2025 NFL draft QBs: Bowl questions for Sanders, Ward, Milroe - ESPN

The 2024 college football bowl season has already brought excitement, upsets and plenty of good performances by top NFL draft prospects. And now we'll see three of the top quarterbacks in the 2025 class — Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, Miami's Cam Ward and Alabama's Jalen Milroe — in their non-College Football Playoff bowl games over the next week.

On Saturday, Sanders — the top signal-caller on my board — will try to lead Colorado past BYU to give the Buffaloes their first bowl win in 20 years. Ward will face Iowa State later that day. And then on New Year's Eve, Milroe will try to raise his Day 2 draft grade with a big performance against Michigan's stout defense. It's one last chance to put up good tape and answer lingering questions about their skill sets for NFL front offices.

What can they each do to improve their draft stocks? What are scouts looking to see in their final games of the season? Let's answer big questions about what each quarterback needs to show in his bowl game appearance and explore what it means for each player's scouting report.

Jump to:
Ward | Sanders | Milroe

Pop-Tarts Bowl: vs. Iowa State, Dec. 28, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Ward's Scouts Inc. ranking: No. 24

Can Ward balance his improvisational playmaking with sound decisions and avoid putting the ball in harm's way?

Ward led Miami to come-from-behind wins against Cal, Louisville and Duke. He has completed a career-high 67.4% of his passes and improved his completion rate under pressure to 50.4% (28th in the FBS). And he has found success this season extending plays, altering his release point and ripping the ball into tight windows. At 6-foot-2 and 223 pounds, he can make things happen off schedule.

Just look at his 23-yard touchdown pass to receiver