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Quinn Ewers Receives Concerning Label Before NFL Draft

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By J.C. Shelton | Last updated Apr 14, 2025 1:12 PM ET

How does Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers stack up against the top quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft? That's the burning question for the former five-star, and one statistical break down paints a concerning picture.

Ewers was one of college football's top passers over the last three seasons after transferring from Ohio State. The Southlake, Texas, native signed originally signed with the Buckeyes as the No. 1 player in the class of 2022.

The 6-foot-2, 214-pound passer rose to stardom as a junior, leading Texas to its first College Football Playoff appearance in program history. And he followed that campaign with a career year and another playoff run as a senior in 2024.

Ewers threw for 3,472 yards with a career-high 31 touchdowns to 12 interceptions while the Longhorns finished one game shy of a national championship appearance.

He amassed 9,128 passing yards with 68 touchdowns to 24 interceptions while adding eight rushing touchdowns in his three seasons at Texas.

Despite a memorable winning career and notable arm talent, Ewers is widely projected to land behind the top quarterbacks in this year's draft class.

According to ESPN's Aaron Schatz, using the QBASE 2.0 computer model, Ewers falls behind six other passers with the highest chance to ultimately be labeled as a bust.

The model includes passing statistics – adjusted for the quality of a quarterback's supporting cast and strength of opponents – along with rushing numbers. Additionally, improvements made over time are rewarded while one-season surges are penalized.

"QBASE is negative on Ewers' chances of succeeding in the NFL," Schatz wrote. "Like (Jalen) Milroe, he regressed as a passer from 2023 (69% completion percentage) to 2024 (65.8%). But he also regressed as a runner from 1.3 rushing yards per attempt in 2023 compared to negative-1.4 in 2024."

Additionally, Ewers had the "most NFL-caliber talent" at Texas alongside Ohio State's Will Howard. Despite the weapons in his supporting cast, Ewers' sack-to-pressure ratio is the highest.

"While he was a three-year starter, that is not enough to make up for his relative lack of the traits that best translate to the NFL: accuracy, rushing ability and avoiding sacks," Schatz wrote.

Ewers may not be as highly evaluated as those like Miami's Cam Ward or Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, but he could very well land in a better situation at the next level. Growing behind a veteran while adjusting to the fast-paced league is a blueprint that has worked before.

Only time will tell, though, if Ewers' talent can break through and overcome the inconsistencies shown, at times, as a Longhorn.

The 2025 NFL Draft will take place from April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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