2025 NFL Draft Fantasy Football Quarterback preview: Deep dive with advanced stats, film, best landing spots

Last year’s rookie quarterback class was considered outstanding, and yet only two of the five drafted in the first round finished as top-12 Fantasy options. Maybe that’s actually better than expected.

This year’s rookie crop is not considered to be in the same class as last year’s. Or next year’s. The odds of anyone in the 2025 draft finishing top-12 at the quarterback position figure to be steep.

So if it’s a bad year for NFL teams to draft a rookie quarterback, then it’s a bad year for Fantasy managers to draft a rookie quarterback.

Desperate Dynasty leaguers in need of a quarterback might prefer to trade cheaply for someone who can get you by in 2025 instead of spending a first-round pick on Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart or Jalen Milroe. Seasonal redrafters might not spend a pick on any of these guys.

With that delightful forecast, here’s the skinny on the four key quarterbacks Fantasy managers should have interest in. 

• Age as of Week 1: 23
• Height: 6-foot-1 ⅝
• Weight: 219 pounds
• Hand size: 9 inches
• Comparable body-type to: Tyrod Taylor

Cam Ward college stats

Best advanced stats: Was top-five in touchdown rate (8.6% of his throws) and yards per pass attempt (9.5) among qualifying FBS passers with a bottom-13 interception rate (1.5% of passes). Among fellow top prospects, only Jaxson Dart (10.8) had a higher passing yard average with the same interception rate.

Worst advanced stats: Ward’s 67% completion rate turned into 56.5% when in the red zone last season, lower than anyone notable in the class save for Jalen Milroe (48.3%). But at least Milroe’s red-zone completion rate was 73.1% in 2023; Ward’s was 52.4% at Washington State. 

Bottom line: (Ward) answered more big moments with a solution than any quarterback I watched in the entire class. Often times, Ward would make something out of nothing — or worse — out of a bad situation. The Miami defense failed Ward often and he still brought them back. Ward will take his lumps at the next level and need to improve his footwork, how he handles pressure and his ball placement on the vertical plane. At the same time, he should immediately be a playmaker at the NFL level in the intermediate areas of the field both inside and outside the numbers. — Dan Schneier

• Age as of Week 1: 23 years old
• Height: 6-foot-1 ½
• Weight: 212 pounds
• Hand size: 9 ⅜

• Comparable body-type to: Geno Smith

Shedeur Sanders college stats

Best advanced stats: Sanders completed 80% of his passes on throws of 15 or fewer air yards last year, tops among qualifying FBS quarterbacks. He added a solid 5.47% TD rate on those throws. Jaxson Dart was next-closest among the top prospects with a 77% completion rate on those types of passes, but also with a meek 2.92% TD rate.

Worst advanced stats: 52.6% of Sanders’ yards came after the catch, more than all of the top quarterback prospects in this year’s draft class. That means his quality receivers did more work to amass his total yardage number than he did.

Bottom line: Sanders is an NFL-capable QB with upside tied to coaching, scheme and personnel. Not a force multiplier based on lack of long-throw velocity/zip, size and decision-making, but certainly good enough to start and pilot an offense competitively. His accuracy, patience and escapability are big plusses, but he’s at his best when he’s not pushed back or out of the pocket. Holding the ball too long, hunting for the big play all the time and not having a cannon will definitely come back to bite him in the NFL, as might any limitations running an offense he’s not already familiar with or scanning a defense that has him confused. It’s unlikely he’ll flame out, but it’s also unlikely he’ll be considered among the elite throwers in the league unless he’s in the perfect situation. — Dave Richard

• Age as of Week 1: 22
• Height: 6-2 ¼
• Weight: 223 pounds
• Hand size: 9 ½
• Comparable body-type to: Bo Nix

Jaxson Dart college stats

Best advanced stats: Among his peers, Dart was tops in completion rate (73.5%), off-target rate (4.1%), sack rate (2.0%) and second-best in yards per attempt (5.0) in the red zone. However, he was second-worst in touchdowns with nine (Jalen Milroe had four).

Worst advanced stats: When pressured last year, Dart completed 41 of 89 passes (46.1%) for 908 yards, four scores and three interceptions with 56 rushes and an insane 23.9% sack rate.

Bottom line: Dart has too many questions to be considered a worthy first-rounder, but as Day 2 picks go, he should quickly find a home. Hopefully it’s with a team with an older veteran starter who can give Dart the time he needs to learn the pro game before getting the keys to the offense in 2026. He’s got a capable arm, very good mobility and potential as a processor, but his limitations keep his upside from ever being that of a top-10 passer. In fact, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he had a long career as a quality backup. — Dave Richard

• Age as of Week 1: 23
• Height: 6-foot-1 ⅞
• Weight: 217 pounds
• Hand size: 9 ⅜ inches
• 40-yard dash time: 4.37 seconds (unofficial from Alabama’s Pro Day)
• Comparable body-type to: Shorter Justin Fields

Jalen Milroe college stats

Best advanced stats: Scored 32 red-zone rushing touchdowns in his past two seasons, more than everyone in college football except Ashton Jeanty, Bryson Daily, R.J. Harvey and Ollie Gordon.

Worst advanced stats: Milroe was under a 45% completion rate when pressured in each of his past two seasons. As for last year, Milroe had a ghastly 9.4% off-target rate on throws of 10 air yards or shorter with six interceptions over 202 attempts on those throws. 

Bottom line: Milroe will need time to develop and may never provide the accuracy, timing and processing speed to operate a West Coast offense — or any system that relies on rhythm. However, in a power-gap dominant run scheme that relies on play action and vertical passes down the field (think the old Bruce Arians style offense), he can be evolve into a plus starter. The Eagles have taken a similar path with Jalen Hurts and that is a system that would fit his skill set. — Dan Schneier

Next best QB prospects

Kyle McCord, Syracuse: Coaches will like his accuracy and poise, but a lack of athleticism and arm strength along with questions about how well he can process pro-style defenses will keep him down.

Tyler Shough, Louisville: Strong-armed and mobile, Shough could be a solid stop-gap quarterback with room to develop, but he’s had to overcome injuries, has one good season statistically and is older than every quarterback in the 2025 and 2024 classes!

Quinn Ewers, Texas: The lack of arm strength and accuracy beyond 10 yards is a problem, as is a lack of consistency when it comes to dealing with the pass rush. It’s too bad because he carries good traits that once made him one of the nation’s top high-school prospects.

Will Howard, Ohio State: There are some seriously suspect throws on his tape, and there’s an arm strength issue for sure, but he passes the eyeball test and could function as a backup in an RPO scheme.

Fantasy landing spots — ranked

Saints: If they’re truly moving on from Derek Carr, a rookie QB will work with one of the most experienced coaching staffs as far as QB development goes. The receiving corps could be better, but the offensive line, when healthy, is as good as any other destination. There’s some potential here.

Steelers: The good news is they have DK Metcalf and George Pickens. The bad news is that offensive coordinator Arthur Smith hasn’t unleashed an offense that resulted in big Fantasy points for his quarterbacks since his Titans days.

Giants: Throwing to Malik Nabers is awesome. Throwing to everyone else in New York is underwhelming, plus the O-line has had issues for years and this year’s coaching staff might not be next year’s coaching staff if they flounder in 2025.

Browns: Kevin Stefanski has made his offense work with shrewd veteran quarterbacks but he’s never had the chance to develop his own youngster. And if he doesn’t strike it big this year, he may never get the chance to do it next season with the Browns. The receiving corps and O-line aren’t that outstanding either.