2025 NFL Draft rankings: James Pearce Jr. at No. 1 overall, Jalen Milroe at QB2 and some surprises among WRs

I have submitted my final project of the 2025 NFL Draft, and you can read a large portion of it below. After evaluating the entire draft class, these are my top 286 prospects this year. Why 286? That’s as many prospects as I had time to watch, evaluate and grade during this draft cycle. 

For a quick primer on my grading system, it’s constructed as follows — grades in five categories I deem most important to each position, weighed from most important to least important. That combination of grades equates to a prospect’s “raw grade.” But that’s the first layer. I then add “position addition” at each spot — and this is another subjective part of the process — based on how valuable I view each position. For convenience, I’ve labeled each prospect in the top 50 with his respective positional ranking, too. 

For full transparency, here’s how I rank the importance (and supply/demand) of each position on the field in today’s NFL:

1. Quarterback
Tied 2. Wide Receiver
T2. Offensive tackle
T2. Edge rusher
T5 Cornerback
T5. Interior offensive line
T5. Interior defensive line
T8. Safety
T8. Linebacker
T10. Tight end
11. Running back

Positional value matters. It’s baked into my board, and it’s precisely why I’m always higher on quarterbacks and lower on running backs than the NFL. My evaluation style is as close to a 50/50 split between film and analytics as I can get. Blending the qualitative and the quantitative makes the most sense to me — they act as a checks and balances system. 

A few final nuggets — I’ll have running backs ranked collectively lower than most analysts. It’s just how it works with my positional value system. Also, a big board is not anything remotely relatable to a mock draft. That’s become common knowledge now. 

When these prospects are ultimately picked does not represent the finish line for the evaluation, either. We have to watch these prospects play as professionals for a few seasons before making final determinations on whether or not the pre-draft assessment was correct. 

*Also, off-field and injury concerns aren’t considered with my grades/rankings, because I’m hardly privy to any of that information beyond rumors that have passed through a countless number of people. 

Without further ado, let’s get to the rankings!

1. James Pearce Jr., EDGE1, Tennessee
2. Travis Hunter, CB1/WR1, Colorado
3. Abdul Carter, EDGE2, Penn State
4. Mason Graham, DL1, Michigan
5. Will Campbell, OT1, LSU
6. Luther Burden III, WR2, Missouri
7. Tetairoa McMillan, WR3, Arizona
8. Armand Membou, OT2, Missouri
9. Josh Simmons, OT3, Ohio State
10. Cam Ward, QB1, Miami

Pearce finishes as my top prospect in the 2025 class for a litany of reasons. He has a unique, towering frame with room to add 10 to 15 pounds and possesses all the attributes to be a regularly disruptive pass-rusher in the NFL. Hunter is the best pound-for-pound player in the draft, and the Carter-Graham-Campbell trio is all about “safety” at those respective positions, although I am a tick concerned about Campbell’s unprecedentedly short wingspan. 

Burden is compact and fast with stellar YAC skills with natural hands. I have McMillan graded ever-so-slightly behind his Missouri counterpart; he’s a unique cat in this class with a fun blend of legitimate size, rebounding and run-after-catch flashes. Had he not torn his patellar tendon, Simmons probably would’ve been generating top-10 buzz — he’s that talented. I don’t adore Ward as a prospect — I think it’ll be an uphill climb for him in Tennessee — but the mixture of ascending pocket play and a flair for pulling something out of his hat off-structure, coupled with slightly above-average arm strength and decent accuracy, led to him being QB1 for me in this class.

11. Shavon Revel Jr., CB2, East Carolina
12. Jack Bech, WR4, TCU
13. Nick Emmanwori, S1, South Carolina
14. Aireontae Ersery, OT4, Minnesota
15. Benjamin Morrison, CB3, Notre Dame
16. Jalen Milroe, QB2, Alabama
17. Maxwell Hairston, CB4, Kentucky
18. Ashton Jeanty, RB1, Boise State
19. Walter Nolen, DL2, Ole Miss
20. Mike Green, EDGE3, Marshall
21. Josh Conerly Jr., OT5, Oregon
22. Kelvin Banks Jr., OT6, Texas
23. Princely Umanmielen, EDGE4, Ole Miss
24. Malaki Starks, S2, Georgia
25. Jihaad Campbell, LB1, Alabama
26. Carson Schwesinger, LB2, UCLA
27. Darien Porter, CB4, Iowa State
28. Shedeur Sanders, QB3, Colorado
29. Teddye Buchanan, LB3, California
30. Trey Amos, CB5, Ole Miss
31. Marcus Mbow, OT6/IOL1, Purdue
32. Bradyn Swinson, EDGE5, LSU

Revel was tracking toward Quinyon Mitchell status before his early-season ACL tear. He’s long and decently fluid with tremendous ball skills, scintillating speed and a low-key fine tackler. Bech and Emmanwori are two of my favorite prospects in the entire class. With Emmanwori it’s all about his insane explosiveness in a large frame and plenty of plays made down the field — not just in the box — in coverage. With Bech, it’s all about the completeness of his game at receiver. Whatever you ask him to do, he’ll do it. 

Milroe is my QB2 because of his physical traits, and I don’t think he’s significantly underdeveloped as a pocket passer. Conerly is being slept-on as a powerful yet nimble offensive tackle. The same is true for Umanmielen after he weighed in at 244 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine. Three years of high level production in the SEC shouldn’t be ignored. Starks is spectacular on film. He’s noticeably lower than Emmanwori simply due to an athleticism difference. 

It’s probably the one year of FBS play that has led to him being criminally underrated, but I saw essentially no difference between the film, analytics and NFL projection for Buchanan from Cal, Campbell from Alabama and Schwesinger from UCLA at the linebacker position. All have three-down, starter talent at the position.

2025 NFL Draft: Here’s the perfect landing spot for QB Jalen Milroe, according to former NFL general manager

John Breech

33. Nic Scourton, EDGE6, Texas A&M
34. T.J. Sanders, DL3, South Carolina
35. Jalon Walker, LB4/EDGE6, Georgia
36. Azareye’h Thomas, CB6, Florida State
37. Cameron Williams, OT7, Texas
38. Elijhah Badger, WR5, Florida
39. Antwaun Powell-Ryland, EDGE7, Virginia Tech
40. Derrick Harmon, DL4, Oregon
41. Zah Frazier, CB7, UTSA
42. Tyler Warren, TE1, Penn State
43. Kenneth Grant, DL4, Michigan
44. Jaylin Lane, WR6, Virginia Tech
45. Tyler Baron, EDGE8, Miami
46. Donovan Jackson, IOL2, Ohio State
47. Omarr Norman-Lott, DL5, Tennessee
48. Shemar Stewart, EDGE9, Texas A&M
49. Jayden Higgins, WR7, Iowa State
50. Bhayshul Tuten, RB2, Virginia Tech

Badger might be my largest draft crush in the class; I got Stefon Diggs vibes on film. The way he moves, how he easily plucks the ball away from his frame, his YAC brilliance and the suddenness in his routes. Frazier hasn’t played much football but was spectacular in coverage and as a striking tackler in 2024 at UTSA. The idea of Grant growing into a Vita Vea/Dexter Lawrence type nose tackle isn’t insane to me, but he’s not quite as developed as a pass-rusher as those two were as prospects. 

Warren is such a fun tight end prospect. I didn’t view him anywhere close to a Brock Bowers type prospect because I don’t view him as someone who’ll routinely get open on his own in the NFL. It’s highly unlikely he’s given as much offensive attention in the NFL than what he received in his 100-plus-catch season at Penn State. 

The lack of receiving volume is likely why the rest of the draft community is lower on Lane from Virginia Tech. I loved what I saw on a per-catch basis creating separation and run-after-the-catch production. Plus, he has 4.34-second 40-yard dash speed. 

Baron is a pro-ready rusher on the perimeter with size, power and quality hand work. Tuten’s fumbles are worrisome, but his combination of burst, lateral agility, contact balance and long speed are super encouraging. 

51. Kevin Winston Jr., S, Penn State
52. Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
53. Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
54. Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia
55. CJ West, DL, Indiana
56. Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss
57. Jarquez Hunter, RB, Auburn
58. Jalen Travis, OT, Iowa State
59. Grey Zabel, OT, North Dakota State
60. Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College
61. Josaiah Stewart, EDGE, Michigan
62. Ozzy Trapilo, OT, Boston College
63. Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
64. Miles Frazier, IOL, LSU
65. Terrance Ferguson, TE, Oregon
66. Darius Alexander, DL, Toledo
67. Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Bowling Green
68. Jah Joyner, EDGE, Minnesota
69. Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State
70. Deone Walker, DL, Kentucky
71. Tai Felton, WR, Maryland
72. JT Tuimoloau, EDGE, Ohio State
73. Myles Hinton, OT, Michigan
74. Tory Horton, WR, Colorado State
75. Jonah Savaiinaea, OT, Arizona
76. Will Howard, QB, Ohio State
77. Brady Cook, QB, Missouri
78. Korie Black, CB, Oklahoma State
79. Hollin Pierce, OT, Rutgers
80. Wyatt Milum, OT, West Virginia
81. Jack Sawyer, EDGE, Ohio State
82. Ashton Gillotte, EDGE, Louisville
83. David Walker, EDGE, Central Arkansas
84. Cam Skattebo, RB, Arizona State
85. Emery Jones Jr., OT, LSU
86. Shemar Turner, DL, Texas A&M
87. Rylie Mills, DL, Notre Dame
88. Isaiah Bond, WR, Texas
89. Logan Brown, OT, Kansas
90. Tyler Booker, IOL, Alabama
91. Caleb Ransaw, CB, Tulane
92. Xavier Watts, S, Notre Dame
93. Elijah Roberts, EDGE, SMU
94. Tyler Shough, QB, Louisville
95. Jack Kiser, LB, Notre Dame
96. Jalin Conyers, TE, Texas Tech
97. Jared Wilson, IOL, Georgia
98. Landon Jackson, EDGE, Arkansas
99. Cam Miller, QB, North Dakota State
100. RJ Harvey, RB, UCF  

Winston has the potential to drastically outweigh his draft position. He’s tall, long, uber-explosive and when fully healthy in 2023, missed zero tackles. Dart has starter upside in the correct environment. I do think it’ll take time for him to acclimate to the speed and complexity of pro defenses when not operating a gimmicky system. 

Travis is the most underrated offensive tackle in this decent class at the position. He’s one of the largest blockers with an elite-level workout on his draft resume, and I thought his film was tremendous. Jordan Mailata upside. I love Ferguson’s well-rounded game as my TE2, and Fannin isn’t far behind. 

Felton is a serious vertical threat on the outside, while Horton can be a high-volume No. 2 in the NFL with No. 1 potential given his reliability in multiple elements of playing receiver and deceptive athleticism in a lanky frame. 

There are three darn good football players from Notre Dame in this range — Mills, Watts and Kiser — and I wouldn’t be surprised if they all outplayed their eventual draft position. Conyers, meanwhile, gave me Charles Clay/George Kittle vibes on film at just under 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds. He’s an athletic, high-energy tight end who can bust long gains after the catch, win vertically and mash linebackers as a blocker. 

2025 NFL Draft comps for top-100 prospects: Best pro matches for Travis Hunter, Shedeur Sanders and others

Kyle Stackpole

101. Bilhal Kone, CB, Western Michigan
102. Charles Grant, OT, William & Mary
103. Que Robinson, EDGE, Alabama
104. Kyle Williams, WR, Washington State
105. Jordan Hancock, CB, Ohio State
106. Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas

The short of my concerns with Loveland are his minimal YAC production, and the fact he wins in contested-catch scenarios at a rate far lower than almost every eventually successful first-round tight end. He’s a quality prospect. Just not one I’d pick anywhere close to as early as he’s projected. 

108. Tre Harris, WR, Ole Miss

My problems with Barron as a first-round talent: average-at-best tackling reliability and ball skills I view as at times good, but far from great. The versatility is tantalizing, although I don’t know how much he’s going to win against larger receivers with 29-inch arms. 

110. Joshua Farmer, DL, Florida State
111. Savion Williams, WR, TCU
112. Tate Ratledge, IOL, Georgia
113. Hunter Wohler, S, Wisconsin
114. Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
115. Alfred Collins, DL, Texas
116. R.J. Mickens, S, Clemson
117. Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford
118. Ajani Cornelius, OT, Oregon
119. Jacob Parrish, CB, Kansas State
120. Dont’e Thornton Jr., WR, Tennessee
121. Vernon Broughton, DL, Texas
122. Tez Johnson, WR, Oregon
123. Elijah Ponder, EDGE, Cal Poly
124. Andrew Armstrong, WR, Arkansas
125. Pat Bryant, WR, Illinois
126. Corey Kiner, RB, Cincinnati

I’m so glad I watched and evaluated Roberts, even though I did so very late in the process. If he were about five to 10 pounds bigger, he wouldn’t been much more highly regarded in this class. He’s ubiquitous on film thanks to elite-level suddenness and speed, both of which were confirmed during his pre-draft workout. The ultimate sleeper at safety in this class. Think Jalen Mills or a poor man’s Jessie Bates III. 

128. Upton Stout, CB, Western Kentucky
129. Caleb Rogers, OT, Texas Tech
130. Dorian Strong, CB, Virginia Tech
131. Elijah Arroyo, TE, Miami
132. Mitchell Evans, TE, Notre Dame
133. Fentrell Cypress II, CB, Florida State
134. Jermari Harris, CB, Iowa
135. DJ Giddens, RB, Kansas State
136. Quincy Riley, CB, Louisville
137. Phillip Webb, EDGE, Jackson State
138. Kyle McCord, QB, Syracuse
139. Craig Woodson, S, California
140. Alijah Huzzie, CB, North Carolina
141. Ahmed Hassanein, EDGE, Boise State
142. Sai’vion Jones, EDGE, LSU
143. Isaiah Neyor, WR, Nebraska
144. Jared Harrison-Hunte, DL, SMU
145. Oluwafemi Oladejo, EDGE, UCLA

Croskey-Merritt was an early favorite of my colleague, Mike Renner, and I’m totally aligned with him on this evaluation. Croskey-Merritt had NCAA eligibility problems in 2024 yet looked like Marlon Mack 2.0 on film early at Arizona. He’s large, explosive and comes with a rugged style that allows him to bounce off tacklers with regularity. 

147. Danny Stutsman, LB, Oklahoma
148. Andrew Mukuba, S, Texas
149. Jaylin Noel, WR, Iowa State
150. Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa  
151. JJ Pegues, DL, Ole Miss
152. Simeon Barrow Jr., DL, Miami
153. Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State
154. Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, OT, Florida
155. Ricky White III, WR, UNLV
156. Carson Vinson, OT, Alabama A&M
157. Barryn Sorrell, EDGE, Texas A&M
158. Anthony Belton, OT, NC State
159. Maxen Hook, S, Toledo
160. Tommi Hill, CB, Nebraska

Brinson is tall (6-foot-5) and long with a close-to-elite level workout near the top of his draft resume. On film, he made eye-opening plays at 0T, 1T, 3T and 5T, where he demonstrated his freaky burst and gigantic tackling radius against the run and flashed the occasional hand-work mastery in passing situations. He’s one of my favorite defensive linemen in the class who deserves more scouting love.

162. Marcus Harris, CB, California
163. Denzel Burke, CB, Ohio State
164. Fadil Diggs, EDGE, Syracuse
165. Zy Alexander, CB, LSU
166. Nick Nash, WR, San Jose State
167. Aeneas Peebles, DL, Virginia Tech
168. Demetrius Knight Jr., LB, South Carolina
169. Joshua Simon, TE, South Carolina
170. Jackson Woodard, LB, UNLV
171. Kyle Kennard, EDGE, South Carolina
172. CJ Dippre, TE, Alabama
173. Dylan Fairchild, IOL, Georgia
174. Connor Colby, IOL, Iowa
175. Jonas Sanker, S, Virginia
176. Shaun Dolac, LB, Buffalo
177. Efton Chism III, WR, Eastern Washington
178. Robert McDaniel, S, Jackson State
179. Robert Longerbeam, CB, Rutgers
180. Francisco Mauigoa, LB, Miami
181. Smael Mondon Jr., LB, Georgia
182. Isaac TeSlaa, WR, Arkansas
183. Tahj Brooks, RB, Texas Tech
184. Kitan Crawford, S, Nevada
185. Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon
186. Devin Neal, RB, Kansas

I’ll be surprised if George is drafted, yet there’s a lot of Tremaine Edmunds to his game. He’s over 6-foot-3 and 240-plus pounds with 33-inch arms and a 42.5-inch vertical. His Relative Athletic Score was 9.98 out of 10. It takes him a split-second to recognize where the ball is headed…and then he gets there in a flash and routinely engulfs running backs. He’s one of the linebackers I believe is worth a late-round flier.  

188. TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State
189. Moliki Matavao, TE, UCLA
190. Marques Sigle, S, Kansas State
191. Cobee Bryant, CB, Kansas
192. Tyleik Williams, DL, Ohio State
193. Tonka Hemingway, DL, South Carolina
194. Mason Taylor, TE, LSU
195. Traeshon Holden, WR, Oregon

Morin is hovering woefully under the radar in this receiver class, probably because he wasn’t invited to the combine (for some reason). He’s a sixth-year prospect — which I don’t love. In those years at Wake Forest, Morin honed his receiver skills to the maximum. He’s a crafty and sudden route runner who I believe has the juice to separate underneath in the NFL to carve a role as a possession slot receiver. He catches everything, too. 

197. Dylan Sampson, RB, Tennessee
198. Brashard Smith, RB, SMU
199. Nohl Williams, CB, California
200. Carson Bruener, LB, Washington 
201. Luke Kandra, IOL, Cincinnati
202. Jailin Walker, LB, Indiana
203. Chris Paul Jr., LB, Ole Miss
204. Dominic Lovett, WR, Georgia
205. Drew Moss, IOL, Colorado State
206. Luke Lachey, TE, Iowa
207. Kaimon Rucker, EDGE, North Carolina
208. Gunnar Helm, TE, Texas
209. Jahdae Walker, WR, Texas A&M
210. Lathan Ransom, S, Ohio State
211. Nick Martin, LB, Oklahoma State
212. Ty Hamilton, DL, Ohio State
213. Jaylen Reed, S, Penn State
214. Trevor Etienne, RB, Georgia
215. Thomas Fidone II, TE, Nebraska
216. Damien Martinez, RB, Miami
217. KeAndre Lambert-Smith, WR, Auburn
218. Ty Robinson, DL, Nebraska
219. Jason Marshall, CB, Florida
220. Gavin Bartholomew, TE, Pittsburgh
221. Kyle Monangai, RB, Rutgers
222. Cam Horsley, DL, Boston College
223. Dean Clark, S, Fresno State
224. Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, DL, Georgia
225. BJ Green II, EDGE, Colorado
226. Oronde Gadsden II, TE, Syracuse
227. Jaydon Blue, RB, Texas
228. Billy Bowman Jr., S, Oklahoma
229. Sam Brown, WR, Miami
230. Jackson Slater, IOL, Sacramento State
231. Jared Ivey, EDGE, Ole Miss
232. Eli Cox, IOL, Kentucky
233. Jaylin Smith, CB, USC
234. Ollie Gordon II, RB, Oklahoma State

Another monster tester — 9.59 RAS — Owens transferred to New Hampshire from Yale and made plays nonstop in 2024. Slot defender. Deep safety. Outside corner. Linebacker. Didn’t matter. Late in the draft, look for experienced, quality athletes who’ve made plays all over the field. That perfectly describes Owens. 

236. Barrett Carter, LB, Clemson
237. Jackson Meeks, WR, Syracuse
238. Willie Lampkin, IOL, North Carolina
239. Cam Jackson, DL, Florida
240. Joshua Gray, IOL, Oregon State
241. Chimere Dike, WR, Florida
242. Jordan Burch, EDGE, Oregon
243. Jalen Rivers, OT, Miami
244. Malachi Moore, S, Alabama
245. Jordan Phillips, DL, Maryland
246. Thor Griffith, DL, Louisville
247. Xavier Restrepo, WR, Miami
248. Rayuan Lane III, S, Navy
249. Jabbar Muhammad, CB, Oregon
250. Seth McLaughlin, IOL, Ohio State  
251. Jamaree Caldwell, DL, Oregon
252. LeQuint Allen, RB, Syracuse
253. Shemar James, LB, Florida
254. Jeffrey Bassa, LB, Oregon
255. Steve Linton, EDGE, Baylor
256. Jake Briningstool, TE, Clemson
257. Cody Simon, LB, Ohio State
258. Chase Lundt, OT, UConn
259. Jake Majors, IOL, Texas
260. Cody Lindenberg, LB, Minnesota
261. Eugene Asante, LB, Auburn
262. Kain Medrano, LB, UCLA
263. Kyonte Hamilton, DL, Rutgers
264. Raheim Sanders, RB, South Carolina
265. Jay Toia, DL, UCLA
266. Da’Quan Felton, WR, Virginia Tech
267. Jordan James, RB, Oregon
268. Yahya Black, DL, Iowa
269. Konata Mumpfield, WR, Pittsburgh
270. Montrell Johnson Jr., RB, Florida
271. Lan Larison, RB, UC Davis
272. Jackson Hawes, TE, Georgia Tech
273. Jonah Monheim, IOL, USC
274. Jordan Clark, CB, Notre Dame
275. Chris Tyree, WR, Virginia
276. Zeek Biggers, DL, Georgia Tech
277. Arian Smith, WR, Georgia
278. Tyler Batty, EDGE, BYU
279. Donovan Edwards, RB, Michigan
280. Collin Oliver, LB, Oklahoma State
281. Sebastian Castro, S, Iowa
282. Kobe King, LB, Penn State
283. Jahvaree Ritzie, DL, North Carolina
284. Ja’Quinden Jackson, RB, Arkansas
285. Phil Mafah, RB, Clemson
286. Caden Prieskorn, TE, Ole Miss

The 2025 NFL Draft will take place from April 24 to 26 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. More draft coverage can be found at CBSSports.com, including daily mock drafts, consensus prospect rankings, biggest team needs and more.