The 2025 NFL Draft is approaching and Quinn Ewers is one of the best prospects on the board. This is a breakdown of how Ewers profiles for the NFL and where he could potentially land.
Quinn Ewers NFL Draft Profile
Ewers is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL Draft class, but it is unclear exactly when he will be taken. This is a deep dive into his profile heading into the 2025 NFL Draft.
Physical Traits/College Film
Quinn Ewers was one of the highest rated recruits of the past few years coming out of high school. He initially committed to Texas but swapped to Ohio State and spent his freshman season in Columbus before transferring to Texas. Ewers would have had to sit behind C.J. Stroud for another season if he had stayed at Ohio State, so he instead opted to play under Steve Sarkisian in Austin. Ewers’ team had a disappointing 2022 season but they made back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances in ’23 and ’24 and lost in the semi-finals both seasons. Unfortunately, that was the trademark of Quinn Ewers’ college career and one of the major red flags entering his NFL career.
Ewers has some great physical traits but he always seemed to struggle against top competition. In 2023, Texas lost to Oklahoma largely due to two bad interceptions from Ewers. Then, in the College Football Playoff, despite a great second-half comeback attempt, Ewers was handily outdueled by Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. In the 2024 season, he lost both games against Georgia, including the SEC Championship Game, and then could not crack the code on the Ohio State defense in the CFP semifinals. Against Ohio State in that semifinal, Texas had a chance to tie the game with first and goal in the final minutes but Ewers couldn’t find the end zone, ultimately taking a sack-fumble that was returned for an Ohio State touchdown to ice the game.
All of that being said, Ewers just doesn’t seem to have that next gear to be an elite NFL quarterback. He had some great performances in his college career, such as the Alabama game in ’23 and the Michigan game in ’24, but he often struggled against defenses full of NFL talent. His decision making also deteriorated on important drives and was reluctant to make the big throws necessary to win big games. When he finds his rhythm, he can spin the ball over the first two levels of the defense and make throws. He isn’t a top-tier athlete but he can make nice throws out of play-action boot legs on the move. His biggest faults come with the mental part of the game, reading defenses, getting stuck on his first read and putting his receivers into bad spots by leading them into defenders.
NFL Comparisons
Realistic Comp: Mark Sanchez – Mark Sanchez was highly touted coming out of college but never lived up to expectations. Ewers will not go in the top ten like Sanchez did so expectations will be lower, but his career could see a similar trajectory. Sanchez was lucky to land on a Jets team with the NFL’s best defense, some good offensive weapons and an elite offensive line. That allowed him to take his team to back-to-back AFC Championship Games and find some decent success for a stretch. However, once Sanchez lost some of the elite supporting cast and had to be “the guy,” he was not up to the task.
Sanchez was also a player with solid traits and when he was running hot, he could make almost every throw on the field. However, he would also run cold and make terrible mistakes at times, costing his team. After his tenure with the Jets, Sanchez spent a few seasons as a serviceable backup quarterback. That could be where Ewers spends most of his NFL career. He will likely get a couple of shots to start in the NFL at points in his career but is unlikely to have a long successful career as a starter.
Ceiling Comp: Andy Dalton – If things go well for Ewers, he could have an Andy Dalton career arc. Dalton is similar to Sanchez and Ewers in the way he runs hot and cold. Dalton had a couple of great seasons with the Bengals where he was arguably a top-ten quarterback in the league. Dalton and Ewers are almost the exact same size, and both have a similar level of athleticism. After Dalton’s successful run in Cincinnati, he has had a great run as a backup and started a chunk of games with Carolina, finding moderate success at times. If Ewers can have a solid run as a starter and then find a home as a reliable backup, that would be a great career.
Potential Landing Spots
Quinn Ewers is clearly a tier below the top three quarterbacks in the draft, Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders and Jaxson Dart. He is currently projected to be the fourth quarterback taken, likely in the third round, but if a team loves somebody like Jalen Milroe, Ewers could slip further down the board. It is unlikely that Ewers would be selected as someone’s Week 1 starter and the ideal landing spot for Ewers would be somewhere that he could sit for a couple of years before getting a starting opportunity. Here are some teams that could fit that mold:
Los Angeles Rams – The Rams just brought back veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford for another season, with potentially one more season after that. This would be a dream landing spot for Ewers. The opportunity to learn behind Stafford for a couple of seasons, under one of the best offensive minds in football, Sean McVay. McVay would love to find a young quarterback that he could mold for a season or two and then give a chance once Stafford is done.
New York Jets – The Jets were somewhat in QB limbo but opted to sign Justin Fields to a two-year contract. However, due to Fields’ track record in the NFL so far, the Jets can’t bet on him to be a long-term solution for them at quarterback. They have other holes to fill so they are unlikely to use a top pick on a quarterback. They could grab Ewers in the third or fourth round and have him develop for two years while Fields runs the offense. Then if the Jets like the way that Ewers is developing, they could give him a shot to be their QB1.
New Orleans Saints – The Saints still have Derek Carr as their QB1 entering the 2025-26 season, but many in New Orleans are not sold on Carr. New Orleans drafted Spencer Rattler in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft and they could decide to use another mid-round pick on a quarterback that is considered a “project.” The Saints could decide to let Carr run the team for one more season and then let their new head coach, Kellen Moore, choose between Rattler and Ewers to have a shot to prove themselves.
