CLEVELAND, Ohio — We’ve seen so many times in past years that the quarterbacks taken at the top of the NFL draft are the ones who were highly touted as high schoolers. Players like Trevor Lawrence, Bryce Young and Caleb Williams went first overall after entering college as elite high school recruits. This year’s likely No. 1 pick, Miami’s Cam Ward, couldn’t have had a more different path. Ward was a Wing-T quarterback out of high school in West Columbia, Texas. His only Division I offer came from FCS school Incarnate Word, also in Texas. After two great seasons at UIW, Ward moved into the FBS by transferring to Washington State. He played for the Cougars for two more seasons before transferring to Miami in 2024. While he didn’t lead the Hurricanes to the College Football Playoff, Ward had a great 2024 season and has clearly caught the eye of the NFL, particularly teams like the Titans and the Browns. Ward’s journey has not been common. But if he lives up to his ceiling, he will be a model for less heralded quarterback prospects coming out of high school. Where this position ranks in the 2025 NFL Draft? As part of our 11-part position group ranking series for the 2025 NFL Draft, we have the quarterback position ranked No. 8. We will unveil one position group per weekday until Apr. 7, so come back to cleveland.com each day to meet the next highest-ranked position group. You can catch up on the rest of the series here. No. 11: Off-ball linebackersNo. 10: SafetiesNo. 9: Interior offensive linemen What the Browns need at quarterback Seven years after drafting Baker Mayfield and three years after drafting Deshaun Watson, the Browns are back in the unenviable spot of needing to draft a franchise quarterback prospect. There are questions about whether there even is one in this draft, but it would be shocking if the Browns passed on the position entirely. They also only have one quarterback on the roster at the time of this writing in Kenny Pickett. So not only do they need a quality quarterback, but they also just need bodies at the position. Meet the top five quarterbacks 1. Cam Ward, Miami Height, weight: 6-2, 223 pounds. 2024 stats: 305-454 (67.2%), 4,313 yards, 39 TDs, 7 INTs. Projected slot: Top 2. More about Ward: It’s easy to see why Ward is likely going first to the Titans and likely not getting out of the top two at the bare minimum. He throws the ball effortlessly from multiple arm angles and is great at improvising. He simply makes throws that nobody else in this class can. But Ward will have to curb his tendency of hero ball, and fumbles have been an issue throughout his career. However, his ceiling is high enough to be worth the risk. 2. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado Height, weight: 6-2, 215 pounds. 2024 stats: 353-477 (74.0%), 4,134 yards, 37 TDs, 10 INTs. Projected slot: Top 3. More about Sanders: Sanders had been QB1 for most of the draft process. But starting at the NFL Combine, the momentum has completely shifted to Ward. However, Sanders is still a quality prospect who at this point might be underrated. Sanders’ accuracy and clutch gene are things that cannot be ignored by teams looking for a quarterback at the top of the draft. However, Sanders doesn’t have an extremely strong arm, and he takes a lot of sacks. Sanders feels like a player who will succeed on some level in the NFL because he has a high floor. The ceiling, however, likely isn’t as high as Ward’s is. 3. Jalen Milroe, Alabama Height, weight: 6-2, 225 pounds. 2024 stats: 205-319 (64.3%), 2,844 yards, 16 TDs, 11 INTs; 168 carries, 726 yards (4.3 avg.), 20 TDs. Projected slot: Late first to third round. More about Milroe: For me in this year’s draft, Milroe has a ceiling as high as any quarterback, but a floor as low as any quarterback. He may be the guy most in need of going to the right place with a perfect plan for him. There is no doubt about Milroe’s tools. His running ability falls somewhere between Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts, and his deep ball is a thing of beauty. But he really needs to work on his mechanics, specifically making sure he doesn’t lose his fundamentals on shorter throws. Milroe needs to be developed the right way and would be best served by redshirting in 2025. However, the reward for doing right by him could be just as good as there is in this draft. 4. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss Height, weight: 6-2, 223 pounds. 2024 stats: 276-398 (69.3%), 4,279 yards, 29 TDs, 6 INTs Projected slot: Mid first to second round. More about Dart: This is going to seem confusing because I have Milroe ahead of Dart while recognizing Dart is more likely to be drafted before Milroe. A big part of the problem with Dart that I’ve said before are his problems in the fourth quarter. That said, I do understand the appeal of Dart and why he has a very good chance to be a first-round pick. His arm and his mobility are intriguing, and he also possesses great intangibles. He may need time on the bench to learn a pro-style offense after coming from one at Ole Miss that was more quarterback friendly. 5. Tyler Shough, Louisville Height, weight: 6-5, 219 pounds. 2024 stats: 244-389 (62.7%), 3,195 yards, 23 TDs, 6 INTs. Projected slot: Late first to third round. More about Shough: No player has risen as highly throughout the draft process as Shough has. The 25-year-old Shough had three-year stops at both Oregon and Texas Tech before finally getting a full season at Louisville in 2024 and playing very well. Shough has the arm to make any throw and has the mobility required of quarterbacks these days. Aside from the age concern, Shough has the same concerns that other gunslinger type quarterbacks like him typically have like decision making. He has also had issues staying healthy. While health is always a worry with any quarterback, the side effect of struggling to stay on the field is that he has as many career pass attempts in seven years of college football (951) as Shedeur Sanders had in just two seasons at Colorado (907).