David Helman
NFL Reporter
It’s become a cliché in the last decade, but that only underscores how true it is: Success in the NFL comes down to fit just as much as talent and determination.
As good as these guys are, it does wonders to land on the right roster, or in the right offense, or with the right coaches in your ear — or, if you’re really lucky, all of the above.
That’s why we’re putting the crystal ball aside today. As fun as it is to project the landing spots for the draft’s top prospects, this is more about the best-case scenarios.
Looking at some of the top quarterback prospects in this year’s class, let’s determine not where we think they’ll go — but where they’re most likely to be successful.
It’d be a shocker if Ward isn’t drafted No. 1 overall by Tennessee, so there’s no need for hypotheticals here.
People can joke because the Titans were bad enough to earn that first pick, but this really isn’t a bad landing spot for a talented young quarterback. All five of the Titans’ starting offensive linemen were major investments, either via first-round draft pick or a lucrative free agency contract. The skill group isn’t impressive, but Calvin Ridley, Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears and Chig Okonkwo is not an awful starting point. And the Titans also hold the No. 35 overall pick if they want to further upgrade that group.
In addition to the personnel, head coach Brian Callahan already has experience coaching a rookie quarterback in this situation from his stint in Cincinnati. If he’s going to keep this job, he should be up to tailor the offense to fit Ward’s strengths.
It’s certainly not the best situation a No. 1 overall pick has ever stepped into, but it’s more than good enough.
It’s tough to imagine Sanders taking this big of a tumble down the draft board, especially after what we’ve learned about Derek Carr’s status for 2025.
Despite that, I do think the best overall fit for him is down at pick No. 26, where the Rams could select him as the eventual successor to Matthew Stafford.
After processing the initial disappointment of not being a Day 1 starter, this could pay enormous dividends for team and player.
Maybe this doesn’t sound right on the surface, because Sanders is a vast departure from what Stafford brings to the table. Rams coach Sean McVay would be losing the jet-fueled arm strength that makes the Stafford Rams so fun to watch.
That obvious limitation aside, there’s plenty of reason to think McVay could mold Sanders into a very successful NFL quarterback. Sanders has fantastic accuracy and adequate arm strength, and while he might not be a dual-threat quarterback, he has more than enough mobility to deal with pressure — which was easily the biggest drawback in Jared Goff’s game when he played for McVay.
Sanders has the skill set to operate McVay’s offense, and obviously L.A. has the personnel and coaching to help him succeed. The bonus is that a year or two behind Stafford could teach him plenty about NFL anticipation and decision-making.
This might not be the most exciting landing spot on draft night, but no one will care when it pays off big time in 2026 or 2027.
I’m not advocating that the Browns draft Dart with the No. 2 overall pick, but what about the first overall pick of the second round — No. 33? Or, if they love him enough, perhaps a trade up into the back end of the first round?
Thankfully, the Browns have done enough at quarterback to avoid breaking a prospect like Dart, who probably needs time to develop. Between Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, someone can give Cleveland decent enough snaps to keep a rookie off the field for at least the first half of the season — if not (preferably) longer.
Once we push past the prospect of immediate playing time, there’s a lot to like in pairing Dart with Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski. Let’s start with the obvious one, which is that Dart excels at what Stefanski likes to do. Ole Miss’ playbook is built around RPOs and play-action concepts. Stefanski called play-action passes at the fourth-highest clip in the league last year and the second-highest rate in 2023. This is a match made in tendency heaven.
Dart has the athleticism and the arm strength to do it, too. He just needs seasoning at the high-level NFL stuff like progression reading and high-leverage decision-making. There aren’t many better teachers than Stefanski, who won Coach of the Year in 2023 despite starting five quarterbacks.
I don’t want to be the latest person to poke fun at Shough’s seven-year stint in college, but he probably needs to land somewhere with a clear path to the field. He’ll be 29 at the end of his rookie contract, so there’s no time to lose.
Vegas is no longer an ideal scenario after the Geno Smith extension, but it’s not a dealbreaker, either. Smith’s contract has an out after the 2026 season, so that doesn’t need to be a long-term marriage if the Raiders decide they’re better served elsewhere.
In the meantime, Smith could serve as a useful mentor to Shough. It’s not a perfect comparison, but the playing styles are at least similar. Like Smith, Shough has better mobility than he gets credit for, with both the arm strength and the athleticism to make off-schedule plays you might not expect. Shough could also use some work at managing pressure efficiently, which is Smith’s specialty.
I’ve been beating the drum for weeks that the Giants can address their quarterback problem without using the No. 3 overall pick, and here’s a perfect example.
Milroe is a flawed quarterback prospect. His accuracy and decision-making are erratic, his mechanics are inconsistent. He needs time to sit and be taught how to play quarterback from the pocket. He’s still an insane enough athlete that he’ll have a chance to go in the second or third round, where the Giants own high draft picks.
If we can get past Brian Daboll’s tenuous job security, New York honestly sounds like a great place to try Milroe out. Daboll is currently a punching bag because the Giants have been terrible, but he is the guy who helped develop Josh Allen from a raw and athletic prospect to an All-Pro caliber quarterback.
He also maximized Daniel Jones’ athletic skill set, coaching him to a 3:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio, 708 rushing yards and a playoff appearance in 2022.
Athleticism is what Milroe has in spades. He’s got the speed and explosiveness to be a weapon, he simply needs someone to help him develop his cannon of an arm into a more consistent part of his game.
With Russell Wilson on the roster, there’d be no pressure on Milroe to play right away. And if the Giants win enough games to keep Daboll in his job, perhaps the young guy would have a chance to grow his game enough to see meaningful snaps under center.
This is more about the team than the player, if I’m being honest.
The Panthers saw exciting, improved play from Bryce Young in the second half of 2024 — enough so that drafting a quarterback in the top 10 shouldn’t be on their radar.
That said, Panthers owner David Tepper has developed a well-earned reputation for impatience and impulsiveness. I can’t let go of the idea that he might seek to add to the quarterback room, even if it’s not with a first-round pick.
Enter Ewers, who has a much higher profile than his eventual draft slot. Ewers was good enough to be the No. 1 prospect in the country coming out of high school, start for Texas and lead the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff. That pedigree might get him drafted in the top 100, even if his accuracy and decision-making could use some work.
The Panthers own pick No. 74 in the third round, as well as picks No. 111 and 114 in the fourth round. It’s prime territory for drafting a developmental quarterback to sit behind Young – and potentially succeed him, if he doesn’t earn an extension with Carolina.
The big question surrounding the Steelers is whether they’ll go after one of the high-profile quarterback prospects like Shedeur Sanders or Jaxson Dart in the first round.
If they don’t, I think Howard makes a ton of sense as a later option — perhaps with their fourth-round pick.
There are multiple reasons for that. Howard seems to ooze the character and football-driven mindset the Steelers covet. He was a team captain and scored 67 career touchdowns across four years at Kansas State, and that was before he transferred to Ohio State and helped the Buckeyes to a national championship.
That’s bound to make Steelers coach Mike Tomlin like him, but the fit works from a football standpoint, too.
Howard is a big, athletic guy with some athleticism. He rushed for 26 touchdowns in college, and he did some of his best work as a passer off of bootlegs and play-action. He also had a fantastic success rate on deep balls, completing eight passes of 50-plus yards last year.
He’s not the same caliber of athlete as Ryan Tannehill, but the tools are similar. That should be plenty intriguing for Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who famously revitalized Tannehill’s career.
As previously mentioned, you’ve got to consider New Orleans as a likely landing spot for Shedeur Sanders with Derek Carr’s future there in doubt.
Even if the Saints aren’t interested in using the No. 9 overall pick on a quarterback, they should still probably address the position somehow. Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener are the only other quarterbacks on the roster if Carr can’t go.
McCord might not be a lock to win the starting job, but I have a feeling new head coach Kellen Moore would appreciate his skill set. Not gifted with an especially strong arm or eye-popping athleticism, McCord wins with accuracy, anticipation and his knowledge of what he’s looking at. What he lacks in ability, he makes up for with an advanced understanding of the position. That sounds a lot like the quarterback Moore was at Boise State — though, admittedly, McCord is a bigger and more athletic prospect than Moore was.
The point remains: McCord is a guy you can put under center and expect he’ll where to put the football — even if the ball doesn’t look exciting getting there. The Saints already have a big-armed quarterback in Rattler, so maybe Moore would prefer to work with a skill set he intimately understands.
Maybe this is too elementary, but just bear with me because it sounds fun.
Simply put, Leonard is a match for the type of quarterback the Bills have in Josh Allen. They are not remotely the same caliber of prospect, which is why Allen went No. 8 overall and Leonard figures to slip to Day 3. Leonard’s not as big, he doesn’t have the same caliber arm, etc., etc.
It’d still be fun to pair Allen with a backup who plays the same way. Leonard is just shy of 6-foot-4, has a solid arm and threw himself around to the tune of 906 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground. Drafting him would allow the Bills some consistency with their offense in the event that Allen misses time. It would also allow Leonard to learn from a guy who sees and plays the game with the same type of athleticism and reckless abandon.
Leonard projects as a fourth or fifth-round pick, according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler. The Bills own 10 draft picks — two of those come in the fourth round and another three in the fifth.
Nobody’s saying the Bills have to fire Mitchell Trubisky, if they’d prefer he remains as a veteran backup. But Leonard would be a heck of a fun third-string quarterback to serve as a project and a potential high-end backup in time.
David Helman covers the NFL for FOX Sports and hosts the NFL on FOX podcast. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team’s official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing “Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion” about the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.
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