2025 NFL Draft: ESPN ranks top 50 overall prospects

Posted by Admin December 14, 2024 NFL

ESPN ranked its top 50 overall prospects ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, via analyst Jordan Reid, and there’s a clear ranking at tippy top.

Some of the best players in college football are NFL-ready and could be making an instant impact on Sunday by next season. Still, we are a few months away from the draft taking place.

For now, here are ESPN’s top 50 players ready for the NFL Draft in 2025.

Hunter is a two-way star and excelled at wide receiver and cornerback throughout his college career. He plans on doing the same at the next level.

Unless you desperately need a quarterback, it’d be hard to pass on Hunter with the No. 1 overall pick. He won’t last long in this draft of course.

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Graham might be the most NFL-ready defensive lineman in this group. He’s been the dominant force for Michigan for the last few years and won a national title last season.

He’s an instant starter at the next level and probably won’t take long to get acclimated. It’s just a matter of where he actually goes in the first round.

Once Carter fully transitioned to the EDGE position, he was better off. He can be a 3-4 outside linebacker or 4-3 defensive end in the NFL.

He logged 10 sacks this regular season, making him one of the more feared defenders in college football. Another instant impact type of player.

Johnson is an elite prospect in this upcoming draft. It just stunk he missed time due to injury this season and couldn’t showcase his abilities.

But, he’s NFL-ready when it comes to his coverage skills and physical build. Despite missing six games this year, Johnson shouldn’t last long on the draft board.

Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty — Brian Losness | Imagn Images

Jeanty went off this season, prior to the College Football Playoff, putting up 2,497 yards on the ground and 29 touchdowns. Those were absurd numbers.

Because of his historic season, he vaulted up the NFL Draft rankings. He’s nearly impossible to take down on first contact as well, so he’ll be used early and often in the pros.

Starks is a very versatile safety, which will make him very attractive in this year’s NFL Draft. He can roam the secondary and do practically anything you ask.

Not only is he good in coverage, he can stop the run as well. He’s just the latest Georgia defender that should draw a lot of eyeballs.

Speaking of Georgia defenders, here’s another Bulldogs’ pass rusher! Williams is dominant. He might not be Carter dominant, but Williams is still top tier.

Only injuries slowed him down and dropped him a bit in Reid’s rankings for the draft. Still, he can be developed into a high level starter in the NFL with his size and length.

Now we get into the offensive linemen in the NFL Draft and it’s pretty much a toss up between two guys as to who’s the best tackle. Campbell is elite though.

Standing at 6-foot-6, he’s been a starter since he stepped foot onto campus. As Reid put it, his arm length might actually force him to guard in the NFL but he can give you elite-level blocking.

While Campbell might rank higher as an NFL Draft prospect, Banks might have better overall traits as a tackle, per Reid. He’s an excellent pass protector.

But his nimble footwork allows him to be an excellent run blocker as well, bulldozing defenders. Banks might end up in the top 10 regardless of the draft order.

Ward is the first quarterback mentioned in these NFL Draft rankings from ESPN. The Miami star had the best season of his career with the Hurricanes.

We knew he was good once he arrived at Washington State, following his start at Incarnate Word. But he carried Miami on his back, giving them one of the most explosive offenses in the country.

McMillan is a big play wide receiver and broke out in 2023. He can play in the slot and outside, giving him the versatility teams desire.

He’s the first wide receiver on this list and is just on the outside of the top 10 overall NFL Draft prospects. His speed doesn’t pop like some others, but he’s a great overall pass catcher.

Sanders put up career numbers in his final season at Colorado and actually wasn’t one of the four Heisman finalists. Still, this is a QB who stands strong in the pocket and runs when he needs to.

Sanders’ accuracy consistently improved throughout his college career and he does throw a pretty deep ball. While Reid has him behind Ward in these NFL Draft rankings, Sanders could very well be the No. 1 overall pick.