Looking at the top QB prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft Class, Week 5

What a weekend of college football. The Week 5 edition of the season had to be the most exciting one so far. Of course, there was the “Game of the Year” contender between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Then, there was Ole Miss getting upset by Kentucky, Notre Dame defeating Louisville, and Penn State beating Indiana.

There was some great quarterback play in Week 5, including in the aforementioned Georgia vs. Alabama game. With that, some have really increased their NFL Draft stock in the process, potentially making a run at becoming the QB1.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the play from the top quarterback prospects in Week 5.

Previous editions of “In the Market” can be viewed in the links below:

Carson Beck, Georgia

The biggest game of the college football season so far was the Georgia Bulldogs vs. the Alabama Crimson Tide. This game would determine who would get the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 rankings entering Week 6, and who will be in the driver’s seat to head into the SEC Championship Game.

This was a huge state for Carson Beck, not only because of the outlook for the remainder of his team’s season, but also to show NFL teams why he should be the first quarterback taken off the board in the 2025 draft. Let’s just say it was a tale of two halves for Beck.

Through the first two quarters, Beck looked, well, abysmal. He couldn’t connect with his wide receivers, looked shaken when pressured, and threw two interceptions. From there, it looked as though Beck’s draft stock was officially tanked.

But in the second half, Beck led Georgia from a 28-10 deficit to take a 34-33 lead with just over two minutes left in regulation. Ultimately though, the Bulldogs’ defense had no response to Crimson Tide freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams, who scored a game-winning touchdown. Beck brought Georgia into the red zone, but threw an end zone pick to end the game.

Beck completed 27-of-50 pass attempts for 439 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions. The quarterback was under pressure for 11-of-58 dropbacks, where he completed two of six pass attempts for just 21 yards, per Pro Football Focus. However, when having a clean pocket (47-of-58 dropbacks), Beck completed 25-of-45 pass attempts for 418 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions.

Next Game: vs. Auburn, Saturday, Oct. 5, 3:30 p.m. ET

Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

The Colorado Buffaloes have really rebounded since their convincing defeat at the hands of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Since then, they defeated Colorado State and Baylor in succession, setting themselves up for a Week 5 matchup against undefeated UCF.

Sanders and Colorado got off to a commanding 27-14 lead at halftime, in which he accounted for two touchdowns, both of which through the air. Sanders connected on a 23-yard pass to dual-threat star Travis Hunter and a 47-yard throw to Will Sheppard, both of which were in the first quarter.

Hunter was the star of the game, not only because of his receiving touchdown, but also his diving interception on defense. But that’s not to say Sanders had a forgettable game. It was a good game for the quarterback.

Sanders completed 28-of-35 pass attempts for 290 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.

Colorado are set for a bye week, before returning to face off against Kansas State in a huge Big 12 matchup.

Next Game: vs. Kansas State, Saturday, Oct. 12, 10:15 p.m. ET

Jalen Milroe, Alabama

If there is anyone who raised their draft stock more in Week 5, it’s Alabama’s Jalen Milroe. Thus far, under a new offensive system with new head coach Kalen DeBoer. The true test for Milroe would be against Georgia, a team he sent packing out of the College Football Playoff picture in last year’s SEC Championship Game.

Once the game started, Milroe picked apart Georgia’s defense with his arm and his legs. Milroe accounted for three of the team’s four touchdowns in the first half, two of which arrived on the run. It truly is impressive that Milroe managed to make Georgia’s defense look like they were on ice, slipping and sliding all over the place.

Perhaps his most impressive play was his 75-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Williams to put Alabama up 41-33 with a little over two minutes remaining.

Milroe completed 27-of-33 pass attempts for 374 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Th4 quarterback was incredibly accurate on deep passes of 20 yards or further, where he completed all three throws for 163 yards and one touchdown.

After this game, Milroe should be getting serious consideration from teams in need of a quarterback. He has the ability to make throws and run when needed to pick up huge gains downfield.

Next Game: at Vanderbilt, Saturday, Oct. 5, 4:15 p.m. ET

Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss

The Ole Miss Rebels and quarterback Jaxson Dart had the chance to prove that Georgia’s narrow win over Kentucky wasn’t a fluke, and dominate Mark Stoops’ defense. Ole Miss, after all, had the top offense in all of college football in terms of total yards per game and points per game.

As it turns out, Kentucky’s defense is for real, and they held Ole Miss to just 17 points. Dart didn’t play awfully, but he couldn’t do much to get points on the board. It was certainly a different story after the opening drive in which Ole Miss marched down the field with ease to get a touchdown. After that, it was much more difficult. It certainly didn’t help that Ole Miss’ opportunity for a game-tying field goal to force overtime sailed wide, securing the 20-17 loss. Now, Ole Miss stumbled down from the No. 6 to No. 12 spot.

Dart 18-of-27 pass attempts for 261 yards and one touchdown. One stat that stands out is Dart’s inability to hit his receiver 20-yards or further downfield. Dart had seven pass attempts, and completed just one of them for 42 yards.

With Ole Miss not in a driver’s seat for a Playoff spot, they will have to really impress down the stretch in what is a soft schedule.

Next Game: at South Carolina, Saturday, Oct. 5, 3:30 p.m. ET

Cam Ward, Miami

Cam Ward is taking the college football world by storm. Through the first five weeks of the season, the Miami Hurricanes quarterback has solidified himself as one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy. While doing so, Ward has seriously increased his draft stock. Now, Ward makes it into this column, and for good reason.

This past week, Miami had their first true challenge of the season, taking on the Virginia Tech Hokies. This is a game that ended in controversy on what turned out to be an incomplete Hail Mary pass by Virginia Tech. But just before that, Miami trailed 34-31 with over two minutes remaining. Ward had, perhaps, his Heisman moment when he was able to duck under a sack attempt and pitched the football to tight end Riley Williams when he was being brought down. Williams was able to gain 26 yards and pave the way for Ward’s one-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Horton.

Ward completed 24-of-38 pass attempts for 343 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions. On passes 20-yards or further downfield, Ward completed six-of-eight throws for 178 yards and two touchdowns.

With the quarterback class still being wide open in terms of who will be the first taken off the board, Ward has certainly made a case to be a Day 1 pick in his first season at Miami.

Next Game: at California, Saturday, Oct. 5, 10:30 p.m. ET

The Big Ten is probably the most competitive conference in college football this season, due in part to the amount of undefeated teams. Look no further than the Indiana Hoosiers, who were 4-0 on the year under first-year head coach Curt Cignetti entering Week 5. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke is a main reason for the team’s success.

Facing off against Maryland, Rourke threw interceptions on Indiana’s first two offensive drives. However, Rourke rebounded tremendously. In the 42-28 win, Rourk completed 22-of-33 pass attempts for 359 yards and three touchdowns.

On the year, Rourke recorded 1,372 yards, 11 touchdowns, and two interceptions on a 73.2 completion percentage. If he and Indiana keep this up, he could be a quarterback to keep an eye on.

The second half of the Georgia-Alabama game showed why Beck was considered to be the QB1 of this entire draft class. However, that first half is hard to look past. Beck looked lost and was forcing throws. It was definitely concerning, especially if you’re an NFL team in desperate need for a quarterback of the future.

We need to see a more complete game from Beck where he eliminates the mistakes he made through the first two quarters.

The first four weeks of the NFL season are in the books, which means we have a better feel of where all 32 teams stand. Here is what the current NFL Draft order looks like, and who could be in the market for a quarterback:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-4)
2. Miami Dolphins (1-3)
3. New England Patriots (1-3)
4. Cincinnati Bengals (1-3)
5. Cleveland Browns (1-3)
6. Tennessee Titans (1-3)
7. Carolina Panthers (1-3)
8. Los Angeles Rams (1-3)
9. Arizona Cardinals (1-3)
10. New York Giants (1-3)
11. Indianapolis Colts (2-2)
12. Los Angeles Chargers (2-2)
13. New Orleans Saints (2-2)
14. Dallas Cowboys (2-2)
15. Chicago Bears (2-2)
16. Green Bay Packers (2-2)
17. San Francisco 49ers (2-2)
18. Baltimore Ravens (2-2)
19. Philadelphia Eagles (2-2)
20. New York Jets (2-2)
21. Las Vegas Raiders (2-2)
22. Denver Broncos (2-2)
23. Atlanta Falcons (2-2)
24. Detroit Lions (3-1)
25. Washington Commanders (3-1)
26. Buffalo Bills (3-1)
27. Seattle Seahawks (3-1)
28. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1)
29. Houston Texans (3-1)
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
31. Minnesota Vikings (4-0)
32. Kansas City Chiefs (4-0)

When looking at the teams in the 1-4 spots, all of them have pretty set quarterback situations. But at No. 5 are the Cleveland Browns, who are in such a poor spot with Deshaun Watson under center that they need to have a succession plan in place. Yes, Watson’s contract is fully guaranteed, but the Browns need to have a quarterback of the future on the roster because right now, it’s not a tenable situation.

The Tennessee Titans at No. 6 stand out, simply because the Will Levis experiment isn’t going that well. Levis makes some mind-numbing decisions on the field, particularly when he forces a throw to a receiver when he’s under pressure. With a new head coach in Brian Callahan, one has to imagine that he would like to draft his own quarterback and develop them under his offensive system.

The Carolina Panthers benched Bryce Young after two games this season after trading the farm and star wide receiver DJ Moore to select him first overall in 2023. Young struggled mightily, and head coach Dave Canales called upon Andy Dalton to replace him. And to make matters worse, the Panthers offense has thrived with Dalton at quarterback, which is an indictment on Young. If the team decides to move on from Young, then drafting a quarterback in the first round makes sense.

The Los Angeles Rams may have to consider preparing for life without Matthew Stafford. The quarterback who won the franchise a Super Bowl two years ago is under contract for two more seasons and is currently 36 years old. If the Rams finish near the bottom of what has become a tough NFC West division, and with their stars injured, it wouldn’t be the worst idea for Sean McVay to hand-pick his quarterback.

The New York Giants tried their best to replace Daniel Jones at quarterback, even calling on the New England Patriots to give them the No. 3 overall pick to draft Drake Maye. But the Patriots stood pat, and the Giants opted to kick the can down the road. Even with J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr., and Bo Nix on the board, the Giant used the sixth-overall pick on wide receiver Malik Nabers. Thus far, Nabers looks to be the star they’ve been missing inthe passing game. While Jones has played better, it can be attributed to playing it safe. Jones isn’t the quarterback you can trust to make a big play, say, when you’re within striking distance of defeating a hated rival in the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4. The question that does remain, however, is will head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen be making the pick in the 2025 draft?

The New Orleans Saints have fallen back down to Earth after a strong first two games of the season. Yet, they have dropped their following two games against the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons. The spotlight is always going to be on Derek Carr. So, would it be entirely shocking if the team used a first-round pick on a certified starter if they finish high enough in the draft order?

The Las Vegas Raiders, like the New York Giants, missed out on the quarterback they wanted, and opted to take the top position player available, who happened to be tight end Brock Bowers. The Raiders are going through this year with Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell at quarterback. It’s hard envisioning on the Raiders passing on quarterback in the NFL Draft for the second year in a row.