JACKSONVILLE – They're a big storyline because it's always that way.
But while quarterbacks will help define the top of the 2025 NFL Draft – and while they therefore will matter very much to the Jaguars – this is an intriguing draft year for the NFL's most important position.
It's a good year at the spot. But not necessarily a great one.
"It's a solid overall year for quarterback," NFL Media and Jaguars Draft analyst Bucky Brooks said.
Brooks and most analysts project Cam Ward of Miami and Shedeur Sanders of Colorado as the draft's top two quarterbacks, with some disagreement over the order.
Brooks ranks Sanders – the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders – as the top quarterback while most project Ward there. ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. also ranks Sanders No. 1, adding that "Cam Ward is the consensus No. 1 quarterback."
"You're talking about an old-school, traditional pocket passer," Kiper said of Sanders. "With Cam, you're getting that new wave. He can create."
Brooks on Sanders: "He's more of your classic drop-back passer. He's going to put the ball in the hands of his playmakers and let the playmakers go to work."
Ward and Sanders are generally considered the position's top two players in the draft, with quarterback Jaxson Dart of Mississippi also projected as a first-round selection. Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe has been projected by some analysts as a second-round selection.
"The thing we don't know is which of these guys are going to emerge as stars," Brooks said. "If you look at the position, every year one or maybe two of the top guys kind of pop and become the guys we expect. I think this year will be the same.
"The two top guys, Ward and Sanders, are to me a notch above the rest of the class. You should see those guys come off the board fairly quickly."
As is often the case with quarterbacks, many analysts project Ward and Sanders in the Top 5 despite not grading either among the draft's top few prospects. Many analysts project Ward as the No. 1 overall selection to the Tennessee Titans, while others project Penn State edge Abdul Carter, Colorado cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter or Sanders there.
Carter and Hunter are widely considered the draft's top two prospects regardless of position.
"Quarterbacks are always going to be pushed up the board," ESPN NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid said. "We could have both quarterbacks going at the top of the draft."
Quarterbacks selected early can benefit teams not needing to select the position early – which could be the case for a Jaguars team focused this offseason on strengthening the roster around starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
"Whoever's the second quarterback taken is going to have an impact," Brooks said. "If Cam goes No. 1, then you have a corridor of quarterback-needy teams. You have the [Cleveland] Browns (selecting No. 2). You have the [New York] Giants (No. 3). You have the [Las Vegas] Raiders (No. 6). There are still some teams that are in play when it comes to quarterback.
"So, the second quarterback could potentially have an impact on what happens with the Jaguars if somebody sees him as a legitimate franchise quarterback."
OTHER 2025 QUARTERBACKS ANALYSTS CONSIDER DRAFTABLE INCLUDE:
- Quinn Ewers (Texas)
- Kyle McCord (Syracuse)
- Dillon Gabriel (Oregon)
- Tyler Shough (Louisville)
- Will Howard (Ohio State)
- Cameron Rising (Utah)
"There are a lot of other quarterbacks other than the Top Three," Kiper said, with Brooks adding, "I don't know that there are guys you forecast as future starters, but we have to be leery of that. No one expected Brock Purdy [of the San Francisco 49ers] to be what he has become. No one expected Jalen Hurts [of the Philadelphia Eagles] to be what he has become."
Brooks called Milroe the "biggest wildcard" among this year's quarterback class.
"When I look at him, I see a more explosive version of Jalen Hurts," Brooks said. "Can he become a more efficient passer like Hurts has been? Or will someone be willing to build around his talents. He's a wild-card because he's an A-plus athlete."
HANDICAPPING THE JAGUARS
Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft and the Jaguars' starting quarterback the last four seasons, remains the starter – and the franchise will build around Lawrence moving forward under new Head Coach Liam Coen and new General Manager James Gladstone. Many of the Jaguars' moves in unrestricted free agency were about improving around Lawrence, and look for the same approach throughout the draft. The Jaguars signed veteran Nick Mullens, the backup quarterback the past three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings – where Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski spent the last three seasons as an offensive assistant.
CHANCE THE JAGUARS TAKE A QUARTERBACK
- None.
QBs ON THE JAGUARS ROSTER
- Trevor Lawrence
- Nick Mullens
- John Wolford
BUCKY BROOKS' TOP 5 2025 QUARTERBACKS
- Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
- Cam Ward, Miami
- Jaxson Dart, Mississippi
- Jalen Milroe, Alabama
- Kyle McCord, Syracuse
POSSIBLE FIRST-ROUND QUARTERBACKS
- Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
- Cam Ward, Miami
- Jaxson Dart, Mississippi
