The rookie grace period is over. Now it\u2019s time to see how the 2025 NFL Draft\u2019s quarterback class performs as sophomores.<\/p>\n
One this week\u2019s episode of the \u201cFootball 301\u201d podcast<\/a> on Yahoo Sports, Nate Tice and Matt Harmon discuss the most notable QBs entering their second seasons and what fans should look for in 2026.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n From No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward<\/a> to fifth-round selection Shedeur Sanders<\/a>, there\u2019s a wide range in potential outcomes.<\/p>\n Both Tice and Harmon agreed that Ward\u2019s rookie year stats didn\u2019t stand out, but the surrounding situation was dire \u2014 rookie receivers, backup tight ends and an unstable coaching staff. Despite the lack of a single eye-popping stat, Ward showed encouraging traits: good pocket clock, a willingness to push the ball and creativity in his throws. With the addition of rookie first-round receiver Carnell Tate and slight improvements around him, expect Ward to take a noticeable second-year leap, likely shedding most lingering doubts about his viability as a starter, even if he doesn\u2019t suddenly become elite.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Dart impressed with his athleticism and toughness in a difficult situation last season, showing real flashes as a runner and creator. However, he takes too many hits and needs to develop passing consistency, especially over the middle and on in-structure plays. Tice compared him to a raw Russell Wilson<\/a> or Justin Fields<\/a>: high upside if he reins himself in, but there\u2019s significant bust risk if he can\u2019t grow his pocket operator skills. The new system under Greg Roman\/Matt Nagy should emphasize his running, but big strides as a passer are still needed.<\/p>\n Harmon and Tice both see Shough as the safest bet for Year 2 success. He showed poise, decisiveness and a good football IQ \u2014 albeit at 27 years old. He lacks the ceiling of Ward or Dart, but makes good decisions, gets the ball out quickly and fits well in the Saints\u2019 improved offense. The main concern is his sack rate and ability to create under heavy pressure, but he projects as a top-16 to top-18 \u201csteady hand\u201d starter for this season.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Sanders struggled statistically and on film, hampered by dreadful pass protection and inconsistent receivers in Cleveland. He\u2019s neither a top athlete nor a power arm, and must play much faster and with more decisiveness. He projects best as a developmental backup \u2014 he showed enough to compete for a backup job, but unless he can overcome his processing and physical limitations, he\u2019s unlikely to develop into a starting-caliber QB. Tice compared his statistical profile to Mitchell Trubisky<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The rookie grace period is over. Now it\u2019s time to see how the 2025 NFL Draft\u2019s quarterback class…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":711311,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[436],"tags":[49,2223,48,167193,1724,1763,3148,204384,87491,25171,1734,1728,514,1764,1729,82,1741,1760],"class_list":["post-711310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-ca","tag-cam-ward","tag-canada","tag-carnell-tate","tag-cleveland-browns","tag-jaxson-dart","tag-justin-fields","tag-matt-harmon","tag-mitchell-trubisky","tag-nate-tice","tag-new-orleans-saints","tag-new-york-giants","tag-nfl","tag-russell-wilson","tag-shedeur-sanders","tag-sports","tag-tennessee-titans","tag-tyler-shough"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=711310"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711310\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/711311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=711310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=711310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=711310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}