Four weeks into the college football season is way too early to draw any conclusions on the potential prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. But drawing up position and overall rankings has the benefit of starting the thought process on how positional value may play out next April. NOTE - Not all ranked prospects have been scouted by SNS yet this season and there is a slight bias towards the players scouted multiple times over the past few seasons. But it is still very early in the scouting process between now and next spring.
EDGE
1. Mykel Williams / Georgia
2. Abdul Carter / Penn State
3. James Pearce / Tennessee
4. Harold Perkins / LSU
5. Landon Jackson / Arkansas
The 2025 Edge Rusher class potentially has a number of quality pass rushers with the quickness, agility, and closing burst to excel at that specific task. The problem is finding a well-rounded prospect who can set the edge and be a force in the run game as well as pressure the QB. Williams, the top recruit in the country out of high school, has the physical profile to be a complete Edge who is good against the run and can get after the passer. Unfortunately, Williams has had trouble staying healthy and has only flashed his elite skills. He still has at least two years of eligibility remaining and should return to Georgia to refine his skill set. Carter is an undersized former LB who struggles when ran at but has a great combination of agility, athleticism, and closing burst. He needs to develop additional pass rush moves and improve his hand fighting ability but he looks like a natural coming off the edge. Pearce has a great frame with desired height and length. He is quick, has a great first step, and bends and flattens around the corner like an NFL starter. However, he lacks mass and rarely lines up as a traditional pass rushing Edge, instead lining up all over the field to create mismatches. Pearce looks like an off the ball LB on running downs who then goes after the QB on passing downs. Perkins lacks some desired size and mass for 4-3 DE responsibilities, which is why LSU is playing him as a WLB. He is slowly progressing as a LB but his natural tools are best employed as a pass rusher where he drew very favorable comparisons to Micah Parsons as a freshman. Perkins will most likely be the most divisive prospect once he declares for the NFL Draft. Jackson, unlike the other prospects on this list, offers the frame, length, and mass desired to line up as a 4-3 DE - he possesses the base and hand fighting skills to line up as a DE against the run and pass. His pass rushing skills need development but he has an athletic profile similar to Aidan Hutchinson and looks like a first-round pick next April.
IDL
1. Mason Graham / Michigan
2. Nazir Stackhouse / Georgia
3. Deone Walker / Kentucky
4. Dontay Corleone / Cincinnati
5. Tim Keenan / Alabama
Graham is a complete interior defensive lineman with the frame, mass, length, power, burst, and quick twitch that every NFL team desires, regardless of scheme. He has a non-stop motor and the versatility to line up as an Edge in some sets. Graham is a serious contender to be the best prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft. Stackhouse is a highly experienced and productive DT for the dominate Georgia defense that has yet to allow a TD this season. Stackhouse has desired size and length with a well-balanced skill set where he anchors and shrinks down run lanes while having the strength to push the pocket. Walker has rare size with a huge frame, grapevines for arms, and the mass desired for a DT. When he is kept fresh, his combination of strength and surprising quickness and agility make him a headache for any IOL to handle. Walker looks like a first-round draft pick once he declares for the draft. Corleone, like Walker, has an ideal frame and mass for a DT and he flourishes in stopping the run. He possesses a powerful bull rush but does not offer the pass rushing upside of Graham or Walker. But the “Godfather” can seriously shut down run lanes and has few peers in this regard. Keenan is part of a deep rotation of talented IDL in Tuscaloosa and is kept fresh as a result. He plays with a great base and leverage and has well-rounded skill set. His pass rushing skills need development but he is consistent performer with a great motor that coaches will love.
LB
1. Jay Higgins / Iowa
2. Smael Mondon / Georgia
3. Deonte Lawson / Alabama
4. Nick Jackson / Iowa
5. Nick Martin / Oklahoma State
There does not appear to be any LBs in the 2025 NFL Draft worthy of a first-round selection. But the depth of the position looks very good with several prospects looking like potential NFL starters. Higgins led the nation in tackles in 2023 (171) and seems to always be near the ball. He has good size, excellent range, and is a very good open field tackler. Mondon is in his third year starting for the Bulldogs. He reads keys well and is rarely fooled. His range is very good and he is the leader of an experienced and dominating defense. Lawson is an experienced leader on a very good Tide defense. He possesses sideline to sideline range with the ability to pick up TEs and RBs in coverage but he is best operating between the tackles shutting down run lanes. Jackson has starred at Virginia and now Iowa and has recorded over 400 tackles in his college career. He has elite instincts with great range and breaks down well to secure the tackle in space. Martin lacks some desired size but is instinctive, fast, and a great blitzer that is used off the edge in some pass rush sets. He is not used much in man coverage but he has the range and agility to excel in zone coverage.
CB
1. Will Johnson / Michigan
2. Travis Hunter / Colorado
3. Benjamin Morrison / Notre Dame
4. Xavier Scott / Illinois
5. Cobee Bryant / Kansas
The 2025 NFL Draft may have an elite class of cover CBs with the size, skills, and temperament to thrive on an island in the NFL. The influx of big, fast, and physical WRs has grown much faster than the influx of similar-sized CBs but this year’s class may begin to close that gap. Johnson already has two pick sixes this year and has the size, fluidity, ball skills, and confidence to flourish as a true lockdown CB. Hunter makes his second appearance on this list (SNS’ #3 ranked WR – see the 9-20 SNS 2025 Scout’s Notebook) and has a playing style reminiscent of his coach, Deion Sanders. Hunter is a special athletic talent with superb playmaking ability. He has the size, wingspan, leaping ability, and ball skills to be a future Pro Bowl CB. His technique still needs development and he needs to focus on improving his fundamentals to reach his immense potential. That may not be possible until he focuses on playing CB full-time. Morrison has elite ball skills and attacks the ball in the air like a WR. He has good size and length with great fluidity and movement skills. Morrison looks like a Top 15 pick next April. The best DB performance so far this season probably belongs to Scott, a CB with the skills to line up out wide or in the slot. He is a fiery and highly competitive man corner with the ball skills and leaping ability to man up with bigger WRs and the quickness and agility to handle smaller WRs out of the slot. Scott’s flexibility will have him shoot up draft boards next spring. Bryant has elite twitch and closing burst with the ball skills every NFL team covets. His technique is raw and he too often loses phase with WRs down field but his upside is high due to his athleticism and confidence.
Safeties
1. Malachi Moore / Alabama
2. Billy Bowman / Oklahoma
3. Xavier Watts / Notre Dame
4. Malaki Starks / Georgia
5. Akili Arnold / USC
The safety class could be potentially very good with quite a few prospects displaying NFL characteristics desired to play the variety of roles that NFL offenses require from safeties. Moore could have declared for the 2023 draft and would have likely been a third-round pick. He has plenty of quality time spent covering the slot and this year is playing a more traditional strong safety role this year. He has very good range, instincts, fluidity, and is effective in run support. Bowman surprisingly did not enter last year’s draft despite recording six INTs, returning three for TDs. In addition to the ball skills and big play ability, Bowman supports against the run and is a well-rounded player. Watts recorded seven INTs last year and has the build, athleticism, and speed to cover the back half as a single high safety. He looks like a starter early in his NFL career and should be one of the first safeties selected when he enters the draft. Starks is very likely to be the first safety selected when he enters the draft. Starks is fluid, instinctive, and clutch – he shows up in crunch time and makes plays when needed. He has solid ball production with six INTs in the last two plus seasons. Arnold, a transfer from Oregon State, is a tough and highly physical player whose body may not be able to hold up to the physicality of his style. But he has good instincts and range and has the mentality to become a starter.
Specialists
1. Ryan Fitzgerald / K / Florida State
2. Noah Burnette / K / North Carolina
3. Jeremy Crawshaw / P / Florida
4. Dominic Zvada / K / Michigan
5. Aaron Rodriguez / P / New Mexico
The specialists (kickers, punters, long snappers) that may enter the 2025 NFL Draft do not appear to be of the quality of the last few drafts. In fact, it would not be a surprise if none are selected next April. But several of these prospects have NFL tools and will be invited to training camps to compete for jobs next summer. Fitzgerald has a very strong leg with consistent accuracy up to 55-yards and a career long of 59-yards. Burnette has similar leg strength to Fitzgerald. The primary concern regarding Burnette is he does not kick off for the Tar Heels. Crawshaw is a big Australian punter with a powerful leg and nice touch for placing the ball inside the ten-yard line. Zvada has spent time at Arkansas State and Michigan. The ball booms off his foot and his leg is NFL quality. Rodriguez is an experienced directional punter with great touch. He typically punts at elevation, which may hurt his draft stock with some teams.
SNS 2025 NFL Draft Top Defensive Prospects
1. Mason Graham / IDL / Michigan
2. Will Johnson / CB / Michigan
3. Travis Hunter / CB / Colorado
4. Mykel Williams / EDGE / Georgia
5. Nazir Stackhouse / IDL / Georgia
6. Malachi Moore / S / Alabama
7. Benjamin Morrison / CB / Notre Dame
8. Jay Higgins / LB / Iowa
9. Deone Walker / IDL / Kentucky
10. Abdul Carter / EDGE / Penn State
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