Defense is cool again.
After the 2024 NFL Draft started with a record 14 straight picks on the offensive side, the early read on the 2025 draft class is that it could be stacked at the top with pass rushers and cornerbacks.
At least until games start and some quarterbacks start to change the narrative that a down year is coming on the heels of a record six quarterbacks picked in the first 12 selections.
Here is The Post’s unranked list of the top 10 NFL prospects in college football, based on conversations with NFL talent evaluators.
In the transfer-happy era, Beck sat the bench for three seasons before ranking No. 3 in passing yards and No. 4 in completion percentage nationally last season.
More impressively, he was on an upward trajectory as the season progressed.
Beck has prototypical size (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) and arm strength and can layer passes with touch, too.
NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah compared Beck to a young Eli Manning.
A new element in Beck’s life: a social-media scrutinized relationship with influencer girlfriend Hanna Cavinder.
As you would expect from Deion Sanders’ son, Shedeur oozes talent, toughness and swagger.
What he needs to show under his father/head coach is more consistency, including better performances against upper-tier Big 12 opponents.
Sanders threw just three interceptions on 430 attempts last season — he trusts his pre-snap instincts — but he took 52 sacks because of an unwillingness to give up on a lost play.
He will scramble, but he’s not a true dual threat and is not built to keep taking big hits.
The irony here is that Hunter is more the carbon copy of Sanders’ explosive versatility.
Hunter shows more polish as a catch-and-run receiver but has tantalizing upside as a press cornerback who drives on the ball and shows recovery speed.
Could he focus on defense with some offensive packages and special teams returns added to his plate?
As Deion proved, you don’t have to be a great tackler to shut down your side of the field.
Last season, Hunter logged 100-plus snaps seven times!
Winning 50/50 balls against Johnson is not going to be easy.
Johnson plays even bigger than his 6-2 frame, whether he is contesting at the catch-point with bigger receivers or lowering his shoulder on a running back.
The Defensive MVP of the 2023 national championship game recorded his seventh career interception in the game.
New coordinator Wink Martindale’s scheme gives Johnson a chance to shine in man-to-man coverage, but he already has a safe floor.
The former three-star recruit was one of two interior defensive linemen in the nation to finish with top 10 grades from Pro Football Focus as a pass rusher and a run-stuffer.
That’s what you get when you combine a quick first step with a deep understanding of leverage.
The best part might be that scheme-versatile Graham still plays with the relentless motor of someone who is getting overlooked.
With more pass rush (5.5 career sacks), he could be in the No. 1 pick conversation.
The hybrid linebacker wears the same jersey (No. 11) as Micah Parsons did at Penn State and comparisons to Parsons circa 2021 are justified.
Carter had the second-best pass-rush win rate (24.8 percent) among Power Five conference players playing off the ball last season and now will be moved into a pass rush-specific role to capitalize on his twitch and closing speed this season.
He was arrested for simple assault and harassment in April.
Don’t be fooled by the scale (243 pounds).
Pearce packages a legitimate combination of size — using his lower body to generate a bull rush — and speed, which allows him to keep a tight angle as he bends the edge.
He counted 10 sacks (on 52 pressures) among his 18.5 tackles for loss, as he played nearly as many snaps against the run as the pass last season.
If needed, Pearce can drop into coverage, too.
The next alpha on an always talent-rich defensive line totaled nine sacks playing in a deep rotation over the last two seasons.
He draws comparisons to 2022 No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker as a freak athlete who is potentially more dangerous in the pros than in college.
Williams already is an elite run-stuffer who manhandles blocks, but his pass-rush moves need refining and diversification.
He offers inside-outside versatility.
The way that Morrison mirrors receivers in man coverage allows him to bait quarterbacks and jump routes.
The natural ball hawk has nine interceptions through two seasons, but he will also come up to the line of scrimmage (4.5 tackles for loss).
What he gives away in size, he makes up for in athleticism and IQ to quickly absorb a complex scheme.
The word “technician” comes up a lot.
A starter from the moment he stepped on campus, Banks has allowed two sacks in 27 games over two years.
He blocked for the first running back taken in each of the last two drafts.
The former top-ranked recruit in football-crazed Texas has lateral agility that defies logic for a 6-4, 325-pounder and already is keen at recognizing stunts and using his hands.
It would hurt his stock if he projects as a guard.
