[Editor's note: The following article is from Athlon Sports' 2025 NFL Draft Preview magazine. Order your copy today online, or buy it at retail stores and newsstands everywhere.]
Comparing draft prospects to established NFL players can be a slippery slope. Are you comparing the prospect to the professional when the professional first became eligible for the draft or when the professional hit his peak as a player? Are you trying to make that comparison based on a set of skills that worked in college and should transfer well to the NFL?
Perhaps the best way to come to a like-as-like comparison is to stick with the traits and attributes of each prospect and player. Then, you're not focusing too much on schemes (which don't always transfer) - instead, it's all about what the prospect brings to the table on a no-matter-what basis.
After comprehensive tape study of 16 of the top prospects for the 2025 draft, here are the most similar established NFL players in terms of playing style, playing personality and the entire tool kit. If you have yet to watch the prospects too closely, these comparisons should give you a better sense of what these players will be able to do in the league.
*Advanced statistics courtesy of Pro Football Focus
Mason Graham, DL, Michigan -> Justin Smith
2024 season: 3.5 sacks, nine quarterback hits, 20 quarterback hurries, 24 solo tackles, 30 stops
Michigan's Mason Graham is a big man who can rush the passer as well as he can stuff the run, similar to former Cincinnati Bengals star Justin Smith. Eric Seals (Graham) / Matthew Emmons (Smith) - Imagn Images Eric Seals (Graham) / Matthew Emmons (Smith) - Imagn Images
Graham's movement skills in stopping the run or disrupting the quarterback are unusual for a man standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 320 pounds. From the snap, he's always looking to blast through blocks, and he can do that just as well with pure strength as he can with freakish short-area speed and agility. Not to mention the fact that Graham can line up everywhere from nose tackle to edge. Smith, selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2001 draft by the Cincinnati Bengals out of Missouri, had a similar profile in his seven seasons with the Bengals and seven more with the San Francisco 49ers. You couldn't outmuscle Smith anywhere on the line, and he could shock you with that same mixture of first-step quickness and agility.
Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State -> Micah Parsons
2024 season: 12 sacks, 10 quarterback hits, 43 quarterback hurries, 43 solo tackles, 43 stops
Like Micah Parsons, Abdul Carter (left) wore No. 11 for Penn State. Like Parsons, Carter will be a first-round draft pick. Mark J. Rebilas (Carter) / Kevin Jairaj (Parsons) - Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas (Carter) / Kevin Jairaj (Parsons) - Imagn Images
The comparison is almost too easy with this one. Carter rushes the passer and has worn No. 11 for Penn State. Parsons also wore No. 11 for Penn State, and although Parsons' collegiate role was different - he was much more of an off-ball linebacker in contrast to Carter's typical placement on the edge - the playing profiles are quite similar. Like Parsons during his career with the Dallas Cowboys, the 6-foot-3, 259-pound Carter can obliterate offensive tackles on either side of the line with inside counters and the ability to work around the arc. Carter has a highly developed palette of hand-fighting skills; this also allows him to get to the quarterback as a stand-up interior defender over the center - something Parsons also has developed as a secret weapon. With 12 sacks and 56 total pressures in his final collegiate season, Carter looks to have all the skills his fellow Nittany Lions alum has brought to the NFL.
Malaki Starks, S, Georgia -> Jamal Adams
2024 season: 34 catches allowed on 52 targets for 453 yards, 190 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, one interception, two pass breakups, an opponent passer rating of 97.7
At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, Starks has all the attributes you want if you're in need of a physical safety who can stop receivers in short and intermediate coverage, come down from the deep third to blow up quick passes and serve as a quarterback pressure generator in blitz packages. But like Adams, who was selected by the New York Jets with the sixth overall pick of the 2017 draft out of LSU, Starks tends to get lost in space when asked to deal with receivers in the deep third. His footwork isn't consistent, and that leads to busts in both coverage and tackling when he's playing free safety. Perhaps his NFL coaches can clean that up, but the alternate option is that Starks' NFL team will realize he's more valuable closer to the line of scrimmage and utilize him accordingly.
Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado
Veteran WR DeAndre Hopkins and CB Darius slay faced off against each other in Super Bowl LIX. Depending on which position he plays, Travis Hunter is reminiscent of both players. Mark J. Rebilas (Hopkins) / Ron Chenoy (Hunter) / Jay Biggerstaff (Slay) - Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas (Hopkins) / Ron Chenoy (Hunter) / Jay Biggerstaff (Slay) - Imagn Images
2024 receiving stats: 96 catches on 122 targets for 1,258 yards, and 15 touchdowns
-> WR: DeAndre Hopkins
Hunter is 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds to Hopkins' 6-foot-1 and 218, but they have similar playing styles in that, although neither is a true downfield burner, they both have impressive acceleration to the second and third levels of the field. And just like Hopkins throughout his estimable NFL career, Hunter has absolutely no fear of contact when catching the ball over the middle or when making contested catches. He almost relishes the ability to show how physically imposing he can be against cornerbacks. Moreover, Hunter has a similar route sense to Hopkins', and when you're playing two radically different positions at such a high level, the preparation required to run effective routes is singularly impressive. Unlike Hopkins, though, it can be credibly said that receiver isn't even Hunter's best position.
Hunter's 2024 defensive stats: 22 catches allowed on 40 targets for 212 yards, 98 yards after the catch, one touchdown, four interceptions, seven pass breakups, an opponent passer rating of 38.8
-> CB: Darius Slay
Now, to Hunter's best position. When Hunter presses a receiver and matches him through the route, he's very tough to shake. In that regard, he's very much like the 6-foot-0, 190-pound Slay, who at his peak has been one of the best press-match cornerbacks of his era. Hunter looks quite ready to step right into that designation. His physical style of play translates to the cornerback position just fine, and his understanding of routes as a receiver absolutely makes him a better and more consistent cornerback.
Will Johnson, CB, Michigan -> Devon Witherspoon
2024 season: 15 catches allowed on 25 targets for 183 yards, 48 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, two interceptions, three pass breakups, an opponent passer rating of 49.3
The 6-foot-2, 202-pound Johnson became one of college football's most physical cornerbacks in recent years. Though his 2024 season was cut short due to a turf toe injury, Johnson finished his career with the Wolverines with nine interceptions and seven passes defended to just two touchdowns allowed. Like Witherspoon, who was selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2022 draft after an outstanding career at Illinois, Johnson is always looking for the physical advantage - whether screaming down to break up a short pass or screen, establishing dominance at the catch point or disrupting the quarterback as a blitzer. The combination of coverage skills and alpha-dog mentality should see Johnson drafted with a similarly high pick as long as his combine medicals check out.
Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State -> Bijan Robinson
2024 season: 374 carries for 2,601 yards, 7.0 yards per carry, 29 touchdowns; 23 catches on 33 targets for 138 yards and one touchdown
Since 2000, there have been just 16 running backs taken in the top 10. Texas' Robinson, the last back to be so selected (eighth overall by the Atlanta Falcons in 2023), was considered to be a generational prospect, but two years after Robinson was highly coveted, Jeanty may find himself in a similar position. The 5-foot-9, 215-pound Jeanty rolled over his college competition just as the 5-foot-11, 215-pound Robinson did throughout his Texas career. Both backs have a devastating combination of patience to the opening gaps, rare speed through any kind of opening and unreal agility and contact balance in the open field. And you could throw out any strength-of-opponent concerns regarding Jeanty after he rang up Oregon's defense for 192 yards and three touchdowns in Week 2 last season.
Will Campbell, OT, LSU -> Dion Dawkins
2024 season: Two sacks, five quarterback hits, 11 quarterback hurries allowed on 557 pass-blocking snaps
It's an odd draft for offensive tackles in that several of the highest-placed prospects may look better at guard in the NFL. Not so for the 6-foot-6, 323-pound Campbell, who has worked himself into a legitimate left tackle prospect. Last season, Campbell allowed just one sack and 14 total pressures in an offense that had quarterback Garrett Nussmeier leaving the pocket quite often. Not many of those pocket bailouts were on Campbell, who allowed just four sacks in 1,593 career pass-blocking reps. Campbell will occasionally get out of his pass set a bit late, but he's a plug-and-play power left tackle who stylistically reminds one of the Buffalo Bills' Dawkins. Like the 6-foot-5, 320-pound Dawkins, Campbell isn't always the prettiest pass protector, but he gets it done with power, and that transfers very well to the run game.
Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia -> Frankie Luvu
2024 season: 38 solo tackles, 31 stops, 6.5 sacks, five quarterback hits, 22 quarterback hurries, 10 catches allowed on 12 targets for 89 yards, 71 yards after the catch, one touchdown, no interceptions, no pass breakups, an opponent passer rating of 125.3
You may not know too much about Luvu of the Washington Commanders unless you're a football fan in or near the nation's capital, or you watched Luvu's impressive highlights for the Carolina Panthers from 2021-23 and for the Commanders in 2024. But Luvu is the very model of the modern linebacker in that he's a top-tier defender whether rushing the passer from the defensive line, blowing up run fits as an off-ball linebacker or covering tight ends and slot receivers at the short and intermediate levels. Walker, a 6-foot-2, 245-pounder, will be prized by NFL teams for his similar degree of versatility. He fits the league's prototype for his position in the same way that Luvu does, and that's a big deal.
Mykel Williams, Edge, Georgia -> Michael Bennett
2024 season: Five sacks, six quarterback hits, 15 quarterback hurries, 15 solo tackles, 16 stops
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has always boasted his share of dominant pass-rushers, making his defenses effectively NFL transfer portals. In this draft class, watch out for the 6-foot-5, 265-pound Williams in that regard. Not only is Williams an outstanding pressure generator from the edge (three sacks and 19 total pressures from outside the tackles in 2024), but he can also kick inside to create issues for guards and centers. Williams plays a mean pinball when it's time to crash through multiple blocks to the quarterback, and he can knife through double-teams and push blockers back as an interior disruptor. He's highly reminiscent of Bennett, who was a multi-gap dominator at his peak with the Seattle Seahawks from 2013-17. Wherever Bennett lined up, opposing blockers were in big trouble, and Williams has that same versatility.
Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas -> Dominick Puni
2024 season: One sack, two quarterback hits, seven quarterback hurries allowed on 537 pass-blocking snaps
Banks has allowed just four sacks and 32 total pressures in 1,456 pass-blocking reps over three seasons with the Longhorns, so why are so many eager to move him from left tackle to guard when he hits the NFL? At 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds, Banks tends to land late with his hands to foil pass-rushers, and that can cause him to lose battles to either side of his body. Banks is a better player in confined space, and that is very similar to how NFL evaluators looked at Kansas tackle Puni. In two seasons with the Jayhawks (2022-23), the 6-foot-5, 313-pound Puni played mostly left tackle and left guard, and it was clear that he would be better served with linemen to either side. The San Francisco 49ers moved Puni, their third-round pick, inside to right guard and watched him become a Pro Bowl-level player at his new position. Banks has similar attributes, and those attributes may work better inside at the next level.
Nic Scourton, Edge, Texas A&M -> Rashan Gary
2024 season: Five sacks, four quarterback hits, 28 quarterback hurries, 27 solo tackles, 22 stops
Scourton transferred to the Aggies from Purdue, and although his 2024 disruption numbers were a bit disappointing after 2023's 10-sack, 42-pressure season, the tape still shows an edge rusher and occasional inside player who can lay waste to enemy blockers. At 6-foot-4 and 285 pounds, Scourton could be a real asset in the right defense - one that moves him around to take advantage of his lethal combination of speed around the edge and power moves inside. In that regard, he's reminiscent of Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Gary, selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2019 draft out of Michigan. It took Gary a couple seasons to become a consistent quarterback aggravator at 6-foot-5 and 277 pounds, but he's been just that from the outside (kicking inside occasionally) ever since.
Kenneth Grant, IDL, Michigan -> Dexter Lawrence
2024 season: Three sacks, one quarterback hit, 23 quarterback hurries, 18 solo tackles, 22 stops
In Grant's case, it's really about how a man standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 339 pounds is able to bomb enemy blockers with such speed off the snap, agility to move around guards and centers and straight acceleration - as well as all the power you'd expect. Grant's three sacks and 27 total pressures are decent numbers for edge rushers 80 pounds lighter, never mind guys this big who are facing double-teams more often than not. At his best, Grant has the potential to be a game-wrecker in the mold of the 6-foot-4, 340-pound Lawrence, who put up similar sack and pressure numbers at Clemson and then amplified his attributes when he became a New York Giant.
Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona -> Mike Evans
2024 season: 84 catches on 130 targets for 1,319 yards, eight touchdowns
Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan and the Bucs' Mike Evans both check in at 6-foot-5. Aryanna Frank (McMillan) / Nathan Ray Seebeck (Evans) - Imagn Images Aryanna Frank (McMillan) / Nathan Ray Seebeck (Evans) - Imagn Images
There are times when pure size can be a tactical weapon, and that's certainly true in the case of McMillan. The 6-foot-5, 212-pound McMillan is an absolute nightmare for opposing cornerbacks when it comes to contested catches and red-zone opportunities, when he can just Godzilla cornerbacks and safeties into submission. McMillan will hand-fight through every rep when it's needed, and when it's time to dominate at the catch point, few in the NCAA have been better in recent years. That's why the comparison to Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Evans is so clear. The 6-foot-5, 231-pound Evans is on a Hall of Fame track in his career because every quarterback he's ever had understands that even when Evans is double-covered, he's somehow open. McMillan could very well provide that unique value to his NFL team.
James Pearce Jr., Edge, Tennessee -> Brian Burns
2024 season: 7.5 sacks, four quarterback hits, 43 quarterback hurries, 23 solo tackles, 28 stops
The first thing that stands out about the 6-foot-5, 243-pound Pearce when you watch him is his singularly impressive ability to move so quickly off the snap to the pocket. It's the rare edge rusher who has a quicker burst to the quarterback than Pearce, and that's true whether he's running in a straight line or deflecting blockers with lateral agility. Burns, selected 16th overall by the Carolina Panthers in 2019 out of Florida State, has a similar "shot out of a cannon" playing style at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, and that's traveled with him from the Panthers to the New York Giants. Few pass-rushers actually can beat blocks at the highest level with pure demon speed off the snap. Burns is one, and Pearce could well be another.
Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri -> DJ Moore
2024 season: 61 catches on 80 targets for 676 yards, six touchdowns
Burden has been one of the most productive and explosive wide receivers in college football over the past three seasons, and that's been true whether he has lined up outside or in the slot. Burden will arrive in the NFL with an impressive route tree and the ability to turn everything from simple screens and hitch routes to go and post routes into explosive plays and touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 208-pound Burden is a tough out for any cornerback for these reasons, and he brings to mind Moore of the Chicago Bears, who has transcended his team's inconsistent passing game to provide similar game-breaking potential on every type of route. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound Moore is a threat to score whenever he gets the ball, and if NFL teams are looking for a like-as-like playing personality, Burden would be a very good place to start.
Walter Nolen, IDL, Ole Miss -> Kobie Turner
2024 season: 6.5 sacks, three quarterback hits, 26 quarterback hurries, 26 solo tackles, 32 stops
Will Anderson Jr. of the Houston Texans was the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year for the 2023 season, but Turner of the Los Angeles Rams was just as deserving of the award after posting 12 sacks and 50 total pressures as a primary three-technique defensive tackle. It's difficult to watch the 6-foot-3, 305-pound Nolen and not think of Turner with Nolen's ability to explode past blockers and knife through double-teams with a highly impressive palette of pass-rushing skills. Like the 6-foot-2, 297-pound Turner, Nolen is a real problem for enemy defenses everywhere from nose tackle to five-tech end - and like Turner, Nolen could be the epicenter of a professional defensive line sooner rather than later.
STATISTICAL NOTE
Pro Football Focus defines a "stop" as a tackle on which: • On first down, the offense gets 45 percent of the way to a first down or less • On second down, the offense gets 60 percent of the way to a first down or less • On third or fourth down, the offense doesn't get a first down
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This story was originally published March 21, 2025 at 6:00 AM.