NFL Player News

Spielman replaces Fran Foley, who was fired recently after three tumultuous months on the job. We’re surprised Spielman got another job so soon after a weak record in Miami. Coach Brad Childress should have more juice here than Spielman.

Mafah (6’1/234) is one of the bigger backs in this year’s class. The former Clemson Tiger joins the pro ranks after four collegiate seasons, and led the team in rushing in each of his final two years, and leaves school with a career rushing line of 561-2,887-28. Despite his imposing size, Mafah is little more than an average back when it comes to creating yards after contact and breaking tackles. In his final season, he forced a missed tackle on just 16.3 percent of his carries, although that could be partially blamed on a shoulder injury he suffered late in the year. He’s more of an early-down, between-the-tackles grinder than a back who will excel on runs to the outside, and he never caught more than 21 passes in a season. Mafah’s single-season receiving yardage total tops out at 108 yards. His best chance at NFL success will be in an early-down role, but special teams will likely also be a factor. With only 117 special teams snaps on his resumé and only one of them coming on kick coverage, Mafah could face an uphill battle to make a 53-man roster if he doesn’t stand out amongst his backfield competition in camp.

White (6’1/184) was initially recruited to Michigan State. He didn’t see the field much as a freshman but made an impact in the only game he caught more than one pass. White torched Michigan for 196 yards and a touchdown on eight catches. White was suspended by MSU before his sophomore season. He eventually sued the school and later transferred to UNLV after missing the entire 2021 season. White found his footing in 2022 with 619 yards and then exploded for 1,483 yards and eight scores in 2023. UNLV’s passing attack took a hit last year and White’s numbers fell. He posted a 79/1,041/11 line and topped a 45 percent college dominator for the second year in a row. White struggled at the combine with a 4.61 Forty and good but not great burst metrics. He left Indy with a dreadful 3.37 RAS. The poor athleticism may doom White to a life of special teams, but he would excel in that role. White had more blocked punts (four) in 2024 than any other entire school. He also took one of his four punt returns to the house.

Johnson (5’10/154) was a three-star recruit for Troy and spent three seasons with the Trojans, topping 700 yards as a sophomore and hitting 858 as a junior. He averaged an absurd 3.5 yards per route run in his third season, earning him the attention of Oregon via the transfer portal. Johnson erupted in his first season as a Duck, going for 1,182 yards and 10 touchdowns on the Bo Nix-led offense. He averaged 3.4 yards per route run and was graded as a top 10 receiver by Pro Football Focus for the second season in a row. With Nix leaving for the NFL, Johnson’s efficiency plummeted, and he fell to 898 yards despite catching just three fewer passes. He did, however, post his first season with a dominator rating over 30 percent and was once again graded as a top 10 receiver by PFF. Johnson’s size combined with a 4.51 Forty will take him off the board entirely for some teams, but his production across multiple schools was elite. Johnson is a target-earner who is dangerous with the ball in his hands and can work at all depths.

Richman (6'6, 312) earned an honorable mention All-Big Ten honor in 2024 and 2023. Although being projected as an undrafted free agent, Richman’s size and athleticism could give him back-end value for a Seahawks team with innumerable changes heading into the 2025 regular season.

Monangai (5’8/211) is a fifth-year prospect who broke out during the 2023 season when he rushed for 242-1,262-8 for the Scarlet Knights. He followed that performance with another 1,200-yard rushing season in 2024 (256-1,279-13), but the raw counting totals are far more impressive than the efficiency numbers. For his career, Monangai averaged just 3.25 YCO/ATT, and never had a YCO/ATT above 3.45 in a single season. He won’t offer much as a receiver (38 career receptions), and has drawn criticism for his struggles to pick up blitzes in pass protection. Monangai is an underwhelming athlete for his size (4.03 RAS) and ran a disappointing 4.60 40-yard dash at the combine. He’ll need to make the most of his camp reps if he hopes to stick on a 53-man roster, but may need to spend some time on the practice squad before seeing snaps on Sundays.

Wohler brings old-school toughness to the 2025 draft class with two seasons as Wisconsin’s starting strong safety and a team-high 120 tackles in 2023. A box safety through and through, Wohler is a wrap-up finisher who thrives in the alley, using excellent leverage, hand strikes, and physicality to bring down ball-carriers. While not a burner, he tested well with a 9.26 RAS, including a 4.57 forty and 6.72 three-cone, highlighting his balance of size (6’0”, 213 lbs), explosion, and short-area agility. However, Wohler is a one-speed mover who loses pursuit angles due to average range and burst. He’s best used near the line, where his hustle-based style generates volume tackles, but he struggles with fluidity and coverage depth. Short arms and limited ball production (0 INTs in 2024) cap his ceiling. Still, coaches rave about his leadership, and his special teams upside and instincts should secure him a Day 3 role as a backup strong safety.

Ewers (6’2/214) was the No. 1 ranked quarterback prospect when he enrolled at Ohio State as a member of the 2021 recruiting class. He spent his freshman year playing behind C.J. Stroud and left for Texas for the 2022 season to avoid playing behind Stroud for a second consecutive season. He was immediately handed the starting job with the Longhorns and threw for 2,174-14-6 in his first year at the helm while being limited to 10 games due to injury. Ewers tapped into his potential a bit more during the 2023 season, throwing for 3,479 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions while completing 69 percent of his passes and leading the Longhorns to a 12-2 record. He built on that success with a 3,469-yard, 31-touchdown, 12-interception line last season. When he’s at his best, the talent that made him the No. 1 recruit in his class is evident, but Ewers has struggled with consistency throughout his career while being prone to turnovers and sacks. He owns a 21.8 pressure-to-sack rate for his career – a concerning total, and threw 24 picks in his career to go along with 20 fumbles. He fumbled 10 times in 2024 alone, per PFF. Ewers’ past pedigree and positive game tape will draw plenty of hype as a potential sleeper of the class once he finds a new home. People won’t be quick to forget the impressive road wins he picked up against Alabama in 2023 and Michigan in 2024 when making the case for his ceiling. However, he’ll have plenty of adjusting to make at the pro level, particularly when it comes to reading defenses, getting around pressure, and learning how to avoid sacks. The landing spot in Miami will make Ewers’ transition to the pros much smoother. He gets a quarterback-friendly scheme with Mike McDaniel’s offense and will eventually back up quarterback with similar physical limitations in Tua Tagovailoa. He will compete with Zach Wilson for the QB2 gig during training camp.

Jackson, a sixth-year senior, showed off impressive speed during Georgia’s pro day, impressing a handful of NFL teams, including the Lions. Jackson, according to NFL.com’s analysis, has a “strong desire to get downhill and set the tone as a striker. Despite his aggression, he’s more effective in coverage than he is as a run defender. He’s responsive to route combinations and is detail-oriented in his coverage but has athletic limitations that appear to limit on-ball production. He lacks the hand usage to keep himself clean as a run defender, which will need to change if he wants to make a team as a backup safety and core special-teams option.”

A four-year starter with the Chippewas, Kent (5'11"/189) boasts 4.38 forty speed and broke up 35 passes in college while also posting two interceptions, per PFF. While he has adequate size for an outside corner, Kent played the majority of his snaps from the slot in 2023 and 2024 and performed much better there than he did playing on the outside. His ability to contribute on special teams could give him an inside edge toward earning a spot on the Steelers’ 53-man roster. He returned 16 punts in his final season at CMU, averaging 13.6 yards per return with one touchdown.