Shedeur Sanders tops insider poll as QB1 in 2025 NFL Draft over Beck, Milroe and More | News, results, highlights, stats and gossip

Nine of 20 NFL scouts and executives surveyed in an anonymous poll conducted by ESPN ranked Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders as the top quarterback in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Sanders received the most votes from NFL evaluators, followed by Georgia’s Carson Beck (five votes) and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe (four votes).

Thamel reported that Miami quarterback Cam Ward and Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers each received one vote.

Thamel wrote that the survey reflects the “potential volatility” in quarterback rankings and that NFL insiders believe it is “rare to have so many quarterbacks in the conversation and so much uncertainty about the position” six months after the draft.

Thamel also wrote that “there is unanimous belief in scouting circles that there has been a significant step back in terms of top quarterback talent in the 2024 draft class.”

An ESPN reporter noted that “several scouts” did not respond to the survey and stated that it was too early in the college season to decide on the prospects for drafting a signal-caller.

The 2024 draft class set an NFL record with six quarterbacks selected among the top 12 picks, led by Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye, followed by No. 8 Michael Penix Jr, No. 10 JJ McCarthy and No. 12 Bo Nix.

Unlike the previous draft, where Williams was clearly the presumptive No. 1 overall pick, followed by Daniels and Maye as second-tier picks, there is no clear answer to who the best point guard in the class is.

Also unlike this draft, adding in 2025 is not a guarantee that a quarterback will be the team’s No. 1 overall pick, and players like Colorado’s two-way star Travis Hunter have attracted a lot of interest early on as a potential top pick.

The buzz surrounding Ewers has died down after missing two straight games with an abdominal strain, but the Texas quarterback is reported to be back next Saturday against Oklahoma and could boost his draft stock with a strong performance against the Sooners’ No. 19 pick.

Ward, meanwhile, enters the first-round conversation as the first player in six years to lead his school to a 5-0 start, passing for at least three touchdowns and 300 yards in each victory (with Greg Harvey of Stats Perform).

Milroe continued his impressive junior season, returning in 2024 as an improved passer and completing 72.9% of his passes in four games.

Beck, who led the SEC with 3,941 passing yards last year, struggled last Saturday in Georgia’s loss to No. 1 Alabama. After throwing three interceptions and completing just 59 percent of his 50 passes, Thamel noted that some scouts ” They will choose Beck through gritted teeth.

Sanders received his nine votes after leading Colorado to a stunning overtime win over Baylor in Week 4. The Buffaloes’ quarterback attempted two Hail Mary passes in the final seconds of the game, one of which ended in overtime. His ability to lead Colorado to a season-opening 4-1 record with a sometimes porous offensive line could potentially draw more admiration from scouts compared to Beck’s work with an offense as potent as Georgia’s.

However, Sanders’ position at the top of the upcoming draft does not seem certain. Ewers’ return, Milroe’s improved play and Ward’s rise could result in a new order for a quarterback before the draft begins next April.