Mel Kiper Jr.: 2025 NFL Mock Drafts Are Projecting Shedeur Sanders, QBs Too High

ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. is less bullish than others when it comes to the class of quarterbacks eligible for the 2025 NFL draft.

On Thursday's episode of First Draft, Kiper said the position "has a lot of guys who are being evaluated as first-rounders." He pointed out some mock drafts have a QB going first overall, with Colorado's Shedeur Sanders cited as one candidate. He argued that's "over-drafting a quarterback."

"I think what you have to be careful of with quarterbacks is treating them differently than every other position," Kiper said. "By that, I mean elevating their grade just because they're a quarterback. And they're going to go, so I have to get them up there to look good so the rating is reflective of a mock. You can't let ratings and mocks work hand in hand."

To call this a weak quarterback class would be inaccurate. Look to any mock draft or big board and you're likely to find multiple signal-callers within the first 20 players listed.

But there isn't a clear standout passer for 2025.

Miami's Cam Ward is the highest-ranked quarterback on Bleacher Report's initial big board at No. 6. Sanders follows at No. 11 and Georgia's Carson Beck (No. 13) is the only other one among the top 30.

Contrast that with 2024, when Caleb Williams was the consensus favorite at No. 1 and the pair of Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye were each viewed favorably compared to players at other positions.

Draft boards are going to shift a lot between now and next April. General managers, especially those with a top-10 pick, will use that time to find more clarity over where the incoming crop of quarterbacks stands.