NFL Confidential: Which teams want to draft a QB the most?

Cam Ward has been the presumptive No. 1 overall pick of the Tennessee Titans for more than a month. After that, there are several teams looking to add a quarterback, and they could do so at various points of the three-day draft.

With just a week to go before every club is officially on the clock, let’s continue to dive into more of the key players and storylines heading into Green Bay.

QB draft dominoes

Should the Giants pass on Shedeur Sanders with the No. 3 pick, keep an eye out for Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart, whose swashbuckling style and flair for the dramatic seems tailor-made for New York, and who I’m told head coach Brian Daboll likes.

Dart might not be for everyone, but as we explored in last week’s column, there’s a lot to work with — particularly in the form of leadership.

Several sources have indicated he won’t fall out of the first round, so perhaps Giants general manager Joe Schoen takes either Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter — whomever the Browns don’t take at No. 2 — and then moves up from No. 34 to grab Dart.

Louisville QB Tyler Shough is another prospect with increasing buzz. At 6-5, 219 pounds, he is as natural a passer as we have in this class. And I use the word passer on purpose, because Shough’s not a thrower — he commands the pocket and effortlessly delivers the football.

The Saints could be in play, not at No. 9 overall but certainly in the second round — their next pick is No. 40 — or perhaps later in the first if they want to come back up.

This is a franchise starving for a quarterback. And that has very little, if any, to do with the news that Derek Carr’s 2025 season is in jeopardy. Drew Brees and Sean Payton are long gone — and so is the glow of the franchise’s lone Super Bowl win in 2010.

Also, because this is not seen as an especially strong draft, “You can basically get the same player at 23 that you can at 8,” a veteran NFC East scout told FOX Sports.

With few clubs looking to trade up, perhaps the Saints will zag when everyone else is zigging.

Keep a close eye on Syracuse’s Kyle McCord, as well. The nation’s most prolific passer last season — he bested all of Donovan McNabb’s single-season school records — possesses prototypical NFL size at 6-3, 218 pounds, and is generally viewed in higher regard by teams than most draft analysts (and certainly most fans).

One stat that caught the eye of an NFC scout? The fact McCord went 9-4 in college when trailing.

“When you’re evaluating quarterbacks, it’s the whole package,” the scout said. “It’s obviously the traits, it’s the mental makeup, it’s the history of coaching he’s had, all of that. But it’s how he handles adversity as much as anything. For Kyle, here’s a kid who was a 5-star [recruit], plays well at Ohio State, but fans turn on him after losing one time to Michigan. Then he goes to Syracuse and wins 10 games — at Syracuse.

“He was down in a lot of those [games] and he always seemed to find a way out. That’s what I’m looking at as much as anything.”

The Jets and Steelers — regardless of whether Aaron Rodgers signs — will be looking to draft a quarterback. McCord could be in the mix for either club.

Two other teams that have done extensive work on QBs this spring and will consider drafting one depending on how the board falls: the Raiders and the Browns.

A tight (end) market

The Ravens might have let the cat out of the bag this week when GM Eric DeCosta was noticeably noncommittal about the future of veteran tight end Mark Andrews.

The 29-year-old former All-Pro is entering the final year of his contract with no guaranteed money and a cap hit nearing $17 million. He averaged just 39.6 receiving yards per game in 2024, his worst output since his rookie year, and Baltimore would gain $11 million in cap space by parting ways with him.

“I never know what’s going to happen, and I would never want to say this or that,” DeCosta said. “But I can tell you this: Mark Andrews is a warrior. He’s played his butt off for us, and his competitiveness, talent, attitude, and leadership are all highly valued here. He’s a great player, and we’re in the business of keeping as many great players as we can. But there’s always unpredictability with the draft — you just never know.”

Baltimore has Isaiah Likely entering the final year of his rookie deal and poised to take over as TE1. The Ravens hold 11 draft picks this year, tied for the most in the league.

A similar scenario is unfolding in Philadelphia, where Dallas Goedert has been made available via trade. He’s also in the final year of his contract with no guaranteed money.

Goedert and Andrews are both names to keep an eye on as potential trade candidates during draft weekend.

Speaking of tight ends in the draft, Michigan star Colston Loveland has been a riser. Penn State’s Tyler Warren has gotten the bulk of the media blitz — and rightfully so — but the Big Ten produced another major player in Loveland, a swift and nimble 6-6, 248-pound athlete with a full route tree and playmaking chops to boot.

Loveland, from what I understand, has a real shot to go in the 10-22 range of the first round after leading the Wolverines with a program-record 56 catches by a tight end. He’s interviewed well and has a ton of fans throughout plenty of NFL buildings.

Ideal size and frame is one thing, but as one college scouting director told me of Loveland: “A f—ing awesome football player, man. Does it all. Day 1 mismatch, Day 1 star.”

Jordan Schultz is an NFL Insider for FOX Sports. He also co-hosts the “Why Is Draymond Green Talking About Football?” show. You can follow him on X at @Schultz_Report.

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