One of the best ways to get an edge over the competition in fantasy football is by taking the time to dig into the rookie class that will be pouring into player pools in between seasons. It can be extremely beneficial to know the molds of each important player and how quickly and effectively their game may or may not translate to the NFL. Some players may thrive better in certain systems or wind up in landing spots that don’t have as clear a path to fantasy success as others. Being in the know on which players have the ability to be a significant contributor on day one is a golden ticket to winning your leagues on draft day. Here, I’m going through the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft class and seeing who may be the best for fantasy football out the gate.

#1 Cam Ward – Miami

Player Comp: Jordan Love | Landing Spot: Tennessee Titans (R1)

Cam Ward is far and away my favorite prospect among this year’s draft class, and his rumored landing spot in the upcoming draft reflects that. Most draft analysts already have the former Miami Hurricane penciled in for the Tennessee Titans as the first overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. He has many unique traits that are advanced for most quarterbacks at the college level, namely his impressive ability to throw with anticipation and properly read the defense. Ward was given free rein to make audibles at the line of scrimmage by Miami, further signaling a readiness for the NFL. He has great poise and confidence as a passer, and should likely make an immediate impact in the league, though he benefitted from a solid offensive line at Miami, and it’s no guarantee he’ll have that same privilege in the NFL. His tape isn’t completely free of blemishes, and did make a couple head-scratching plays or tried to do too much at times. Still, the sky is the limit for Ward, who has the tools to make a seamless jump to the pro level.

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#2 Shedeur Sanders – Colorado

Player Comp: Baker Mayfield | Landing Spot: New Orleans Saints (R1)

Another contender to go near the top of the NFL Draft is Shedeur Sanders, who is a gifted passer in his own right, with impressive touch and accuracy. In 2024, Sanders completed a whopping 74% of his pass attempts, the highest mark in the FBS and the sixth-highest in an NCAA season all-time. He doesn’t have the strongest of arms, but boy does he make up for it by placing perfect balls and leading his receivers optimally to make the most of their opportunities after the catch. If he can be paired with an electrifying, shifty receiver or two, he can be a lethal distributor for an NFL offense. He displayed a solid ability to read and react to defenses and go through his progressions, but the flaws of his game are a bit more glaring than Ward’s. He doesn’t have the best mobility, and though he can shed a sack here and there, he’s best off as a pure pocket passer. I have some concerns about him truly being able to be a day one starter, but it wouldn’t surprise me under the right circumstances.

#3 Jaxson Dart – Ole Miss

Player Comp: Mitchell Trubisky | Landing Spot: New York Giants (R2)

Arguably the most divisive quarterback in this year’s draft class is Jaxson Dart from Ole Miss, who’s shown steady growth in his college career and playing his best football in 2024. He has the arm and accuracy to hit targets at every level and zone of the field, and Dan Orlovsky coined him as the best deep ball passer in the bunch. He’s a bit streaky as a passer, and some are worried that his 2024 success could be more attributed to the heavy play-action scheme used by Ole Miss’s offense. If nothing else, Dart demonstrated an outstanding ability to play on time in the pocket, and could be plugged into a similar, cushioned system in the NFL and find immediate success. He’s mobile enough to extend plays and even punish defenses with open space. With Dart getting murmurs to be creeping up draft boards, even into the top-10 in the first round in some projections, it’s starting to look more and more likely that we could see Dart get some serious action in his debut NFL season.

#4 Jalen Milroe – Alabama

Player Comp: Justin Fields | Landing Spot: Los Angeles Rams (R1)

Milroe has an immense ceiling as a potential NFL starter as a dual threat quarterback, though he’s clearly not as talented a passer as those ahead of him on this list. He seems more as though his career trajectory in the NFL may benefit from sitting behind a talented player in a winning football system as he acclimates to quarterbacking at the NFL level. He’s got lightning speed as a runner, highlighted by his 99th percentile unofficial 40-yard dash time that he recorded at Alabama’s Pro Day, a blazing 4.37. Milroe joins Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson as the only QBs in NFL history to run sub 4.40 40-yard dash, though Vick’s was the only time officially run at the combine. Milroe has demonstrated a dynamic arm through the air, and while he does have some inconsistencies with his accuracy, he can make most throws NFL quarterbacks would be asked to make. However, the Alabama QB doesn’t throw with quite the same anticipation as you’d hope, and he does have some questionable tendencies of tucking and running earlier than necessary. He’s much less polished as a passer, which could give him trouble getting his NFL career off the ground, but he has the framework and athleticism to be a game breaking QB, and a glorious one for fantasy at that.

#5 Will Howard – Ohio State

Player Comp: Mac Jones | Landing Spot: Pittsburgh Steelers (R3)

It’s been a long road for Will Howard to get to the peak he had in his 2024 playoff run, where Howard tore up some of the stiffest competition in college football. He hasn’t jumped off the film as much as others on this list, and he had a ton of top-shelf talent around him on the Buckeyes’ offense, but his experience and poise as a player were on full display down the stretch. He’s got great size and strength, and he’s mobile enough to command respect as a runner and make defenses think twice about biting on the run or staying in coverage, with seven rushing scores to boot in 2024. As pointed out by Jon Gruden in his QB Class episode with Howard, an intriguing trait that was super uncommon among his peers was his ability to throw without stepping into it or while off-balance with defenders in his face, which can be an elite ceiling-raiser. He’s got grit and competitiveness that everybody wants in their starting QB, but there are only so many starting jobs open in the NFL this season. While he may not get the opportunity to play much in his debut season, the 2024 National Championship Offensive MVP can be an impactful fantasy player the second he takes the field as a starter in the NFL.

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