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No less than past Cam Ward, there is no such thing as a consensus on the place every of this 12 months’s crop of quarterbacks could get drafted. After Ward presumably turns into a Tennessee Titan, the remainder of the group is an entire thriller. It’s simply as doubtless Ward is the one quarterback we see on Thursday evening as it’s that 4 quarterbacks go within the first spherical.
Fortunate for us, we’re going to chop via all that uncertainty and play quarterback matchmaker, inserting all of this 12 months’s prime quarterback prospects on the groups that take advantage of sense. In some instances, that has extra to do with what kind of quarterback the group wants; in others, it’s about discovering the fitting surroundings for getting essentially the most out of a selected ability set.
Let’s get to the stunning new {couples}.
Cam Ward: Tennessee Titans
All indicators level to Ward being the Titans’ beginning quarterback subsequent 12 months. It’s not even price entertaining completely different potentialities for both QB or group at this level. Ward is each a very good match for the core of Brian Callahan’s offense and would convey parts that Titans’ quarterbacks final season didn’t.
The Titans’ 2024 offense was all about maximizing play-action alternatives and attacking down the sector. Ward has the arm expertise and fearlessness as a thrower to excel in that surroundings. Nevertheless, Ward additionally massively improved his quick-game operation in faculty, and he’s rather more comfy enjoying from unfold and empty formations than Will Levis has ever been. Ward is leaps and bounds forward of Levis (or Mason Rudolph) as a creator exterior of the pocket, too.
There are going to be rising pains with Ward’s overzealous play fashion early on, however they are going to be price it in the long term. Ward has each a ground and ceiling worthy of being the No. 1 choose on this class.
Shedeur Sanders: New Orleans Saints
Discovering Sanders’ finest match was trickier than I anticipated. Kevin Stefanski’s downfield play-action offense in Cleveland just isn’t ideally suited; Brian Daboll’s faster passing assault in New York would possibly make sense, however that offensive line is a sieve and Sanders just isn’t athletic sufficient to faucet into a number of the finest components of Daboll’s playbook.
The concept of Sanders being Kellen Moore’s first crack at a quarterback is intriguing, although. Sanders is at his finest working unfold passing ideas, particularly within the beneath space. He’s a dependable short-area passer who makes use of the intermediate and deeper areas of the sector to maintain defenses trustworthy, reasonably than making these his most well-liked areas of assault. That’s completely tremendous for a West Coast-inspired offense.
In fact, falling to ninth general is not any assure. The Browns or the Giants could really feel the itch of desperation and draft Sanders within the prime three. If Sanders does slide slightly bit, nevertheless, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Saints cease that fall.
Jaxson Dart: Seattle Seahawks
It might be beautiful if the Seahawks left the primary two days of the draft and not using a quarterback. The deal Sam Darnold signed in March is successfully a one-year contract with group choices from then on out — if that doesn’t scream “a developmental quarterback is coming,” I don’t know what does.
Seattle might go in a couple of instructions, however Dart is sensible for his or her new offense below Klint Kubiak, and vice versa.
Dart jogs my memory quite a lot of Jimmy Garoppolo as a passer. The 2 are fairly related in construct, arm expertise and talent on throws over the center of the sector. A majority of Dart’s finest throws on movie are slants, quick posts and crossers. The identical was true of Garoppolo at his finest in San Francisco. Neither Dart nor Garoppolo is a quarterback you need studying out a full development fairly often.
In principle, Kubiak’s offense performs into all of that. It’s constructed off the run recreation, which is then parlayed into a robust play-action assault. Not solely does that simplify reads for the quarterback, it additionally calls for the QB typically makes tight throws over the center of the sector, which is the place Dart shines.
With a 12 months on the bench to study the tempo of the league, perhaps Dart could make it work with the Seahawks.
Tyler Shough: Cleveland Browns
The Browns’ finest path to a quarterback is to take the Day 2 participant most prepared to start out instantly. For my cash, that’s Shough.
Exterior of Ward, Shough is essentially the most proficient thrower within the class. He has a versatile but explosive launch that works nicely from all platforms, out and in of the pocket. Although he’s extra of a straight-line thrower than somebody with incredible contact, he nonetheless will get the job finished from an accuracy perspective.
Shough is a top quality processor, as nicely. Just like Ryan Tannehill, he could be a hair gradual coming off of reads early within the down however typically doesn’t make weird errors, and he protects the ball nicely.
When it comes to professional readiness and arm expertise, Shough simply makes essentially the most sense for Kevin Stefanski’s offense proper now.
Jalen Milroe: Los Angeles Rams
If Sean McVay desires to maintain the offense roughly the identical in an eventual post-Matthew Stafford world, Milroe just isn’t the reply — he’s really the furthest factor from Stafford on this draft class (apart from the 2 or three weird misfires every QB has each recreation).
McVay has lengthy flirted with the concept of a cellular quarterback, although. He was keen to offer John Wolford an opportunity on the finish of the Jared Goff saga, then held onto him because the group’s backup via the 2022 season. McVay additionally gave Bryce Perkins a begin in 2022, a recreation through which Perkins carried the ball 19 occasions for 90 yards.
Milroe will stroll into the league as probably the greatest athletes on the place. As a passer, he’ll want not less than a 12 months to repair his footwork and adapt to the velocity of protection on the NFL stage, however that’s okay. There could be no stress on Milroe to compete with Stafford for the job.
This is able to be an extended play. No matter it being a very good or sensible thought, I simply so badly need to see the world through which McVay will get to re-unlock the boot-action recreation and dabble in a quarterback-centric speeding assault.
Brian Daboll’s finest work over time — exterior of his time with Josh Allen — was at Alabama in 2017, with Jalen Hurts, and in 2022, with Daniel Jones.
Although completely different high quality gamers, Hurts and Jones can each typically be described as sturdy, athletic quarterbacks with the arm expertise to push the ball down the sector slightly bit. Each gamers added one thing to the offense through their mobility, and Daboll took benefit.
Except for perhaps Milroe, Leonard is Daboll’s finest swing at that sort of athlete. Leonard is 6-foot-4, 218 kilos with severe wheels. He’s pretty explosive briefly areas and excels when he actually will get to stride out, just like Jones. He’s clearly a weapon within the designed-run recreation and the purple zone.
Leonard nonetheless has so much to show as a passer, however his athletic capacity and toughness offers him a ground to work with whereas he figures it out.
Kyle McCord: Dallas Cowboys
It’s onerous to seek out and maintain onto good backup quarterbacks — the Cowboys had been fortunate to draft and retain Cooper Rush for so long as that they did. Boring as he’s to observe, Rush was a superbly competent quarterback when it got here to working the offense and never enjoying exterior of his means.
With Rush now in Baltimore, the Cowboys are seeking the subsequent man to fill that position. McCord is their finest guess.
McCord just isn’t an awesome expertise. His arm is simply okay, and he’s not going to scare anybody on the transfer. Like all good NFL backup, nevertheless, McCord can run an offense effectively and persistently. He actually discovered to play inside himself at Syracuse, displaying good rhythm and decision-making as a thrower.
It’s unlikely he ever ascends to something above an excellent backup, however that’s fairly alright for a Cowboys group looking for that precise sort of participant.
Will Howard: Pittsburgh Steelers
They need to draft any person, proper? Even below the idea Aaron Rodgers lastly drops the charade and indicators, the Steelers must make some form of effort to safe a younger quarterback.
Howard, if nothing else, matches Arthur Smith’s offense. He isn’t somebody who needs to be a high-volume passer, which already leans into Smith’s run-first method. Moreover, Howard’s finest traits are his measurement and arm expertise, which permits him to comfortably throw down the sector, in addition to ample athletic capacity for a participant his measurement. Smith’s complete play-action and boot menu could be open with Howard at quarterback.
It’s onerous to think about Howard growing the down-to-down accuracy and play velocity to actually thrive as an NFL starter, however Smith’s offense in Pittsburgh not less than would give Howard an opportunity to cover his weaknesses and lean into his strengths.
Dillon Gabriel: Miami Dolphins
Placing the quick lefty quarterback prospect as a backup to the quick lefty NFL quarterback seems like a bit, nevertheless it’s not. It is sensible when you think about every participant’s strengths and the dynamics of being a left-handed vs. right-handed thrower.
Firstly, pass-catchers typically discuss in regards to the flight and spin of the ball being completely different from lefty quarterbacks — the ball rotates in the wrong way of 99 p.c of quarterbacks, so it seems completely different coming right into a receiver’s imaginative and prescient.
Gabriel, like Tua Tagovailoa, additionally thrives with RPOs and throws over the center. He has a versatile and explosive launch, making him completely geared up to handle these RPOs at a excessive stage. And he thrives on in-breaking throws, even providing extra velocity than Tagovailoa does.
The Dolphins desperately must spend money on a backup quarterback by some means. Gabriel matches.
Quinn Ewers: Buffalo Payments
Not each participant or group will get their ideally suited match in an train like this. Typically, groups need to accept whoever is left on the dance ground.
From the Payments’ perspective, a younger backup quarterback needs to be on the desk, as a result of Mitchell Trubisky has only one 12 months left on his deal. It makes some sense for the Payments to get forward of issues early and get a developmental participant within the pipeline.
Ewers would convey useful athleticism and arm expertise for Joe Brady. He nonetheless struggles with pocket presence and contact accuracy, particularly down the sector, however there’s sufficient expertise there to mildew a useful backup.
(Prime photograph of Jaxson Dart: Justin Ford / Getty Photos)