In the Market: Looking at the top QB prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft Class, Week 9 edition
By Scott Rogust
Week 9 of the college football season had plenty of stories, such as Texas holding off Vanderbilt's upset opportunity, Boise State narrowly defeating UNLV, Texas A&M defeating LSU, and Notre Dame beating Navy in a blowout.
The regular season is almost over, and the games are set to become that much more important. That also provides NFL Draft prospects to increase their stock, especially quarterbacks. How did the top signal callers perform in Week 9?
Previous editions of "In the Market" can be viewed below:
Taking Stock: How top 2025 NFL Draft QBs fared in Week 9
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Just like that, the Colorado Buffaloes have become serious contenders for the Big 12 Championship. This past Saturday, Colorado defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats 34-24 to clinch their first bowl game appearance since 2020. Shedeur Sanders has played a huge role in the team reaching six wins after gonig 4-8 last year.
Much like a couple of weeks ago against the Kansas State Wildcats, Saders was near-perfect in the passing game, completing 25-of-30 pass attempts for 323 yards and two touchdowns. As has been the case, Sanders shines with a clean pocket, as he completed 21-of-25 pass attempts for 289 yards and a touchdown on 26-of-35 dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus.
Make no mistake about it: Sanders is and should be the favorite to be the first quarterback selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. Sanders will be on a bye week before returning for a matchup against Texas Tech.
Next Game: at Texas Tech, Saturday, Nov. 9
Jalen Milroe, Alabama
Ever since the Georgia game, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe's play left a lot to be desired. Milroe looked like a Heisman favorite and a surefire first-round pick in the upcoming draft. But now, he is more a borderline Day 1, likely Day 2 pick.
This past Saturday, Milroe had a much better game against the Missouri Tigers, leading Alabama to a 34-0 victory. Milroe didn't turn over the football once in this outing, unlike his six in the past three games. Milroe didn't account for a passing touchdown in this game, but did make up for it with a rushing touchdown of his own.
Milroe thrived throwing the football down the middle of the field, completing 13-of-16 pass attempts for 159 yards, per Pro Football Focus.
We'll see if Milroe can follow this up with an even better performance when they return from the bye week to take on the LSU Tigers.
Next Game: at LSU, Saturday, Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m. ET
Quinn Ewers, Texas
In Week 8, Quinn Ewers struggled against the Georgia Bulldogs' mighty defense, to the point where he was benched for the end of the first half in favor of Arch Manning. But it was a short-term benching, as he returned for the rest of the first half. Ewers does have concerns as a draft prospect, whether it's his deep pass accuracy or his ability to stay healthy. He had the chance to rebound in Week 9 to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores, the very team that upset Alabama a couple of weeks ago.
Ewers and Texas survived a late comeback attempt by Vanderbilt to win 27-24. Ewers helped put the Longhorns up 21-7 just before halftime behind three touchdown passes (three-yard pass to Matthew Golden, 27- and 25-yard passes to DeAndre Moore Jr.). Ewers threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns while completing 27-of-37 pass attempts. Yes, Ewers did throw two interceptions, but they were both caused by tipped passes.
Ewers did struggle when facing defensive pressure. On 15 dropbacks, Ewers threw five completions for 47 yards on 10 attempts, while getting sacked four times, according to Pro Football Focus. Ewers put up most of his numbers from behind the line of scrimmage to nine yards downfield, completing 13-of-17 throws for 203 yards and two touchdowns.
After a bye week, Texas will return to take on the Florida Gators.
Next Game: vs. Florida, Saturday, Nov. 9, noon ET
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
The last time Jaxson Dart took the field, Ole Miss lost to LSU in overtime. Early on this season, Dart showed promise, as he beat and put up big numbers against the teams he was supposed to. However, his numbers have trailed off. With that, his draft stock has fallen.
This past Saturday, Dart and Ole Miss defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 26-14 to get their sixth win of the season. Even though the Rebels trailed 14-10 at halftime, Dart was able to give them a lead they would not surrender for the rest of the game after connecting with Caden Prieskorn on a 24-yard touchdown pass.
Dart completed 22-of-30 pass attempts for 311 yards and a touchdown. Most of Dart's yardage came in the intermediate passing game, completing 7-of-10 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown, per Pro Football Focus.
Dart is obviously going to prioritize getting Ole Miss into the College Football Playoff. To do so, they will need to defeat the Arkansas Razorbacks, who handed Tennessee their first loss of the season. But down this stretch of the season, Dart can show if he is worthy of being a first-round pick. As of now? He's not.
Next Game: at Arkansas, Saturday, Nov. 2, noon ET
Cam Ward, Miami
Cam Ward has done the most of any quarterback in this draft class to raise his stock. If the season were to end today, he'd be a first-round lock alongside Sanders. Ward transferred over to Miami, and showcased that he knows how to put the team on his back and lead them to wins. Look no further than the comeback win against California or the thriller against Louisville. With quarterback-needy teams in the top 10, it will not be a surprise if Ward were to be selected that early.
This past Saturday, Ward and the Miami Hurricanes cruised to an easy win over the one-win Florida State Seminoles. Ward didn't really contribute much on the scoreboard, as it was the Damien Martinez show, who ran for 148 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.
Ward completed 22-of-35 pass attempts for 208 yards. One thing that stood out in this performance was Ward's struggles on passes 20 yards and further downfield, as he went 0-for-5, per Pro Football Focus.
It was an uncharacteristic showing by Ward. Next up for Ward and the Hurricanes are the Duke Blue Devils, who have allowed just 166.6 passing yards per game, 12th-lowest average in all of college football. This will truly be a tough test for Ward, who has shown that he can help carry Miami to a victory.
Next Game: vs. Duke, Saturday, Nov. 2, noon ET
One 2025 NFL Draft QB sleeper who turned heads in Week 9: Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
Dillon Gabriel has raised his stock in the Heisman Trophy chase, and could also be doing so in the NFL Draft. Yes, quarterbacks thrive in Oregon's offense, but thus far, look at what Bo Nix has done in the NFL with the Denver Broncos, winning the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for October.
In Week 9, Gabriel led the Ducks to a 38-9 win over the ranked Illinois Fighting Illini. Gabriel threw for 291 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception while completing 18-of-26 pass attempts.
On the year, Gabriel has thrown for 2,371 yards, 18 touchdowns, and five interceptions on a 76.2 completion percentage.
Considering Gabriel plays for the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, he will have a ton of attention on him. Maybe, just maybe, this could propel Gabriel up draft boards as a Day 2 or Day 3 pick.
One 2025 NFL Draft QB who needs to show teams more after Week 9: Kyle McCord, Syracuse
Kyle McCord had been an early success story this season. Since transferring over from Ohio State to Syracuse, it was like looking at two different quarterbacks, as McCord had some strong performances against Georgia Tech and UNLV. But in Week 9, McCord had the ultimate game to forget.
McCord threw four interceptions in the first half against the Pittsburgh Panthers. Three of those interceptions were returned for touchdowns! Again, this happened in just one half of football. Yes, it was Pittsburgh's defense, but McCord looked really off. Overall, he threw for 321 yards, zero touchdowns, and five interceptions while completing 35-of-64 pass attempts.
This was an eye-opening performance in the worst way possible for McCord, who looked like a solid late-round option for NFL teams.
Which teams are in the market for a QB in the 2025 NFL Draft?
Let's take a look at the NFL Draft order.
- Carolina Panthers (1-7)
- Tennessee Titans (1-6)
- New England Patriots (2-6)
- Cleveland Browns (2-6)
- New York Jets (2-6)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-6)
- New York Giants (2-6)
- New Orleans Saints (2-6)
- Miami Dolphins (2-5)
- Cincinnati Bengals (3-5)
- Dallas Cowboys (3-4)
- Los Angeles Rams (3-4)
- San Francisco 49ers (4-4)
- Seattle Seahawks (4-4)
- Indianapolis Colts (4-4)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4)
- Chicago Bears (4-3)
- Arizona Cardinals (4-4)
- Los Angeles Chargers (4-3)
- Denver Broncos (5-3)
- Atlanta Falcons (5-3)
- Baltimore Ravens (5-3)
- Philadelphia Eagles (5-2)
- Minnesota Vikings (5-2)
- Washington Commanders (6-2)
- Buffalo Bills (6-2)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
- Green Bay Packers (6-2)
- Houston Texans (6-2)
- Detroit Lions (6-1)
- Kansas City Chiefs (7-0)
The Carolina Panthers will have a difficult choice to make this offseason. Bryce Young returned to the starter's position, but didn't really do much. With the Panthers looking like the favorites to land the No. 1 pick, they'll have to decide whether they should take a quarterback or get the best player available, since the roster is devoid of legitimate talent.
The Tennessee Titans are in the same boat as the Panthers. Will Levis hasn't shown much to help his case as the future at the quarterback position. The Titans may not pick this early again. It would not be frowned upon if they did use their first-round pick on a Sanders or Ward.
The Cleveland Browns look to be in much better shape with Jameis Winston leading the way, as he helped them pick up an upset win over the Baltimore Ravens. Given the roster, it wouldn't be necessarily shocking if they didn't draft a quarterback. But, they need to figure out what to do post-Deshaun Watson.
The Las Vegas Raiders are highly likely to add a quarterback this upcoming offseason. The team's latest loss to the Kansas City Chiefs drops them to 2-6 on the year. But given they are currently slated to pick seventh overall, they will have to trade up for their choice of a quarterback if that is the route they choose.
If there was any more evidence that the New York Giants needed to find Daniel Jones' replacement, it was in Week 8 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, where two brutal interceptions prevented the team from picking up a win. The Giants tried drafting a quarterback last year, expect them to be much more aggressive to land one of their choosing if it is to come in the NFL Draft.
The New Orleans Saints could be a team in search of a quarterback of the future after the benching of Spencer Rattler in Week 8 against the Los Angeles Chargers. But given the state of the Saints, they need to bring in sa much top talent as possible.
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