Dane Brugler’s NFL Draft watch: 3 rising prospects who could be surprise first-rounders

It is only October, so the 2025 NFL Draft’s first-round picture is still very much in flux as scouts make campus visits all over the country.

Aside from some of the quarterbacks, most of the players on my initial top-50 board have played up to expectations and will be in the mix to be drafted in Round 1. But for this week’s draft watch, I wanted to introduce three non-quarterback prospects who have buzz among NFL scouts as potential risers, even if they aren’t as talked about much nationally.

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Cameron Williams, RT, Texas

For those who watched Texas’ win at Michigan, you might know Williams as the right tackle who kept getting penalized (four flags in that game). The Michigan game was Williams’ third career start, and his first on the road, so youthful mistakes were expected. But the main takeaways from his overall film are his smooth movement skills and powerful grip strength, especially for a player with his size (6-foot-5, 335 pounds) and length.

Williams was (hilariously) flagged for holding on this play, which negated a Quinn Ewers’ touchdown pass. Clearly, it was a clean rep for the right tackle and illustrated his ability to control the edge.

Though still raw, Williams is smooth and strong in his kick slide to protect the edge (only two pressures allowed this season), and his range is impressive when Texas asks him to get out in space. Most have Texas left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. penciled-in as a first-rounder, but some scouts believe Williams’ raw traits ultimately could make him the higher draft pick.

Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon

A transfer from Michigan State (Oregon opened the NIL checkbook), Harmon has disruptive qualities with his initial quickness and strong swipe moves to gain access to gaps.

A redshirt junior from Detroit, Harmon put himself on the NFL radar the past two seasons in East Lansing and has taken another jump in his development this season. He leads the Ducks in pressures (18) and is second in tackles (13) this season. Scouts are eager to see Harmon — and the entire defensive line — against Ohio State in a few weeks.

Josh Simmons, LT, Ohio State

Ohio State remade its offensive line last season, and that included bringing in Simmons, a young and promising tackle from San Diego State. He was very up and down in his first season in Columbus but has shown tremendous progress this season as a redshirt junior.

When betting on offensive line traits, give me the nimble blockers with flexible body control and strong finishing traits — which is a tidy way to sum up Simmons’ skill set. If he continues to play at this level the rest of the season, we might be adding another Buckeye to the first round.

Three must-see NFL prospects this weekend

1. Nate Noel, RB, Missouri (at Texas A&M, Noon ET, ABC)

A transfer from Appalachian State, Noel (6.6 yards per carry) is filling the shoes of Cody Schrader. He has rushed for a combined 318 yards over the last two games but faces a tougher test against the Aggies, who have yet to allow a 100-yard rusher this season. Although undersized at just 184 pounds, Noel reads his blocks well and knows where to attack with concise cuts. He is looking to cement himself as a Day 3 draft pick.

2. Yahya Black, DT, Iowa (at Ohio State, 3:30 p.m., CBS)

If Iowa is going to pull the upset in Columbus, it will need to win in the trenches. An imposing lineman at 6-5 1/2 and 333 pounds with 35-inch arms, Black is still searching for his first sack of 2024, but he has been disruptive against the run, controlling the point of attack and finding the football. He is competing for a spot on Day 2 of draft weekend.

3. Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State (at Boise State, 7 p.m., FS2)

Obviously, the main attraction in this matchup is Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, who is separating himself as RB1 in this draft class. But when Utah State has the ball, watch for the No. 1 jersey, because Royals is a playmaker with draftable talent. His size is ordinary (5-11 1/2, 193 pounds), but he is an explosive athlete with the terrific ball skills needed to create big plays — Royals led the FBS in 2023 with seven catches of 50-plus yards.

Stats of the Week

• This is your weekly reminder that Jeanty is one of the best prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. A month into the season, he leads all of college football in rushing yards (845), yards per rush (10.3), rushing touchdowns (13) and forced missed tackles (43).

What Jeanty did to the Washington State defense last weekend was remarkable.

Ashton Jeanty made Washington State’s defense look like a JV squad. I’ve never seen more forced missed tackles on a RB tape.

Just watch these 5 clips. #RB1 pic.twitter.com/kVZGdYLBeR

— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) September 29, 2024

• Ole Miss wide receiver Tre Harris (6-2, 208) is a good-sized athlete with strong ball skills, but he has also flexed run-after-catch skills this season. In 12 games last season, he ranked 74th in the country with 360 yards after the catch; in five games in 2024, Harris leads the FBS with 403 yards after catch (just two other FBS players are above 300 YAC yards). Harris was one of the Rebels’ bright spots in last Saturday’s loss to Kentucky, producing a career-best 121 yards after the catch.

• Alabama lost multiple key pieces in the secondary this offseason, but it made an important addition with USC transfer cornerback Domani Jackson. The former five-star recruit collected his first interception against Georgia’s Carson Beck last weekend and has been a shut-down cover man this season, allowing only 16.7 percent catches (12 targets, two catches for 18 yards). Jackson is a true junior and will have an NFL decision to make after the season.

Prospect trending up …

A prospect creating buzz among NFL scouts is Boston College pass rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku, who leads the FBS with 8.0 sacks. Although undersized (6-2 3/8 and 241 pounds), he has cat-like quickness at the snap to shoot gaps and dip underneath blocks. And he also has surprising arm length (34 5/8-inches), which helps him set the edge and show up in the run game. Ezeiruaku was unstoppable against Western Kentucky last weekend, finishing with 14 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and one forced fumble.

Considered a late-round possibility by scouts entering the season, Ezeiruaku is making a push to be considered in the top-100 picks.

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Prospect trending down …

One of the reasons quarterback Carson Beck returned to Georgia for his senior season was because of the bad taste left in his mouth by an SEC title game loss to Alabama. Instead of avenging that loss Saturday, though, he had the worst performance of his career.

Yes, Beck helped fuel a second-half comeback in Tuscaloosa, but he was responsible for four turnovers and struggled to impress NFL scouts in attendance. While the body of work is what matters the most, how quarterbacks perform in the biggest games on the schedule are weighted a tad more. Beck has plenty of pivotal games left in front of him to change the narrative, but he played more like a third-rounder than a first-rounder against the Tide.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie Bucky Irving topped 1,000 yards rushing each of his final two seasons at Oregon. (Brandon Sloter / Image Of Sport / Getty Images)

Rookie Revisited

The success of the Buccaneers’ offense has been based more on the passing game than the rush attack. But Bucky Irving has been a productive complementary back and currently leads all rookies in rushing yards (203), as Tampa adds more to his plate each game.

Here is the summary from his scouting report in my 2024 NFL Draft guide:

A two-year starter at Oregon, Irving was the lead back in offensive coordinator Will Stein’s zone-read, balanced run attack. After leaving Minnesota following one season for more offensive touches, he surpassed 1,000 yards rushing in each of his two seasons in Eugene and led all FBS running backs in catches (56) in 2023. With his vision, darting quickness and wiggle in the hole, Irving routinely finds yards that aren’t blocked for him. Although he will have a tougher time churning out yards after contact in the NFL, his body balance and low center of gravity are assets — especially out in space. Overall, Irving is undersized and underpowered, but he has pass-catching skills and instinctive run qualities to quickly sort and make sharp directional cuts to daylight. He projects as an NFL complementary back who can be a productive changeup in a committee.

(Top photo of Cameron Williams: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)