Days after the 2024 NFL Draft, I did a small preview of the 2025 NFL Draft, a top 32 full of upcoming potential draft picks in 2025.
Well, the time has come that we take a look back at this first big board and see what I got right, and where I fell short.
What I got right
Among my board of the top 32 players when the first big board was released after the 2024 draft, 20 were also in Arif Hasan’s consensus big board. A 62.5% percentage from start to finish feels pretty good, especially after examining those players from beginning to end. Most of the top guys stayed at the top of this class, and although there was some movement, the people stayed the same.
My top offensive lineman in this class at the end of the process is the same as my top offensive lineman: LSU’s Will Campbell. While Campbell doesn’t exactly have the great arm length that you look for in a prototypical tackle, but his core flexibility and ability to anchor could make him a good tackle (but an elite guard). Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan remained near the top of my board, although not at the seventh spot like I had last April. McMillan has been raked over the coals this cycle, from not running a 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine to being questioned about whether or not he loves football, but on the field he’s a dynamic receiver who can create separation in the in-between game. Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter also stuck around at the top of my big board, one of the best players in this entire draft class. In his first year as a full time EDGE, Carter showed off the speed and burst that could make him a dominant player in the NFL, and why I was high on him entering the season.
What I got wrong
Yeah, I was way too low on Travis Hunter and Ashton Jeanty entering the season. I had Hunter 13th and Jeanty 21st on my board after the 2024 draft, and both ended up in my top three at the end of the cycle. I was worried about how long Hunter’s body would hold up if he played cornerback and receiver, but it turns out that he got even better at both positions, en route to the Heisman trophy award. Jeanty comes in at No. 3 on my board after a historic season, where he proved that he could be a bell cow back after a 2023 where he shared the backfield with George Holani. Jeanty is one of my favorite players to watch on tape this year; a true three-down back who can change an offense.
I had Tennessee EDGE James Pearce Jr as my top player entering 2025, but I was hoping that his frame would fill out and he could be a bit better against the run in 2025. Neither of those things really came to fruition, and he ended up dropping all the way to 37th on my final big board. He was in a rotation along Tennessee’s front, and they would try and avoid playing him to the strength of the run design. I hope he goes to a good spot in the draft that’ll help him develop into what I thought he could be.
Kentucky DT Deone Walker was my second overall player, and he doesn’t even crack my top 100 at the end of this cycle. His 2024 was very rough, with a spinal injury that he tried to play through that hampered hjs play severely. Even with acknowledging the back injury, I worry a bit about 6’7 defensive tackles with thin legs and a bad back. I think Walker could still end up going before Day 3, but thinking about what could’ve been will be interesting.
OK fine, let’s talk QBs
Carson Beck was my QB1, which…didn’t age very well. Although Georgia’s receiving core was not it at all, Beck’s 2024 was up and down, whereas players like Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders improved more than Beck did. Miami QB Cam Ward wasn’t on that first big board, but I did say this about him:
“Miami transfer QB Cam Ward could be in there, but he also has to drastically reduce the Jackass plays.”
I’m not sure if he got rid of all the Jackass plays, but Ward improved his play within the pocket and is more than likely going to be the first overall pick. However, after Sanders, the class gets very murky, like I thought earlier in this process.
