The 2025 NFL Draft is less than a month away, and the anticipation for the event is growing by the day.
From a Bears-centric point of view, Chicago holds the No. 10 overall pick and is coming off an offseason which saw them significantly improve the trenches on both sides of the ball. From the view of the draft class as a whole, talented groups at defensive tackle, offensive tackle and running back figure to dominate the first few rounds.
I’ve finished up my draft prep for this year’s draft, having spent the previous 12 months scouting and grading prospects accordingly. As I put the finishing touches on my 2025 NFL Draft Guide, I wanted to share with you all my current top five prospects at each position.
Quarterbacks
Cam Ward, Miami (FL)
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
Quinn Ewers, Texas
Tyler Shough, Texas Tech
Coming off of a tremendous 2024 quarterback class, the 2025 class seems to fall flat. Nonetheless, there’s still developmental potential with a handful of these guys. I feel confident Ward can be a good enough starter, and Sanders could be an effective game-manager somewhere. Dart and Ewers could be gamers, but it would be extremely dependent on their landing spot.
Running backs
Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State
TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
Kaleb Johnson, Iowa
The 2025 draft might just be the deepest running back class I’ve seen since 2017. Jeanty is a top-five prospect in the class for me, and Hampton ended up in my top 20. RB3 through RB5 all deserve to go in the second round, and fringe Day 2 guys like Bhayshul Tuten from Virginia Tech, Dylan Sampson from Tennessee, and Cam Skattebo from Arizona State all have starting potential.
Wide receivers
Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
Luther Burden III, Missouri
Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
Matthew Golden, Texas
Jayden Higgins, Iowa State
I don’t think there’s a receiver who’s on the level of a Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze coming out. That said, I do see some potential contributors with serious potential. Egbuka gets the slight edge over Golden for his superior physicality, and Higgins’ combination of size, speed, ball skills and physicality is enticing to me. The Nico Collins comparisons for him aren’t all that far off.
Tight ends
Tyler Warren, Penn State
Colston Loveland, Michigan
Mason Taylor, LSU
Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green
Elijah Arroyo, Miami (FL)
Warren and Loveland are both top-15 players on my board. There’s a considerable drop from there, but there’s still plenty of tight end talent that should come off the board on Day 2. It wouldn’t surprise me if Oregon’s Terrance Ferguson gets picked earlier than most people expect; his athletic upside is tremendous.
Tackles
Will Campbell, LSU
Armand Membou, Missouri
Josh Simmons, Ohio State
Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas
Josh Conerly Jr., Oregon
Between these five and Minnesota’s Aireontae Ersery, there’s no shortage of potential first-round picks at offensive tackle in this class. Campbell is my top tackle because of his spatial awareness, agility, power and ability to generate torque, even with a smaller wingspan. Membou also looks the part of a top-10 pick, and Simmons would likely be a true top-10 player in the class, were it not for his torn ACL.
Guards
Tyler Booker, Alabama
Donovan Jackson, Ohio State
Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona
Wyatt Milum, West Virginia
Marcus Mbow, Purdue
If both Booker and Jackson come off the board in the first round of this year’s class, I wouldn’t necessarily be shocked. Players like Savaiinaea, Milum and Mbow have some flaws as prospects but project well as future long-term starters along the interior offensive line, assuming they all kick inside. Tate Ratledge from Georgia is another guard in this class worth using a Day 2 pick on.
Centers
Grey Zabel, North Dakota State
Jared Wilson, Georgia
Jake Majors, Texas
Seth McLaughlin, Ohio State
Jonah Monheim, USC
There’s no Tyler Linderbaum or Creed Humphrey in this center class for me, but Zabel and Wilson I think have strong chances of becoming solid starters in the league. Those are the only two centers I’d take within the first two days of the draft, but the value around Round 5-6 is very strong. If you want depth at the position, the last three join honorable mentions like Drew Kendall from Boston College, Willie Lampkin from North Carolina, and Eli Cox from Kentucky as draftable prospects with sleeper position.
Defensive tackles
Mason Graham, Michigan
Kenneth Grant, Michigan
Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
Derrick Harmon, Oregon
Tyleik Williams, Ohio State
The defensive tackle class is arguably the 2025 draft’s biggest strength. All five of these players could be selected in Round 1, and I wouldn’t bat an eye. Alfred Collins from Texas is my DT6 and ranks just below Williams, though he would also be a great investment in Round 2. Behind those six, I have five more defensive tackles with true Day 2 grades, indicating they should go in Day 2 of any draft, regardless of its strength.
Edge rushers
Abdul Carter, Penn State
James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
Mykel Williams, Georgia
Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
Some may be surprised to see Scourton this high, particularly with no appearance from Mike Green from Marshall in my top-five. I value Scourton’s polished arsenal of moves he uses to shed blocks, his high motor, and his pad level. Green would likely be EDGE3 on my board, were it not for dings from his being a Group of 5 player and uncertainty regarding concerning allegations. Regardless, he ends up as EDGE6 in a group I consider one of this draft’s strongest.
Linebackers
Jalon Walker, Georgia
Jihaad Campbell, Alabama
Carson Schwesinger, UCLA
Demetrius Knight, South Carolina
Chris Paul Jr., Ole Miss
I consider Walker as more of an off-ball linebacker who can rush off the edge, as opposed to a full-time edge rusher. Regardless, he’s a player I finish with a true first-round grade on. There’s a drop-off after him, but I love the second- and third-round value at linebacker in this class. Campbell and Schwesinger are physical freaks, while Knight and Paul are rock-solid, intelligent players with high floors. Danny Stutsman from Oklahoma barely ranks outside the top five for me.
Cornerbacks
Travis Hunter Jr., Colorado
Will Johnson, Michigan
Jahdae Barron, Texas
Trey Amos, Ole Miss
Shavon Revel Jr., East Carolina
I feel very confident in my first three cornerbacks, as they’re firmly ahead of the rest of the group in my eyes. There’s not a massive drop between my CB4 and CB7 in this class, and the likes of Maxwell Hairston from Kentucky, Benjamin Morrison from Notre Dame, Denzel Burke from Ohio State and Azareye’h Thomas from Florida State standing out as honorable mentions. That said, I’m betting on the breakout 2024 that Amos had, as well as the freakish traits that Revel has, even coming off of an injury.
Safeties
Malaki Starks, Georgia
Xavier Watts, Notre Dame
Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina
Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State
Andrew Mukuba, Texas
I’m in the minority having Emmanwori as SAF3 in this draft, but it’s not so much an indictment on him. In fact, I think he has a tremendous ceiling and is more polished than he sometimes gets credit for. Rather, it’s just me being very high on both Starks and Watts. Despite average testing, Starks is one of the most well-rounded safety prospects I’ve ever watched. I also love Watts’ range in coverage and instincts as a bonafide ball hawk.
Specialists
Tyler Loop, Arizona (kicker)
Ryan Fitzgerald, Florida State (kicker)
Caden Davis, Ole Miss (kicker)
Jeremy Crawshaw, Florida (punter)
James Burnip, Alabama (punter)
There’s no Tory Taylor-type prospect in the bunch, but it’s still a decent class for special teamers. I’m especially impressed by the kicker class; Loop has a big leg and consistent accuracy inside NFL hashmarks, and Fitzgerald is a reliable finesse kicker who wins with good kick placement.