Steve Sarkisian’s star QB was once hailed as a future NFL golden boy. And now? He finds his draft stock teetering on thin ice. For Quinn Ewers, a torn oblique and ankle sprain clearly played a role in shaping his fate despite the impressive 3,472 yards and 31 touchdowns he racked up last season. Even with those numbers, the lingering shadow of his 12 interceptions screams inconsistency. And his Pro Day couldn’t silence the doubts. Ironically, Ewers’ NFL fate now seems tangled with where Shedeur Sanders lands—looks like that Longhorns curse might be sticking around.

As the NFL Draft looms, the experts are split on Quinn Ewers’ pro potential. Projected as a Day 2 pick, his long-term impact is still a big question mark. Analyst Cody Carpentier didn’t pull any punches, saying, “Is Quinn going to be a quarterback coach? I don’t think he’s going to be Tom Brady. I don’t think he’ll have a 20-year career. But I think you might get a decade out of it.” Ouch. Instead of legendary comparisons, Carpentier likened Ewers to former UTEP QB Jordan Palmer, who found success coaching rather than dominating the field.

But that coaching path isn’t what Quinn Ewers is chasing. And former Longhorns star Rod Babers on the On Texas Football podcast delivered an even tougher reality check: “I feel like he’s gonna go into third round….early third round. He could sneak into the second but go look at the history last 10 years, you haven’t had a lot of quarterbacks drafted in the second round.”

Usually if an NFL team believes a QB possesses worthy elite traits, they look past the downsides, focus on the upside, and draft them in the first round. “I don’t know if they’re going to do that with Quinn, because right now they’re looking at Quinn with more downside than upside.” He pointed to the inconsistencies that have shifted the narrative. “So I think Quinn will drop—potentially out of that second into the third. And I think that’s where teams are going to look to go after Quinn, in the third round. Unfortunately, this draft—the scouting process—I don’t think has been kind to his draft stock at all. I think it’s actually dropped. I think the pro day hurt him a little bit,” Babers explained.

Ewers’ Pro Day was a mixed bag. His short-route accuracy in passing drills was impressive, but as the route depth increased, his struggles became clear. While accuracy was an issue at Texas, his arm strength had never been in question—until his Pro Day, where he threw a series of noticeably wobbly passes, raising red flags. And that’s exactly what Rod Babers is highlighting.

Now, Babers isn’t saying no team will be interested in Quinn Ewers. He even predicted a potential fit, suggesting, “I think if he ends up with any of those Sean McVay or Kyle Shanahan offenses….that’d be ideal. I don’t necessarily see that happening, but any of those kinds of offshoot offenses from that tree would help him because they’re very quarterback-friendly.” This makes sense, especially with the 49ers letting go of QBs Joshua Dobbs and Brandon Allen, leaving them with Tanner Mordecai, Brock Purdy, and the recent addition of Mac Jones.

Plus, with Matthew Stafford’s retirement whispers, Sean McVay might be eyeing a new arm. Both the 49ers and Rams also run offenses with similarities to Steve Sarkisian’s system, which could be a major plus. “Sark’s offenses often have a lot of similarities and commonalities with those offenses—really high play action rates, high RPO rates, high screen rates—those are all little cheat codes to help your quarterback instead of just putting him in straight dropback situations. That’s what you don’t want Quinn in,” Babers noted.

But here’s the rub: with Shedeur Sanders’ own unpredictable draft stock, this ideal scenario for Quinn Ewers might just remain a pipe dream.

Quinn Ewers’ NFL fate relies on Shedeur’s move

It looks like the tables have turned for Quinn Ewers’ NFL future, as Shedeur Sanders’ draft journey could be the ultimate game-changer for him. We know Shedeur could go as high as the top 5 or slide as far as the 21st pick, and this uncertainty could significantly impact Ewers’ position. Explaining this domino effect, Jack Howe said, “From this standpoint—could where Quinn goes, could it be dependent on what happens with Shedeur Sanders? Because let’s say the Saints at nine might hold the cards in this draft, because they’ve got a situation now where—and again, it could be a smokescreen—but maybe they’re thinking they take their quarterback now.”

Many NFL experts, like Tyler Dragon, predict the Saints at No. 9 might even trade up with the Jets to No. 7 to snag Shedeur. Derek Carr’s situation makes this plausible, as Dragon pointed out, “New Saints coach Kellen Moore inherited Derek Carr. They aren’t in a committed long-term relationship. Plus, Carr is reportedly dealing with a shoulder issue. The Saints can start a new era at QB with Sanders with this projected trade with the Jets. He’s a prototypical dropback passer and throws with good accuracy and anticipation.” If this happens, other teams might feel the pressure to secure a QB, potentially boosting Quinn Ewers’ stock.

Jack Howe also highlights that if Shedeur’s pick slips to the 21st spot, Quinn Ewers might be waiting much longer than anticipated. “If they take Shedeur Sanders at nine, theoretically that pushes all the quarterbacks up the board. Or if he goes into the 20s, the quarterbacks could slide further back.”

At pick 21, the Pittsburgh Steelers are also a strong contender for Shedeur. The QB duo of Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson alone won’t cut it in the tough AFC North, and the buzz is already strong: Shedeur Sanders was reportedly very impressed with their HC, Mike Tomlin, even giving him a “10 out of 10” after their pre-draft visit.

If Shedeur falls that far, Quinn Ewers’ chances of being a top 20 pick plummet. So, Ewers finds himself at a pivotal point in his NFL journey. Will the dominoes fall in his favor, or will he be left waiting in the wings?