Jalen Milroe, Tyler Shough, Will Howard's Top Landing Spots After 2025 NFL Draft Day 1

The first day of the NFL draft is over, and only two quarterbacks went in Round 1: Miami's Cam Ward (to the Tennessee Titans at No. 1) and Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart (to the New York Giants, who traded up from No. 34 to No. 25).

There's still plenty of talent left at the position, though. A few examples include Alabama's Jalen Milroe (QB4, No. 70 overall on the B/R NFL Scouting Department big board), Ohio State's Will Howard (QB5, No. 74) and Louisville's Tyler Shough (QB7, No. 113).

And with that, here's a look at some potential top landing spots for that trio.

Best Landing Spot: Los Angeles Rams

Milroe is an electric and uber-athletic talent with a high ceiling, but he could perhaps use some time to refine his passing skills. B/R NFL Scout Dame Parson had this to say on him in his scouting report.

"Overall Milroe's outstanding blend of elite speed/athleticism, physically dense build, and a live arm fits the trend of today's quarterback archetypes. As he has shown this season, there are encouraging flashes of development as a pocket passer.

"If this continues, NFL decision-makers will be more than intrigued about placing him in their offense and building around his skillset. Milroe projects as a quarterback prospect that should sit instead of being a Day 1 starter in the NFL."

There may be no better place to sit than in Los Angeles with the Rams and brilliant head coach Sean McVay and astounding veteran quarterback Matt Stafford.

NFL analyst (and former Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders general manager) Mike Mayock believes the best landing spot for Milroe is with the Rams.

"To me the best place for him to land would be the Los Angeles Rams," Mayock told Betway's Jack Green on April 2. "You get him in L.A. playing behind Matthew Stafford, learning every day."

Stafford, 37, is signed for two more years in L.A. In theory, the Rams could start him for two years and have Milroe learn behind him (and spell him if needed). That relieves early pressure on Milroe and gives the Rams a solid option to consider as their future QB.

Best Landing Spot: New Orleans Saints

One couldn't look at NFL draft content for more than a few minutes in April without finding another glowing report about Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough, perhaps none brighter than when ESPN's Adam Schefter stated Monday that "there are teams that actually have Shough rated as their top quarterback in this draft." In other words, those teams had Shough ahead of Miami's Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick of this year's draft to the Tennessee Titans.

The key words being thrown around about the 25-year-old Shough, who played 42 games over seven seasons, are "NFL ready," "experienced" and "high-floor."

With that being the case, the New Orleans Saints make a lot of sense here given the mystery surrounding starting quarterback Derek Carr's shoulder injury. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on April 11 that Carr's availability for the 2025 season is in doubt due to the matter.

It would therefore behoove the Saints to add to the QB room, which is fronted by Spencer Rattler and backed by Jake Haener right now. Rattler, a 2024 fifth-round rookie, went 0-6 as the Saints' starter, throwing for four touchdowns and five interceptions. He could certainly see brighter days, but New Orleans ought to consider adding more help given the QB1 situation. An "NFL-ready" player like Shough may be the answer.

Best Landing Spot: Las Vegas Raiders

In his lone season with the Ohio State Buckeyes, Howard completed 73.1 percent of his passes for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The Buckeyes went 14-2 under his watch and won the national championship.

So needless to say, the one-year connection between Ohio State and Howard, an ex-Kansas State star who transferred to the Buckeyes, was a major success.

Howard did all this under the tutelage of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Chip Kelly, who was also one-and-done in in Columbus before leaving for the Las Vegas Raiders to assume their OC role.

Why not a reunion between Kelly and Howard? It's clear Kelly knows how to get the best out of Howard, and the best was tremendous, good enough for a national title and a sensational season, both from an individual and team perspective.

Plus, Howard is a huge fan of Kelly's, as relayed by Raiders digital reporter Levi Edwards.

The Raiders just traded for Geno Smith and signed him to a two-year extension, but they can release him without any cap penalties after the 2026 season, per Over the Cap. They have their QB1 answer in the short-term but don't in the long-term.

In other words, it could behoove the Raiders to select Howard, have him sit behind Smith and potentially anoint him as the QB1 in a few years' time.