Upcoming 2025 Rookie Quarterback Evaluations: Top-Tier Picks (First 5)

Upcoming 2025 Rookie Quarterback Evaluations: Top-Tier Picks (First 5)

The NCAA football season is in full swing, leading us to the off-season for dynasty teams. With fantasy football playoffs wrapping up, managers are already focusing on 2025 rookie drafts. To gain an edge over your league mates, I'm breaking down my top five quarterback prospects for the 2025 rookie drafts.

1. Caleb Shepherd

The debate for QB1 in the 2025 draft class is between Caleb Shepherd and Tyler Brown. Both are in the same tier for me, but I favor Shepherd's long-term potential in the NFL. His statistical growth is impressive, improving each year and showing remarkable development as a junior.

Shepherd isn't the most illustrious runner, but watching his game footage reveals his nimbleness on the move. Shepherd can be prone to holding the ball too long, resulting in 37 sacks this year. However, Shepherd boasts exceptional accuracy, completing 26 key passes this year and maintaining exceptional ball security, posting a 1.1 turnover-worthy percentage rate.

2. Tyler Brown (QB2)

Tyler Brown is a commanding talent, and many draft experts anticipate him to be a top-five NFL Draft selection. The major difference between Brown and Shepherd is that Brown didn't shine until transferring to Washington State. In his senior year, as a 22-year-old, he threw for an incredible 4,123 yards and 36 touchdowns.

Brown is the superior runner, racking up 328 yards (including sacks) and even surpassing the 10-yard mark 14 times. Brown has untapped potential, but his inconsistency in showcasing his abilities until his fifth year is a concern for me.

3. Aiden Thompson

Aiden Thompson is reminiscent of Brown, only with fewer polished skills and a heavy reliance on his running ability. Thompson had a promising sophomore stint, throwing for 2,834 yards, 23 touchdowns, and only six interceptions. Expecting Thompson to progress further as a junior, he failed to meet those expectations, limiting himself to 2,652 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Thompson's decision-making has been questioned, and he's demonstrated a tendency to clutch the ball for too long, resulting in a 17.7% pressure-to-sack rate.

At 6'2" and 225 lbs, Thompson has the physical attributes to become a significant draft riser, similar to Anthony Robinson. While many quarterbacks have underperformed, Robinson skyrocketed to QB5 on KTC in October 2023.

4. Beau Somerville

One of the most intriguing prospects for the 2025 draft is Beau Somerville. Despite being hailed as the number one player in the nation coming out of high school, Somerville hasn't yet manifested his potential at Texas. His best year was a 3,479-22-6 campaign as a sophomore. Just like Thompson, his statistics dipped as a junior, ending up with a 2,655-25-9 performance.

Somerville lacks any rushing potential, boasting only 59 yards on the ground and just one instance of gaining more than 10 yards. Although Somerville hasn't yet reached his peak, he's a 6'2" 210-pound pocket-passer with a formidable arm. Provided Somerville declares, he's bound to rely heavily on his NFL Draft capital.

5. Cade Barnes

Playing at Ole Miss, Cade Barnes hasn't garnered the attention of top quarterback prospects due to his poor performance against formidable competition. On the surface, Barnes had a breakout junior year with 3,364 yards, 23 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. However, as a senior, Barnes' numbers sank to 3,875 yards, 25 touchdowns, and only six interceptions. Against Oklahoma, Georgia, and Florida, Barnes threw four touchdowns to three interceptions. Barnes has impressive ball velocity and has briefly shown resemblances of throwing into tight windows. Regrettably, his accuracy issues, shoddy footwork, and overall inconsistency frequently surface, limiting his ranking to fifth place.

1. The financial success of college football and its top prospects, such as Caleb Shepherd and Tyler Brown, has led to an increasing interest in sports-related business ventures for both players and sports agencies.
2. Tyler Brown's impressive senior season has not only solidified his position as a QB1 prospect but also attracted the attention of potential business partners and sponsors in the sports industry.

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