NFL Updated Post Draft QB Rankings Entering 2025

Just like with the previous rendition of my power rankings which I made prior to the NFL draft, my previous QB rankings that I made before the NFL draft was a very politically correct and safe list. In the new version of my team power rankings, I made a more subjective emotion-based ranking that diverted from the norm. I am now doing the same thing with my QB rankings as well.

Tier 1 – Elite Generational QBs

1. Jayden Daniels

In my estimation Lamar Jackson is hands down the most talented QB in the NFL but he is not in the top spot nor has he ever been in my top spot due to his consistent subpar postseason performances. Jayden Daniels is 95-97% of the raw talent that Lamar Jackson is and in terms of raw talent he is arguably more talented than any QB in the NFL not named Lamar Jackson. But Daniels is to be fully trusted in the postseason unlike Lamar Jackson. Jayden Daniels performed very well in a close fought win vs the Bucs in the wild card round, posting a 110.2 passer rating. Daniels played even better in a divisional round win against the Lions posting a 122.9 passer rating. Daniels, however, struggled in the Conference Championship against the eventual Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles who had the league’s best defense. If Lamar Jackson was/is better in big postseason games, he would be the greatest QB the game has ever seen in my estimation. Jayden Daniels is essentially Lamar Jackson in terms of raw talent but he does indeed have big game clutch intangibles. The talent difference between Jackson and Daniels is essentially non-existent in my estimation as well.

 

2. Joe Burrow

Obviously, Patrick Mahomes, to pretty much everyone, has been the best QB in the NFL for all of recent memory winning two regular season MVPs and three Super Bowls. But in my estimation, when Burrow is healthy, Burrow is the better overall player. I trust Joe Burrow just as much in big postseason games. Burrow has been the consistently better regular season player as Mahomes’ individual production has been closer to average the past two seasons. Whereas when Burrow is healthy, he always puts up MVP caliber numbers. Burrow has also shown me the ability to overcome non-ideal circumstances to a greater extent than Patrick Mahomes has as well. Burrow in the 2022 season in his first full season healthy as starter nearly won league MVP and the Super Bowl despite having one of the weakest offensive lines in the NFL. Whereas Mahomes has not shown me he can overcome chaos around him to that extent. If Burrow had stayed healthier thus far in his career and/or received more help around him, the narrative of who is the best QB in the game would likely be very different. If Joe Burrow were on the Chiefs for his whole career and did not suffer injuries and Mahomes were on the Bengals his whole career, Burrow would likely be discussed as Mahomes has been discussed as the best overall QB in the game for the past several years.

 

3. Patrick Mahomes

Patrick Mahomes, in my previous traditional politically correct and safe list was in the top spot of these same QB rankings. But straying away from safe, lazy, boxed in thinking, I do not have Mahomes 1 or 2 on my new list. Mahomes’ production in the past two regular seasons has been very average to be quite frank. Mahomes has not shown the ability overcome unideal circumstances in particular through subpar offensive line play like the first two players on this list have. Although Mahomes has won three Super Bowls one cannot deny that it is still a team sport and if Joe Burrow, Jayden Daniels, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, and some others were placed on the Chiefs instead of Patrick Mahomes, then they could have done something similar as well. But despite all that Patrick Mahomes still remains at number three on this list as he has just as many regular season MVPs as any other active QB. He also has three times as many Super Bowl wins as any other active QB as well.

 

4. Josh Allen

Josh Allen, in my opinion, has just been the slightly lesser version of Patrick Mahomes thus far in his NFL career. Both QBs are big strong physical players who have two of the league’s strongest arms and can do damage in the ground game. Mahomes has been the slightly better thrower of the football thus far in the NFL, and Allen has been the slightly better runner of the football thus far in the NFL. With throwing the football being more important than running the football. Although Allen does not have the reputation of a postseason underperformer like Lamar Jackson or Peyton Manning did/does have, Allen is not the clutch player that Mahomes is. In the past two postseason losses to the Chiefs, Allen has had the ball in his hands late in the game with a chance to tie/take the lead, but the Bills season ended on those two drives vs the Chiefs instead. Allen is still one of the most physically gifted QBs that the game has ever seen and will likely end up winning a Super Bowl title at some point in his career. In typical NFL circles there are four QBs who are universally regarded as the four premier tier 1 elite QBs, in Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow. However, Burrow and Jackson can do things that Mahomes cannot do and one could argue that those players are even more talented than Mahomes. Whereas with Josh Allen, he just feels like a slightly lesser version of Patrick Mahomes as a QB.

 

5. Lamar Jackson

Lamar Jackson in my estimation is still the 1^st or 2^nd most talented QB the game of football has ever seen. If you read the first portion of this article you can see my stance on Jackson and his postseason play and how it correlated to his all-time ranking among QBs. Although Jackson has improved his postseason play the past two playoff runs for the Ravens, he still has not quite gotten over his postseason demons. In the 2023-24 postseason vs the Chiefs, the Ravens with Jackson at the helm were only able to muster 10 points vs Kansas City in a loss. This past postseason where the Ravens lost to the Bills, Jackson accounted for multiple turnovers which played a large role in the team still losing. Jackson in totality in that game outside of the two turnovers was good but certainly not special as well. Prior to the past two postseasons where Jackson has improved in the playoffs but still has left much on the table, his postseason performances were consistently very cringy. He consistently drew comparisons to Peyton Manning with regards to subpar postseason play as a result. Jackson in terms of raw talent is almost inarguably the premier QB talent in the NFL today however and is in the definitive argument for being the most talented QB ever as well.

 

6. Justin Herbert

Despite having never won a postseason game as of yet, I have Justin Herbert as one of my six elite tier 1 QBs in the NFL. Herbert in terms of size, arm strength, and refined throwing ability ranks up there with any player in league history. Herbert has shown the ability to overcome as in his 2020 rookie season he won offensive rookie of the year despite the Chargers having one of the weakest offensive lines in the NFL. Herbert in terms of raw talent ranks up there with any current QB in the NFL but remains at #6 primarily because he has not won a postseason game in five NFL seasons thus far. But with Jim Harbaugh as his coach now, that drought will almost inevitably end at some point.

 

Tier 2 – The next closest thing, can lead a team to a Super Bowl

7. Jordan Love

Jordan Love in his first full season as a starter in the NFL in the 2023-24 campaign was remarkable. In the first half of that season, which was his first action as an NFL starter, he struggled throwing the football mightily. However, he was amongst the premier if not the premier QB in the league in terms of running the football in that time frame. Jordan Love really came into his own as a passer in the 2^nd half of his first full season starting and was statistically perhaps the best overall thrower in the league in the 2^nd half of the season. Jordan Love is not quite the raw physical talent that most of the players in the first tier are nor has he consistently advanced deep into the playoffs like players 1-6 have. Which is why for now he remains just outside the first tier of QBs and is the highest ranked player in tier 2 of this list. Jordan Love also had a bit of a sophomore slump type of season in 2024 but still led Green Bay to the playoffs and led the Packers to putting a very strong fight on the road vs the eventual champion Eagles come postseason time.

 

8. Jared Goff

If you read my article which you can find under the Lions section you can see the way I feel about Goff as a QB and how I am of the mindset that he is perhaps the most underrated QB in the NFL. Goff with the Rams and Lions has led a historically great offense for each of the two franchises while leading one to a Super Bowl appearance and leading the other to being up by three possessions in a conference title game. Goff remains underrated for several reasons and is a top 10 QB in my estimation. The Lions led by Jared Goff were up 24-7 in an eventual conference title loss in the 2023-24 season and clinched the #1 overall seed in the NFC the following season. If he were to get over the hump and win a Super Bowl while consistently having led historically great offenses for multiple franchises, one could certainly argue he should be tier 1 in this ranking.

 

9. Matthew Stafford

Stafford is a former number one overall pick heralded as a generational type of prospect who has won a Super Bowl title as well. Since leading the Rams to that Super Bowl title in the 2021 season, Stafford has led the Rams to coming up just short in the NFC postseason multiple times to NFC juggernauts Detroit and Philadelphia. The Rams led by Stafford where the only team this past NFL postseason to come close to beating the eventual champion Eagles in the playoffs. Stafford could certainly rank higher than this but the fact that he is aging is a deterring factor. Perhaps if he can get the Rams back to an NFC title game and have an elite individual season, he can climb up this ranking more.

 

10. Jalen Hurts

Coming off a Super Bowl win and a Super Bowl MVP, Jalen Hurts squeaks into the top ten of this ranking. Although Hurts deserves a ton of credit for the Eagles’ Super Bowl triumph one cannot deny the fact that Philadelphia had arguably the league’s best offensive personnel and the league’s best defense as well. Hurts in terms of dual threat QB is not quite Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson but is the next closest thing and has a Super Bowl title while those two players don’t. The Eagles with Jalen Hurts have been the winningest NFL franchise outside of the Kansas City Chiefs in recent memory. Perhaps if a few things went differently in the first Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl, we would discuss the Eagles with Jalen Hurts in the same breadth as how the Chiefs with Mahomes are discussed. In terms of raw talent Hurts is nothing special but is still talented and is in the top ten primarily because of how successful the teams are that he quarterbacks.

 

11. Caleb Williams

Caleb Williams, the number one overall pick in the 2024 draft, who was heralded as a generational type of prospect comes in just outside the top ten of this list. Williams had a solid, respectable but not a spectacular rookie season where he had his highs and lows. However, the fact that he had still a solid rookie campaign despite his team being perhaps the most poorly coached offensive team in the NFL with average caliber offensive personnel, should be a sign for optimism. In terms of raw talent, Williams is absolutely a tier 1 type of QB talent but remains outside the top ten almost entirely because of how unproven he is. Now that he heads into year 2 in the NFL with the Bears having hired an elite offensive mind at head coach, I think he will certainly climb this ranking in a big way.

 

12. Trevor Lawrence

Lawrence, just like Caleb Williams, was also a former number one overall pick who was heralded as a generational type of prospect who has certainly not been a bust thus far but has not lived up to expectations either. Lawrence has, however, been in the league much longer than Williams having completed four NFL seasons. Lawrence has shown flashes of elite play in that time span but has not been able to maintain it. The Jaguars provided him with two big name head coaches in Urban Meyer and Doug Pederson, both of whom are perhaps overrated as NFL head coaches. Lawrence has also struggled with injures in his brief NFL career thus far as well and has yet to truly enter his prime. Now as he enters his prime, while hopefully staying healthier, with Jacksonville hopefully having hired the right coach for him, we will hopefully see Lawrence start to live up to his full potential, which he has shown he is capable of doing thus far in the league.

 

13. Kyler Murray

In terms of raw physical talent Murray is amongst the most purely gifted QBs I have ever seen. Not even Jayden Daniels or Lamar Jackson has Murray’s combination of foot speed, arm strength, and refined throwing ability. But Murray’s lack of size being only 5 feet 10 inches which is well undersized for a QB has Murray outside the top ten. Murray has also never won a postseason game and the lone postseason game he appeared in, he was abysmal. However, as he heads into year 2 with head coach Jonathan Gannon, the team is more than capable of making the postseason. If Murray can become more consistent and prove it in the playoffs more, he can certainly climb this ranking.

 

14. Drake Maye

Maye who was the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft had a very under the radar but highly effective rookie campaign for the Patriots this past season. Maye put up very strong numbers in the 2024 season despite being a rookie and the Patriots in terms of offensive personnel and offensive coaching being in the definitive discussion for the worst in the NFL. Maye is an underrated athlete with a very strong arm who has gotten off to a very strong start to his career. Perhaps as Maye gains more experience in the NFL, he can climb this ranking even more.

 

Tier 3 – Solid but not spectacular starters for now

 

15. Baker Mayfield

I strongly considered ranking Mayfield higher on this list but I have him ranked as the highest tier 3 QB instead of a tier 2 QB for the following reasons. Firstly, in terms of raw physical talent, Mayfield is still pretty average being undersized, while being nothing special athletically, although possessing a very strong arm. Mayfield has been exceptional for the Buccaneers starting at QB for the past two seasons but take out those two seasons and he has been mostly a bust as a former number one overall pick. Mayfield in the past two seasons where he has resurrected his career is akin to Jimmy Garoppolo and Brock Purdy for the 49ers. QBs with average physical traits who put up MVP numbers for a season or two at a time with elite offensive coaching. Now that Mayfield has lost his offensive coordinator to a head coaching job for a second consecutive season, it remains to be seen if Mayfield can maintain his level of play. If he does, I would have no problem ranking Mayfield higher on this list into likely the tier 2 range. Mayfield has also never reached a conference title of Super Bowl in his career like many of the QBs ahead of him have. One could certainly make a very strong argument that Mayfield should be in tier 2, but I have him as the highest rated QB in tier 3 for now at least.

 

16. CJ Stroud

Texans QB C.J Stroud had one of the strongest rookie QB seasons in recent memory in the 2023-24 campaign for Houston. Many pundits after his rookie season stated Stroud was on track to be elite. As Stroud in his rookie campaign finished top 5 in the NFL in passer rating despite having average at best offensive personnel and a rookie defensive minded head coach. While leading the Texans, who picked 2^nd in the draft a year prior to Stroud’s arrival, to a postseason appearance and a postseason win. Stroud really regressed in his sophomore campaign, however, ranking below average among NFL starters in terms of passer rating while the Texans led by Stroud failed to improve upon their postseason finish the year prior. Just like Mayfield, a very strong argument could be made for Stroud being in tier 2 and it is likely that Stroud eventually transitions into tier 2. But just like in the case of Mayfield, given Stroud’s average physical traits, his lack of long-term success as a starter, and his failure to even reach a conference title yet, he remains near the top of tier 3 instead.

 

17. Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers if you read my top 10 QBs of the Super Bowl era article, you can see that I have Rodgers in the top five QBs of the Super Bowl era. When Rodgers was in his prime, he was perhaps the most talented QB ever and Rodgers in his prime played the position of QB at arguably the highest level it’s ever been played at. Rodgers at this point who is going on 42 years old is well past his prime and for the past 3-4 seasons he has been injured and closer to average even when on the field. Given his peak as a QB and how the New York Jets consistently put their QBs in positions to fail, there is reason to believe that Rodgers, even at an advanced age, can recapture some of his old form with the Steelers now. But based on his very meager production for the past 3-4 seasons, he as of now remains in tier 3 of this ranking instead.

 

18. Geno Smith

Geno Smith after being a backup for most of his career resurrected his career with the Seahawks for the past 3-4 seasons. However, with Seattle ostensibly having peaked with Smith at the helm, the team went in a different direction. Smith’s peak as a QB was a borderline MVP caliber season. Perhaps with the Raiders who have amongst the league’s premier offensive personnel on paper at least, maybe Smith can have another MVP caliber season. But Smith remains below average in this ranking primarily because of his long standing as a backup in the league. In addition to the fact that outside of one season with the Seahawks where he had a borderline MVP caliber season, he has been closer to average as an NFL starter outside of that one year. Perhaps if Smith has an elite year with the Raiders electric offensive personnel, he can climb this ranking.

 

19. Tua Tagovailoa

Tagovailoa despite being arguably the most accurate thrower of the football in the NFL remains ranked below average amongst NFL starters for now. This is so for several reasons, firstly in terms of raw physical talent as it pertains to size, arm strength, and mobility, one could make a very strong argument that Tua is last among all current NFL starting QBs. Tua is also likely the most injury prone starting NFL QB in the league today missing several games in almost every season he has started in the NFL and in college as well. Tua also struggles in inclement weather more than any NFL QB in the game today having grown up in warm weather Hawaii, having played college football in warm weather Alabama, and having played all of his NFL ball in warm weather Miami as well. Tua’s injury concerns and concerns regarding his ability to play in cold inclement weather have directly led to the Dolphins’ season ending in the first three years of the Tua Tagovailoa-Mike McDaniel era in Miami. However, Tua is arguably the most accurate thrower of the football in the NFL which one could argue is the most important trait for a QB. Tua also can be trusted to perform in big postseason games given his historic national championship game performance in college for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

 

20. Dak Prescott

Prescott comes in at number twenty on this list but could certainly be higher. Prescott in his time as the starter for the Dallas Cowboys has always been the epitome of an average caliber starting QB in my estimation. He has average size, average arm strength, and average mobility. Prescott has never once reached a conference title game in the NFL either. However, on the bright side, Prescott has been the QB of the league’s top scoring offense on multiple occasions which is something that only less than a handful of current QBs can say.

 

21. Brock Purdy

Purdy, in his first season taking starter snaps for the 49ers led the team to the conference championship game before exiting with an injury in that game. In his first full season as starter the following year, Purdy led the 49ers to the Super Bowl narrowly losing to the Chiefs in that game. That is a start to one’s career as an NFL QB that is paralleled by the likes of Joe Montana, Tom Brady, and Patrick Mahomes. Those three QBs are arguably the three greatest QBs in league history but Purdy remains #21 on this list for several reasons. Firstly, Purdy was the last player taken in the NFL draft for a reason and possesses very average physical traits. Secondly, the 49ers with Jimmy Garoppolo at the helm were equally as successful in terms of team success and Garoppolo, despite still being in his physical prime, is a backup QB as of now. Purdy also had a pretty average statistical season in his second full year as starter without ideal circumstances and the team missed the postseason all together with Purdy as the starter. Perhaps if Purdy can replicate his first two seasons in the NFL as a starter, he can climb this list.

 

 

22. Sam Darnold

Darnold, a former top 10 pick, was labeled as a bust before joining the Vikings this past season and having an MVP caliber season stepping in for the injured J.J McCarthy. Despite the MVP caliber season that Darnold had this past season, he remains this low for multiple reasons. Firstly, in terms of raw physical talent, Darnold is still very average, having average to slightly less than average size, arm strength, and mobility. Outside of one season in very ideal offensive circumstances with the Vikings, Darnold was mostly a bust and a backup QB as well. He also had a putrid end to his fairytale season with Minnesota this past year where the Vikings failed to even score 10 points in either one of their crucially important final two games with Darnold at QB. In the final week of the regular season where the number one seed and the division crown was on the line vs a decimated Detroit defense, the Vikings led by Darnold put up only 9 points. In the wild card round vs the Rams, the Vikings led by Darnold also put up only 9 points in an early postseason exit.

 

23. Bo Nix

Nix, who was the 5^th QB selected in the 2024 draft, had a solid but not spectacular rookie campaign and finds himself near the bottom of the solid starter list. Nix is one of the most decorated college QBs in football history and has a very strong arm and is an underrated athlete. But the Broncos had a very strong offensive line and Sean Payton is one of the smartest offensive minds in NFL history, but despite that Nix had just a solid but not a spectacular rookie campaign. Nix was unable to do anything in the Broncos postseason loss as well as Denver led by Nix was only able to muster seven points in their wild card round loss. Nix, however, as stated previously has a very strong arm while being an underrated athlete and is one of the most decorated college QBs in football history.

 

24. Russell Wilson

Wilson’s career, after his nightmare stint with the Denver Broncos was in major jeopardy, but he did a lot to erase doubts about him in his one-year stint as the starter for the Steelers. Wilson, starting the majority of games for the Steelers this past season, led the team to the postseason but lost quickly in the postseason. In 13 starts for Pittsburgh, Wilson went 6-7 which included a postseason loss while Wilson put up very strong numbers at times. Wilson, in his brief stint with Pittsburgh proved he can be a starting caliber QB again but nothing more than that for now. It will be interesting to see how he looks with the New York Giants heading into the 2025 season.

 

Tier 4 – Unproven starters

 

25. Bryce Young

Young, the number one overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, got off to an abysmal start to his NFL career. After being benched in the midst of his second NFL season, many were labeling Young as one of the biggest NFL draft busts ever. However, once Young returned from the benching and started to click with first year head coach Dave Canales, Young came into his own. The Panthers with Young at the helm lost by one possession each to eventual Super Bowl finalists Kansas City and Philadelphia. Carolina with Young at the helm also beat the Arizona Cardinals who nearly made the postseason and Carolina with Young at QB nearly beat the Buccaneers who did make the playoffs. Young in the final three games of his 2024 sophomore season finished with a 100+ passer rating in each game. Young remains in tier 4 because outside of half a season and in all reality three games, Young has been a generational draft bust. Additionally, Young in terms of raw physical talent leaves much to be desired standing at under 6 feet tall which is well below average in terms of QB height. Young is also very skinny for a QB as well potentially exposing himself to injuries. Young as a former number one overall pick has shown a ton of promise although having his ups and downs. Bryce Young will almost certainly climb out of tier 4 at some point. But given his lack of a track record as an NFL starter he remains in the unproven tier 4 section although being at the very top of it.

 

26. Justin Fields

Justin Fields, a former first round pick with an illustrious college career, has had his ups and downs in the NFL thus far but has shown some promise. Fields who was originally drafted by the Chicago Bears had some good moments with the Bears but the two parties ultimately split. Fields currently holds the record for the most rushing yards in a game by a QB ever which he set in his time with Chicago. Fields was too erratic of a thrower and Caleb Williams was too renown of a prospect for the Bears to stick with Fields as the starter, however. Fields then started six games for the Steelers in the 2024 season and went 4-2 in his time as starter. Fields in college for Ohio State University had a season in which he finished with 41 passing touchdowns and only three interceptions, a historically great college passing season. That is not to mention Fields’ athletic ability in that he stands at 6 feet 3 inches while running a sub 4.5 40-yard dash which is rare for a QB. Many attribute Fields’ lack of success in the NFL thus far to him playing in defensive cultures who consistently show a tone deafness to offense in Chicago and Pittsburgh. However, that issue does not seem to change with him shifting to the New York Jets who have been known to have the same types of issues. Fields is an electric talent who is a doppelganger of Eagles’ Super Bowl MVP QB Jalen Hurts. If Fields is placed in the right circumstances, maybe he could have a similar type of career to Hurts. Fields can certainly climb out of this tier if/when he gets a legitimate opportunity to prove how good of a QB he truly is.

 

27. Anthony Richardson

Richardson is a freakish talent at the QB position standing at 6 feet 4 inches and over 240 pounds while running a 40-yard dash in the 4.4 range. Richardson has physical gifts at the QB position that are only paralleled by the likes of Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. One could make a very strong argument that Richardson is even more physically talented than both of those QBs who are two of the best in the NFL. Richardson in his first full season as starter struggled mightily throwing the football however, ranking last among qualified QBs in terms of passer rating by a margin. Richardson has shown flashes of throwing the football very effectively in his time in college at the University of Florida along with showing it at times in his first season starting as well. Bills superstar QB Josh Allen who ranked in the top five of this list was a doppelganger of Richardson as he started in the NFL as well. Both were/are physical freaks of nature who struggle with throwing the football consistently. But Allen eventually cleaned up his throwing to the point where he universally regarded as a top five NFL QB in today’s game. Richardson has also been known to struggle with maturity and injuries as well, which is another reason he remains in tier 4. If Richardson can improve his passing tremendously which he has shown he is capable of doing, then the sky will be the limit for him. However, given how unproven he is and how unrefined his throwing has been thus far in the NFL, he remains in tier 4.

 

28. Cam Ward

Ward, the number one overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, remains in tier 4 primarily because he has never taken an NFL snap as of yet. Ward led an explosive and electric Miami Hurricanes offense in college that led the country in points per game in the 2024 season. Ward did this despite being a zero-star recruit at one point before entering college. Ward was not a generationally gifted prospect by any stretch but projects to be a highly effective professional QB. As he gains at least some experience and snaps in the NFL, he will almost certainly climb this list.

 

29. Shedeur Sanders

Sanders up until a historic draft slide was in the definitive discussion and for long stretches was the favorite to be the first overall pick in the NFL draft. Sanders, despite being a strong athlete at the QB position, is a very refined and accurate thrower of the football, completing over 70% of his college throws. Sanders I think will eventually win the Browns starting QB job in the 2025 season and I think Cleveland would have found a steal drafting him in the 5th round.

 

30. Michael Penix Jr

Penix Jr, one of only two lefty QBs on this list was the 4^th QB taken in a talent rich 2024 QB draft class. Penix Jr has not had the opportunity to prove himself thus far in the NFL, starting only three games as a rookie and looking solid but not spectacular in that time on the field. Penix Jr has electrifying arm strength while running a remarkable sub 4.5 40-yard dash which ranks up there among starting QBs. Penix Jr is also very accurate and the only reason he did not go higher in the NFL draft was his lengthy injury history. Perhaps it was to the benefit of Penix Jr as he got to slide to a loaded Falcons teams whose offensive personnel ranks up there with anyone in the NFL. I really look forward to watching Penix Jr play next season for the Falcons, and if he can stay healthy, he will almost certainly climb out of this tier.

 

31. JJ McCarthy

McCarthy, a top 10 pick in the 2024 draft, missed the entirety of his rookie season due to a season-ending torn ACL injury. McCarthy won a national championship in college football with the Michigan Wolverines but it remains to be seen how effective of a pro he will be and if he was worthy of being selected that high. McCarthy in terms of raw physical talent is closer to average and he has yet to take an NFL snap, which is why he remains at #31 out of 32 current starting QBs.

 

32. Tyler Shough

Shough, a second-round pick in the 2025 draft, finds himself as the last QB listed here as he will likely be prematurely forced into starting for the Saints in 2025 due to the retirement of Derek Carr. Shough does not blow me away as a prospect and it was surprising to see him be drafted as high as he was. But who knows maybe he can become a solid NFL player at some point.