NFL Player News

Turenne spent last season on the Bears’ practice squad. The Louisville product has the size and skills to get another nibble if healthy.

Johnson would have gone much, much higher than this if not for concerns about his knee. He also succumbed to a turf toe injury that derailed his final season early, while a hamstring injury caused him to not run the 40-yard dash at the Combine or pro day. He allowed 12.2 yards per reception in 2024, which was a nice improvement from the 15.7 YPR he gave up in 2023, but his disappointing 48.7 tackle grade left much to be desired. Somewhat prone to overrunning plays which caused Johnson to post an elevated 15.7% missed tackle rate over his three years on campus. He possesses a long frame and is strong enough to disrupt receiver’s tempo and break on the ball with a gambler’s mentality. Johnson flashes big play ability with three interceptions returned for touchdowns, and has the skill set to be a top corner at the highest level.

Ferguson (6’4/247) went from a part-time player as a freshman and sophomore to a full-time role in 2023, posting a 42/414/6 line. Ferguson earned a larger role in his final season with 43 catches for 591 yards but just three touchdowns. The Ducks abused opposing defenses with Ferguson on play-action looks. He totaled 26 catches, 379 yards, and one score on play-action passes. Ferguson sent his draft stock soaring at the combine. His 4.65 Forty, 10’2” broad jump, and 39” vertical were all above the 90th percentile at the position. He left Indy with a 9.84 RAS. Ferguson needs to show more fight in the run game and at the catch point. He’s an adequate blocker at best and caught just 3-of-12 contested targets in his final season. His production on play action suggests he could start out his career as a pass-catching backup who sees work primarily in 12-personnel looks. The Rams have a deep tight end group as is, with starter Tyler Higbee backed up by Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen. Ferguson is very unlikely to be fantasy-relevant in 2025.

Premium five-star high school recruit who became a program legend with three consecutive First Team All-Big Ten Conference selections. Exceptional 10.7 percent missed tackle rate with 39 stops bolstered his 87.2 run defense grade. Rose to the occasion in big games, racking up 20 pressures in the two games at Oregon and Tennessee, while registering 6.5 sacks in the CFP Playoff. Tuimoloau has been extremely productive and durable, posting 21.5 TFLs with 12.5 sacks last year for the National Champs. However, a subpar 11.8% win rate and modest 77.8 pass rush grade reflect Tuimoloau’s underdeveloped toolkit that could restrict his NFL upside. His rush plan is centered around brute strength with some tempo changes and a few reliable go-to moves to rely upon. He will hesitate at the snap as bait then rip inside and toss out a credible ghost move after setting blockers up. Tuimoloau got the requisite power edge profile to be a productive NFL contributor, but needs to develop more as a complete rusher.

Ezeiruaku will join a Dallas defense with a pass rush Pro Football Focus graded as 2024’s fourth best unit, pressuring opposing QBs at one of the NFL’s highest rates. Hailing from Williamstown, NJ, Ezeiruaku (6’2.5/248) stayed in the northeast for school and hit the ground running, earning Second Team All-ACC recognition as a sophomore with 14.5 RFLs and 8.5 sacks for the Eagles in 2022. This year his play ascended to elite levels, recording an 18.2% win rate with 62 pressures (6th in FBS) and 16.5 sacks which was the second-highest mark in the country. Varied rush package with an array of moves to draw from, including an incredible hop/chop technique that was almost unstoppable at the college level. Posted a pair of outrageous 96th% agility times with a 4.19s shuttle and 6.94s 3-Cone for a solid 7.98 Relative Athletic Score His lack of prototypical Edge height/weight are offset by abnormally long 34” arms and 96th percentile agility tests. Scrapes down the line well in run support and is able to dart around blockers to make plays, as is evidenced by the 42 stops (3rd in FBS) and 8.1% missed tackle rate he posted this year. Expertly uses blockers’ momentum against them, flashing an outside rush before crossing the face of his opponent and laying a hit on the quarterback. While his smooth, fluid play style confounds blockers, he’s not blindingly fast which could limit him to DE2 status opposite a more complete DE1.

The 49ers continue to build the trenches back out, as Collins (6'6/322) is the second defensive lineman in as many picks. Returning DC Robert Saleh’s influence is already being felt. A former five-star recruit, Collins was used primarily as an early down plugger for his first four years on campus. Despite his mammoth size he lined up as a starter in the B-gap last year and thrived recording 27 stops, a microscopic 3% missed tackle rate and a pristine 87.2 defensive grade. The Second Team All-American graded out in the 79th percentile against true pass sets with a decent 6.9% pass rush win rate, so he has utility in both phases. Collins has a tantalizing combination of height/weight with 34 3/4th” arms and the raw strength that goes along with it. While his edge days are likely behind him, Collins still retains a jarring club/swim combo move that he wins with 24.1% of the time. Though he is now a massive 332 pounds, he still possesses advanced agility and quickness that made him an effective five tech. Being a taller player, he can get stuck on blocks when his pad level elevates and he sometimes lacks explosiveness off the snap. Collins has the raw-boned, well-proportioned frame that NFL organizations covet in a developmental IDL prospect.

The Jets have seemingly had a hole at tight end through perpetuity, so it’s not a surprise to see them attack the position early. At 6’5/251, Taylor looks the part of an NFL tight end, although his production at LSU was solid but far from elite with 546 yards and two touchdowns in 2024 serving as his peak campaign. He was used as an underneath option early in his career and struggled with drops until becoming one of the most sure-handed tight ends in college football as a junior. He dropped just 1-of-79 targets in his final season and expanded his route tree to include more intermediate looks. With a strong resume as a blocker, Taylor can do a little bit of everything, even if he isn’t the flashiest tight end prospect in the class. His versatility could help speed up the typically slow learning curve most young tight ends experience, giving him some TE2 potential as a rookie.

Sanders (6’4/297) spent five years at South Carolina as a member of a menacing Gamecocks defensive front that generated an 8.9% sack rate and 43.6% pressure rate, both top-five marks nationally in 2024. His 33 pressures ranked 10th in FBS last year to go with 54 stops over the last two campaigns and an 83rd% defensive grade. He wins at a 12.9% rate with a combination of push/pull and side step maneuvers that draw from an impressive athletic profile. He ran a 4.95s 40-yard dash (88th%) with a 31.5” vert (85th%) and 9’04” broad jump for an exceptional 9.38 Relative Athletic Score. He uses a series of educated hand swipes and quickness to confound blockers and gain the advantage at the point of attack. Uses length to post and dislodge on run plays, nimble scraping down the line in pursuit. He will sometimes lose gap integrity trying to make a play, but Sanders’ competitiveness and pro-ready body make him an intriguing prospect.

Shough (6’5/219) is the rare seven-year prospect who was a part of Oregon’s 2018 recruiting class. He appeared in three games as a freshman but failed to record a stat, and threw for 144 yards and three touchdowns in 2019 as Justin Herbert’s backup. Following a COVID-shortened 2020 season in which he threw for 1,559-13-6 in seven starts, Shough transferred to Texas Tech, where he spent three more seasons (2021-2023) before closing out his career with a one-year stint at Louisville. For his career, Shough completed 63 percent of his passes while throwing for 7,820-59-23. Far from an elite prospect, his presence in an underwhelming draft class made him a prime candidate to be a Day 2 pick. His performance at the combine, where he posted a 4.63 40-yard dash and earned a RAS of 9.71, further boosted his stock amongst teams, but how he’ll translate to the NFL remains a question. Shough needed all seven years of schooling to finally break out as a prospect, and never threw for more than 13 touchdowns in a season before 2024, although this can be partly attributed to major injuries suffered in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Even at his best, Shough struggled to show consistency as a passer and struggled against pressure, completing less than 40 percent of his passes when pressured in three of his final four seasons. Shough’s experience will come in handy in New Orleans as there is a good chance he winds up as the team’s Week 1 starter. Derek Carr is dealing with a shoulder injury and his availability for 2025 is up in the air. Even if he can play, the Saints may have just pulled the plug on the Carr experience with the No. 40 pick.

Burden will enter a crowded wide receiver room alongside DJ Moore and Rome Odunze. Burden will likely work primarily from the slot in Ben Johnson’s offense — a role Amon-Ra St. Brown thrived in during his time in Johnson’s system. A consensus five-star recruit who became an immediate true freshman contributor in 2022, Burden (6’0/206) peaked with an elite 86/1,212/9 receiving line in 2023. He regressed sharply along with the rest of the Missouri offense in 2024, suiting up for all 12 games but frequently limping on and off the field as he posted a 61/676/6 slash. For such an electric athlete, it can be mysteriously difficult to funnel Burden the ball. Neither his quarterback play nor play-calling was the most dynamic during his time in Columbia — short targets were the primary staple of Burden’s usage — but these were stacked overall teams in the rough-and-tumble SEC. Once Burden does get the rock, he reminds of Percy Harvin with a rolling ball of butcher knives YAC skillset. The Harvin comp, unfortunately, also extends to his proclivity for bumps and bruises. A limited route runner who not-so-secretly took the occasional snap off, Burden is nevertheless capable of easy separation. He’s a born playmaker with the ball in his hands. The main question is why it so often wasn’t at Missouri. Improved NFL coordinating and quarterback play could unlock what remains a tantalizing overall receiving package. Burden is a high-risk, higher-reward prospect who could end up a PPR monster with a consistent role in Johnson’s offense.

Henderson’s (5’10/203) selection is somewhat surprising for an offense that already has two highly-paid backs and desperately needs receiver help, but the new brain trust has seemed low on both Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson. They also apparently expect Henderson to immediately contribute as a pass catcher. The No. 1 running back recruit of the 2021 class, Henderson quickly made good on the hype with a 183/1,248/15 rushing line as a true freshman. He also added 27 catches for 312 yards and four touchdowns. Henderson’s next two seasons would be marred by various minor injuries, limiting him to 18 games in total. Both his efficiency and his volume dipped and Henderson failed to hit four digits on the ground in either season. The Ohio State boosters then recruited Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins to be the thunder to Henderson’s lightning. Henderson rebounded with 1,016 yards and 10 scores on just 144 attempts. He averaged 7.1 yards per carry and added 284 yards through the air. Every touch Henderson gets has the chance to end in the end zone. He averaged 11 touches in Ohio State’s four postseason appearances and still scored four touchdowns from at least 20 yards out, two of which came from 60+. While Henderson’s 4.43 Forty disappointed some, it’s still plenty fast and he plays quicker than his tested time. Having already been pigeonholed as a committee back in college, Henderson will hold the same fate in the pros, at least as a rookie. To begin his career, Henderson profiles as a third-down weapon for an OC in Josh McDaniels who has always featured such a role out of his backfield.