Cam Ward to Quinn Ewers: Ranking the best situations among all 13 drafted QBs

4 hours ago 3

The NFL's talent evaluators seemed pretty clear before the draft that this was a bad year for quarterbacks. The reviews were almost universally poor. Only one was widely considered to be a true "franchise quarterback."

So for everyone other than Cam Ward — the No. 1 overall pick in the draft by the Tennessee Titans — getting onto the field might be quite a battle. And whether they ever do might depend on whether they landed in the right place.

For most of the 13 quarterbacks who were drafted this year, when they were selected doesn't matter nearly as much as by whom. The situation has to be perfect for most of them to have a chance at someday becoming a starter. And the truth is, most of them never will.

So here's a look at all 13 quarterbacks and the situations they find themselves in as they begin their NFL careers. They are ranked from the worst situation to the best based on the quickest path to playing time and, potentially, success:

13. Kurtis Rourke, San Francisco 49ers

Seventh round, 227th overall

Situation: His future is clouded by a couple of things — most notably his own right knee. He played through a partially torn ACL last season, then needed surgery to repair it in January. He's not expected to be ready until training camp, if then, and it's possible the 49ers will end up stashing him on the PUP list or injured reserve. Either way, it'll be a redshirt season for Rourke behind starter Brock Purdy and backup Mac Jones.

Also, don't forget, sometime soon Purdy is going to get a massive contract extension that will lock him into the starting job for years to come. Jones, at 26, is a pretty talented backup, too. And if he moves on, veteran quarterbacks seem to love coming to the 49ers in a backup role to spend a year learning from Kyle Shanahan. None of that bodes well for Rourke seeing the field any time soon. Maybe he can compete for the backup job in 2027. But actual playing time might have to come someplace else.

12. Graham Mertz, Houston Texans

Sixth round, 197th overall

Situation: It never hurts to have a developmental quarterback on the roster, and that's exactly what Mertz is. The Texans' future is obviously all about C.J. Stroud, and he's backed up by former starter Davis Mills. But Mills' contract is up at the end of the season, so maybe Mertz could be in line to be the backup in 2026. That depends on both his health and development. He missed most of last season with a torn ACL after a pretty good 2024 season at Florida. The Gators had hoped he'd build on that potential. That's obviously what the Texans are hoping for too. But a backup is his ceiling in Houston, and that's only if the Texans don't prefer signing another veteran to replace Mills next year.

11. Kyle McCord, Philadelphia Eagles

Sixth round, 181st overall

Situation: The Syracuse star isn't the kind of quarterback NFL teams love nowadays. He's got a very good but not great arm and is really smart and good at reading defenses. But he has limited mobility. That didn't seem to make him a good fit to back up the very mobile Jalen Hurts in Philly, but the Eagles obviously liked his potential anyway.

McCord will start as the fourth quarterback there behind Hurts, Tanner McKee and the newly acquired Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and at first he'll have to battle just to stick around as the No. 3 quarterback this year. There's obviously no starting job available in Philadelphia any time soon. Hurts just won a Super Bowl and is signed through 2028. The Eagles are loaded, so if Hurts ever got hurt they'd almost certainly try and replace him with an experienced quarterback. McCord does have a chance to eventually be the backup, but it might take a couple of years. His best path to future playing time, though, might come by showcasing himself in the preseason so the Eagles can eventually dangle him in a trade.

10. Cam Miller, Las Vegas Raiders

Sixth round, 215th overall

Situation: The fact that the Raiders waited this long to draft a quarterback shows two things: They are committed to Geno Smith as their starting quarterback, and their 73-year-old coach, Pete Carroll, doesn't have time to endure the struggles of a rookie QB — certainly not one out of a small school like North Dakota State. Actually, two picks before Miller, Las Vegas selected Montana State QB Tommy Mellott, but he's expected to be a wide receiver/special teams player as a pro.

In any case, the starting job belongs to Smith at least through the 2026 season, and he'll be backed up by veteran Aidan O'Connell. Miller will be competing for the third-string job, which is basically what NFL evaluators projected him to be. Still, Smith is 35 years old so the door is at least slightly ajar in the future. And does anyone need to be reminded that Tom Brady, a Raiders minority owner, was once a sixth-round pick himself before becoming a Hall of Famer?

9. Riley Leonard, Indianapolis Colts

Sixth round, 189th overall

Situation: The 6-foot-4, 216-pound Notre Dame product is a big man who can run, which is exactly what Colts coach Shane Steichen likes, but the passing part of his game needs some work. The Colts were pretty clear that they drafted Leonard as a developmental player, not to immediately compete with their 1 and 1A quarterbacks, Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones. But even though Leonard almost certainly won't see the field this year, there is definitely a future opportunity if things work out right — or wrong, depending on the perspective.

Richardson, the fourth overall pick of the 2023 draft, is probably getting his last chance with the Colts before they move on. Jones, the ex-Giants first-rounder, was brought in to push him, and he might be on his last opportunity to win a starting job in the NFL too. Richardson is 22 and Jones is 27, so if either of them succeed, they will be the Colts' future. If not, Leonard could at least be in the mix for a job in 2026.

8. Quinn Ewers, Miami Dolphins

Seventh round, 231st overall

Situation: There might not be a place in the NFL where the backup quarterback job is more important than in Miami. Starter Tua Tagovailoa missed six games last year, has only played every game once in his five seasons, and always seems to be one big hit away from the end of his career.

Ewers' draft fall was almost as surprising as the fall of Shedeur Sanders, but Ewers landed right in a competition for the backup job. Even better for him, his competition is former Jets first-round bust Zach Wilson. Ewers will probably end up as the No. 3 quarterback based on experience and the fact that the Dolphins didn't seem anxious to draft another quarterback until Ewers was just sitting there for them near the end of the draft. But there's no doubt Wilson is vulnerable, and if Ewers can leapfrog him at any point this season, then actual playing time might not be very far away.

7. Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland Browns

Fifth round, No. 144 overall

Situation: The Browns should have been desperate for a quarterback of the future, but they decided not to use the No. 2 overall pick, or any of their three picks in the top 36, to get one. If you were confused by Cleveland's quarterback situation before, this won't clear anything up. Sanders' free-fall from a projected top-five pick to a fifth-rounder was the story of the draft. The Browns passed on him six different times, and even drafted a quarterback two rounds earlier — one they presumably liked better and had rated higher on their board. To then add Sanders to the mix is … interesting.

It's a great value pick, of course, but it's hard to see what they want him for. Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett are clearly the 1-2 this year. Presumably, the Browns view Dillon Gabriel as the most likely heir apparent since they drafted him 50 picks ahead of Sanders. That makes Sanders … what, a possible future backup to Gabriel? Or maybe a third or even fourth quarterback if Deshaun Watson returns from his Achilles injury late this season or in 2026? Something's got to give eventually because this situation is a mess. But if nothing else, Sanders is at least in the mix for a starting job in 2026. Best guess is it's an open competition between him and Gabriel, assuming the Browns don't end up drafting another quarterback next year.

How shocking is it that Shedeur Sanders fell to fifth round?

6. Dillon Gabriel, Cleveland Browns

Third round, No. 94 overall

Situation: Late in Round 3, the Browns shocked everyone by making Gabriel, the former UCF/Oklahoma/Oregon starter, the fifth quarterback off the board. Getting a quarterback made sense considering their QB room, at that time, consisted of the 40-year-old Flacco, former first-round bust Pickett and Watson, who recently re-ruptured his Achilles and might not even play this year. The fact that it was the 5-foot-11 Gabriel, though, was a shocker. Most scouts seem to project him as a future backup, not a future starter. Still, he could have a good shot at the starting job in 2026 and might even have to be the favorite considering how high he was drafted. Or at least he was considered the favorite until the Browns shocked the NFL by picking Sanders in the fifth round.

5. Jalen Milroe, Seattle Seahawks

Third round, No. 92 overall

Situation: The Seahawks just gave 27-year-old Sam Darnold a three-year, $100 million contract, but it notably contains no guaranteed money beyond this year. So while the ex-Jet/Viking has a chance to be Seattle's quarterback of the future, consider 2025 more of an audition for him. The Seahawks also brought back 28-year-old Drew Lock to be the backup, but he's no threat for the long-term job.

Milroe is an incredible athlete and probably the best running QB in the draft, but most agreed he needs some seasoning as a passer. The Seahawks cleared room for him by trading ex-Commanders starter Sam Howell to Minnesota during the draft, so they'll make sure Milroe gets plenty of opportunities to learn and develop into a potential future starter. How soon that happens probably depends on how well Darnold plays this year.

4. Will Howard, Pittsburgh Steelers

Sixth round, 185th overall

Situation: Howard may have been the eighth quarterback off the board, but he still could have a better chance to play quickly than most of the QBs drafted before him. Right now, the Steelers have Mason Rudolph as their presumed starter, and he has a two-year deal with only $3 million guaranteed. They are famously waiting on 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers to decide whether he wants to play (and if he wants to play in Pittsburgh), but who knows how that saga will end?

If Rodgers doesn't become a Steeler, Howard could be the No. 2 quarterback behind one of the shakiest starters in the league. He's got a real chance to play this year and at least a shot at being the starter in 2026, depending on whether the Steelers take another quarterback much higher in next year's draft. The big caveat is that if Rodgers signs, Howard's future will be put off indefinitely — unless, of course, Rodgers gets hurt.

3. Jaxson Dart, New York Giants

First round, No. 25 overall

Situation: He is the third quarterback on the depth chart behind veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, so it's hard to imagine that Dart will play much this year. He also could end up getting very limited practice reps, at least in camp and early in the season as the Giants get Wilson and Winston up to speed in their offense.

That certainly could change late in the season if coach Brian Daboll believes he's progressing quickly enough, or especially if the Giants struggle. The GM/coach on their hot seats might want to show their bosses a glimpse of a better future. Either way, it's all OK for Dart, because the Giants absolutely view him as a franchise quarterback. That's why they traded back into the first round to get him. They think Daboll will somehow get enough work in with Dart to turn him into their starter by 2026.

2. Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints

Second round, No. 40 overall

Situation: Derek Carr is supposed to be the starter for the Saints, but he found out this offseason that he's got a mysterious shoulder injury that apparently happened late in the season. There haven't been a lot of details provided or much clarity on his status, so it's safe to say his availability for the summer and maybe the start of the season is, at least, up in the air.

That could open the door for Shough to get a lot of practice time and maybe some early playing time. Surely new Saints coach Kellen Moore isn't going to waste more time with Spencer Rattler. Shough is old for a QB prospect — he'll be 26 in September — but he was a top-three QB on a lot of NFL boards. If Carr is hurt, Shough might get a shot this season. If not, it'll be his team when the Saints get out of Carr's contract at the end of the year.

1. Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans

First round, No. 1 overall

Situation: Tennessee is giving Ward the keys to the franchise, even though many around the NFL think he might have been the fourth or fifth QB in last year's draft. The Titans love him so much they wouldn't even listen to offers for the top pick, including one from the Giants that included the third pick this year and a first-rounder next year.

The Titans have clearly tired of Will Levis and would trade him if they could. As long as Ward is everything they believe he is, he'll be their Day 1 starter, whether they officially say that now or not. And while he may not be a future All-Pro, with weapons around him like Calvin Ridley, Tyler Lockett and running back Tony Pollard, he's set up for some immediate success.

Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!

National Football League