Concerning notes about Quinn Ewers emerge ahead of NFL Draft

Quinn Ewers was a star for the Texas Longhorns over three seasons, and he was one of the main reasons that Steve Sarkisian’s program became a legitimate College Football Playoff contender over the past two seasons.

Not every quarterback who thrives in college has what it takes to make it in the NFL, though. Most don’t. Florida Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow is a great example. Texas A&M Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel is another. 

The list goes on and on.

Though Ewers put up some big-time numbers at Texas and he’s the former No. 1 overall recruit in the country, several NFL scouts just don’t see him as a real option at the professional level. In a recent article from Tom Pelissero that asked NFL executives, scouts and coaches to rank the quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft, Ewers was ranked sixth.

He’s a projected third or fourth-rounder, but some of the feedback Pelissero collected wasn’t great. 

“He’s more player than talent. He’s just not a big kid (6-2 1/8, 214). He’s been hurt every year since high school. The arm’s very average. There’s not a lot of talent there. He’s not a starter. He’s a distributor. He’s a point guard. He ain’t going to push it down the field,” one AFC executive said.

Ewers has dealt with injuries over three seasons at Texas, which may have stunted his ceiling a bit. One AFC coordinator was clear that it’s more of a fundamental thing with Ewers, though.

“The Texas kid, I wasn’t a fan of,” an AFC coordinator told Pelissero. “He can hit short and intermediate, but he’s like an all-arm thrower. He never uses his lower body and he’s not accurate down the field.”

This is absolutely a new spot for Ewers from an evaluation standpoint. He was the consensus top recruit in the 2021 class and committed to Ohio State out of high school. When he transferred to Texas, he was seen as a huge “get” for Sarkisian and the Longhorns.

Now he’s coming into the NFL with something to prove, which has to feel very different. Not every evaluator was down on Ewers, though. A quarterback’s coach from the NFC praised his character and smarts. He also feels Ewers can perhaps grow into a role in the NFL.

“He’s somebody you can see develop, develop, develop and then — bang! Because there’s a competitor there that’s hard to teach and there’s an intelligence factor there that’s hard to teach,” that coach said.