The consensus surrounding the 2025 NFL Draft is that the quarterback class lacks surefire Day 1 starters. That doesn't mean there won't be plenty of signal-callers snatched up during the selection process.
Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider pushed back on the notion that it might be a weak QB class overall during his radio show last week.
"I'd be careful when you hear people say this isn't a great draft [for quarterbacks]," he said, via the team's official website. "I think it depends on the team, the player, the quarterback, how you're going to acquire him, where you're going to acquire him."
Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are the consensus top two signal-callers in this year's draft. Yet, even they come with a wide range of outcomes, particularly Sanders, who has been projected anywhere from a top-three pick to falling into the teens or 20s. Several QBs like Jalen Milroe, Jaxson Dart or Tyler Shough could be high-upside players with seasoning. Some productive college QBs like Quinn Ewers, Kyle McCord or Will Howard could excel in the right system.
It could be a class that sees a host of middle-class players enter the NFL as backups with a chance to work their way into something more. For reference, Dan Bulger of The Athletic has 14 QBs with draftable grades, from Ward with a first-round grade to Memphis' Seth Henigan with a seventh-round grade.
The context of Schneider's answer came as the Seahawks brought in a few QBs during the pre-draft visit process. The GM said not to read too much into those visits as they're sometimes simply filling in gaps in the scouting process.
"Bringing him through the building is really about, is really we need more time, we need more answers, and we need more time with this player based on the questions that we need answered in terms of the vision we see for this player and the fit," he said. "It's separate how you can acquire the play on draft weekend."
Since Schneider took over in Seattle in 2010, he's drafted two quarterbacks. Famously, he snagged Super Bowl-winner Russell Wilson in the third round in 2012. He also drafted FIU's Alex McGough in the seventh round in 2018.
The Seahawks signed Sam Darnold this offseason after trading away Geno Smith. The Darnold contract, however, gives the club an out next year if things don't go as planned. The signing of Drew Lock as a backup and the presence of Sam Howell gives the Seahawks a pretty stocked QB room. It's probably not a position Schneider will look to add early in the draft, but in those middle or later rounds, it could be a consideration -- particularly if he genuinely believes that it could be a deep draft at quarterback.
