The 2024 NFL Draft ended two weeks ago in Detroit, but if you think draft season is over in a few months, you’re wrong. While fans are busy imagining how the rookies will fit into their new roles, the 2025 NFL Draft is now less than a year away, so we need to see who the cream of the next generation could be.
AthleticismThe first consensus 2025 Big Board combines rankings from various draft experts to identify how top prospects are viewed relative to the rest of their class. Although it’s still very, very early in the process, this should give us an idea of which prospects will lead the conversation as we turn our attention to next year’s draft.
Our board is starting small – 25 prospects – due to limited rankings for 2025 at this point in the process. As we get closer to the draft over the next 12 months, the board will expand. (Our final table of 24 covered the top 100 prospects.)
2025 NFL Draft Consensus Board
Player | Position | School | |
---|---|---|---|
1 |
Will Campbell |
OT |
|
2 |
Mason Graham |
D.T. |
|
3 |
Will Johnson |
CB |
|
4 |
Kelvin Banks Jr. |
OT |
|
5 |
James Pearce Jr. |
EDGE |
|
6 |
Travis Hunter |
CB |
|
7 |
Benjamin Morrison |
CB |
|
8 |
Deone Walker |
D.T. |
|
9 |
Well done McMillan |
W.R. |
|
ten |
Carson Beck |
QB |
|
11 |
Big Stark |
S |
|
12 |
Michael Williams |
D.T. |
|
13 |
Luther Burden III |
W.R. |
|
14 |
Abdul Carter |
EDGE |
|
15 |
Harold Perkins Jr. |
kg |
|
16 |
Nicholas Scourton |
EDGE |
|
17 |
Shedeur Sanders |
QB |
|
18 |
Colston Loveland |
THE |
|
19 |
Emery Jones Jr. |
OT |
|
20 |
Emeka Egbuka |
W.R. |
|
21 |
Quinn Ewers |
QB |
|
22 |
Denzel Burke |
CB |
|
23 |
Jack Sawyer |
EDGE |
|
24 |
Quinshon Judkins |
R.B. |
|
25 |
Tacario Davis |
CB |
1. How will the quarterback class play out?
In our first consensus panel last year, we had four quarterbacks in the Top 25: Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr. and Quinn Ewers. Three of those QBs eventually declared (Ewers returned to Texas), and all three were selected among the first eight picks in the ’24 draft.
But even at this early stage, Williams was a consensus QB1 — something this class might not have. Georgia’s Carson Beck is QB1 for now, but he’s only 10th overall in the class. That leaves room for Shedeur Sanders, Ewers or even new quarterbacks who aren’t on the radar right now to make a move — similar to Jayden Daniels’ meteoric rise to QB2 last cycle.
GO FURTHER
2024 NFL Draft Team-by-Team Rankings: Best and Worst Classes, 1-32
2. Who is the best non-quarterback?
Marvin Harrison Jr. looked like the best non-QB for the entire 2024 cycle, and that came to fruition on draft night when he was selected fourth behind three quarterbacks.
The Class of 2025, however, has a different feel. Several players sit at the top of major industry boards, so who will end up in first place? LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell currently ranks first on our consensus board, but he doesn’t actually rank atop any individual board. Instead, he consistently makes the top four. Compare that with players like Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr. and Georgia’s Mykel Williams, each a top prospect on several boards but falling into the teens on others.
At this point, there’s no clear answer, but Campbell gets the first nod by remaining steady in the top rankings.
3. Is this an elite cornerback class?
Three cornerbacks (Kool-Aid McKinstry, Denzel Burke and Kalen King) made our first consensus draft board for 2024 – none were selected in the first round (Burke returned to Ohio State) .
To open this year, we have five corners in the Top 25, including three ranked eighth or higher. Michigan’s Will Johnson, Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison will all try to earn CB1 status in this class heading into the fall. Will this be similar to 2024, when cornerbacks fell through the draft process, or will 2025 be the year a team in need can find help at the top of the draft?
ANOTHER CHOICE FOR @TravisHunterJr!
📺ABC pic.twitter.com/dl7bHAPkzo
– Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) October 29, 2023
The LSU linebacker took college football by storm in his freshman campaign in 2022, but his momentum slowed in 2023. Perkins (listed at 6-foot-1, 220 pounds) is a bit of a middle man. I’m not sure NFL teams will want an edge player of this size, so Perkins will need to show up more as an off-ball linebacker this fall to help his draft stock.
Even so, in today’s NFL – a league that increasingly relies on a certain mix of size and athleticism on defense – what is the ceiling for this type of player?
(Best photos of Travis Hunter, Will Campbell and Mason Graham: Dustin Bradford / Getty Images; Peter Joneleit, Brian Rothmuller / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)