After a banner 2024 NFL draft in which six quarterbacks were drafted in the first 12 picks, the 2025 QB conversation has been dominated by just two passers — Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. How do they rank among recent first-round signal-callers?

To answer that question, I stacked the 19 passers who were taken in Round 1 from 2020 through 2024 and then dropped Ward and Sanders — the only first-round quarterbacks in my most recent mock draft — into the mix. That conversation covers the likes of Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Bryce Young and Caleb Williams.

I polled NFL scouts, decision-makers and analysts to help build the list, and pre-draft grades were the only consideration here. While I added each quarterback’s pro performance for additional context, it has no bearing on these rankings. This is just those 21 quarterbacks stacked together as though they were all in the same draft class. So who is No. 1 on the list as the top QB prospect going back five years, and how does the 2025 group compare?

Jump to top QB from each class:
2020 | 2021 | 2022
2023 | 2024

Where top 2025 QBs rank:
Ward | Sanders

Drafted: No. 1, Chicago Bears

Potential is a scary word when it comes to prospects, but Williams was (and still is) loaded with it. At 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, he has excellent arm strength and the ability to create on the move. He’s a true playmaker and an artist, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2022, then throwing for 3,633 yards and accounting for 41 total touchdowns for USC in 2023.

Despite the enormous pre-draft hype, Williams had an uneven rookie season. On one hand, he threw for 20 touchdowns to just six interceptions. On the other, his 46.7 QBR ranked 28th out of 33 qualified quarterbacks. Getting sacked 68 times behind the Bears’ beleaguered offensive line also held Williams back. But big things are expected in his sophomore season with new coach Ben Johnson.

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Drafted: No. 1, Jacksonville Jaguars

Lawrence was deemed the next great NFL quarterback prospect before even taking a snap for Clemson. The consensus five-star prep recruit became a 2½-year starter for the Tigers, posting a 34-2 record and racking up 90 passing touchdowns in college.

Lawrence’s combination of arm strength, mobility, creativity and 6-foot-6 size stood out in the lead-up to the 2021 draft. After a rocky rookie season, he drastically improved with 25 touchdown passes in 2022, leading the Jaguars to an AFC South title and playoff win over the Chargers. But he has thrown for only 32 touchdowns to 21 interceptions since then, and the Jaguars tied for the second-worst record in the NFL in 2024.

Drafted: No. 1, Cincinnati Bengals

Because Burrow was a one-year wonder at LSU, he wasn’t seen as a generational prospect. But he was still exceptional enough to shoot past sure-thing prospects Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert in the 2020 draft. His 60-touchdown, Heisman Trophy-winning 2019 campaign is the best single season most scouts have seen from a college passer, which led the Bengals to take him at the top spot.

Burrow is now undisputedly one of the four best quarterbacks in the league, completing 68.6% of his passes over five seasons. He led the Bengals to Super Bowl LVI following the 2021 season, two AFC Championship Games and threw a league-high 43 touchdown passes in 2024.

Drafted: No. 2, Washington Commanders

Daniels’ elite deep-ball throwing, ability to gash defenses with his legs and penchant for big plays led to a Heisman Trophy in 2023. The success of that season saw his draft stock rise from a potential Day 3 pick to No. 2 overall.

The only concerns with Daniels were related to his leaner 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame, especially considering his aggressive running style. Some scouts also questioned if his breakout season was simply due to him being 23 years old and facing younger competition.

Daniels silenced those doubts in his historic Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign, leading Washington to its first NFC Championship Game since the 1991 season. He already looks like one of the brightest young quarterbacks in the NFL.

Drafted: No. 3, New England Patriots

Maye drew comparisons to Herbert for his size (6-foot-4, 225 pounds), arm strength and power as a runner. He improved the North Carolina offense as a redshirt freshman in 2022, throwing for 38 touchdowns and just seven interceptions while also running for seven more scores. Maye’s numbers were less impressive in 2023 (24 passing TDs, nine INTs), but his potential was still outstanding enough for the Commanders to consider Maye at No. 2 before the Patriots got him one pick later.

Maye went on to replace Jacoby Brissett as the Patriots’ QB1, starting 13 games as a rookie. He threw 15 touchdown passes to 10 interceptions for a New England offense that lacked protection and playmakers, but the future is bright for Maye and New England with new coach Mike Vrabel.

Drafted: No. 5, Miami Dolphins

“Tank for Tua” was a real thing thanks to the instincts, poise and accuracy that the Alabama passer showed during his time in Tuscaloosa. The comparisons to Drew Brees and Steve Young were real, too. Tagovailoa dominated in college with touch, timing, anticipation and field vision, but he also showed enough mobility to frustrate defenses.

Tagovailoa’s NFL career has been up-and-down, but due more to injury than poor play. He has played a full season once (2023) and missed six games in 2024. But he’s a solid starting quarterback when healthy, throwing 100 touchdown passes and accumulating 15,506 passing yards in five seasons.

Drafted: No. 6, Los Angeles Chargers

The 2019 college season was a race between Herbert and Tagovailoa to be the first pick … until Burrow happened. Herbert dazzled at Oregon with arm strength, field vision and a cool demeanor in the pocket. His biggest knock was a lack of running experience. Yet Herbert has become a top-five pro passer and also stands out as a ball carrier (4.2 yards per carry over his career).

Herbert has thrown 137 touchdown passes to 45 interceptions over five seasons and is coming off arguably his best season, throwing 23 touchdown passes to three interceptions while leading the Chargers to a postseason berth under coach Jim Harbaugh.

Drafted: No. 1, Carolina Panthers

At Alabama, Young was a silky-smooth operator in the pocket with expert-level touch and timing. He was tough, poised and creative. And his 5-foot-10, 204-pound frame is the only reason he ranked this low on the list — that hurt his pre-draft evaluation.

Young followed up a Heisman-winning 2021 season by throwing for 3,328 yards, 32 touchdown passes and 5 interceptions at Alabama in 2022. He struggled throughout his first NFL season before being benched two games into 2024. But Young rebounded after winning back the starting job, finishing with the 12th-best QBR (65.8) from Week 10 until the end of the season.

Drafted: No. 2, New York Jets

It might seem like a distant memory now, but there were teams that had Wilson rated higher than Lawrence in the 2021 draft. Wilson played off-platform and off-schedule, dominating defenses with an excellent deep ball and awesome ability to evade pass rushers. He also hit his peak at the right time, coming alive in his junior season and shrugging off injury issues that plagued his first two seasons at BYU.

Wilson has become a cautionary tale after scouts propelled him up boards following a flashy season and flashier pro-day workout. He was traded to the Broncos following three rough seasons in New York in which he threw 23 touchdown passes to 25 interceptions and completed just 57% of his passes. The former No. 2 pick’s value was diminished to a sixth-round pick that Denver sent the Jets in the deal.

Drafted: No. 2, Houston Texans

A 25-game starter at Ohio State, Stroud left college with a fantastic 21-4 record and a wild 85-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He hit every mark in terms of arm strength, mobility, poise and toughness.

Some scouts raved about his final performance — a playoff showdown against Georgia — and his combine workout. Others preferred the known commodity of Stroud’s tape to the question mark of Young’s size in the lead-up to the 2023 draft. Stroud finished his last collegiate season with an 88.9 Total QBR (second in the nation) and completed 66.3% of his passes.

Stroud hit the ground running in Houston, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023 and leading the Texans to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons. His sophomore slump in 2024 hit him harder than most quarterbacks, but that could be attributed to injured receivers and a shaky offensive line (Stroud took the second-most sacks in 2024).

Drafted: No. 10, Minnesota Vikings

McCarthy left Michigan following his true junior season after leading the Wolverines to a national championship. Scouts were concerned about his relative lack of experience and eye-popping production in Jim Harbaugh’s offense, which was predicated on the run game and stout defense.

Following a strong pre-draft process, McCarthy was my No. 4 quarterback in the 2024 class. But if he had stayed an extra year at Michigan, there’s no doubt he would’ve been the No. 1 QB in 2025.

McCarthy suffered a knee injury and missed his entire rookie NFL season after battling with Sam Darnold for the starting job during training camp. It still remains to be seen if his upside will translate to the next level.

Drafted: No. 3, San Francisco 49ers

The 6-foot-4, 224-pound Lance started only 17 games — all against FCS teams — at North Dakota State, including one game in his final season. But that sample size was enough to convince Niners GM John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan to trade up for him. He wowed scouts with upside and his ability to torch defenses with both his running and field vision.

Lance’s NFL career hasn’t really gotten going after he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 of the 2022 season. Brock Purdy became the 49ers’ starter late that season and thrived, and Lance was traded to the Cowboys for a fourth-round pick prior to the 2023 campaign.

He has been Dallas’ third-string quarterback the past two seasons, but his story hasn’t been completely written. At only 24, Lance has a lot of football ahead of him as he enters free agency this offseason.

Drafted: No. 4, Indianapolis Colts

Richardson perfectly personifies the ideal modern quarterback: big, strong and fast, with an arm that can easily fling the ball 75 yards when given room to operate. But he started only 13 games in college and had fewer than 300 pass attempts in a Florida offense that never found its footing under coaches Dan Mullen and Billy Napier. Richardson also completed only 54.7% of his passes and threw 24 touchdown passes to 15 interceptions in college. So while there was a ton of upside when the Colts took him with the No. 4 pick, there was also a lot of risk.

Richardson would be atop this list if it were all about physical traits. He has a huge arm and ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash at the combine. But he had his detractors as a prospect due to a lack of experience and accuracy concerns. Those issues — plus a rookie season full of injuries — have stunted his development.

In two seasons, Richardson has played in 15 of 34 possible games amid injuries and a brief benching in 2024. He has 13 interceptions to 11 touchdown passes, and 10 rushing touchdowns alongside nine fumbles. Richardson is just as polarizing as an NFL quarterback as he was as a prospect. It seems like Indianapolis is no closer to having its next franchise quarterback, intending to have an “open” competition this offseason.

Drafted: No. 11, Chicago Bears

When Fields entered the draft, some scouts and evaluators saw him as equal to Lawrence, much like the two were coming out of high school in 2018. But others believed Fields was propped up by the scheme and talent around him at Ohio State. That’s why the two-time Heisman finalist, who went 20-2 with 67 touchdown passes to just nine interceptions, fell out of the top 10 in a quarterback-driven league.

Fields had a tough rookie season (31.4 QBR) but threw 17 touchdown passes and ran for 1,143 yards in 2022. The follow-up to that wasn’t enough for the Bears to keep him long-term, as Fields’ QBR dropped nearly 10 points in 2023 (56.3 to 46.9) before he was traded to the Steelers for a conditional sixth-round pick. Despite being replaced by Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh this past season, Fields showed signs of progress in 10 games and could be back on another contract.

Drafted: No. 15, New England Patriots

Jones, the fifth quarterback drafted in 2021, was a highly regarded pocket passer out of Alabama with limited upside but a safe floor. He led the FBS in completion percentage (77.4%) and was second in touchdown passes (41) in leading the Crimson Tide to the national championship in 2020.

Pre-draft comparisons to Matt Ryan and Chad Pennington pointed to a lack of elite arm strength and mobility in Jones’ game, but they also highlighted efficient, accurate passing traits. That was the case early in his career, as Jones peaked in his rookie season; he completed 67.6% of his passes for 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while leading the Patriots to the playoffs.

Jones made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, but his performance declined the next two seasons. He was traded to the Jaguars for a sixth-round pick in 2024 and played in 10 games after Lawrence was lost to injury. Jones threw eight touchdown passes and eight picks in that stint, winning only two games.

Drafted: No. 26, Green Bay Packers

A starter for 2½ years in college, Love went from potential top-five pick as a sophomore to a fringe first-rounder following a coaching change before his junior season. The strong-armed Love left Utah State with 60 passing scores and nine rushing touchdowns. Scouts really liked his arm strength but were concerned about his touch and timing.

Love was able to sit and learn behind Aaron Rodgers for three seasons, leading to a successful 2023 season after Rodgers was traded to the Jets. Love threw for 36 touchdowns and 4,159 passing yards, and the Packers signed him to a hefty contract extension prior to the 2024 season. His follow-up performance (25 TDs, 11 INTs) failed to live up to the buzz, but Love did lead the Packers back to the playoffs.

Drafted: No. 12, Denver Broncos

Nix was graded as an early-Round 2 player with starter upside thanks to his accuracy, mobility and experience — he had a three-year stint at Auburn before joining Oregon in 2022. Nix’s ability to make plays on the move and leadership were huge pluses in his evaluation, but the biggest asset was his development over his final two years in college, culminating in a 45-touchdown season with only three interceptions in 2023. The major reason he wasn’t rated higher was his age, as he turned 24 prior to his rookie season.

Nix hit the ground running in the NFL, leading the Broncos to their first playoff berth since 2015. He has fit perfectly with coach Sean Payton, who constructed a pass-heavy offense that helped Nix throw the sixth-most passing touchdowns in the league (29).

Ward is the top-ranked quarterback in the 2025 draft class, but his actual grade on my board (89) is tied with Nix and Michael Penix Jr. from 2024.

Ward, who transferred from Incarnate Ward to Washington State and then finally to Miami, has greatly improved each program he has played for. In 2024, he led all FBS passers with 39 touchdown passes and finished second in passing yards (4,313). Ward has the arm talent to make every throw in the playbook, using a shortstop motion when necessary to find passing windows.

He will have to iron out delays in his processing and a penchant for hanging around in the pocket too long. Ward had seven interceptions and three fumbles in 2024, but scouts think his late throws will lead to more interceptions at the pro level against defenders with more speed and coverage discipline.

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Evaluators are torn on Ward, though. Some scouts I’ve spoken with think he’s a legitimate top-five player in this class and would be a Round 1 quarterback in most classes. Others believe he’s closer to a Round 2 player who is being elevated because of the poor top-end quarterback talent this year. I tend to side with the second viewpoint.

Drafted: No. 8, Atlanta Falcons

The biggest surprise of the 2024 first round by far was where Penix was selected and who took him. The Falcons loved his deep ball and development at Washington following three seasons at Indiana. Penix was red-hot to end his college career, throwing 67 touchdown passes to just 19 interceptions in his final two seasons. He led Washington to the Pac-12 title and the national title game in 2023 after an undefeated regular season.

Penix’s stock would have been higher, but there were concerns about him having four straight season-ending injuries and his age (24). The plan was to sit him behind veteran Kirk Cousins in 2024, but Penix ultimately played five games, starting three, as a rookie. He is expected to have the keys to the offense in 2025, though Cousins might return as his backup.

A two-year starter at Colorado after transferring from Jackson State, Sanders plays with a coolness in the pocket that is easy to love when combined with his pinpoint accuracy. But scouts aren’t quite sold on the 6-foot-2, 215-pound passer.

“He doesn’t play on time really at all. It’s a lot of wait in the pocket and throw to the open man — and that man is usually standing still in an open zone,” an NFC team’s quarterbacks coach said. Without the elite size, arm strength or mobility of previous top prospects, Sanders relies on his toughness and accuracy.

“He’s a game manager. His ceiling is Jared Goff, and that’s if he gets in a scheme that speeds up his decision-making,” an AFC West area scout said.

Sanders’ grade (86) would place him in the early-Round 2 portion of the draft. But given the lack of quarterback talent this year and team needs, he will likely be a top-10 pick.

Drafted: No. 20, Pittsburgh Steelers

The opinions on Pickett were mixed when asking evaluators to grade his game. He ended up being the only quarterback taken in the first round of a weak 2022 class, and the only one drafted in the first 73 picks (the best 2022 QB, Purdy, was selected with the final pick of the draft). Pickett threw 42 touchdown passes during his final season at Pitt, but he also lacked arm strength.

He completed only 63% of his throws and threw nine interceptions over 13 games as a rookie. Pickett wasn’t able to establish himself as the long-term answer in Pittsburgh, losing his starting job in 2023 before getting traded to the Eagles in 2024.