11 NFL Draft prospects who could go No. 1 overall in 2025, and 3 who just missed the cut

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With the college football season starting up, here are the guys you need to know about.

After handicapping the teams racing to the bottom for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the pivot now goes to who might be selected with that pick. While most years there’s a consensus top guy on the board who runs the table as the projected No. 1 pick, this year seems to be more along the lines of a large group of players vying for that position. This is the year to need defensive help, with the strongest group of the 2025 draft class coming from the defensive line. In addition, if you need protection up front, this is the draft for you to find blockers. However, you might be in dire straits if you need a quarterback. While there are some top guys, all of them basically have little to no separation between them and might not be the in the top 10 of draft prospects entering 2025. Yet, QB tax still remains high, and teams are going to want to get their signal caller of the future.

Here are the 11 prospects who can be the number one pick come April.

James Pearce Jr, EDGE, Tennessee

My top prospect going into the summer, I’m a big fan of Pearce’s athletic traits and ability to get to the QB. He’s got an extremely quick first step and has the ability to bend around the edge, which is huge considering most top EDGE prospects coming out now are more pocket pushers and denters. As of right now, I would put him as my favorite to go first overall. He could use some more good play weight to help his run defense, but if you’re looking for a bonafide pass rusher then Pearce is your guy. Very stylistically similar to Giants EDGE Brian Burns.

Carson Beck, QB, Georgia

Beck is the favorite to be the first QB drafted, especially if he can put together another strong year at Georgia. Beck is a very talented passer over the middle of the field, with good mechanics and ball placement in those areas, especially off play action. He’s got good accuracy to all three levels of the field, and with the Bulldogs still bringing in loads of talent on the offensive side of the ball, he’ll have more people to deliver the ball to. I think he can definitely improve his play under pressure and without the use of play action, but a team is going to be able to sell themselves on his ball placement and ability to work using play action, a staple of NFL offenses.

Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia

The second Georgia prospect on the list, Williams should be your guy if you also loved Travon Walker coming out in 2022. Williams is a freakish blend of size and power, and playing in Georgia’s title and mint front means he played a lot of 4i and lined up all over the defensive formation, including on the edge where he’s best projected. As all Georgia defenders are, he’s very strong and disciplined against the run, and has shown flashes of being a standout pass rusher. If Williams can turn those flashes in to consistent production with more reps (4.5 sacks last year), he could soar to the top of the draft board.

Will Campbell, OT, LSU

Campbell has been a star ever since he stepped onto the field at LSU. Starting at left tackle ever since he was a freshman, Campbell showed refinement as a pass blocker, going up against top tier SEC pass rushers all of the time. His hand technique is really good as well, being able to stun pass rushers before they can get going. With offensive line talent continuing to be a premium, Campbell is also in the discussion for top pick in 2025.

Mason Graham, DT, Michigan

A bowling ball of chaos on the interior, Graham is the gamewrecker in the middle of Michigan’s defense. He’s constantly playing with a hot motor, but that doesn’t leave him out of control at all. Graham showcases a lot of disruption as a run defender, while still expanding his pass rush repertoire. As NFL defense try and get beefier and stronger through the middle, Graham’s ability to just never be out of a play will be highly sought after.

Deone Walker, DT, Kentucky

The major sticking point for drafting DT Deone Walker first overall is simple: there aren’t may people that size who can move the way he does. At 6’6, and over 330 pounds, Walker plays with so much more finesse and footwork than you would expect from a guy that size. When he’s on, he’s a force capable of wrecking an entire gameplan. His stamina, which will always be a concern for bigger DTs, has improved since he got to Lexington, so with another year of conditioning and reps he can be even better. He really struggled against Georgia, so scouts will be on lookout for that game this season.

Kelvin Banks, OT, Texas

Banks is one of my favorite players to watch early in this draft cycle. He’s got more than enough length on the edge, and can anchor against power, but buddy he is a NASTY run blocker. Texas would use him as a puller to get him out in space, and he would absolutely detonate on second level defenders. He’s a really good athlete who wants to maul people and finish on every snap. I think he can be beaten by speed a little too often for my liking, but the sky is the limit for Banks, who could find himself in first overall pick conversations come April.

Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado

Sanders has an extremely large microscope on him, considering that he’s the son of Deion Sanders, one of the greatest football players we’ve ever seen. However, Sanders is a good player in his own right with a lot of NFL qualities. Sanders is a professional deep ball thrower, with nice touch to go on top of his aggression taking shots downfield. You can also see that he wants to work through his progressions and get from his first read to his second, but has enough athleticism to make things work out of structure. I would like to see him be a bit better against pressure and finding different answers, but considering Colorado’s offensive line state, he might not have a choice. Think Geno Smith when it comes to Sanders.

Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama

Let’s get nuts, shall we?

Yes, Milroe isn’t the most refined passer, especially in the short area. Yes, Milroe did get benched against USF, but that seems like a circumstance that is better off being explained by former OC Tommy Rees. However, what Milroe brings to the table is a few things: if he gets to the NFL, he’d be one of like, 5 QBs with the level of athleticism that he has and the deep ball absolutely works. Each year we’ve seen a QB go from under the radar to one of the top picks in the NFL Draft. We’ve also seen signal callers who haven’t had the best careers passing turn it around under an offensive guru. Take Michael Penix Jr for example. After Penix Jr. transferred to Washington, he was guided by head coach Kalen DeBoer to shattering records and ending up as the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Well, DeBoer is now at Alabama, and has a jumbo jet as a QB in Milroe. Milroe is a strong, physical runner who also can fly past guys with his speed, and then has more than enough arm strength to test teams vertically. The processing and accuracy need to iron itself out, but if there was a guy who teams will fall in love with, it’ll be Milroe.

Emery Jones Jr., OT, LSU

Opposite of Will Campbell is another 2025 Draft prospect who will shoot up draft boards. Jones Jr. is a mauler as a run blocker with so much strength and flexibility as a pass protector that it stymies a lot of defenders. Another plus plus athlete at the position, there’s a lot of room for growth with Jones Jr.’s game, but that’s what the 2024 season is for. He hasn’t played on the left side yet, but with more and more teams placing importance on the right tackle position, he could end up being the first tackle taken.

Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State

There’s just something about those linebackers from Penn State who wear number 11. Carter is next in line of souped up EDGE defender/LB hybrids from the Nittany Lions, and man is he turbocharged. Now that he’s fully on the edge, I love his burst and bend around the edge to get to the QB. His explosiveness and speed is so much better harnessed on the ball than off the ball, where he mostly played in 2023. While he’s just a fine off ball LB, he has the chance to be very similar the super athletic edges Penn State has churned out in recent years.

Guys that just missed the cut

CBs Travis Hunter, Colorado and Will Johnson, Michigan

I really wanted to include these guys at the top of the list, but in the history of the NFL Draft, there’s never been a corner taken first overall. However, if there’s any year to make history, it’s this one. Johnson is my top corner, with the length, technique and patience to play in a multitude of coverages and guard various body types out wide. His work against Marvin Harrison Jr. last year was super, super impressive. For Hunter, some teams might see him as a receiver, but I think he’s got elite potential at corner. His instincts and ball skills really show up in zone coverage, and he’s an electric corner when he gets his hands on the ball.

QB Conner Weigman, Texas A&M

Another guy who could really benefit from a strong 2024, Weigman has all the tools to be a good passer in the NFL. His pocket movement and confidence throwing the ball downfield really stood out in a Texas A&M offense that didn’t have much going for them last year. If Weigman is fully recovered from a foot injury that knocked him out for the rest of the 2023 season, he should be much improved with a coordinator like Collin Klein calling plays for him.