2025 NFL Draft: Mel Kiper shakes up Top 10 QB rankings after Week 13 of college football
The final week of the 2024 college football season is nearly upon us, which means the 2025 NFL Draft is right around the corner.
Of course, one of the biggest talking points in each year’s NFL Draft class centers around the quarterback position. Heading into Week 14, a handful of quarterbacks have proven to ESPN’s NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. that they may be ready to move on to the next level. Based on each QB’s performance in Week 13, Kiper adjusted his top 10 rankings accordingly.
1. Shedeur Sanders – Colorado
Colorado may not have emerged victorious over the weekend, but Shedeur Sanders did his part to help his team out. He completed 23 of his 29 passes for 266 yards and three touchdownsduring the matchup. He now had 3,488 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and seven interceptions on the year.
As Colorado’s College Football Playoff dreams appear to be over, Week 14 may also mark the last time Sanders suits up in a Buffs uniform as Kiper expects him to be the first quarterback taken off the board.
2. Cam Ward – Miami
Cam Ward continues to be the very best player in the ACC on a weekly basis, so his spot on Kiper’s list is no surprise. Much like Sanders, Ward is the main reason why his team is in the position they’re in heading into the regular season finale.
He turned in a 280-yard, three-total touchdown performance in a 42-14 win over Week 13 against Wake Forest. However, it was just the second time all season that he’s thrown for under 300 yards in a single game, having done so during the first seven games of the 2024 season.
3. Jalen Milroe – Alabama
Jalen Milroe’s three-interception performance against Oklahoma did not help his draft stock — but it appears Kiper doesn’t believe it will hurt him very much, if at all.
Milroe appears to be the best dual-threat quarterback option available in this year’s NFL Draft cycle. He Alabama in rushing with 615 yards and has scored 17 rushing touchdowns this season. Add in his 15 additional passing touchdowns and 2,396 yards through the air, making Milroe one of the more interesting quarterback prospects this April.
4. Carson Beck – Georgia
Turnovers have been an issue for Carson Beck this season as well, but the Georgia quarterback hasn’t missed a beat since the Bulldogs lost to Ole Miss on Nov. 9. Since the loss, Beck has completed 45 of 71 passes for 644 yards, six touchdowns (seven total) and most importantly — zero interceptions.
Beck is a proven winner having compiled a 22-3 record as Georgia’s starting quarterback over the last two seasons heading into the regular season finale. Beck can help is case with strong showings in potential SEC Championship and CFP berths.
5. Drew Allar – Penn State
Penn State’s odds to make the College Football Playoff become greater by the week, and the Nittany Lions’ offense have the play of quarterback Drew Allar to thank for it.
During the 26-25 win over Minnesota, he proved his efficiency with a 21 for 28 passing performance with 244 yards, didn’t turn the ball over with zero interceptions and helped lead his team to a final 12-play, 72-yard drive that took the final six minutes off the clock.
6. Quinn Ewers – Texas
Quinn Ewers has been banged up for much of the 2024 college football season whether it was his oblique strain earlier in the season, and now his ankle issue suffered last Saturday against Kentucky.
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That hasn’t held Ewers back from being one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC this season. He’s passed for 23 touchdowns compared to six interceptions, the latter of which Ewers has cleaned up over the last few weeks. He threw four interceptions during the first three games he returned from his oblique, but has a completely clean slate over the last three.
7. Garrett Nussmeier – LSU
Garrett Nussmeier bounced back in a big way to snap LSU’s three-game losing streak against Vanderbilt in Week 13. He completed 28 of his 37 passes for 332 yards and a touchdown.
Nussmeier now has 3,458 passing yards, 26 total touchdowns and 11 interceptions on the season so far. He’s thrown 459 passes this season as well — 67 more than the next closest quarterback in the SEC (Carson Beck with 392), which proves he can handle any level of workload an NFL team may throw his way.
8. Kurtis Rourke – Indiana
Kurtis Rourke played himself onto Kiper’s list this season, and based on how his Hoosiers are poised for a potential College Football Playoff run — it should come as no surprise he’s here. A 10,000-yard career passer, Rourke spent two seasons tearing up the MAC as Ohio‘s starting quarterback, and hasn’t skipped a beat after transferring to Bloomington.
On the season, he has 2,478 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and four interceptions. Those statistics closely resemble the best season he had at Ohio, meaning the uptick in competiton has not hindered Rourke at all.
9. Jaxson Dart – Ole Miss
Jaxson Dart rewrote Ole Miss record books during his 2024 campaign. His 3,732 yards passing yards tops the SEC, his 86.7 QBR ranked second in the country and has a 24-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio this season.
With 11,432 passing yards and 76 touchdowns to his credit over the course of his four-year career, the Rebels quarterback has another opportunity to add to his career totals in the Egg Bowl on Friday afternoon.
10. Dillon Gabriel – Oregon
Dillon Gabriel hasn’t missed a step after his transfer to Oregon from Oklahoma this past offseason. He passed 3,000 yards passing on the season during the Ducks’ most recent 16-13 win over Wisconsin in Week 13.
A win on Saturday night against Washington would give Gabriel something no other quarterback has on this list — a 12-0 record heading into the postseason. It would be another feather in his cap as his final season at the collegiate level winds down.