NFL Draft: Ranking QBs taken in Rounds 1-3 since 2023 by situation, including Cam Ward, Tyler Shough

The 2025 NFL Draft is officially in the books, and this year’s event wasn’t without its share of drama. All eyes were on Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders as he slipped from consensus first-round target into Day 3, but plenty of other big names found some surprising homes. That includes Sanders’ fellow quarterbacks like Tyler Shough, who could end up opening 2025 as the New Orleans Saints‘ starter; and Jalen Milroe, who’s set to watch and learn behind Sam Darnold in the Seattle Seahawks‘ new-look offense.

Talent and smarts alone can certainly elevate young quarterbacks out of the gate. Just look at what C.J. Stroud did in 2023, or what Jayden Daniels did in 2024. More often than not, however, NFL quarterbacks are only as effective as their supporting casts — their playmakers, their protection, their coaching, etc. And that might be doubly true for quarterbacks just getting their feet wet on the professional stage, be it as rookie starters or even developmental backups. It’s a team sport, remember!

With that in mind, which of the NFL’s youngest but most premium investments at quarterback are best suited for success going into the 2025 season? Here’s how we’d rank each of the signal-callers picked in the first three rounds of the last three drafts according to their respective situation:

Indefinite backups

16. Dillon Gabriel

Team: Browns | Drafted: 3rd round, 94th overall (2025)

It’s not that the Oregon product couldn’t eventually usurp Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, the Browns’ new two-pronged veteran placeholder. Cleveland might offer solid defensive support, too. Yet the O-line is aging and the skill group still leaves quite a bit to be desired. They’re squarely in rebuild mode.

15. Will Levis

Team: Titans | Drafted: 2nd round, 33rd overall (2023)

Just two years after he nearly went in Round 1, the strong-armed Levis is out of a job in Tennessee, cast aside in favor of Cam Ward after two injury- and turnover-plagued seasons behind an iffy front. It wouldn’t be shocking if the Titans soon send him elsewhere and let Brandon Allen serve as the No. 2.

14. Hendon Hooker

Team: Lions | Drafted: 3rd round, 68th overall (2023)

In some ways, Hooker actually has a cozy setup. If pressed into action, he’d enjoy one of the finer offensive setups in the NFL. Already 27, though, he hasn’t really had the reps to earn Detroit’s trust as the unchallenged No. 2, with the Lions even bringing back Teddy Bridgewater in 2024 to fill that role.

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John Breech

Endangered starters

13. Anthony Richardson

Team: Colts | Drafted: 1st round, 4th overall (2023)

The Colts aren’t quitting on their former top-five pick, but they aren’t exactly propping him up, either. Limited to 15 mercurial games to date, Richardson has a new safety valve in tight end Tyler Warren. That is if he stays upright behind an O-line in transition and/or outlasts Daniel Jones in a summer competition.

High-upside backups

12. Jaxson Dart

Team: Giants | Drafted: 1st round, 25th overall (2025)

Dart’s got some physical shades of Jalen Hurts, which could make him a perfect fit for Brian Daboll’s offense. Malik Nabers‘ presence sure helps, as does an improving defense. Still, the O-line remains iffy, and who knows if the current regime will survive if the Russell Wilson rental goes south in a hurry?

11. Jalen Milroe

Team: Seahawks | Drafted: 3rd round, 92nd overall (2025)

Like Dart, Milroe should benefit from a slower entry; Sam Darnold’s locked into at least one year as Seattle’s new point guard. He could end up growing alongside weapons like Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Elijah Arroyo, plus new lineman Grey Zabel. And Mike Macdonald’s defense should always be solid, too.

Projected starters

10. Bryce Young

Team: Panthers | Drafted: 1st round, 1st overall (2023)

This isn’t an indictment of Young, who looked much more comfortable at the end of Year 2, as much as a Carolina crew still scrambling to give him legitimate weaponry. Maybe Tetairoa McMillan will shine right away, but their receiving corps still resembles a mix of aging and unproven outlets.

9. Cam Ward

Team: Titans | Drafted: 1st round, 1st overall (2025)

A live arm only goes so far, as incumbent Titans starter Will Levis will tell you. Fortunately, this year’s No. 1 pick should have a slightly improved front now featuring Kevin Zeitler, plus some savvy fellow starters in Calvin Ridley, Tyler Lockett and Tony Pollard. Expect splashy but still-inconsistent play here.

8. Tyler Shough

Team: Saints | Drafted: 2nd round, 40th overall (2025)

Shough may compete for the QB1 gig, and that’s provided Derek Carr doesn’t re-emerge from his contentious injury-fueled absence. But you don’t draft a 25-year-old seven-year college vet if he’s not gonna suit up soon. Besides being in the wide-open NFC South, Shough is also primed to have a slew of proven, albeit injury-prone, playmakers in Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave and Brandin Cooks, as well as a veteran play-caller in new coach Kellen Moore. You can squint and foresee a Bo Nix-esque surprise debut.

7. Drake Maye

Team: Patriots | Drafted: 1st round, 3rd overall (2024)

New England is betting a fair amount on an aging No. 1 wideout in Stefon Diggs, who’s also coming off a serious injury, but the ex-AFC East rival should give Maye a much-needed go-to. Rookies TreVeyon Henderson and Will Campbell should help just as much, adding grit under new coach Mike Vrabel.

6. Michael Penix Jr.

Team: Falcons | Drafted: 1st round, 8th overall (2024)

Atlanta is a curious bunch, and not just because team brass has kept Penix’s predecessor, Kirk Cousins, in town on his inflated contract. Young playmakers like Bijan Robinson and Drake London should help ease Penix into his first full season as QB1. Still, the line lost center Drew Dalman, coach Raheem Morris proved iffy as a situational leader in 2024, and his defensive support could depend heavily on rookies.

5. Bo Nix

Team: Broncos | Drafted: 1st round, 12th overall (2024)

Denver has yet to secure the home-run additions at the skill spots that many fans would’ve liked. Sean Payton coaxed gutsy ball out of Nix as a rookie, though, and the Broncos’ sturdy front remains intact, along with a juiced-up defense now featuring Dre Greenlaw and Jahdae Barron. The arrow is still pointing up. New tight end Evan Engram might be underrated as a potential passing safety valve, too.

4. C.J. Stroud

Team: Texans | Drafted: 1st round, 2nd overall (2023)

Houston is risking more turmoil up front by swapping out the majority of the O-line, but vets like Cam Robinson and Laken Tomlinson are serviceable. If Nico Collins and/or Tank Dell can stay healthy and at least one of their rookie wideouts, like Jayden Higgins, can make an early impact, it stands to reason that Stroud will be back in the Pro Bowl and playoff conversation. His team’s defense is also a feisty force.

3. Caleb Williams

Team: Bears | Drafted: 1st round, 1st overall (2024)

Perhaps no team did more to comfort its young quarterback than the Bears this offseason. Frenetic behind a shaky line as a rookie, Williams should be much more at ease with the trenches remade to feature All-Pro Joe Thuney and others. Better yet, his pass weapons under new coach Ben Johnson, the ex-Detroit Lions whiz, are even more well-rounded, with dynamic tight end Colston Loveland and explosive utility man Luther Burden III joining DJ Moore and Rome Odunze in the lineup. Windy City is suddenly bumping.

2. Jayden Daniels

Team: Commanders | Drafted: 1st round, 2nd overall (2024)

Washington advanced to an NFC title game during Daniels’ rookie campaign primarily because, well, Daniels was a freak of nature, effortlessly starring as a dual threat in the clutch. Now the Commanders have some Grade-A pieces to assist, pairing the rugged Deebo Samuel with the smooth Terry McLaurin out wide, and adding new tackles for both today and tomorrow in Laremy Tunsil and Josh Conerly Jr. If all goes according to plan, Daniels should be able to have Washington right back in the January race.

1. J.J. McCarthy

Team: Vikings | Drafted: 1st round, 10th overall (2024)

McCarthy on his own is a tantalizing mystery, oozing calmness but also entering Year 2 with zero NFL snaps under his belt thanks to knee issues. Fortunately he’s got the most enviable setup of his young peers. Coach Kevin O’Connell is a true quarterback whisperer, with Brian Flores lending aggressive defensive support. The line is fortified at basically every spot. And Minnesota might boast the best receiving quartet in the league between Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, tight end T.J. Hockenson and rookie Tai Felton, another downfield speedster who should help McCarthy air it out with confidence.