There aren’t anywhere near the sure-fire studs in the 2025 class that we saw in 2024. All that does is make NFL scouts earn their money even more this upcoming spring. With very few consensus top guys at their position, you’ll be seeing vastly different top fives based off what a particular draft analyst covets most. That being said, positions like running back and cornerback are among the few that stand out as strong classes this year.
It’s still early, but the development of Cam Ward has been the story of the season at the quarterback position. He plays with the kind of calm confidence that you can’t teach. Ward can not only rip it to any level of the field from the pocket, but he has a sixth sense for evading pressure and creating outside of it.
This is a very talented class, even if there’s no sure-fire No. 1 pick. I couldn’t even squeeze in LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, who could easily play his way into a top-50 pick based off what I’ve seen early on. The one player I may be wishcasting a little on based off the growth I’ve seen early on is Drew Allar. He still has bouts with shaky accuracy, but no one in the class holds a candle to his arm strength. The man can hit any window you want to give him.
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This is one of the strongest position groups in the upcoming draft if not the strongest. It also is one of the few that has a sure-fire stud at the top. Ashton Jeanty is currently averaging more than 200 yards per game and breaking tackles at an unheard-of rate (over 10 per game, per PFF). Don’t be surprised if he ends up as a first-rounder in a relatively weak class. The one player I may be going out on a limb with is Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who has run into eligibility issues after one game with the Wildcats. His quick, decisive feet and increased play strength make him a very easily translatable NFL back.
It still remains to be seen which position Travis Hunter takes his talents to at the next level, but he’s a top-10 pick at whichever one he chooses. Tetairoa McMillan and Luther Burden III look likely to join him with how much the NFL has coveted receivers in recent classes. That may be it for the first-round grades, however, as it’s a massive step down from the class we saw a year ago.
The same thing I said above for the receiver class applies even more to the tackle class. It’s slim pickings after the top two in the class. After Kelvin Banks Jr. and Will Campbell, there may not be another tackle I’d take in not only the first round, but also the second. It’s a group chock full of either projects or tackles with worrisome physical limitations.
It’s a very blue-blood group at the top. While he’s only played a couple games this season, Donovan Jackson is the one who I keep coming back to at the top of the class because of his ceiling. The man truly has All-Pro-caliber physical traits, and his play so far is finally reflecting it. As is almost always the case, there are some intriguing tackle-to-guard converts as well. Jonah Savaiinaea is tops on that list with a lab-built guard frame that can absorb and deliver a blow with relative ease.
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We haven’t seen a defensive tackle drafted in the top five since Quinnen Williams in 2019. I think that changes with Mason Graham (and maybe Deone Walker) in 2025. Graham is an every-down, scheme-diverse playmaker. There’s so few holes in his game for only a true junior. Walker, on the other hand, is a throwback to when defensive tackles were often larger than life figures in the 80s and 90s. The 6-foot-6, 345-pounder moves like a much smaller man and presents a number of challenges for interior offensive linemen to block.
While I had really high hopes for this young group coming into the season (all are third-year players), this class is far more athletic potential than on-field performance at the moment. There are some true athletic marvels among the top dogs, as James Pearce Jr., Mykel Williams and Abdul Carter should all be combine freaks in one manner or another. At the end of the day, that’s what gets coveted at this position highly in the NFL.
It’s a weird mix of hybrid off-ball/edge linebackers (Jalon Walker and Jihaad Campbell), three-down middle linebackers (Danny Stutsman and Lander Barton), and one freaky weak-side linebacker who punches above his weight class (Nick Martin). I may even be cheating putting Walker in this mix because he’ll almost assuredly be a pass-rusher first at the next level given his blend of explosiveness and strength off the edge.
The crown jewel of the 2025 draft class. The number of first-rounders at this position could even surpass the five listed here. It really is a shame that Shavon Revel’s season was already cut short after three games because he looked like could have broken into the top-10 with his play early on with two interceptions and two pass breakups already. That being said, expect as many as three corners within those top-10 picks next spring.
While Malaki Starks is fresh off a nightmarish performance against Alabama, I still believe the junior who’s been starting since he was a true freshman ends up a first-rounder next spring. He may not be the only one in this class who hears his name called in the first 32 picks, however, as Nick Emmanwori has had a very intriguing start to his season for the Gamecocks. He’s another junior who’s been starting since his true freshman season, and he possesses easily the most impressive physical skillset in the class. At 6-foot-3 and 227 pounds, he can double as a linebacker while also possessing elite range on the backend. That’s a combo everyone is chasing at the next level.
