Analyst shares worrisome evaluations of Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart

As of the first Friday of April, it seemed to be a realistic possibility that a quarterback class previously thought to be weak could become responsible for three signal-callers taken in the first nine picks of the 2025 NFL Draft. 

On Friday morning, ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller suggested that Miami’s Cam Ward, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart will all be overdrafted if they're selected on the night of April 24. 

"One year after seeing six quarterbacks drafted in the first round, the 2025 class finishes with zero passers with a true first-round grade," Miller explained. "Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and Miami's Cam Ward would have both been ranked behind Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and even J.J. McCarthy in 2024. Both Sanders and Ward are talented and are being selected high in mock drafts, but I wouldn't be comfortable calling them first-round prospects based on this past season's tape or the predraft circuit."

Numerous analysts and unnamed front office sources warned before the NFL Scouting Combine that they wouldn't rank any of this year's prospects ahead of the six quarterbacks who were drafted in the first round last year. Nevertheless, it seems like practically a guarantee that the Tennessee Titans will take Ward at pick No. 1. 

Recent reports have claimed the Cleveland Browns (pick No. 2) and New York Giants (No. 3) will grab Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter or Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter instead of Sanders. With that said, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio hinted on Thursday that the contract extension Geno Smith received doesn't necessarily take the Las Vegas Raiders (No. 6) out of Sanders-related conversations. Sanders has a relationship with Raiders minority owner Tom Brady.

The New York Jets (No. 7), New Orleans Saints (No. 9), Indianapolis Colts (No. 14), Seattle Seahawks (No. 18), Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 21) and Los Angeles Rams (No. 26) are all expected to draft quarterbacks at some point during the player-selection process. If both Sanders and Dart are off the board before the Steelers are called to use their first pick, Alabama's Jalen Milroe or Louisville's Tyler Shough could sneak into the first round. 

"The lack of true first-round grades in this class is notable," ESPN's Jordan Reid wrote for a different article posted on Friday. "On average, most teams usually have 15 to 20 prospects who are considered true first-round talents. Two high-level NFL executives told me this week that neither of their teams reached that number. What does that mean? Expect to hear unlikely names in Round 1."

At least one of those "unlikely names" will probably belong to a quarterback. One wonders if the individuals responsible for that pick will find themselves out of work as soon as next offseason.