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Not less than past Cam Ward, there isn’t any 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 seemingly 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 by way of all that uncertainty and play quarterback matchmaker, putting all of this 12 months’s prime quarterback prospects on the groups that take advantage of sense. In some circumstances, that has extra to do with what sort of quarterback the crew wants; in others, it’s about discovering the precise atmosphere for getting essentially the most out of a specific talent 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 prospects for both QB or crew 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 atmosphere. Nonetheless, Ward additionally massively improved his quick-game operation in faculty, and he’s far more comfy taking part in 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 outdoors of the pocket, too.
There are going to be rising pains with Ward’s overzealous play model early on, however they are going to be price it in the long term. Ward has each a flooring and ceiling worthy of being the No. 1 choose on this class.
Shedeur Sanders: New Orleans Saints
Discovering Sanders’ greatest match was trickier than I anticipated. Kevin Stefanski’s downfield play-action offense in Cleveland shouldn’t be excellent; Brian Daboll’s faster passing assault in New York would possibly make sense, however that offensive line is a sieve and Sanders shouldn’t be athletic sufficient to faucet into a few of the greatest elements of Daboll’s playbook.
The concept of Sanders being Kellen Moore’s first crack at a quarterback is intriguing, although. Sanders is at his greatest 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, relatively than making these his most popular areas of assault. That’s completely positive for a West Coast-inspired offense.
After all, 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 a bit of bit, nevertheless, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Saints cease that fall.
Jaxson Dart: Seattle Seahawks
It might be gorgeous 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 crew choices from then on out — if that doesn’t scream “a developmental quarterback is coming,” I don’t know what does.
Seattle may go in a couple of instructions, however Dart is smart for his or her new offense below Klint Kubiak, and vice versa.
Dart jogs my memory a variety 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 greatest throws on movie are slants, brief posts and crossers. The identical was true of Garoppolo at his greatest in San Francisco. Neither Dart nor Garoppolo is a quarterback you need studying out a full development fairly often.
In idea, Kubiak’s offense performs into all of that. It’s constructed off the run sport, 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’ greatest path to a quarterback is to take the Day 2 participant most prepared to start out instantly. For my cash, that’s Shough.
Outdoors of Ward, Shough is the most proficient thrower within the class. He has a versatile but explosive launch that works properly from all platforms, out and in of the pocket. Although he’s extra of a straight-line thrower than somebody with improbable contact, he nonetheless will get the job accomplished from an accuracy perspective.
Shough is a top quality processor, as properly. Just like Ryan Tannehill, he generally is a hair sluggish coming off of reads early within the down however typically doesn’t make weird errors, and he protects the ball properly.
By way of 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 needs to maintain the offense roughly the identical in an eventual post-Matthew Stafford world, Milroe shouldn’t be the reply — he’s really the furthest factor from Stafford on this draft class (except for the 2 or three weird misfires every QB has each sport).
McVay has lengthy flirted with the concept of a cell 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 crew’s backup by way of the 2022 season. McVay additionally gave Bryce Perkins a begin in 2022, a sport by 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 at the very least a 12 months to repair his footwork and adapt to the pace of protection on the NFL degree, however that’s okay. There can be no stress on Milroe to compete with Stafford for the job.
This may be an extended play. No matter it being a very good or lifelike concept, I simply so badly wish to see the world by which McVay will get to re-unlock the boot-action sport and dabble in a quarterback-centric dashing assault.
Brian Daboll’s greatest work over time — outdoors 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 a bit of bit. Each gamers added one thing to the offense by way of their mobility, and Daboll took benefit.
Except for perhaps Milroe, Leonard is Daboll’s greatest swing at that form of athlete. Leonard is 6-foot-4, 218 kilos with critical wheels. He’s pretty explosive in brief areas and excels when he actually will get to stride out, just like Jones. He’s clearly a weapon within the designed-run sport and the pink zone.
Leonard nonetheless has quite a bit to show as a passer, however his athletic potential and toughness offers him a flooring to work with whereas he figures it out.
Kyle McCord: Dallas Cowboys
It’s laborious to search 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 look at, Rush was a superbly competent quarterback when it got here to operating the offense and never taking part in outdoors of his means.
With Rush now in Baltimore, the Cowboys are looking for the following man to fill that function. McCord is their greatest guess.
McCord shouldn’t be 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 constantly. He actually realized 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 crew purchasing for that precise form of participant.
Will Howard: Pittsburgh Steelers
They must draft someone, proper? Even below the belief 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’s not somebody who needs to be a high-volume passer, which already leans into Smith’s run-first method. Moreover, Howard’s greatest traits are his dimension and arm expertise, which permits him to comfortably throw down the sector, in addition to ample athletic potential for a participant his dimension. Smith’s complete play-action and boot menu can be open with Howard at quarterback.
It’s laborious to think about Howard creating the down-to-down accuracy and play pace to essentially thrive as an NFL starter, however Smith’s offense in Pittsburgh at the very least would give Howard an opportunity to cover his weaknesses and lean into his strengths.
Dillon Gabriel: Miami Dolphins
Placing the brief lefty quarterback prospect as a backup to the brief lefty NFL quarterback seems like a bit, but it surely’s not. It is smart 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 concerning the flight and spin of the ball being completely different from lefty quarterbacks — the ball rotates in the wrong way of 99 % 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 outfitted to handle these RPOs at a excessive degree. And he thrives on in-breaking throws, even providing extra velocity than Tagovailoa does.
The Dolphins desperately must put money into a backup quarterback one way or the other. Gabriel matches.
Quinn Ewers: Buffalo Payments
Not each participant or crew will get their excellent match in an train like this. Generally, groups must accept whoever is left on the dance flooring.
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.
(High picture of Jaxson Dart: Justin Ford / Getty Photographs)