| QB | |
| Cam Ward, Miami | Ward is a good sized gamer who never lets the moment get too big. A lot like Jayden Daniels in that regard. He's more of a tank than an evasive runner, but he will run. This guy has a howitzer for an arm. Throws with anticipation and isn't afraid of any of the throws. At times tries too many lasers in touch situations, but this guy has gamer written all over him. He was the primary driver in Miami's turnaround this season, and he saved them from several potential losses because of how cool, calm and collected he was. I don't want him in New York. |
| Jalen Milroe, Alabama | Milroe is honestly the most talented quarterback in this class all things considered. He has absolutely elite arm talent and athleticism. He has enough ability as a passer to beat you in the air if you over commit to him and the athleticism to kill you if you over commit to the pass. He has a lightning quick release and his acceleration is other wordly. He's going to absolutely destroy the combine if he participates. He is an absolute weapon. Where I have some concerns with Milroe are the intangibles: He doesn't look like he's always in control, he forces the ball into bad situations and he isn't a great field reader. Ward and Sanders are both better in those departments. But he is the best overall physical talent at the QB position in this draft and its not close. |
| Shadeur Sanders, Colorado | For positives he has pretty good athleticism and can get out of tough situations and keep plays alive. That is a large plus. He knows where the rush is and what he needs to avoid it, and I don't think that ability should be slept on. His arm strength is just okay. He has the long ball arm and can get the ball down field, but the velocity can be concerning on tight window throws at times, and he has a major tendency to just throw the ball into an area he thinks a receiver will outrun a DB when he is about to get hit. He will need to reign that in at the next level. A very large part of his production is finding his receivers and hoping they beat the DB. His arm talent is average, his processing and pocket presence is high end. He has a ceiling, but it could be "good NFL QB" if he refines his risk taking. |
| Quinn Ewers, Texas | A big thing that stands out with Ewers is how fast he gets through his reads. He processes things extremely well. He is a smart scrambler, but his athleticism falls short of the top guys in this class. He is much slower footed in the pocket, but he still is a capable evader against normal rushes, but he's not going to wow you with an escape move. When you compare him to Milroe, Ward and Sanders he looks like he's playing in quick sand. And similar to Sanders, it's hard to know how good he is versus how good his targets are. The fact he reads the field so quickly is a big green flag, though, as it pertains to his development. He spreads the ball around and knows his throwing windows. Good arm, not electric, but he has a quick release. High football IQ. |
| Kyle McCord, Syracuse | McCord is a very boom or bust kind of player. He is absolutely electric to watch. Sound mechanically, good arm, great athleticism and is a gamer. Moments are moments to him. He lives for the big moment. I think it's really important to note that he came in 10th in Heisman voting at Syracuse - which even though is an up and coming program, is lacking some of the talent these other quarterbacks had around them. He adjusts velocity based on coverage and where the receiver is in relation to the defender and he has great ball placement. He tries to do too much at times, but that can be reigned in a bit. He moves well and makes plays. |
| Will Howard, Ohio State | Mechanically he is very sound as it comes to footwork and throwing at the top of his drop and continuing through his reads with his hitch steps. He's a really good passer when Ohio State moves the pocket and rolls him out, too. He actually stands out in that regard. He's 6-4 235 so he's going to draw the inevitable Josh Allen comps, but he's not quite Allen. He is more polished as a passer than Allen was in college, but he's no where near as capable as a runner. His pocket demeanor is really calm, cool and collected. I don't get the "this guy is going to lead this team down the field and win" vibes from him, but I don't get the "yeah, we're done" vibes from him either. He's good enough as a runner to get you by, too, which is a win. He also doesn't have Allen's arm talent, but he does have a "good enough" arm. I think he's another one of those mid round potential steal types. |
| Dillon Gabriel, Oregon | Gabriel, to me, is the perfect game manager type of QB. He isn't a wow factor guy. He is very "normal" with the way he plays. But he is incredibly consistent as a passer. Looking back at his six year college career, Gabriel's passing numbers: 2024 73.2%, 3,558 yards, 28 TD/6 INT. 2023 69.3%, 3,660 yards, 30/6, 2022: 62.7%, 3,168 yards, 25/6, 2020: 60%, 3,570, 32/4, 2019: 59.3%, 3,653 yards, 29/7. He has played in three different programs: Oregon, Oklahoma and UCF. So his consistency is something to write home about for sure. Looking at him critically, he's small (but not super small, 6-0, 200). And, at least at Oregon, it seems like he has all day to find a target and let it rip. Gabriel is a hard one to judge, all things considered. I think at minimum he is going to be a pretty good backup QB in the NFL. He's a winner and raises the talent around him for sure. By all accounts his a likeable guy, too, which matters in the NFL. |
| Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss | Dart can make all the throws and has a lot of confidence. He throws well under pressure and doesn't have a panic reflex that many do. He has good size and the prerequisite athleticism to be successful at the next level. Where I have concerns with Dart is all on the mental/processing side of things. He is confident, but so much so that it borders on arrogance and he makes some really bad decisions (see end of the Florida game) in the process. Dart is the sleeper in this draft, in my opinion. If he can go somewhere, lose some of that arrogance and improve his processing and understand his strengths and weaknesses he can come out as a really good player - but he hasn't shown that yet and that will hurt his stock a bit. But this is a guy that is very worthy of a early mid round selection and development. But I'm not sure he has a high ceiling because I'm not sure a lot of these issues are correctable at this point. |
| Cade Klubnik, Clemson | In theory, Clubnik offers everything you could want in a quarterback. Good athleticism, good arm talent, good presence, good processing, good "gamer" mentality. There is nothing that he can't/doesn't do. But still, there is something about him that just feels off at times. Part of that is how wide open his receivers are a good portion of the time, part of that is the moment to moment decisions and part of that is that despite all of his intangibles and intelligence he doesn't seem to put all of that together for a single game on any kind of consistent basis. We need more from him from a consistency standpoint for me to take any kind of leap in my rankings for him, but he certainly has the tools and intelligence. |
| Kurtis Rourke, Indiana | Experienced pocket passer. Good mechanically. Release is average. Reads the field well and makes some passes look absolutely effortless. Tended to struggle a bit against better talent, the playoff game had that on full display, but he has some of that gamer mentality. I have more confidence in him developing than some others on this list. ANd he was a big part of Indiana's turn around to playoff run this year (their schedule helped). |
| Carson Beck, Georgia | Beck has really jittery pocket feet. Movement for the sake of movement at times. Scrambles himself into bad situation at times and definitely benefits from his receivers' athletic ability. He is gutty, for sure, and has good ball location. I mean he can really thread the needle. But I'm curious how he handles NFL DBs who react much faster at a more consistent rate than the college DBs he was beating up on. He has a good velocity ball but he lacks some of the arm strength you'd like to see. And he panics. I wouldn't draft him, personally. |
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| RB | |
| Ashton Jeanty, Boise State | Stats are a misleading item for collegiate players. There is a fine line between production and systemic production. So when guys blow up the stat sheet there is always some skepticism. Not with Ashton Jeanty. He has speed, size, athleticism, toughness and physicality. Oh, and he can catch, too. He has a deadly stiff arm and always seems to fall forward. The only knock I have on him, and lets face it we nitpick these kids a bit... Is he is a bit unsturdy in pass protection. One of the reasons Boise swings him is to negate that weakness, I'd bet. But very worthy of a top pick. Just need to improve his pass pro or work around it. |
| Omarion Hampton, North Carolina | He is a bruiser like Henderson. He's not quick twitch like Judkins or Jeanty, but he has the speed to evade and has some wiggle to him. He's pretty good in pass protection from what I see as well. And he's extremely productive in a tough conference with a tough schedule. This guy is the real deal. And watching all of these backs makes me think Jeanty is less of a trigger pull than I previously thought. |
| Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State | Extremely similar to Jeanty. He is quick twitch, keeps his legs churning, can shake a snake in a phonebooth and has tremendous breakaway speed. He's another one that always falls forward. Great athlete and a guy that should be on our board. I'd be close to saying if we can get him later than Jeanty than passing on Jeanty is a real option. |
| Trey'Veon Henderson, Ohio State | Downhill. He is a bit careless with the ball and a bit less quick twitch in close quarters than the other top backs. But he is a battering ram. He wants to hit people. He's a linebacker playing running back, but with better hands and speed. Damn good player and someone we should absolutely keep an eye on if Jeanty is not a realistic snag for us if we like the idea of another downhill power guy. |
| Cameron Skattebo, Arizona State | Lets talk sleepers. He's the RB sleeper in this class. I have NO idea how more draft sites aren't drooling over this kid. He runs like Mike Alstott mated with Barry Sanders and they came up with this amalgamation. His vision is excellent, his power is impressive and his want to destroy human lives is absolutely fantastic to watch. He is playing with lesser talent (yes, I know they are in the playoff) and he managed to, in my opinion, carry this Az St team into the elite 8. Old school back that just wants to destroy. This kid is awesome. |
| Jo'Quavious Marks, USC | His patience stands out. He lets his blocks set up and doesn't try to run as fast as possible as quickly as possible when he doesn't have to. He has good "hole wiggle" and vision. I honestly can't tell how fast he is. But he does a real good job keeping his feet under him and falling forward for yards, sometimes in big moments where he is stopped short of the yard to gain line and then somehow makes it over it by a yard or two. He makes good decisions with the football and can be used a receiver. Haven't seen a ton of him in pass pro, so that is an area that I look forward to spending some more time on. But this guy is a good player. |
| Rocket Sanders, South Carolina | Sanders feet aren't going to dazzle you. He isn't a wiggle guy. He isn't a "make 'em miss" guy. He isn't an explosive home run hitter. So what is he? A freakin' battering ram, that's what. He is flat out dangerous as a runner. He comes into contact with intent to harm and is able to shrug off would-be tacklers, move them to the side and then continue to move himself down the field. He falls forward. He is a weapon out of the backfield in the receiving game and from the tape I've seen he is a good blocker. At 6-2, 237 he brings thunder to any RB pairing. |
| Donovan Edwards, Michigan | He seems to have fallen off the radar for many. But his play doesn't really seem any less inspired - just not as much attention on him and the Wolverines. His balance and power ratio is phenomenal. He hits holes with the desire to hurt someone, but the balance to shrug off ankle tackles and the wiggle to make guys miss in close quarters. He is an underrated receiving option as well and has enough speed to break away at times. I think his stock has fallen way too far in the negative direction and I think someone is going to wind up drafting a gift for a RB stable. |
| Kaleb Johnson, Iowa | He is a reliable back with really smooth footwork. Watching his hesitation moves at the line of scrimmage is a thing of beauty. But he is "just" a steady hand. Not a guy you're going to grind to win, not a guy that's going to be an explosive playmaker on a down to down basis that teams have to worry about. But steady, reliable and powerful. He is the kind of back you love to have in your arsenal, but not the one you want to be your primary weapon. I like him a lot and think he is a definitive NFL back that will see a lot of NFL carries. But he's not a game breaker type like the top four could be. |
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| WR | |
| Travis Hunter, Colorado | Well, there is a first for everything. Hunter is going to be on two of my positional ranking lists because he is a first round NFL talent in two positions. I can't even believe I'm saying that. As a receiver he is a very precise route runnder, he stems his releases to influence the DBs and sometimes he just doesn't care and releases the way he's going and still wins. He has excellent hands as a receiver and can catch anything in a radius... Oh, and he'll toast you and have fun doing it. It is my opinion that he is the reason Shadeur Sanders is in the conversation at all as QB1 (not to say Shadeur doesn't have any talent - he does, see my write up on him) but Hunter is a difference maker in ways that aren't human. After the catch he knows what the DB is going to do, even with his back turned, and he'll plant and come back the other way and leave the defense shell shocked. This guy deserved the Heisman. He is a walking cheatcode. More on him later in the DB section, but he is WR1. |
| Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona | 6-5, 215. So he is your typical possession guy, right? Wrong. If Travis Hunter didn't exist, this guy is a WR1 in a lot of classes. Can he go up and big dawg someone? Yup. Can he run himself open with speed, athleticism and route running precision? Yup. Does he go over the middle? Yup. Is he productive? Yup. 2023: 90 rec, 1,402 yards, 10 TD, 2024: 84 rec, 1,319 yards, 8 TD. Is he playing with a talented roster surrounding him? Nope. The better question with Tetris is: What doesn't he do? Well, his estimated 40 isn't all that fast for high end receivers... it's just 4.5 seconds... so he'll need to work to get that quicker at the combine to make any headway on Hunter. He's also not the best blocker/off the line release guy - he relies on his size and he'll need to get that moving in a different direction to be as effective as he can be. But otherwise - this dude has everything you want in a receiver and - using my Commanders lenses - would be a perfect fit across from 17 next season - I just don't think we're going to be in any kind of position to grab him. He's going to go fairly early (earlier with a better 40) and he should. |
| Luther Burden III, Mizzou | This guy has great ball tracking ability and a fantastic catch radius. He plays with a great base and keeps moving through contact. He runs a variety of routes from various alignments. He is a "whistle" guy. He plays until there is a whistle... and at times he looks like a greased pig with the way defenders lose track of him. He ran a few jet sweeps, too, and he lowers his shoulder at times and will run you over. He is the real deal. |
| Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State | Short and sweet on him: Good hands, good size, good route variety, good explosion and good separation. I think he potentially lacks a touch of top end speed but he has all the tools and reminds me quite a bit of Terry McLaurin, just with a few less physical tools. |
| Jayden Higgins, Iowa State | I love his ability to adjust to the ball while in the air. He isn't necessarily a deep ball tracker, he's an adjuster. It's tough to explain the difference, and it doesn't mean he doesn't track deep balls... but his forte really seems to be the fine adjustments on underneath passes that allow him to catch the ball in YAC position. His production matches the film... 87/1,183/9. The guy is a baller and is completely underrated as a pass catcher. I think he becomes a possession receiver in the NFL... some people take that as an insult or a way to knock a guy... but it's not. He is a valuable target on any team and can make some things happen. Oh, and at 6-4, 215 the guy can go and get it. |
| Tory Horton, Colorado State | Disclaimer: Went down with a season ending injury October 12th which limited production this year, but his previous two years were over 1k yards each and 8 TD in each. I am extremely impressed with him. Want to talk about a smooth operator? That is Horton. He moves fluidly and runs a variety of routes. Colorado State really liked using him on crossers. But he has real soft hands. If he is healthy, he is worth an early target. The guy moves like a ballet dancer with the aggression of a football player. |
| Tre Harris, Ole Miss | This guy is a massive target. He is a prototypical possession type receiver. He has a massive radius and motor, but he plays "stiff". His movement isn't fluid and lacks some polish. Part of that is his size and not a knock on his athleticism. He's a very big receiver who fills a lot of teams' need for a possession type receiver. I think he is an NFL receiver through and through. But that "robotism" may hurt his stock a bit. |
| Evan Stewart, Oregon | Another 175 pound receiver. But Stewart plays much larger. He will run into contact a bit, though he's not powerful, he's also not afraid. He tracks the ball really, really well and works himself open. But when he's not, he isn't afraid to catch the ball around a defensive back's helmet. My concern with Stewart is that his route tree is a lot of deep and out breaking connections. He is a back shoulder fade or deep ball receiver. He needs to continue to refine that part of the game. But, by the way, you want to see a guy with good hands? Not just good hands... but really smooth, high end, high catch percentage hands? Look no further than Evan Stewart. |
| Isaiah Bond, Texas | Draft sites love this guy. He's 5-11 175 lbs. He is 100% an explosive deep ball threat. He can and will stretch a defense vertically and there isn't a whole lot anyone can do about it. He also tracks well and finds open areas. In watching his stuff, he doesn't really stand out, though. Contested catches aren't on his tape and he can be a bit sloppy at times with footwork, which results in sloppy routes. He has a niche at the next level that I assume will allow him time to develop, but I'm not entirely sold on Bond. To be up front, he also hasn't been all that productive thus far in college, despite being at Alabama and now Texas. |
| Elic Ayomanor, Stanford | He suffered from... subpar quarterback play. But he helped make Stanford's QB not look awful at times, too. He had a one handed grab against Syracuse that was absolutely unbelieveable. He plays with an attitude that no one will beat him and he makes the best of the situations he finds himself in. Right now, I think Ayomanor as a redshirt sophomore should return to school and either transfer to a program with proper QB play or stick it out at Stanford. The plays he made were fantastic, but the quarterback play doesn't increase his value beyond a day 2 maybe three type of pick. |
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