2025 NFL Draft: Quarterback stock report — who’s up, who’s down?

The Big10 QBs definitely had a better day than the SEC passers

The New York Giants are going to address their quarterback position at some point in the 2025 offseason.

They have to add a viable starting quarterback at some point in the next few months, but right now we don’t know who that will be or how they’ll go about acquiring him. The Giants will go into the free agency period with a young roster and roughly $60 million in cap space. They will also have a high pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, though just how high remains to be seen.

The Giants currently hold the second overall pick in the draft, with the Las Vegas Raiders possessing the No. 1 pick. That, however, could change and many outlets give the Giants the best odds in the NFL of finishing with the first pick in the draft.

So with the Giants likely — but not certain — to have their pick of all the prospects in the upcoming draft, we’ve been keeping tabs on the various quarterback prospects’ draft stock

This past week was Championship Weekend in college football, and most of the top quarterback prospects did not play. However, this weekend also afforded us two games — Texas vs. Georgia for the SEC Championship and Oregon vs. Penn State for the Big 10 championship — with two top quarterback prospects apiece.

Note: Cam Ward (Miami), Shedeur Sanders (Colorado), Jalen Milroe (Alabama), Garrett Neussmeier (LSU), Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss), and Kurtis Rourke (Indiana) did not play this weekend. Their stock should be considered neutral.

Carson Beck (Georgia)

vs. Texas

Stock: Down

Beck’s stock report is complicated by the fact that he was knocked out of the game at the end of the first half due to injury. Beck was attempting a Hail Mary in the closing seconds of the second quarter, but was hit as he threw and stayed on the ground for a while. We don’t know his status — his injury was vaguely called an “upper extremity injury” by coach Kirby Smart — as of this writing.

That said, Beck wasn’t playing particularly well. He executed RPOs and one-read concepts efficiently, but his process slowed down if his reads were muddy or he was forced off his initial read. That, in part, lead to the arm injury that took him out of the game, and he also threw an interception that was negated by penalty.

Hopefully Beck’s injury isn’t too severe and doesn’t linger to the Sugar Bowl. Otherwise, that could really complicate his draft stock.

Quinn Ewers (Texas)

vs. Georgia

Stock: Down

Ewers is a consistently frustrating prospect. He has a lot of the traits that scouts and coaches look for in a starting quarterback. Ewers has a good arm that can threaten downfield and deliver the ball off-platform or on the move. He has the mobility to elude rushers and pick up yards with his legs when the defense loses track of him. He can attack tight windows with accuracy and layer the ball between defenders downfield.

However, his decision making is erratic and labored at times. He can have a tendency to hold the ball longer than necessary and stare down receivers — not only making life harder on him as a passer, but also opening his receivers to crushing hits from defenders.

And while Ewers threw for 358 yards and made some truly impressive throws downfield, he also only completed 58% of his passes and threw two interceptions.

Ewers is a former five-star recruit who has all the physical traits to be an NFL quarterback. Scouts and coaches will certainly be able to find things to like in his game. That said, there are also red flags in his game that could give evaluators pause.

Drew Allar (Penn State)

vs. Oregon

Stock: Up

Allar still needs refinement as a passer. He flashes potentially elite tools and his age (20 years old) suggests that his best football is still ahead of him. Allar has improved over the course of the season and he’s throwing with better anticipation and precision than he did earlier this year. He’s also less of a “see it, throw it” quarterback than earlier in the year as well.

However, he still needs to work on his decision-making and play with greater consistency. His first interception of the game came because he was a bit slow to move off his first read and then threw a bit behind his target.

All that said, Allar’s potential was on full display in this game. He has effortless arm strength and can attack all areas of the field even when he can’t set his feet. He’s a powerful ball carrier who is very tough to get on the ground and has the ability to push the pile himself in short-yardage situations.

This play, for instance, was just silly:

Plays like that will get scouts and coaches drooling, and visions of Josh Allen and Justin Herbert could push Allar into the first round. But despite his upside, Allar isn’t an immediate starter at the NFL level.

He’ll need development to realize his potential and his team will need a real plan for him. I still believe that Allar would benefit from another year in college, but if he enters the draft this year (and the rumor mill is suggesting he might) his team will need to resist the temptation to start him right away.

Dillon Gabriel (Oregon)

vs. Penn State

Stock: Up

I can’t shake the feeling that some team is going to get a potential starting quarterback in the middle rounds with Gabriel.

He has a lot working against him from a draft perspective that we’ve covered before: He’s a (relatively) old, undersized, left handed passer who plays in a spread offense. However, he does a lot really well within his limitations and within the Oregon offense.

Gabriel is a crisp and efficient passer who sees the field and processes well. He understands where his options are and how route combinations work to attack the defense. He has enough arm talent to execute the throws he’s asked to make and enough arm elasticity to alter his throwing angle or throw accurately on the move. He has very quick feet and the mobility to move the pocket, roll out, or escape from pass rushers. Gabriel is also an accurate passer who delivers the ball with good placement and anticipation to maximize run-after-catch opportunities.

His drawbacks — size, age, handedness — will almost certainly be a drag on his draft stock. Gabriel will likely be overshadowed by more prototypical passers with exciting traits once they’re on the same field together during the draft process. But that could make him a hidden gem if he lands in the right situation.