Graham Mertz, Florida: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Mertz was a four-star recruit from Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park, Kan. in the class of 2019

Graham Mertz has flipped the script since his time at Wisconsin. Development and playing in Florida’s offensive scheme have elevated him to the level of a Day 3 prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft.

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Graham Mertz, QB Florida: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt senior quarterback from Overland Park, Kan.

Background: Mertz was a four-star recruit from Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park, Kan. in the class of 2019. He was the No. 65 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 42 for Rivals, and No. 57 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 21st in the nation with an 86 grade out of 100. Mertz transferred from Wisconsin to Florida for the 2023 season and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education sciences in the spring of 2024. As a high school senior, he completed 61.1% of his pass attempts for 3,886 yards and 51 touchdowns, which set the state record. Mertz also rushed for 267 yards and four touchdowns as Blue Valley North finished as the state champion runner-up. His outstanding season earned him 2018-19 Gatorade Kansas Football Player of the Year, First Team All-Eastern Kansas League, and All-State honors. Mertz also won the 2018 Thomas A. Simone Award, which goes to the top Kansas City-area player. As a junior, he completed 62% of his attempts for 3,684 yards and 45 touchdowns while rushing for 455 yards and five additional scores. Blue Valley North won the Class 6A State Championship, and Mertz earned First Team All-Eastern Kansas League and All-State honors. He finished his high school career with 96 passing touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Mertz was invited to the All-America Bowl. His father, Ron, played football at Minnesota from 1989-92. His two older sisters played sports in college. Lauren Mertz played basketball at Kansas State while Mya Mertz played basketball for Drake.

Injuries & Off-Field: Suffered a fractured collarbone vs. Missouri and missed Florida State game (2023)

Awards: Named a team captain for multiple games in 2023

Pros: Clean and smooth throwing motion, uses an abbreviated whip-like throwing motion when pressured, adjusts arm angles to fit throws around defenders, footwork rarely compromises throws, operates well within structure, quick decision maker, good processing time on full-field reads, able to hit his back foot and get the ball out in rhythm and on time, senses pressure well, climbs the pocket the avoid outside pressure, good foundation to build on for pocket management, knows when to throw the ball away, holds defenders with his eyes, throws with touch to all levels, layers the ball between the second and third levels, surprising zip on throws over MOF and in-breaking routes, impressive velocity at the short to intermediate levels to fit throws into tight windows, generally ball placement leads receiver over MOF, mobility to roll out on naked bootlegs and extend plays

Cons: Age, penalized seven times in 2023, some issues getting offense lined up in time vs. Missouri (2023), heavy reliance on play action concepts, some plays where he holds the ball too long despite pocket collapsing, needs to protect ball better when sensing backside pressure, fumbled seven times in 2021 and 2023, not a quick throwing motion, fades away and throws off back foot vs. pressure, over-rotates upper body during throwing motion while under pressure, anticipation is lacking, sometimes doesn’t see receivers breaking wide open, occasional tunnel vision tips off defenders, lacks elite arm strength, arm is well-rounded but short of elite, doesn’t maximize receiver’s leverage consistently, off-platform accuracy takes a massive hit when being pursued, not a fast or very agile QB, lacks high-end escapability, not a big threat to run, took some significant punishment in 2023

Overview: Mertz is one of the oldest quarterback prospects with a legitimate chance to be selected in 2025. He has a clean and smooth throwing motion, but it’s one of the slower throwing motions in the class. Fortunately, Mertz uses an abbreviated whip-like motion to speed up his process when dealing with pressure. He adjusts his arm angles to fit throws around defenders. Mertz has sound footwork that rarely disrupts his accuracy. He operates well within structure because of his quick decision making and ability to play in rhythm and on time. The former Wisconsin transfer is guilty of holding the ball too long in some collapsing pockets, but he usually knows when to throw the ball away. He climbs the pocket to avoid outside pressure and has the foundation to develop high-level pocket control. There’s still room for Mertz to build on his current pocket management, but he’s well ahead of many other prospects in the upcoming class. He processes full-field reads with good timing and rarely put the ball in harm’s way as a passer in 2023. Mertz holds defenders with his eyes to open zones or throwing lanes. The sixth-year redshirt senior throws with touch to all levels of the field but also generates impressive velocity on his short and intermediate throws to complete passes through tight windows. He occasionally throws on or behind receivers on routes to the middle of the field, but he mostly places those passes in a way that leads his receivers to space. Mertz doesn’t have an elite arm. His velocity fades on some longer throws, and he struggles to maintain his accuracy on throws that require him to put the ball 50 or more yards downfield. He threw an incompletion that traveled around 55-air-yards against Georgia (2023), which might be his maximum range. The Florida offense played an interesting role in Mertz authoring by far the best year of his career. The Gators ran play action on nearly 36% of Mertz’s dropbacks. That mark never rose above 21% at Wisconsin. Very few offenses in the NFL have their quarterbacks run play action on more than 27% of their dropbacks. Mertz, along with many other quarterbacks in the 2025 class, will need to make the adjustment when he reaches the league. The Kansas native needs to improve his ball security under pressure to prevent more strip-sacks. He often fades away or throws off his back foot when facing pressure. Mertz also over-rotates his upper body while throwing under pressure in anticipation of contact. Speaking of anticipation, Mertz doesn’t throw with much despite his significant playing experience. His vision is hit-or-miss. The former four-star recruit sometimes doesn’t see wide open receivers because he gets tunnel vision, which allows defenses to read his eyes. His throws don’t maximize the receiver’s leverage and require the receiver to play above or through the defender to reach the ball. He also suffers from missing high on some intermediate routes. Mertz has the mobility to roll out and extend plays, but his off-platform accuracy takes a massive hit when he’s being pursued. He isn’t a fast or agile quarterback and lacks the escapability to create second chance opportunities for offenses. Defenses don’t fear his legs. Mertz took some big hits in both the run and pass game in 2023 and needs to protect himself more going forward.

Overall, Mertz has the rhythm and experience to play within structure and keep offenses on time while sprinkling in some impressive throws. It’s worth wondering how much of his development from 2022 to 2023 was scheme-driven and what that means for his potential landing spots. Mertz lacks the ceiling to be an NFL starter but can provide serviceable play off the bench.

Role & Scheme Fit: Pocket passer in a play action-heavy 11-personnel scheme

Round Grade: Mid Fourth to Early Fifth Round

Size: 6'2 3/4", 215 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 06-22-24