The slide to a seventh-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft raised questions about former Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and his decision to leave college, and ESPN's Paul Finebaum piled onto those narratives in the wake of the draft. Finebaum scolded Ewers over the "terrible decision" to embark on his pro career rather than to use another year of eligibility. But while another year of college could have helped Ewers refine his skills and secure a more favorable draft position in 2026, it is no guarantee that would have been the case.
"I think it's a cautionary tale that you probably ought to get really good advice," Finebaum said on "McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning," this week. "Listen, as somebody who saw Quinn Ewers a lot this past year, he just wasn't that great. Everyone knows that. I mean, I walked around the Cotton Bowl at halftime of the Ohio State game, and I can't tell you how many Texas fans yelled at me. When I walked over to say hello, they said, 'Why is this guy still playing quarterback?' By the way, that was the team that came within a play or two of making the national championship."
The Miami Dolphins selected Ewers with the No. 231 overall pick as a projected backup to Tua Tagovailoa. He came off the board after more than a dozen of his peers, including fellow Day 3 picks Will Howard, Riley Leonard, Kyle McCord, Graham Mertz and Kurtis Rourke.
"So you have to be smart," said Finebaum. "He just let his ego get in the way, and he made a terrible decision. He would not have been at Texas. We all know that. They didn't want him anymore. He would have been somewhere like Carson Beck making a lot of money, having a good time and maybe working on his skills as opposed to being humiliated the way he was."
Another season at Texas always seemed unlikely with the Longhorns ready to hand the keys to the offense to longtime backup and former No. 1 overall recruit Arch Manning. But Ewers was staunch in his assessment of the transfer portal and stated at the NFL Scouting Combine that it was "never a thought for me" that he might seek a new school — even with the reported potential to earn upwards of $8 million in NIL.
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Across 36 games at Texas, Ewers completed 64.9% of his passes for 9,128 yards and 68 touchdowns with 24 interceptions. He led the Longhorns to consecutive College Football Playoff appearances in his final two seasons and won the 2023 Big 12 championship.
Brad Crawford and Cody Nagel contributed to this article.
This article originates on 247Sports.
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