It’s only October, so the 2025 NFL Draft’s first-round image remains to be very a lot in flux as scouts make campus visits all around the nation.
Apart from a number of the quarterbacks, many of the gamers on my preliminary top-50 board have performed as much as expectations and will likely be within the combine to be drafted in Spherical 1. However for this week’s draft watch, I wished to introduce three non-quarterback prospects who’ve buzz amongst NFL scouts as potential risers, even when they aren’t as talked about a lot nationally.
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Cameron Williams, RT, Texas
For many who watched Texas’ win at Michigan, you would possibly know Williams as the precise deal with who stored getting penalized (4 flags in that recreation). The Michigan recreation was Williams’ third profession begin, and his first on the street, so youthful errors have been anticipated. However the primary takeaways from his general movie are his easy motion expertise and highly effective grip power, particularly for a participant along with his dimension (6-foot-5, 335 kilos) and size.
Williams was (hilariously) flagged for holding on this play, which negated a Quinn Ewers’ landing cross. Clearly, it was a clear rep for the precise deal with and illustrated his capacity to manage the sting.
Although nonetheless uncooked, Williams is easy and robust in his kick slide to guard the sting (solely two pressures allowed this season), and his vary is spectacular when Texas asks him to get out in house. Most have Texas left deal with Kelvin Banks Jr. penciled-in as a first-rounder, however some scouts imagine Williams’ uncooked traits in the end may make him the upper draft choose.
Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon
A switch from Michigan State (Oregon opened the NIL checkbook), Harmon has disruptive qualities along with his preliminary quickness and robust swipe strikes to realize entry to gaps.
A redshirt junior from Detroit, Harmon put himself on the NFL radar the previous two seasons in East Lansing and has taken one other leap in his improvement this season. He leads the Geese in pressures (18) and is second in tackles (13) this season. Scouts are wanting to see Harmon — and the complete line of defense — towards Ohio State in a number of weeks.
Josh Simmons, LT, Ohio State
Ohio State remade its offensive line final season, and that included bringing in Simmons, a younger and promising deal with from San Diego State. He was very up and down in his first season in Columbus however has proven great progress this season as a redshirt junior.
When betting on offensive line traits, give me the nimble blockers with versatile physique management and robust ending traits — which is a tidy method to sum up Simmons’ talent set. If he continues to play at this degree the remainder of the season, we is perhaps including one other Buckeye to the primary spherical.
Three must-see NFL prospects this weekend
1. Nate Noel, RB, Missouri (at Texas A&M, Midday ET, ABC)
A switch from Appalachian State, Noel (6.6 yards per carry) is filling the sneakers of Cody Schrader. He has rushed for a mixed 318 yards during the last two video games however faces a harder take a look at towards the Aggies, who’ve but to permit a 100-yard rusher this season. Though undersized at simply 184 kilos, Noel reads his blocks effectively and is aware of the place to assault with concise cuts. He’s trying to cement himself as a Day 3 draft choose.
2. Yahya Black, DT, Iowa (at Ohio State, 3:30 p.m., CBS)
If Iowa goes to drag the upset in Columbus, it might want to win within the trenches. An imposing lineman at 6-5 1/2 and 333 kilos with 35-inch arms, Black remains to be looking for his first sack of 2024, however he has been disruptive towards the run, controlling the purpose of assault and discovering the soccer. He’s competing for a spot on Day 2 of draft weekend.
3. Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State (at Boise State, 7 p.m., FS2)
Clearly, the primary attraction on this matchup is Boise State working again Ashton Jeanty, who’s separating himself as RB1 on this draft class. However when Utah State has the ball, look ahead to the No. 1 jersey, as a result of Royals is a playmaker with draftable expertise. His dimension is strange (5-11 1/2, 193 kilos), however he’s an explosive athlete with the terrific ball expertise wanted to create huge performs — Royals led the FBS in 2023 with seven catches of 50-plus yards.
Stats of the Week
• That is your weekly reminder that Jeanty is among the greatest prospects within the 2025 NFL Draft. A month into the season, he leads all of faculty soccer in dashing yards (845), yards per rush (10.3), dashing touchdowns (13) and compelled missed tackles (43).
What Jeanty did to the Washington State protection final weekend was exceptional.
Ashton Jeanty made Washington State’s protection appear like a JV squad. I’ve by no means seen extra pressured missed tackles on a RB tape.
Simply watch these 5 clips. #RB1 pic.twitter.com/kVZGdYLBeR
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) September 29, 2024
• Ole Miss broad receiver Tre Harris (6-2, 208) is a good-sized athlete with sturdy ball expertise, however he has additionally flexed run-after-catch expertise this season. In 12 video games final season, he ranked 74th within the nation with 360 yards after the catch; in 5 video games in 2024, Harris leads the FBS with 403 yards after catch (simply two different FBS gamers are above 300 YAC yards). Harris was one of many Rebels’ vibrant spots in final Saturday’s loss to Kentucky, producing a career-best 121 yards after the catch.
• Alabama misplaced a number of key items within the secondary this offseason, but it surely made an vital addition with USC switch cornerback Domani Jackson. The previous five-star recruit collected his first interception towards Georgia’s Carson Beck final weekend and has been a shut-down cowl man this season, permitting solely 16.7 p.c catches (12 targets, two catches for 18 yards). Jackson is a real junior and may have an NFL choice to make after the season.
Prospect trending up …
A prospect creating buzz amongst NFL scouts is Boston Faculty cross rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku, who leads the FBS with 8.0 sacks. Though undersized (6-2 3/8 and 241 kilos), he has cat-like quickness on the snap to shoot gaps and dip beneath blocks. And he additionally has stunning arm size (34 5/8-inches), which helps him set the sting and present up within the run recreation. Ezeiruaku was unstoppable towards Western Kentucky final weekend, ending with 14 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and one pressured fumble.
Thought-about a late-round risk by scouts coming into the season, Ezeiruaku is making a push to be thought of within the top-100 picks.
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Prospect trending down …
One of many causes quarterback Carson Beck returned to Georgia for his senior season was due to the dangerous style left in his mouth by an SEC title recreation loss to Alabama. As a substitute of avenging that loss Saturday, although, he had the worst efficiency of his profession.
Sure, Beck helped gas a second-half comeback in Tuscaloosa, however he was answerable for 4 turnovers and struggled to impress NFL scouts in attendance. Whereas the physique of labor is what issues essentially the most, how quarterbacks carry out within the largest video games on the schedule are weighted a tad extra. Beck has loads of pivotal video games left in entrance of him to alter the narrative, however he performed extra like a third-rounder than a first-rounder towards the Tide.
Rookie Revisited
The success of the Buccaneers’ offense has been based mostly extra on the passing recreation than the frenzy assault. However Bucky Irving has been a productive complementary again and at the moment leads all rookies in dashing yards (203), as Tampa provides extra to his plate every recreation.
Right here is the abstract from his scouting report in my 2024 NFL Draft information:
A two-year starter at Oregon, Irving was the lead again in offensive coordinator Will Stein’s zone-read, balanced run assault. After leaving Minnesota following one season for extra offensive touches, he surpassed 1,000 yards dashing in every of his two seasons in Eugene and led all FBS working backs in catches (56) in 2023. Along with his imaginative and prescient, darting quickness and wiggle within the gap, Irving routinely finds yards that aren’t blocked for him. Though he may have a harder time churning out yards after contact within the NFL, his physique steadiness and low middle of gravity are belongings — particularly out in house. Total, Irving is undersized and underpowered, however he has pass-catching expertise and instinctive run qualities to rapidly kind and make sharp directional cuts to sunlight. He initiatives as an NFL complementary again who could be a productive changeup in a committee.
(High picture of Cameron Williams: Gregory Shamus / Getty Pictures)