2025 NFL Mock Draft: Five QBs taken in Round 1; here’s why Quinn Ewers, Shedeur Sanders were not among them

Week 1 hammered home the idea that a handful of NFL teams are probably going to need quarterbacks by next season. Deshaun Watson, Bryce Young and Daniel Jones all had dismal beginnings to the 2024 season, and in this mock, the Browns, Panthers, and Giants all land new passers.

And while there is not a Caleb Williams nor a Trevor Lawrence in the 2025 draft class at the most vital position in football, there’s a bevy of options, a deep collection of passers all vying to be the first few quarterbacks off the board in April.

Miami’s Cam Ward has been sensational to begin the Hurricanes season, showcasing a fine blend of athleticism and accuracy to all levels. Miller Moss has worked surgically inside the pocket in Lincoln Riley’s offense, and Jaxson Dart has looked incredibly calm operating Lane Kiffin’s attack in Ole Miss’ first two wins of the season.

You’ll notice some highly thought-of prospects, such as Texas’ Quinn Ewers and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, are not among the signal-callers in this Round 1 mock. They very well could, in about eight months, be selected in the first round. 

With Ewers, I want to see more individual high-caliber play from him after not viewing him as a first-round caliber prospect before he decided to stay in school after the 2023 season. There were a few nice throws, namely early, against Michigan. But Steve Sarkisian’s scheme has provided ample throwing lanes and open targets for Ewers entering the third week of the college season. There’s no denying Ewers’ natural talent, though, and if his steady play continues, he can cement himself as a first-rounder next April.

As for Sanders, as every evaluation is a fluid process in-season, some weeks he looks like a first-round prospect and other weeks he doesn’t. But in trying to attempt how the NFL will view him, actions on the sideline in the loss to Nebraska and his press conference afterward won’t help him. He’s not so outrageously talented that clubs will gladly accept distractions from him. Of course, there’s time to right the ship, but if the draft was tomorrow, it wouldn’t surprise me if Sanders did not hear his name called among the first 32 selections. 

Anyway, let’s get to the players who did hear their names called in my mock draft 2.0.

The draft order below was determined using preseason Super Bowl odds but in reverse order.

For more draft coverage, you can hear in-depth analysis twice a week on “With the First Pick” — our year-round NFL Draft podcast with NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson and former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman. You can find “With the First Pick” wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc. Listen below!