In the Market: Looking at the top QB prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft Class, Week 8 edition
By Scott Rogust
Week 8 of the college football season had it's fair share of big games and big stories. The Texas Longhorns lost their first game of the season at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs. Alabama's skid continues after a loss to the Tennessee Volunteers on the Third Sunday of October. The Miami Hurricanes staved off an upset by the Louisville Cardinals.
Three of those aforementioned games featured some of the top quarterback prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft class. So, how did all of the top prospects perform in Week 8 and how does it affect their draft stock? Let's take a look at how they played this past weekend.
Previous editions of "In the Market" can be viewed below:
Taking Stock: How top 2025 NFL Draft QBs fared in Week 8
Carson Beck, Georgia
It was yet another big game for Carson Beck and the Georgia Bulldogs. They were set to face off against the No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns. While Beck did show promise in the Alabama game after a rough start, the same can't be said for Beck against Texas. It was a rough outing.
Beck had three total interceptions that night. One was a good play by Texas' Andrew Mukuba. There was another in which his pass was tipped into the air by tight end Lawson Luckie. There was also the interception late in the third quarter in which Jahdae Barron ran in front of Arian Smith.
Beck did shine on Georgia's fourth-quarter drive that resulted in a one-yard touchdown run by Trevor Etienne. Beck completed four-of-five throws for 74 yards.
Overall, Beck threw for 175 yards and zero touchdowns while completing 23-of-41 pass attempts. Beck struggled on passes 10-19 yards downfield, completing 3-of-10 for 85 yards and zero touchdowns, in addition to two interceptions, per Pro Football Focus.
Next Game: vs. Florida, Saturday, Nov. 2, 3:30 p.m. ET
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
The Colorado Buffaloes are rolling that much closer to a bowl game for the first time in the "Prime Time Era." Plenty of credit can be given to quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who is playing at an incredibly high level and is the QB1 of this draft class.
On Saturday, Colorado cruised to their fifth win of the season by decisively defeating the Arizona Wildcats 34-7. Sanders helped put the game out of reach with three total touchdowns in the first half, including a six-yard run and two passes (Will Sheppard and Drelon Miller). Colorado went on to win 34-7.
Sanders threw for 250 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions while completing 23-of-33 pass attempts.
If both the college football and NFL seasons were to come to an end today, Sanders should be the first quarterback drafted, and thus far, it's not close. We'll see if he can keep it up for the remainder of the year, although he is showing no signs of slowing down.
Next Game: vs. Cincinnati, Saturday, Oct. 26, 10:15 p.m. ET
Jalen Milroe, Alabama
What happened to Jalen Milroe? Seriously, he looked like a superstar back against Georgia. Now, he is going on three consecutive games with iffy performances after Week 8.
Alabama and Milroe took on the Tennessee Volunteers, who also had one SEC loss to their record. Milroe once again had a bad showing, throwing two interceptions, one of which happened on their final drive of the game while trailing 24-17. Milroe heaved back a pass and it landed directly in the hands of Will Brooks to end the game.
Milroe threw for 239 yards, one touchdown, and the aforementioned two interceptions while completing 25-of-45 pass attempts. Milroe was abysmal when under pressure for 19-of-49 dropbacks, completing 5-of-16 throws for just 26 yards, per Pro Football Focus. Even on deep passes (20 yards and further), a strength of Milroe, he failed to complete any of his five attempts.
We'll see if Milroe can break out of his slump next week.
Next Game: vs. No. 21 Missouri, Saturday, Oct. 26, 3:30 p.m. ET
Quinn Ewers, Texas
Now, onto the other side of the Georgia vs. Texas matchup. Quinn Ewers had his first full game back from an oblique injury against Oklahoma with mixed results. Let's just say that Ewers didn't play much better against Georgia.
Ewers played poorly in the first half, and some can be credited to Texas' offensive line being unable to hold up against Georgia's aggressive defense. But the quarterback wasn't making his throws, to the point where he got benched at the end of the first half by head coach Steve Sarkisian in favor of Arch Manning. But at the start of the second half, Ewers re-entered the game and did help lead the Longhorns to 15 points. Yet, Georgia's put up 30 points, leading to Texas' first loss of the season.
Ewers threw for 211 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception while completing 25-of-43 pass attempts. Ewers was brutal when under pressure on 18 dropbacks, completing just 5-of-13 throws for 61 yards, per Pro Football Focus.
It wasn't a great showing by Ewers, who was once viewed as a surefire first-round pick. But now, with his injury history and how shaky he has played? It's hard seeing that right now.
Next Game: at No. 25 Vanderbilt, Saturday, Oct. 26, 4:15 p.m. ET
Cam Ward, Miami
The Miami Hurricanes returned from their bye week, looking to keep up their momentum in the ACC race. Luckily for them, they had Cam Ward at quarterback, who has played well enough to be the QB2 of this year's class, given the all-around disappointing showings by Carson Beck, Quinn Ewers, and Jalen Milroe.
Miami had a much more difficult time than they had anticipated against the Lousiville Cardinals, as it was an offensive duel between the two teams. But it was Miami who stood tall with a 52-45 victory, and it's thanks to Ward.
Ward threw for 319 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions while completing 21-of-32 passes. Ward also ran for 29 yards and one touchdown. Perhaps the best thing about Ward's performance was his ability to make plays while under pressure. On 13 dropbacks, Ward completed six-of-eight throws for 110 yards and a touchdown, according to Pro Football Focus.
On the year, Ward has thrown for 2,538 yards, 24 touchdowns, and five interceptions on a 68.7 completion percentage. If there was any quarterback who raised their stock more this year, it's Ward, who could very well be lock to go in the first round.
Next Game: vs. Florida State, Saturday, Oct. 26, 7:00 p.m. ET
One 2025 NFL Draft QB sleeper who turned heads in Week 8: Cade Klubnik, Clemson
ONe team who has really turned things around after a rough start to the season were the Clemson Tigers. That's thanks to the talent on their roster, and some good play by quarterback Cade Klubnik. It was rough-sledding for Klubnik, who was a five-star recruit in 2022 and never really shined in his first two playing seasons. But now, he is playing at a solid level, enough so where he could be a Heisman finalist.
This past Saturday, Klubnik and Clemson defeated the Virignia Cavaliers 48-31. In the game, Klubnik threw for 308 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception while completing 23-of-35 pass attempts.
This season, Klubnik has thrown for 1,836 yards, 20 touchdowns, and three interceptions while completing 66.7 percent of his classes.
While Klubnik is draft eligible, it's unknown if he will go pro or return another season for Clemson. Either way, Klubnik has really turned things around, and is a prospect worth keeping an eye on, whether it's for the 2025 or 2026 NFL Draft.
One 2025 NFL Draft QB who needs to show teams more after Week 8: Jalen Milroe, Alabama
Again, we need to see if Milroe can break out of this slump. When he's on, he is legitimately impossible to stop for defenders. Yet, these past three games have been pretty brutal for Milroe. He won't have an easy opponent either, as he takes on the Missouri Tigers. But maybe, just maybe, we see the Milroe we saw earlier in the season.
Which teams are in the market for a QB in the 2025 NFL Draft?
Here is what the NFL Draft order looks like after Week 7 of the 2024 season, according to Tankathon.
- New England Patriots (1-6)
- Carolina Panthers (1-6)
- Cleveland Browns (1-6)
- Tennessee Titans (1-6)
- New York Jets (2-5)
- New Orleans Saints (2-5)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-5)
- New York Giants (2-5)
- Miami Dolphins (2-4)
- Los Angeles Rams (2-4)
- Cincinnati Bengals (3-4)
- Arizona Cardinals (3-4)
- San Francisco 49ers (3-4)
- Los Angeles Chargers (3-3)
- Dallas Cowboys (3-3)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3)
- Philadelphia Eagles (4-2)
- Seattle Seahawks (4-3)
- Indianapolis Colts (4-3)
- Denver Broncos (4-3)
- Atlanta Falcons (4-3)
- Chicago Bears (4-2)
- Baltimore Ravens (5-2)
- Buffalo Bills (5-2)
- Washington Commanders (5-2)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)
- Green Bay Packers (5-2)
- Houston Texans (5-2)
- Minnesota Vikings (5-1)
- Detroit Lions (5-1)
- Kansas City Chiefs (6-0)
The Cleveland Browns saw Deshaun Watson suffer a torn Achilles this past week and is now ruled out for the season. Even before the injury, the Browns should be in the market for a rookie quarterback and are on pace to possibly pick in the top three by season's end. They would likely have their choice of signal caller.
The Tennessee Titans will have to figure out whether Will Levis is the answer at quarterback. It certainly hurts that he's sidelined due to an injury. Realistically, the Titans may never select this early in the NFL Draft for quite sometime, and if they like a quarterback in this class, they should probably take them and move Levis elsewwhere.
The Las Vegas Raiders will be the least surprising team in the quarterback market next offseason. They will have to run it with Gardner Minshew and Desmond Ridder for the next few weeks due to Aidan O'Connell hitting the injured reserve due to a broken thumb. If the Raiders are out of range by season's end, it wouldn't be shocking if they traded up to take the quarterback of their choosing.
The New York Giants need to move on from Daniel Jones after this season. Even with all of the excuses, whether it's wide receiver's dropping passes or left tackle Andrew Thomas suffering a season-ending injury, Jones isn't the answer. An 11-point deficit is unsurmountable with Jones starting, yet the Giants and head coach Brian Daboll have not intent on benching him anytime soon. The Giants need a franchise quarterback in the worst way and should be ultra-aggressive in getting one in the draft after they missed out earlier this year.
The Los Angeles Rams could be an interesting team in the quarterback market. The Rams are reportedly planning on trading away Cooper Kupp. Matthew Stafford is under contract for another year. With a rebuild seemingly in the future, it's time that Sean McVay finds his quarterback of the future to develop.
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