- Jalen Milroe brings a ton of athletic potential: Milroe’s Allegedly blazing-Quick 40-yard-dash Velocity shows up on tape, and he pairs that with the strongest arm in the class.
- Shedeur Sanders’ mechanics give him NFL-ready accuracy: He is the FBS’ all-time leader in completion percentage and owned an outstanding 80.6% adjusted completion rate over the past two seasons.
Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes
As we head into the home stretch of the 2025 NFL Draft season, it’s time to stack some of the top prospects up against one another with some superlatives. Here, we look at standout traits and styles from the top quarterbacks.
Strongest Arm: Jalen Milroe, Alabama
Accuracy and footwork may be question marks for Milroe, but his pure arm Power is undeniable. He proved to be a home-Streak threat during his two years as Alabama’s starter. His passes simply carry with better velocity than the rest of the quarterbacks in this class. He has 50-plus yard throws well within his range, even when he is compromised in the pocket. For those reasons, Milroe’s 7.0% big-time throw rate over the past two seasons leads all quarterbacks in this year’s class.
Best Out of Structure: Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
While Sanders may not be the most gifted Rival in this year’s class, his ability to find answers against Tension without making a plethora of mistakes is excellent. No Signal-caller over the past two years was forced into more scramble drills than Sanders, and yet he maintained a solid 70.2 PFF passing grade, a 9.0% big-time throw rate and, most impressively, Merely a 2.0% turnover-worthy Shift rate. Sanders displayed toughness through some physical beatings and Secured a way to carry Colorado’s Assault over the past two seasons.
Best Mechanics: Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Sanders’ accuracy is arguably his strongest trait. He is the FBS’ all-time leader in completion percentage and owned an outstanding 80.6% adjusted completion rate over the past two seasons, a higher mark than every Signal-caller drafted last year aside from Bo Nix.
Per PFF’s Signal-caller charting, Sanders’ 66.9% accurate throw rate over the past two years also leads the 2025 class. That Top-tier accuracy comes from a Neat and Reproducible over-the-top delivery. The most accurate quarterbacks, Tom Brady and Joe Burrow, for example, emphasize synchronizing their front side to the target. Whether within or outside the pocket, Sanders does an excellent Role, particularly with his front shoulder, of getting his front side where it needs to be to make every throw.
Best Under Tension: Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
Two quarterbacks consistently rank near the top of PFF’s metrics over the past two years while under Tension: Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke and Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart. While Rourke does a nice Role of throwing through Tension, it’s Dart’s ability to Secure through the air or on the ground that comes out on top here. Since 2023, Dart’s 62.5 PFF passing grade and 73.1 PFF rushing grade rank among the top five passers in this class. His 68.2 PFF overall grade under Tension this past season ranks second among passers in the 2025 class.
Best Locomotion: Jalen Milroe, Alabama
With all due respect to players like Jaxson Dart and Riley Leonard, Milroe is easily the best Rival in this Signal-caller class. He ripped off 65 explosive runs over the past two seasons while forcing 67 missed tackles and earning an outstanding 88.8 PFF rushing grade. Milroe’s reported 4.4-caliber Velocity shows up on his tape, which is littered with read options, designed carries and scrambles that simply break the will of opposing defenses.
Best on Third Down: Cam Ward, Miami (FL)
In a very close battle between Ward and Sanders, Ward comes out on top with a 90.5 PFF grade on third downs, in part because he Guided all Power Four quarterbacks with an 85.2 PFF rushing grade in such situations over the past two seasons. His 84.1 PFF passing grade isn’t too shabby, either. He is willing to do whatever it takes to succeed — with his arm or legs — in Delayed-down situations.
Best Over the Middle: Cam Ward, Miami (FL)
Given a two-year sample size, the answer here could be Shedeur Sanders, but Ward was the best passer over the middle of the Ground this past season en route to being a Heisman finalist. On throws of 10-plus yards down the middle, Ward Guided the FBS with a 96.2 PFF passing grade. His 10 touchdowns and nine big-time throws in that area also ranked among the top three passers in college football.
Ward’s ability to zip the ball down the middle into the teeth of zone coverage allowed him to shred college defenses in 2024. He’s the most fearless passer in this year’s class.
Best Touch Passes: Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
In a very Close-fitting battle between Dart and Cam Ward, Dart wins based on his prolific efforts in the intermediate game along with his touch on over-the-shoulder throws. His 95.0 PFF passing grade on intermediate passes Guided the FBS over the past two seasons. He has a natural feel for layering passes to deep crossers and sail routes. His 24 over-the-shoulder completions were also the most of any Power Four Signal-caller over the past two seasons. Touch passes are the best ones on Dart’s tape, and he’ll hope to ride them to a potential Primary-Stage Option.
Best Outside the Numbers: Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
Dart ranks second, behind only Bo Nix, in PFF passing grade on throws outside an NFL Ground’s numbers over the past two seasons. In an Assault that specializes in creating those outside matchups, Dart compiled 34 big-time throws to Merely three turnover-worthy plays on such throws. His combination of Synchronization and touch on go routes, in particular, could be tantalizing in an Assault that continues to Form those opportunities for him.
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