With summer scouting in the books and an actual college season to be played, the beginning of the 2025 NFL Draft process is officially underway. This class has standout talent in the trenches on both sides of the ball, superstars at the running back position and of course a handful of playmaking wide receivers. Let’s take a look at my top 50 players.
1. Mason Graham, DL, Michigan
He’s a certified game-wrecker; 320-pounders aren’t supposed to have the flexibility and twitch Graham has to combine with his power.
2. Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
Burden’s a playmaker who can threaten from anywhere on the field. His toughness and pound-for-pound strength are severely underrated.
3. Nic Scourton, EDGE, Texas A&M
Scourton showed off knockback power with big, heavy hands during a breakout season for Purdue in 2023. He’s now part of a very talented defensive line at Texas A&M.
4. Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
Johnson is long, fluid, and explosive with ball skills to match. There’s not many boxes the Wolverine doesn’t check at cornerback.
5. Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
A big-bodied perimeter target with natural hands, McMillan is a nightmare matchup because he’s open even when covered.
6. Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas
Banks is a thick tackle and a leverage monster. The strength he generates from his hips when taking on power is extremely impressive.
7. James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee
Pearce is a special athlete who shows off great play speed. When he has tackles on an island, he’s very hard to get hands on.
8. Will Campbell, OT, LSU
Campbell’s arm length will be questioned during the draft process, but his hand placement and overall technique is very polished. He generates a lot of movement in the man scheme run game.
9. Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado
The question around Hunter isn’t talent related, it’s what position he will ultimately play full time. I like him better at wide receiver and considering where that market has gone in the NFL, it should shock no one if that’s what he commits to.
10. Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State
Carter’s pass-rush plan is a bit raw as he’s handled different roles in the Penn State front seven, but he’s explosive wherever he lines up. He is very good at dipping and ripping his way around the outside shoulder of tackles to disrupt the pocket.
11. Deone Walker, DL, Kentucky
A 6-6, 348-pound wrecking ball, Walker is a unique presence on the defensive line.
12. Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame
Morris disrupts routes with physicality and consistently fights through hands when the ball arrives. In most corner classes, he’d have a strong case to be the top player at his position.
13. Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
Loveland is a master at using his size to make adjustments to the ball. His versatility to play on and off the line of scrimmage will increase his value.
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14. Kevin Winston Jr., SAF, Penn State
Winston has tremendous ability to come to balance and is one of the best tackling college safeties I’ve evaluated. If he creates more turnovers in 2024, he’s got a shot to go in the first round (no easy feat for a safety in this era).
15. Harold Perkins, LB, LSU
Perkins is an undersized front seven player with rare pursuit speed to create chaos.
16. Jonah Savaiinaea, OL, Arizona
Built like a Hummer, Savaiinaea jolts defenders with his punch and possesses a very strong anchor. It will be interesting to see if his long-term home is at tackle or guard.
17. Malachi Starks, SAF, Georgia
Starks plays true free safety, in the box, in the slot and even special teams successfully. His fluidity in coverage makes him a difference maker.
18. Tyleik Williams, DL, Ohio State
Williams is already a powerhouse run defender, but what he is able to unlock in 2024 as a pass rusher will dictate how high he’s drafted.
19. Isaiah Bond, WR, Texas
Bond has the type of speed you can’t easily find; it’s special watching him not lose any momentum throughout his routes.
20. Carson Beck, QB, Georgia
While he isn’t an out-of-structure playmaker like many top quarterbacks drafted in this era, Beck throws effortlessly and with anticipation.
21. Kenneth Grant, DL, Michigan
A true nose tackle, Grant brings the beef to a defensive front, but also has surprising burst for his size.
22. Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
Egbuka has a great understanding of how to change tempo through his routes to create space and separation. He looks like a pro at the college level.
23. Tyler Booker, OG, Alabama
The strength Booker generates from the lower half in his 352-pound frame is rare. Even more impressive is his above average awareness and IQ against different pressure looks.
24. Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia
Williams is gifted with size, power and athleticism. If he puts the tools together to become a productive pass rusher, he’ll fly up this board.
25. Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State
Judkins had back-to-back seasons of 76 and 78 missed tackles forced (per PFF). His muscular frame and burst allows him to plow through the defense.
RELATED: Auerbach’s 10 takeaways from an eventful college football Week 1
26. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
Jeanty stole the show in Week 1 with six touchdowns on the ground. He’s a very low to the ground runner with great contact balance, elusiveness and overall skill when working in congested areas.
27. Tacario Davis, CB, Arizona
At 6-4, Davis has unique size for a cornerback, but he doesn’t give up much in terms of movement skills. He’s often in ideal position to make a play on the ball.
28. Donovan Jackson, OG, Ohio State
A multi-year senior starter, Jackson’s grip strength helps him protect the passer for extended periods of time.
29. Shavon Revel Jr., CB, East Carolina
Revel had flown under the radar for a bit, but the NFL is going to love his size, speed and explosiveness. His compete level on tape is a blast to watch.
30. Josh Conerly Jr., OT, Oregon
Conerly Jr. is extremely quick into his pass sets with light feet and lateral agility to mirror. However, he needs to continue to get stronger in his lower half to improve his stock.
31. Emery Jones, OT, LSU
Jones has a stout build with long arms, but he can find himself out of sync in pass protection at times. I love his brawling mentality, but he’s still a work in progress.
32. Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas
The command Ewers has of the Texas offense has become very apparent, operating the passing game with confidence and comfort off of play-action. His ball placement becomes spotty when his mechanics get thrown off, but he should be a more consistent player in 2024.
33. Barrett Carter, LB, Clemson
Carter has the sideline-to-sideline range of a safety. He needs to play behind a front that keeps him clean to run and make plays, but he’s in the mold of the modern day linebacker.
34. Jack Sawyer, EDGE, Ohio State
Sawyer is a hard-nosed edge setter with coached-up hand usage. He doesn’t have top-end speed, but his floor is extremely high.
35. Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota
At 6-6, 330 pounds, Ersery has the size, experience and movement skills of an NFL offensive tackle. He’s battle tested coming out of the Big Ten.
36. Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
Mechanically, Sanders is extremely smooth when given time in the pocket. This becomes even more evident with his ball placement in the middle of the field, where he throws with touch and timing at all three levels.
37. Ollie Gordon II, RB, Oklahoma State
Gordon has the size and power to match as a downhill runner. Not a lot of players finish at the goal line with the strength and determination that he brings.
38. Jaeden Roberts, OG, Alabama
Roberts is a heavy-handed bulldozer who plays through the whistle. His feet get heavy in pass protection, but his powerhouse run blocking is tantalizing.
39. Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
Hampton looks like a running back created in a lab. He has zero fear of contact with his decisive, hard-charging running style. His effort in pass protection stands out on tape.
40. Xavier Nwankpa, SAF, Iowa
A former five-star recruit, Nwankpa’s speed and length jump out on tape from the many spots Iowa uses him (in the box, the slot, free safety and special teams). He’ll look to create more takeaways in 2024 for a loaded defense.
41. Danny Stutsman, LB, Oklahoma
There’s some throwback to Stutsman’s game as the 6-4, 240-pound linebacker has little issue with taking on and working through blocks. His pre-snap sixth sense to crash gaps in the run game is consistently impressive.
42. Mansoor Delane, CB, Virginia Tech
Delane has all the tools to thrive as a press cornerback: size, speed and physicality.
43. Wyatt Milum, OT, West Virginia
Milum does a nice job closing off the edge with his length and getting under the pads of rushers to stall their momentum. At 6-6, he needs to monitor his pad level, specifically against agile rushers (ex. Adisa Isaac in 2023).
44. Billy Bowman Jr., SAF, Oklahoma
Bowman Jr. has range to play as a single high safety and take away the football. There’s a different energy he consistently brings to the field.
45. Kaimon Rucker, EDGE, North Carolina
A compact pass rusher, Rucker has legit bend and is naturally the low man off the ball. If he develops enough power, he’ll bring an impressive arsenal into the NFL to get after quarterbacks.
46. Denzel Burke, CB, Ohio State
Burke isn’t the biggest cornerback, but he plays with springs on the heels of his cleats to click and close on plays. He’s a very difficult player to generate separation from.
47. Ashton Gillote, EDGE, Lousiville
The big-bodied, hand-in-the-dirt EDGE shows off a varied pass rush approach with a long arm, outside burst and a swim move. At 266 pounds, it jumps out how he angles his way into the pocket.
48. Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford
Ayomanor had a standout performance against Travis Hunter in 2023 that put him on the NFL draft map. He constantly outmuscles smaller coverage.
49. J.T. Tuimoloau, EDGE, Ohio State
Tuimoloau is a hard worker defending the run with powerful hands to control blockers. However, there’s not a lot of creativity or variety in his pass rush plan yet.
50. Cam Ward, QB, Miami
One of the most high variance prospects in this class, Ward is simply a magician at the position with his mobility and arm talent. He was a turnover machine at times during his tenure at Washington State, but if he dials that back this year he could play his way into the first round.