NFL Analysis
8/28/24
8 min read
By Ian Valentino
The college football season is underway, and a loaded Week 1 schedule on Labor Day weekend is the best way to celebrate its return. Preparing for the 2025 NFL Draft now becomes a bigger priority since NFL rosters are mostly set until free agency. What we see on the field over the next four months will have a massive effect on who gets drafted where.
Our summer scouting efforts have led to this moment. I've delved into my top five players at each position entering the fall. These will surely change as we see each player's development around the country, but it's a good snapshot of where things stand today.
>> READ MORE: Latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft
2025 NFL Draft: Top 5 Players at Each Position
Quarterbacks
1. Sheduer Sanders, Colorado
2. Carson Beck, Georgia
3. Quinn Ewers, Texas
4. Jalen Milroe, Alabama
5. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
After seeing the 2024 class produce six first-rounders, it's not surprising this year's class is weaker. This crop has a lot to prove, and each has a major flaw that could keep them from being more than an average starting NFL quarterback.
That said, if all goes well for this class, we could see another six names land in the first round.
What's certain is that there's no Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels in this class. Shedeur Sanders and Carson Beck are the consensus top two quarterbacks in some order, but they would've ranked closer to J.J. McCarthy than Williams or Daniels in this past class.
Running Backs
1. Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State
2. Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State
3. Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
4. Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
5. TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
The 2025 running back class is phenomenal and difficult to parse because each back is unique. Quinshon Judkins and Ollie Gordon are ahead of the field because they can contribute as workhorses with ideal frames and contact balance. They could be this decade's version of Alvin Kamara and Derrick Henry.
Omarion Hampton is a bigger-bodied back who is a tremendous receiver, so comparing him to the speedy, slashing style of Ashton Jeanty is more based on schematic fit than a talent difference. The biggest wild card in the group might be TreVeyon Henderson, who should've been the RB1 in 2024 if he didn't have durability concerns.
Wide Receivers
1. Luther Burden III, Missouri
2. Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
3. Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
4. Evan Stewart, Oregon
5. Travis Hunter, Colorado
The 2025 receiving class is blazingly fast across the board. The majority of its top playmakers are under 200 pounds and run a sub 4.4 40-yard dash, so this will be an explosive season for a lot of top names. Versatility and being more than a speedy option are what separates my top five from the rest of the nation.
The two most unique stars are Tetairoa McMillan and Emeka Egbuka. McMillan has a Mike Evans-like play style, and the 6-foot-5 presence maximizes his catch radius. Egbuka is looking to bounce back from a down 2023 campaign that was plagued by injuries.
Tight Ends
1. Colston Loveland, Michigan
2. Mitchell Evans, Notre Dame
3. Oscar Delp, Georgia
4. Luke Lachey, Iowa
5. Oronde Gadsden II, Syracuse
The tight end class has just one star in Colston Loveland and then a number of players who will compete to be quality backups early in their NFL careers. Loveland, who boasts top-end athleticism and size, has a good chance of being a first-round pick in 2025. He's as plug-and-play as most prospects come.
My top sleeper was forgotten in 2023 because he missed the season with an injury, but Oronde Gadsden was being projected as a top-45 pick a year ago. Look for the 6-foot-5, 225-pounder to be a force this fall.
Will Campbell (#66) putting the clamps on Dallas Turner pic.twitter.com/GyqY7CS4sn
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) April 22, 2024
Offensive Tackles
1. Will Campbell, LSU
2. Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas
3. Emery Jones, LSU
4. Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona
5. Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota
This is a terrific offensive tackle class. We could see as many as six make the first round, as the level of pass blocking and size is uncommon.
With the value of pass-blockers spiking to an all-time high, these guys will come off the board quickly and project to be immediate starters.
Interior Offensive Line
1. Tyler Booker, Alabama
2. Donovan Jackson, Ohio State
3. Tate Ratledge, Georgia
4. Parker Brailsford, Alabama
5. Joshua Gray, Oregon State
There's not a dominant interior blocker who is a top-20 lock in 2025 right now. Like the quarterback group, the interior line class lost a lot of familiar, proven names to the 2024 class. There's a ton of room for risers here.
Defensive Tackles
1. Mason Graham, Michigan
2. Deone Walker, Kentucky
3. Tyleik Williams, Ohio State
4. Kenneth Grant, Michigan
5. Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati
The defensive tackle group has several very good to elite athletes. Mason Graham and Deone Walker should be top-10 picks because they're high-end pass-rushers with NFL-ready size.
The upside is that Tyleik Williams and Kenneth Grant could both land in the first round. Day 2 will be filled with quality players with strengths that defenses can maximize within a specific role.
EDGE Rushers
1. James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
2. Mykel Williams, Georgia
3. Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
4. Abdul Carter, Penn State
5. Jack Sawyer, Ohio State
The 2025 EDGE class is special and has significant talent at the top. Take your pick between James Pearce Jr., Mykel Williams, and Nic Scourton. Each can be a franchise-level defender soon. Right now, Pearce is the easiest to project as a surefire star, but the others have the tools to be on his heels soon.
The fact that guys like Princely Umanmielen, JT Tuimoloau, Landon Jackson, and Patrick Peyton didn't make the top five reinforces how deeply loaded this positional group is.
Linebackers
1. Harold Perkins Jr., LSU
2. Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma
3. Barrett Carter, Clemson
4. Jalon Walker, Georgia
5. Jay Higgins, Iowa
The linebacker crop isn't impressive thus far. Harold Perkins Jr. is an awesome talent but is converting from the EDGE because he's only 220 pounds, so he's more of a defensive weapon than a proven option.
Abdul Carter is making the transition from linebacker to EDGE, removing a key option. Hopefully, Barrett Carter and Smael Mondon will have better years in 2024 than in 2023.
Cornerbacks
1. Will Johnson, Michigan
2. Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
3. Travis Hunter, Colorado
4. Tacario Davis, Arizona
5. Denzel Burke, Ohio State
There will be much debate over the cornerback rankings after Will Johnson. Johnson is the best overall player in the draft, but after him, there is a very good set of defenders.
Athletic testing, on-field development, and scheme fits will determine how the rest of the group shakes out. If all goes well, we could see as many as eight cornerbacks earn first-round consideration.
Safeties
1. Malaki Starks, Georgia
2. Xavier Nwankpa, Iowa
3. Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State
4. Andrew Mukuba, Texas
5. Xavier Watts, Notre Dame
The safety position isn't nearly as proven as the cornerback group. Malaki Starks has been awesome since Day 1, but the rest of the group has had its ups and downs.
I love the size and speed combination that Xavier Nwankpa (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) and Kevin Winston Jr. (6-foot-2, 205 pounds) have, but safeties rarely go in Round 1. The rest of the class needs to have a good year to project as Day 1 starters.
Ian Valentino
Ian Valentino is an NFL and NFL draft contributor for The 33rd Team. He has covered all aspects of the NFL since 2013. He's previously provided scouting services to the NFL, XFL and CFL. He also has written for Bleacher Report, Complex Sports and Pro Football Network.
