All I can say after reviewing the top of this year’s NFL Draft class is that it’s going to be a lot of fun. With very few sure-fire studs at the top compared to a year ago, expect evaluations to differ wildly from person to person on how to stack up this class.
Here’s how I see the top-50 heading into Senior Bowl week in Mobile, Alabama.
1. Cam Ward, QB, Miami (FL)
Cam Ward oozes the kind of confidence you want from a franchise quarterback prospect. He also has top-tier arm talent with a career trajectory firmly pointed towards the ceiling. He may not be the same caliber of prospect we saw at the top of last year’s class, but he’s no less talented.
2. Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State
Abdul Carter has only been a full-time edge rusher for one season. Over the course of that season, he quite dominantly established himself as the top pass-rusher in the country. He’s got All-Pro-caliber tools.
3. Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado
The most dynamic athlete in the draft class has the highest grade at both wide receiver and cornerback for me in the draft class. Travis Hunter is a truly special prospect who can legitimately still play some of both positions in the NFL.
4. Mason Graham, DL, Michigan
Mason Graham may not be the most physically imposing defensive tackle, but he’s just darn good. He’s uber-consistent and plays with a motor that won’t quit. There’s very little to dislike.
5. Jalon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
Explosiveness, ferocity and an innate feel for rushing the passer — Jalon Walker has a jam-packed toolbox. His size will be his biggest knock, but there’s numerous defenders rushing the passer at a high-level with similar frames.
6. Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia
Mykel Williams is one of the biggest enigma’s in the draft class. He played out of position much of the season as a between-the-tackles player when he’ll be an edge rusher in the NFL. The twitch he possesses combined with extraordinary length and play strength should be a nightmare for opposing offensive tackles.
7. Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas
Kelvin Banks Jr. is a three-year starter who showed signs of growth every single fall. He was battle-tested this past season iin the SEC and passed every single one. He’s an easy people mover in the run game and has a tremendous anchor for a true junior.
8. Walter Nolen, DL, Ole Miss
Walter Nolen is explosive, flexible and only scratching the surface of his potential. He’s a plug-and-play run defender who can get in opposing backfields with ease. What I love most about projecting his game to boost him into my top 10 is his ability to finish plays in space for a defensive tackle.
9. Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
Will Johnson came into this season as the top-ranked player on my board and only fell due to a turf-toe injury that limited him to only 279 snaps. He’s a big, physical press corner who’s held his own against some of college football’s best the past couple of seasons.
10. Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
Luther Burden III a YAC-monster who can create easy separation out of his breaks. He’s also got some extremely reliable hands with a drop rate under 5% in each of the past two seasons.
11. Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
Tetairoa McMillan is a unique receiver prospect who’s every bit of 6-foot-5. He’s gone for 3,414 yards and 26 scores in three seasons for the Wildcats. His ability to make plays outside his frame is the best in the draft class.
12. Will Campbell, OT, LSU
Will Campbell is a three-year starter at left tackle and arguably the most technically advanced lineman in the draft class. Some may see him as a guard, but I see no reason not to start him at tackle.
13. Nic Scourton, EDGE, Texas A&M
I’ll lean on Nic Scourton’s scintillating sophomore tape in his evaluation when he was primarily a stand-up edge rusher at Purdue. One might think at 285 pounds that Scourton would be better over tackles as a 4-3 or 3-4 defensive end, but it was when he had a head of steam that Scourton was at his best. One of the youngest prospects in the class, Scourton has so much room for development.
14. Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
Malaki Starks is the kind of versatile safety who’s worthy of a top-10 pick. He may not be a high-end playmaker, but he’s the kind of Swiss Army Knife who can fill any role in the secondary.
15. Derrick Harmon, DL, Oregon
Few have raised their stocks as much as Derrick Harmon this past fall. There’s really not much to dislike about his tape. He’s got the kind of versatile body type to play any technique on the interior while still being effective against both run and pass.
16. Armand Membou, IOL, Missouri
Armand Membou has been a right tackle for Missouri, but with his stout body type, I believe he can be an All-Pro guard. His ability to gain natural leverage is outstanding and he’s one of the best in the class at finding linebackers in space.
17. Josh Conerly Jr., OT, Oregon
Josh Conerly Jr. is still more traits than polish, but the latter is catching up quickly. He may be the twitchiest offensive lineman in the entire class, and you see that in his ability to eliminate space on edge rushers.
18. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
I take positional value into account for my board, which means Ashton Jeanty takes a hit. If all positions were created equal, he could easily be the top prospect in this class. There’s very few holes in his game.
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19. James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee
James Pearce Jr. may very well be the most athletic defensive lineman in this draft class. His movement skills could pass for that of a wide receiver. The problem is that so could his frame. If he can beef up, he’ll be a problem in the league.
20. Tyler Booker, IOL, Alabama
Tyler Booker is a brick wall in pass protection. When defensive tackles try to overpower him, they end up going nowhere. While he’s not the most fleet of foot, Booker is always on balance and able to mirror quicks on the interior.
21. Wyatt Milum, IOL, West Virginia
Wyatt Milum takes the fight to every defender in his path. If he gets his hands on you it can get ugly. While he plays left tackle for the Mountaineers, Milum projects to guard at the next level.
22. Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
Emeka Egbuka is an incredibly high-floor wide receiver. He ticks a ton of boxes for the position and already has NFL-veteran level chops as a route-runner.
23. Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
Colston Loveland is a young, natural receiving tight end. While not much of an inline blocker, he has room to grow at only 20-years old currently. He’s a terror when climbing past the linebacker level of the defense.
24. Azareye’h Thomas, CB, Florida State
Azareye’h Thomas is another 20-year old who’s already started for more than two seasons. This past season opposing offenses didn’t even challenge him most games as the 6-foot-2 corner smothers opposing receivers.
25. Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
Tyler Warren is Jason Witten for a new generation. It’s a pleasure to watch him work in- and out-breakers like clockwork. He also has excellent size to be an inline option.
26. Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall
Mike Green flashed in a part-time role a year ago before breaking out and leading college football with 17 sacks this past fall. He’s outstanding at shedding blocks for an undersized outside linebacker and developed a ton physically over his career.
27. Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
Jahdae Barron was mostly a slot corner until this past fall where he became a star on the outside. Barron brought that physical slot mentality to the outside and it paid off. He intercepted five passes, which exceeded his entire career prior.
28. Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame
Benjamin Morrison has some of the best man-mirror tape of any corner in the class. Unfortunately, he also is coming off a season-ending hip injury that could scare some away. I’m still betting on the talent who picked off six passes as an 18-year-old freshman in 2022.
29. Kenneth Grant, DL, Michigan
Kenneth Grant is a physical freak who holds over 330 pounds with ease. While you might think that makes him a nose tackle, his first step plays anywhere along the defensive line.
30. Trey Amos, CB, Ole Miss
Trey Amos has been stingy for a while now. In each of his four seasons prior to transferring to Ole Miss, Amos allowed a sub-50 completion percentage. Most of those came at Louisiana Lafayette, however. It wasn’t until he balled out for a full season as a starter in the SEC that NFL evaluators started to buy in. He had double-digit pass breakups this past fall for the Rebels.
31. Donovan Jackson, IOL, Ohio State
Donovan Jackson made himself as much money as anyone with his play over the course of the College Football Playoff. After two seasons starting at left guard, Jackson took over at left tackle midway through this past season. In Ohio State’s four playoff games, Jackson allowed all of two pressures against some of college football’s best defensive lines.
32. Tyleik Williams, DL, Ohio State
Tyleik Williams may very well be the best run defender in the draft. He’s stout as can be at the point of attack with heavy hands to shed blocks. While he never really developed as a pass-rusher, he’s not a complete dud in that regard.
33. Deone Walker, DL, Kentucky
Deone Walker is a unique specimen. He’s one of the tallest defensive tackles I’ve ever seen at over 6-foot-7 and 344 pounds. At that size, he’s incredibly nimble. He just can’t hold up to double teams or play as many snaps as Kentucky asked him to. Still only 20-years old, Walker has time to figure it out.
34. Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
Jihaad Campbell is the kind of jumbo off-ball linebacker who can rush the passer like a defensive end that are the wave in the NFL. He did a little bit of everything for Alabama’s defense in a breakout campaign this past fall.
35. Jonah Savaiinaea, IOL, Arizona
Jonah Savaiinaea has one of the most impressive guard builds in the entire draft class. He blocks out the sun with his enormous frame. That, unsurprisingly, is helpful on double teams. What is surprising, though, is his ability to still mirror speed rushers at his size.
36. Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State
Josh Simmons was firmly on track to be a top-15 pick before he went down with a patellar tendon tear in his knee in Ohio State’s midseason game against Oregon. He’s a smooth pass protector who rarely gets out over his skis.
37. Shavon Revel Jr., CB, East Carolina
Shavon Revel Jr. is a massive corner who’s incredibly fluid for a man his size. He’s also outstanding at locating the football in the air. The only worry is an ACL tear he suffered in practice early on in the 2024 campaign.
38. Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
Nick Emmanwori might have the best range of any safety in this class while simultaneously being the biggest safety in the class. That’s a unique combination that will translate to the next level.
39. David Walker, EDGE, Central Arkansas
I’m going out on a limb before the Senior Bowl considering we haven’t seen David Walker face any semblance of NFL-quality tackle play. His dominance at the FCS level, however, was unlike anything I’ve seen in my decade of doing this. Walker is a Brandon Graham-esque edge rusher with a bowling ball frame and explosive first step that give opposing tackles nightmares.
40. Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
Shedeur Sanders has the numbers and the experience, but his arm strength and frame leave a little to be desired. I expect him to go higher than this ranking, but such is the nature of need at the quarterback position.
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41. Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College
Donovan Ezeiruaku is the most technically advanced edge rusher in the class. He’s got a myriad of moves at his disposal and racked up double-digit sacks this past fall because of it. His athletic testing will be big because on tape he rarely impressed in that regard.
42. Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford
Elic Ayomanor has great size and physicality for the position. He’s not a top-tier athlete, but knows how to change up speeds to keep corners off-balance.
43. Dylan Sampson, RB, Tennessee
Dylan Sampson has elite ability to consistently find the right crease. And when he does, the undersized running back hits it at full speed. Sampson consistently overcame poor run blocking to produce in the SEC.
44. Nick Martin, LB, Oklahoma State
Nick Martin is tiny for a linebacker, but don’t tell him that. He plays with his hair on fire and is more than willing to initiate contact on offensive linemen who outweigh him by 100-plus pounds. Martin’s range is second to none in the linebacker class.
45. Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
Matthew Golden is a graceful route-runner who you can trust to run the full tree. He is more of a No. 1 receiver than a No. 1, but that distinction is fairly meaningless nowadays. Golden is versatile and ascending as a true junior coming out.
46. Alfred Collins, DL, Texas
Alfred Collins is put together how you want a stout interior run defender. He’s got a massive, long frame that can keep opposing linemen at bay. Collins took over right where T’Vondre Sweat left off at Texas,
47. Darien Porter, CB, Iowa State
Darien Porter is one of the weirdest prospects in the draft class. He’s a sixth-year player, but only spent the last three on defense after switching from wide receiver — and he still wasn’t a full-time starter this past fall. When he was out there, though, Porter was one of the most impressive specimen in the entire country. He’s got elite downfield speed and at 6-foot-4 is still somehow fluid enough to stick with smaller wide receivers.
48. Kevin Winston Jr., S, Penn State
Kevin Winston Jr. missed most of this season with a partial ACL tear, but still declared for the NFL Draft early as a junior. That’s because his sophomore tape showed an enforcer on the back end who only added explosiveness and strength early on in 2024. He’s an outstanding tackler who’s not afraid to stick his nose in it.
49. Jared Ivey, EDGE, Ole Miss
Jared Ivey is a jumbo defensive end who was a big-time riser this season. He’s gifted with his hand usage and knows how to win with his length. While Ivey isn’t a first-round-caliber athlete, he’s got other traits to make up for it.
50. Aeneas Peebles, DL, Virginia Tech
What Aeneas Peebles lacks in size, he makes up for in motor. He’s the kind of defensive tackle I love to root for because he’ll never give up on a rep. NFL defenses are getting more adept at taking advantage of interior defenders with first steps like Peebles.
The 2025 NFL Draft is to take place from April 24-26 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. More draft coverage can be found at CBSSports.com, including the weekly mock drafts and a regularly available look at the eligible prospects.