainly get eyes on him as the guy throwing to wide receiver Luthor Burden III, who’s already on watchlists as a first-round prospect for next year.

Cook is a senior who’s started the last two seasons for the Tigers, and appears to have more polish than his contemporaries. He certainly seems to understand the importance of eye discipline and even uses his body language to look off defenders on designed quarterback runs. Speaking of which, he lacks great size (listed at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds), but is a surprisingly twitchy athlete who can escape defenders and break angles as a ball carrier.

He has a tight, compact, and quick release that lets him beat pressure, challenge quickly closing windows. That holds true on the move and he’s able to reach deep down the field and deliver the deep ball to his receivers in-stride off play-action.

[Game tape]

Other names to know

• Cam Ward (Miami)
• Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss)
• Dillon Gabriel (Oregon)
• Drew Allar (Penn State)