• East Carolina’s Shavon Revel has sky-high potential when healthy: The cornerback prospect is coming off a torn ACL, but he was stellar in coverage two seasons ago.

• Don’t forget about RJ Harvey in a stacked running back class: Harvey tallied 54 explosive runs (10-plus yards) in 2024 and ran a 4.40-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.

• 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF’s best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.

Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

The first round gets all the coverage throughout the months leading up to April’s annual NFL draft, but look at any of the top teams in the league and you’ll see that many of their core players were selected on Day 2. Last year, the Eagles drafted Iowa’s Cooper DeJean with the 40th overall pick, and he capped off an outstanding rookie season as the team’s nickel cornerback with a pick-six in the Super Bowl. They selected Houston Christian’s Jalyx Hunt with their third-round pick, and all he did was record a sack and five quarterback pressures in the season-ending win over the Chiefs.

While the 2025 NFL Draft isn’t particularly rich with elite talent at the top of the draft or deep with Day 3 potential, there are still plenty of very intriguing prospects most likely to go in the second and third rounds who are capable of making significant impacts as rookies.

Let’s look at my favorite Day 2 talents in this class, several of whom I believe deserve some consideration for the first round.

QB: Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss

Dart is currently ranked 129th on PFF’s big board, although some are projecting him to go in the first round. I’ll meet everyone halfway and assume he goes early on Day 2. 

Among 2025 draft prospects, Dart ranked first in both yards (1,517) and touchdown passes (17) on throws 20-plus yards downfield, and his 94.4 PFF passing grade on intermediate throws (10-19 yards) also leads the class.

What may send him to Day 2 are arm limitations, as he tends to lose considerable velocity and accuracy once he is unable to step into throws in rhythm. While I feel Dart is capable of running an NFL offense, he should be restricted to locations without many games potentially played in poor winter weather. Considering Pittsburgh, Cleveland and both New York teams are the main franchises looking for signal-callers, Dart’s first-round options may be severely limited.

This is by far the hardest position group to select from because it is easily the deepest, especially on Day 2 potential. I “settled” on UCF’s RJ Harvey because he deserves more love than some of the big-name prospects drawing most of the attention.

Harvey had 54 explosive runs (10-plus yards) in 2024, which is no surprise when considering his NFL Combine workout. He ran a 4.40-second 40-yard dash, as well as jumped a 38-inch vertical and a 10-foot, 7-inch broad.

Elusiveness is one of the hallmarks of his game, as his 0.30 missed tackles forced per carry ranks fourth in the draft class. His size at 5-foot-8 and 205 pounds will put him behind some of the draft’s bigger names, but his ability to make defenders miss and break away in the open field makes him well worth a top-100 selection.

WR: Jaylin Noel, Iowa State

Iowa State has two excellent receiver prospects likely to be taken on Day 2, but Noel is my general preference. He is a smooth, efficient route runner who lit up the NFL Combine by running a 4.39-second 40-yard dash, jumping 41.5 inches in the vertical and clocking in at 6.82 seconds in the three-cone drill.

He was not just a dangerous downfield threat (five of his eight scores were explosives) but also a reliable chain-mover, with 46 of his 80 receptions going for first downs. While on the smaller side at 5-foot-10 inches and 194 pounds (combine measurements), he still hauled in 13 of 25 contested targets.

Noel’s elite athleticism combined with his route running and ability to find open zones suggest that his best days are ahead of him and that he’ll be ready to produce quickly in the NFL.

TE: Mason Taylor, LSU

Mason Taylor, the son of Miami Dolphins great Jason Taylor, didn’t have college production that screams “top NFL prospect,” but his 4.65-second 40-yard dash at his pro day earlier this week shows up on film, along with decisive route running.

He also demonstrates a willingness to block, coming out of a system that required it from its tight ends. While many of the top tight end prospects in the class played primarily out of the slot, Taylor logged 1,334 snaps as an in-line tight end in his three years on the field at LSU. He is another prospect whose game should translate to more NFL production than he put up in college.

Jackson was the unsung hero of the Buckeyes’ title run, as he slid outside to left tackle once Josh Simmons went down with his ACL injury. After a rough initial showing against likely top-10 pick Abdul Carter of Penn State in Week 10, he filled in admirably for the remaining eight games of Ohio State’s season, highlighted by not allowing a single sack or hit in four playoff games.

He started at left guard in 2022 and 2023 for the Buckeyes, and that’s where he began this past season as well until forced outside. While proving he has some versatility to his game this year, he will be regarded as a guard by NFL teams. Jackson allowed just three sacks and five hits on 996 pass-blocking reps as a left guard in college. While I’m listing him as my favorite Day 2 guard, I would not be shocked to see him sneak into the back end of the first round to a team like Detroit.

This year’s tackle class is limited no matter which day is being discussed, but Ersery looks like a solid second-round value with starter upside. At 6-foot-6 and 331 pounds, he checks all the size boxes and has the production numbers from college to match. 

He allowed just one sack and one hit on 401 pass-blocking reps and graded positively on 16.9% of zone run plays in 2024. He will need to learn to use his size and strength more effectively with his initial punch, but he has the physical makeup to be long-term player in the NFL.

At 6-foot and 282 pounds, Peebles doesn’t meet the typical height and weight thresholds to be a first-rounder. Put on the film, though, and it’s easy to forget his height because he is a dynamic pass rusher.

His 91.2 PFF pass-rush grade led all interior defensive linemen in college football in 2024, as did his 27.3% pass-rush win rate on true pass sets. His run play was also strong, as he graded positively on 20.4% of run plays and had an average depth of tackle of 0.87 yards. His combination of quick feet and hand usage off the ball allows him to consistently defeat blocks and wreak havoc in the backfield.

Peebles’ size will limit the number of teams interested in him, but he looks like the next in a long line of undersized interior defenders to have a highly productive NFL career.

EDGE: Josaiah Stewart, Michigan

Like Peebles, Stewart lacks prototypical size (measured 6-foot-1 and 249 pounds at the combine), but he uses his natural leverage well to convert speed to power and has the most diverse arsenal of pass-rush moves in the class. 

He is especially adept at using a variety of rip moves to keep blockers from locking onto him, which helped him lead all 2025 prospects in both PFF overall grade (93.7) and pass-rush win rate (41.2%) on true pass sets. 

While he is currently projected to be taken late in the second round, don’t be surprised to hear his name called even earlier.

LB: Carson Schwesinger, UCLA

We’re still awaiting a full slate of athletic testing from Carson Schwesinger, but he did jump a 39.5-inch vertical at the NFL Combine, and that explosiveness is backed by his film. His 11 missed tackles and struggles to cover in space are cause for concern, but his ability to add on as a pass rusher makes him worthy of Day 2 consideration. 

He posted 18 quarterback pressures on just 62 pass rushes, and his 90.0 PFF pass-rush grade ranks second among draft-eligible linebackers. Several teams should be vying for Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell on Day 1, and Day 2 should see the “losers” of that battle looking to pick up Schwesinger instead.

Revel tore his ACL during practice after Week 3, ending his college career early. If he’d been healthy and able to potentially duplicate his 2023 production, he likely would have been in the running to be the first cornerback selected this year. Now, he is more likely to hear his name called on Day 2.

Opposing quarterbacks tested Revel’s coverage 43 times in 2023 but completed just 19 of them for 250 yards and one score. He picked off just one pass but dropped four other potential picks and broke up 11 passes for an impressive forced incompletion percentage of 25.6%.

When exactly he’ll be able to see the field again is currently unclear, but teams should covet his past production and his 6-foot-2, 194-pound frame enough to consider him within the first 10 picks of the second round.

S: Andrew Mukuba, Texas

Mukuba is one of the most instinctive coverage defenders in the draft class and belongs in the discussion among the top safeties. He has a natural feel for route concepts, excelling at quickly diagnosing plays in front and breaking up passes with his explosive click-and-close ability. 

In 2024, he allowed just 10 catches on 23 throws into his coverage while racking up five picks and six forced incompletions. Opposing passers generated just a 12.1 passer rating when targeting his coverage, the lowest mark in the country among safeties with at least 200 coverage snaps and 20 targets against. 

He’s undersized at 5-foot-11 and 186 pounds, but his 4.45-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine is certainly supported by the film. His biggest weakness is his tackling, as he tends to get out of control and leave his feet, but his coverage ability should supersede his play versus the run. Mukuba belongs in the early Day 2 discussion.