2025 NFL Draft: Ranking the top 5 prospects at every position, including several players battling to be QB1 |Max Sporty|

There are nowhere near the safe studs in the class of 2025 that we saw in 2024. All that does is do NFL scouts earn their money even more this coming spring. With very few consensus top guys at their position, you’re going to see very different top fives based on what a particular draft analyst covets the most. That said, positions like running back and cornerback are among the few that stand out as strong classes this year.

Goalkeeper

1. Cam Ward, Miami (FL)
2. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
3. Drew Allar, Penn State
4. Quinn Ewers, Texas
5. Carson Beck, Georgia

It’s still early, but the development of Cam Ward was the story of the season at the quarterback position. He plays with the kind of quiet confidence that can’t be taught. Ward can not only rip it to any level of the field from the pocket, but he has a sixth sense to avoid pressure and create outside of it.

This is a very talented class, even if there is no surefire No. 1 pick. I couldn’t even squeeze out LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, who could easily play his way into a top-50 pick based on what I’ve seen early. The one player that I might be a little wishy-washy on, based on the growth I’ve seen early on, is Drew Allar. He still has attacks with shaky accuracy, but no one in the class holds a candle to his arm strength. The man can hit any window you want to give him.

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Running back

1. Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
2. Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State
3. Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State
4. Jonah Coleman, Washington
5. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Arizona

This is one of the strongest position groups in the upcoming draft, if not the strongest. It is also one of the few that has a certain fire stud at the top. Ashton Jeanty is currently averaging over 200 yards per game and is breaking tackles at an unheard of rate (over 10 per game, per PFF). Don’t be surprised if he ends up as a first-rounder in a relatively weak class. The one player I might go out with is Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who ran into eligibility issues after one game with the Wildcats. His quick, decisive feet and increased play strength make him a very easily translatable NFL back.

Wide receiver

1. Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
2. Luther Burden III, Missouri
3. Travis Hunter, Colorado
4. Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
5. Isaiah Bond, Texas

It still remains to be seen which position Travis Hunter takes his talent to the next levelbut he is a top pick at whoever he chooses. Tetairoa McMillan and Luther Burden III will likely join him with how much the NFL has coveted receivers in recent classes. That might be it for the first-round classes, though, as it’s a huge step down from the class we saw a year ago.

Offensive tackle

1. Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas
2. Will Campbell, LSU
3. Josh Simmons, Ohio State
4. Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota
5. Marcus Mbow, Purdue

The same thing I said above for the receiver class applies even more to the tackle class. There are slim pickings after the top two in the class. After Kelvin Banks Jr. and Will Campbell, there may not be another tackle that I would take not only the first round, but the second as well. It is a group full of either projects or treatments with worrying physical limitations.

Interior offensive line

1. Donovan Jackson, Ohio State
2. Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona
3. Tyler Booker, Alabama
4. Dylan Fairchild, Georgia
5. Tate Ratledge, Georgia

It’s a very blue-blooded group at the top. While he’s only played a few games this season, Donovan Jackson is the one I keep coming back to at the top of the class because of his ceiling. The man truly has All-Pro caliber physical traits, and his play thus far finally reflects it. As is almost always the case, there are also some interesting pending converts. Jonah Savaiinaea tops that list with a lab-built guard frame that can absorb and deliver a blow with relative ease.

Defensive tackle

1. Mason Graham, Michigan
2. Deone Walker, Kentucky
3. Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
4. Tyleik Williams, Ohio State
5. Zane Durant, Penn State

We haven’t seen a defensive tackle drafted in the top five since Quinnen Williams in 2019. I think that changes with Mason Graham (and maybe Deone Walker) in 2025. Graham is an all-down, scheme-diverse playmaker. There are so few holes in his game for just a true junior. Walker, on the other hand, is a throwback to when defensive tackles were often larger than life numbers in the ’80s and ’90s. The 6-foot-6, 345-pounder moves like a much smaller man and presents some challenges for interior offensive linemen to block.

Defensive end

1. James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
2. Mykel Williams, Georgia
3. Nic Scourton, Purdue
4. Abdul Carter, Penn State
5. Anthony Lucas, USC

While I had really high hopes for this young group coming into the season (all are third-year players), this class is much more about athletic potential than on-field performance at this point. There are some real athletic wonders among the top dogs, as James Pearce Jr., Mykel Williams and Abdul Carter should be combined freaks in one way or another. At the end of the day, that is coveted at this position very much in the NFL.

Linebacker

1. Jalon Walker, Georgia
2. Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma
3. Nick Martin, Oklahoma State
4. Lander Barton, Utah
5. Jihad Campbell, Alabama

It’s a weird mix of hybrid off-ball/edge linebackers (Jalon Walker and Jihaad Campbell), three-down middle linebackers (Danny Stutsman and Lander Barton), and one weird weak-side linebacker who punches above his weight class (Nick Martin). . I might even be cheating by putting Walker in this mix because he will almost certainly be a passer first at the next level due to his mix of explosiveness and strength off the edge.

Cornerback

1. Will Johnson, Michigan
2. Travis Hunter, Colorado
3. Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
4. Denzel Burke, Ohio State
5. Shavon Revel, ECU

The crown jewel of the 2025 draft class. The number of first rounders at this position could even exceed the five listed here. It really is a shame that Shavon Revel’s season was already cut short after three games because he looked like he could have broken into the top 10 with his play early with two interceptions and two pass breakups already. That said, expect as many as three corners within those top picks next spring.

security

1. Malaki Starks, Georgia
2. Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina
3. Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State
4. Keon Sabb, Alabama
5. Jahdae Barron, Texas

While Malaki Starks is fresh off a nightmare performance against Alabama, I still believe the young man who has been starting since he was a true freshman ends up being the No. 1 next spring. He may not be the only one in this class to hear his name called in the first 32 picks, however, as Nick Emmanwori has had a very interesting start to his season for the Gamecocks. He is another junior who has started since his true freshman season, and he possesses easily the most impressive physical ability in the class. At 6-foot-3 and 227 pounds, he can double as a linebacker while also possessing elite range on the back end. That’s a combo everyone is chasing at the next level.