Quinn Ewers was one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft. After starting his career at Ohio State and later transferring to Texas, he posted a career completion percentage close to 65% and threw 68 total touchdowns. Ewers was also a 5-star recruit coming out of high school.
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That’s why it was surprising to see the 22-year-old slide to the 7th round of the Draft. Naturally, his agent was also taken aback and reached out to several NFL teams to ask why his client had fallen so far.
Ewers’ agent, Ron Slavin, said teams told him they viewed his client as a third- or fourth-round talent, but his name recognition worked against him as a developmental quarterback.
“They thought he was a third- or fourth-round pick, but too big of a name to be a clipboard holder,” Slavin told Todd Archer of ESPN. “Which I think is chickensh*t.”
It is quite a confusing explanation that Slavin received. But it’s essentially what people have been pointing out about Shedeur Sanders’ selection with the Browns. Shedeur, a fifth-round pick, will be attracting a ton of media attention, which is something most teams would like to avoid.
Reddit reacted to the news piece accordingly. Some felt that if this is what teams feel, then quarterbacks in college will now play there until they become definite first-round starters. Otherwise, they’ll have the same fate as Ewers and Shedeur.
“I think this is going to start signaling QBs to just spend an extra year in college unless they have a definitive 1st round grade. Shedeur and Quinn basically threw away millions for a slim chance at a starting QB role in the NFL,” a user commented.
“There were rumors he turned down an $8,000,000 NIL transfer offer. Even after taxes and fees, he would have been set for a comfortable life,” someone else responded.
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According to sources, Ewers turned down an $8 million offer to transfer out of Texas to another school. It’s a decision he might be regretting post-Draft.
Other Redditors felt that Ewers has some glaring weaknesses. So, his falling so low was correct in their view. “Poor pocket awareness and a mediocre arm. Backup QBs shouldn’t be taken early,” they wrote.
“A chicken would have better pocket awareness,” another joked.
Ewers’ poor pocket awareness was the biggest knock on his game entering the Draft. He’s also reportedly bad at making decisions under pressure and can be inconsistent at times. Ewers led the entire SEC in touchdown passes last season, but also led the conference in interceptions.
All in all, the Draft speaks for itself, and teams clearly viewed Ewers as a day 3 talent. But the explanation his agent got was a bit confusing. We’re still trying to decipher what it means to be “too big a name to hold a clipboard.”
Maybe the Dolphins got away with a steal in Ewers. But Tua Tagovailoa is under contract until 2027, and Zach Wilson has turned into a quality backup option. Ewers is going to have to earn his spot on the roster. But honestly, if he can’t beat out Wilson for the backup role, he probably doesn’t deserve to be a top pick anyways.
