Who are the top 50 prospects in this draft class? NFL Draft expert Jay Robins debut’s his first Big Board prior to the Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl All Star games.
Tier 1: The Blue Chips
- Travis Hunter, WR1/CB1, Colorado
- Abdul Carter, EDGE/LB1, Penn State
- Ashton Jeanty, RB1, Boise State
- Mason Graham, DT1, Michigan
- Will Johnson, CB2, Michigan
- Tetairoa McMillan, WR2, Arizona
- Malachi Starks, S1, Georgia
The Top 6 prospects are some amazing players, with the potential to be true franchise altering pieces to teams in the beginning of the draft.
TRAVIS HUNTER WENT OFF VS. OKLAHOMA STATE
10 REC
116 YDS
3 TD
1 INT12 is different. pic.twitter.com/p3SUxhQLl0
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 29, 2024
We all know these players at this point, and they will be taken in the top 10 barring anything crazy in the pre-draft process.
Tier 2: The Round 1 Grades
8. Kelvin Banks Jr., OT1, Texas
9. Tyler Warren, TE1, Penn State
10. Will Campbell, OT2/OG1, LSU
11. Jalon Walker, EDGE2/LB2, Georgia
12. James Pearce Jr., EDGE3, Tennessee
13. Nic Scourton, EDGE4, Texas A&M
14. Josh Simmons, OT3, Ohio State
15. Omarion Hampton, RB2, North Carolina
16. Josh Conerly, OT4. Oregon
17. Mike Greene, EDGE5, Marshall
18. Luther Burden, WR3, Missouri
19. Cam Ward, QB1, Miami
Here we get to the heart of Round 1, and boy is there a lot of talent at EDGE and Offensive Tackle in this tier (5 and 4 each respectively).
Banks, Campbell, Simmons, and Conerly will be the 4 Tackles battling it out for the top linemen taken in this draft class, and all will be Day 1 starters on their respective lines.
Malachi Starks is the top safety prospect in the draft, with high end athleticism and versatility combines with sensational instincts. Tyler Warren is not far behind on my board, making it a tough decision if the Colts have to choose between these two if they make it to pick 14. Wouldn’t rule out a trade up for the two.
Oh my goodness. This is why Malaki Starks is a blue chip prospect pic.twitter.com/NqkR9qS3G9
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) August 31, 2024
Cam Ward is the only Round 1 graded QB on my board, and will of course likely get drafted much higher than this early on in the draft. Whether a team trades up for him or not is another story.
Tier 3: The Round 1-2 Grades
20. Jahdae Barron, CB3, Texas
21. Walter Nolen, DT2, Ole Miss
22. Colston Loveland, TE2, Michigan
23. Trey Amos, CB4, Ole Miss
24. Egmeka Egbuka, WR4, Ohio State
25. Xavier Watts, S2, Notre Dame
26. Kenneth Grant, DT3, Michigan
27. Donovan Jackson, OG1, Ohio State
28. Arand Membou, OT5, Mizzou
This tier has a lot of players I have graded as potential late Round 1 picks, but could sneak into the start of Round 2.
Everyone’s favorite Round 2 Mock draft pick for the Colts falls in this category: Xavier Watts. Sadly I don’t see him falling to pick 45 barring a really poor showing at the NFL Combine.
#ND S Xavier Watts is one of my favorite players in the class. He’s a highly instinctual player who showcases top-tier FB IQ + Play Recognition.
Over the past two seasons: 13 INTs, 14 PBUs, 0 TDs allowed, 1 penalty
The former WR/LB has become a legit ballhawk in the backend. pic.twitter.com/loYBlGINAj
— Noah Compton (@nerlens_) January 23, 2025
Jahdae Barron has a lot of pro ready traits and versatility. While he might not fit the Colts prototype and need, he is likely going to be a very productive nickel in the NFL.
Trey Amos meanwhile fits the Colts prototype at CB to a tee with his size, press ability, and athleticism. Colston Loveland is my TE2 and a very pro ready TE with his receiving ability, route running, and hands. He has the size to be a really good blocking tight end but he needs to develop a little bit there. Should the Colts trade back in Round 1, these two are very likely targets if the Colts want to target Tight End or Corner early.
Tier 4: Round 2 Grades
29. Princely Umanmielen, EDGE6, Ole Miss
30. Shemar Stewart, EDGE7, Texas A&M
31. Shavon Revel, CB5, Eastern Carolina
32. Benjamin Morrison, CB6, Notre Dame
33. Trey’veon Henderson, RB3, Ohio State
34. Mykel Williams, EDGE8/LB3, Georgia
35. Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE9, Boston College
36. Jihaad Campbell, LB3, Alabama
37. Nick Emmanwori, S3, South Carolina
38. Cam Skattebo, RB4, Arizona
39. Kaleb Johnson, RB5, Iowa
40. Harold Fannin Jr., TE3, Bowling Green
41. Carson Schwesinger, LB4, UCLA
42. Xavier Restrepo, WR5, Miami
43. Dylan Sampson, RB6, Tennessee
44. Shadeur Sanders, QB2, Colorado
Welcome to the “I hope these guys are here at 45” tier.
So many EDGEs, some LB hybrids (and Schwesinger), and a lot of RBs in this tier. I can see my rankings at these positions changing over time, as it feels like evaluating these players is splitting hairs.
Shavon Revel and Benjamin Morrison are two Corners who would have been Round 1 locks in Tier 2 if they didn’t suffer season ending injuries to ACL and Hip injuries respectively. Their medicals at the Scouting Combine will be crucial for my evaluation of them heading into the Draft.
You won’t find many (or perhaps any) better press-man/match cornerbacks in this draft class than East Carolina’s Shavon Revel. Amazing movement for a 6’3″ guy. The torn ACL obviously sucks, but a fully healthy Revel should be a high first-round pick. pic.twitter.com/Sao6Tt1aqZ
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) December 20, 2024
Harold Fannin Jr. is a very fun Yards After Catch threat who lined up everywhere. His 2024 season he was the Bowling Green offense. The issues stand at his blocking base with his smaller frame, as well not as much wiggle as I expected. He still is a very effective underneath and downfield threat with reliable hands, but he will be very landing spot dependent to see if his NFL team would use him to his strengths.
Shadeur Sanders is a bit of a oxymoron of a prospect. He has a gunslinger mentality with his wanting to buy time in the pocket and shot selection, but his skillset where he thrives is better in a game manager role. He has strong accuracy, good ball velocity, has very nice tight window throwing, and has a fun deep ball. But the issues arise with his pocket drifting, his processing speed, his athleticism being underwhelming relative to my expectations (still an above average athlete at QB). His passing motion needs work to quicken his windup release speed. His personality can also lead to some unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, and I am not a fan of some of his media comments that throw his teammates under the bus (deservedly or not, accountability should be handled in house), which could cause friction in NFL locker rooms.
Things are getting chippy between Colorado and Kansas pic.twitter.com/lXXEaDTX0a
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 23, 2024
Someone will invest a top pick in him, but I have some concerns that lowers him on my board.
I am a big fan of Xavier Restrepo, he has a very fun Yards After Catch threat with a creativity and agility that makes him a nightmare for defenses. His hands are highly reliable, he is truly an asset for a QB with effortless separation to pair with it. Tons of acceleration on tape.
One of my favorite prospects to study throughout the draft process has been Miami WR Xavier Restrepo.
We’ll see how much his size impacts his draft slot, but there is so much to like about his game.
His quickness, toughness, strength, competitiveness and clutch gene are all… pic.twitter.com/KmxLw5H5Bm
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 16, 2025
He isn’t very big at 5’10 and 196lbs. but he does a surprisingly good job in blocking. Still his frame could limit him longterm in contested catch situations and he isn’t the biggest burner deep. Gives me bulkier Josh Downs vibes.
Tier 5: Round 2-3 Grades
45. Matthew Golden, WR6, Tennessee
46. Jack Sawyer, EDGE10, Ohio State
47. Kyle Kennard, EDGE11, South Carolina
48. Tyliek Williams, DT4, Ohio State
49. Wyatt Milum, OT6, West Virginia
50. JT Tuimoloau, EDGE12, Arkansas
Note: this tier has a lot more players, but of course we are limiting this to a Top 50.
