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With the NFL trade deadline fully in our rearview, the league’s stretch run toward the playoffs can officially begin.
That’s also happening in college football, as we’re inching closer to the largest playoff we’ve ever seen — a postseason that should be a huge opportunity for 2025 NFL Draft prospects to showcase their talent against top-level competition. This is not a particularly stellar draft class to begin with, but our new world of unbalanced scheduling has further complicated several evaluations, especially for the quarterbacks.
As we’ve written a bunch already this cycle, this will be a preference draft. There’s not likely to be a top 15 consensus and, as has been the case in recent years, expect to see at least one quarterback taken in the top 10 who wouldn’t rank inside the top 15 in a position-less stack.
Using Austin Mock’s latest NFL playoff projection to assign draft slots, here’s a post-trade deadline run through the first round:
The best college football player in America, period, Hunter is absolutely the top cornerback and has an argument as WR1. People talk about generational ability a lot, but Hunter actually has it. We haven’t seen a WR selected this high since Keyshawn Johnson, and we’ve never seen a CB here. We’ve also never seen a Travis Hunter before.
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Power, grace and dependability are a few ways to describe what we’ve seen from McMillan in three years at Arizona. The 6-foot-5, 212-pounder has three 10-catch games, two 200-yard games and 10 contested catches already this season (pushing his career contested catch total to a whopping 34). Drake Maye could have fun with this.
If we were simply stacking this draft class’ top 30 players, there would not be a quarterback in the upper half. However, if we’d have attempted that same exercise this time last year, neither Bo Nix nor Michael Penix Jr. would’ve been on the list at all. I’d pick Mason Graham if I were the Raiders, but I’m not Mark Davis — and I don’t know whether he can say no to Deion Sanders’ son. Shedeur Sanders isn’t a top-10 player, but I do think he’s first-round worthy.
The Browns are not in any position to be rolling the dice on a QB with this pick. Tackle is also a major need, and Campbell, a three-year starter who’s still just 20 years old, can blossom into a franchise anchor. The Browns need one of those on offense — badly.
The Titans need a lot. Will Levis might not be the answer at QB, but things won’t go any better if Tennessee adds one of the 2025 QBs to its current roster. Tackle could be an option here, too, but at some point, Tennessee’s offense needs to add a young weapon who scares defenses.
Luther Burden III made it look easy 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/T2jXKerBTd
— ESPN (@espn) October 12, 2024
If a team can give Ward a year to sit, watch and adjust to the speed of the NFL, then I don’t mind the idea of taking him top 10. If you’re asking him to save you tomorrow, though, you might be disappointed. Ward has gotten better every year he’s played, but his tape against big-time defenses is still pretty limited — a playoff appearance could help there.
The Jaguars have more draft capital than any team in football at the moment and will have a massive chance to upgrade around Trevor Lawrence this offseason. Jacksonville could also be one of the more attractive job openings, should it come available. Graham, a top-five talent in this class, would be a steal here.
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This is a tricky edge class to stack at the top. Williams missed most of September with an ankle injury, and his reps have been limited since returning. However, the 6-5, 265-pounder checks every physical box. Not unlike Travon Walker at this point in the process, he doesn’t have much experience to go on — but the traits are off the charts.
The Dolphins’ first order of business this offseason has to be finding a better way to protect whoever their quarterback is, both in pass protection and by being able to generate a stronger run game. I’m a little torn on whether Banks should be this high, but he’s been much more consistent this season.
The Jets’ receiver situation seems to be taken care of, at least for the immediate future. Johnson has struggled to get healthy this season, missing multiple games with shoulder and foot injuries, but he’s a top-five talent in this draft at 100 percent. Depending on how the medicals work out, he still could wind up there when all’s said and done.
Mike Macdonald’s lone year at Michigan coincided with Loveland’s arrival, so he should be plenty aware of how talented the 6-5, 245-pound junior is. Loveland is not the blocker Brock Bowers was in college, but his route running and ball skills are on that dance floor.
NASTY stiff arm from Colston Loveland 💪 @UMichFootball#B1GFootball on CBS 📺 pic.twitter.com/SyjfIyXewc
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 2, 2024
This is a fantastic RB class, and the Boise State thunderbolt — a 20-year-old who didn’t pick up football until high school in Italy — is valedictorian. As was the case with Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs two cycles ago, Jeanty’s worth it up here if your roster is ready for him.
Grant will compete for most stopwatches present at his combine 40, because the 6-3, 340-pounder flashes Jordan Davis-level big-man athleticism. If the Bears are this high in the draft, though, watch for a trade out of their spot. Chicago needs O-line help, but not necessarily offensive tackle help — so addressing those spots would be a stretch here.
Pound for pound, regardless of position, Starks is a top-10 prospect in this class — maybe higher. He’s a safety by trade, but his ball skills, football IQ and range suggest he could play cornerback in the NFL if need be. Some teams will be afraid of position-less talent; those who’ve watched Brian Branch excel for the Lions won’t be.
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Carter’s range feels pretty wide right now. The 2024 season is his first as a full-time edge defender, and it’s been good — but not “whoa” good. And though his 18 percent win rate is terrific, it’s down from last year. Still, it’s not hard to see the potential payoff should everything click, as he’s far closer physically to Micah Parsons than Chop Robinson was last year.
We had Egbuka on our list of the 2025 class’ biggest risers a few weeks ago, but it felt weird to put him there because folks have been well aware of his skills for some time now. However, this season — though once again dealing with QB play — has been further proof of how steady and dependable Egbuka is. He’s one of the highest-floor players in this class.
That didn’t take long ⚡️
Will Howard finds Emeka Egbuka for the instant response by @OhioStatefb 💪 pic.twitter.com/RQTytXdcrF
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 2, 2024
This is probably the absolute bottom of Pearce’s range. Pearce has, by far, been more productive than Williams or Carter, but that pair is just different, physically. Pearce (6-5, 245) is thinner and can feel light when defending the run.
I might be higher on Barron than some, but I don’t care. He would’ve been drafted last season had he declared (and would probably be starting in the NFL right now). Barron has size and speed limitations, but he is a big-time playmaker and has been outstanding for Texas as a versatile, smart corner.
Revel has been out since tearing his ACL during practice in September. He managed two pick sixes in the three games he played before that injury. Physically, Revel (6-3, 193) flashes the ability to do basically anything in an NFL secondary. In what will be a preference, traits-heavy draft, Revel won’t last long — if his health cooperates.
Williams is another player firmly on the rise, provided he finishes the season with consistency. Long-term, Williams might be better than Banks. Right now, there are still plenty of hiccups, but the flashes are outstanding. If he declares, he’ll be a first-round pick.
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One of my favorite defenders in this class, Walker has stack and edge ability and simply makes plays all over the field. It’s easy to imagine a team in the teens falling in love with everything Walker can bring to a defensive culture.
Big, long, explosive and still figuring out everything he’s capable of doing on the field, Harmon (6-5, 310) has been a consistently disruptive and highly versatile transfer player for the Ducks. He’s played nose tackle, three-tech, five-tech and out wide, and he leads all FBS defensive tackles with 35 pressures.
C.J. Stroud’s immediate NFL success was rare enough to overshadow the fact he didn’t have much of anything on his offensive line. The injury situations hitting Houston’s playmakers have hampered Stroud’s ability to minimize the damage against pressure, too, so it’s time to invest here — especially in the middle. Savaiinaea, an OT this year, is more than capable of helping.
Jim Harbaugh’s impact on the Chargers has been impossible to ignore, from the way the front office attacked the draft this spring (starting with OT Joe Alt) to how the entire roster seems to have bought into Harbaugh’s style. The one area that hasn’t quite popped is the pass rush, where DC Jesse Minter still could use more juice.
Perkins is another player with top-15 talent who suffered an injury this season. Further complicating things is that Perkins (6-1, 225) is an edge rusher in a stack-linebacker’s body. Before his ACL injury, however, there was buzz in the scouting world on whether Perkins would hit the 4.3s in the 40. He’s different.
Milum (6-6, 318) can play tall at times and has short arms, which will turn off plenty of scouts. However, he’s a four-year starter who’s improved every year and has yet to allow a single pressure in more than 200 protection reps this season. He would be a terrific fit in Baltimore.
Physically, Ersery (6-6, 330) is probably more impressive than Milum and might have a higher ceiling than late Round 1. That said, he’s had a solid fifth-year with the Gophers, but his performance has looked a lot like it did in 2023. In games versus Rhode Island, Nevada, UCLA and Maryland, he allowed just one total pressure; in games versus North Carolina, Iowa, Michigan, USC and Illinois, he allowed 10 combined.
Walker hasn’t been able to keep up his ridiculous pressure rate of last season (51), but he’s also moved around more up front as a true junior. While playing much more inside than over tackles, the 6-6, 345-pounder with quickness has remained a massive problem for opposing offensives.
Athletically, Tuimoloau won’t be for everyone. But when you turn on the tape, you just see a guy who consistently finds his way to the football and into the backfield. He’s never going to dominate, but his consistency, skills and work ethic could make him a very good pro for multiple contracts.
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The former No. 1-ranked recruit left Texas A&M for Ole Miss this season, and though he hasn’t exploded, everything about his game has improved. Nolen is one of several players on this list who could vastly improve his draft stock should his team get into the playoffs, which would give him a chance to impress against elite competition on a big stage.
Detroit has the best offensive line in football right now. However, both starting guards (Graham Glasgow and Kevin Zeitler) are over 30, and though each could be good enough to play again next season, this feels like a great chance for Detroit to bring in a future standout without having to rush him. This would be a perfect spot for a physical behemoth like Booker, who still needs to work on his consistency.
If there was an award for the guy who spent this year having more fun than anybody else, it’d have to go to Warren. He’s played tight end, receiver, running back, center and probably a few other positions I’m forgetting. More than anything, though, he’s a powerful presence at the line of scrimmage and the catch point and has a lot of room to grow.
(Top photos of Cam Ward and Travis Hunter: Doug Murray / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images; Dustin Bradford / Getty Images)
