An Early Look at the 2025 NFL Draft
The NFL Draft is done for 2024 and the dust is beginning to settle. There were very few surprises when the long-running tradition continued as we saw quarterback Caleb Williams become this year’s first pick when he was scooped up by the Chicago Bears.
Plenty has been said already about this year’s event. For example, the common consensus is that the Cardinals, Ravens, Bears, Cowboys, Texans, Jaguars, Chiefs, Chargers, and Rams all made a lot of progress during the three-day event to help plug the gaps in their rosters and add additional depth to their teams.
However, there is still a long way to go before we can see if all of the analysis and predictions about all of these fresh-faced players is accurate when the first games get underway in the fall.
Until then, we have plenty of other things to look out for. Outside of the NFL, the newly-formed UFL is currently underway with the playoffs expected to conclude on June 16 with a championship game. Back in the NFL, physicals and training camps will be taking up much of our attention for the coming months.
Some of our attention will be focused a little further into the future with next year’s draft appearing on the horizon as players, scouts, and keen-eyed fans will be looking to understand who will be taking the step up next year.
With 2024’s event out of the way, most bookies, like the rest of us, are already turning their attention to the 2025 NFL Draft, in addition to the markets for Super Bowl LIX, conference winners, and Coach of the Year. With NFL betting odds expected to be released imminently for next year’s induction process, the picture of which college players are the strongest contenders will become even clearer.
Here’s what this picture looks like so far.
Quarterbacks
There was no doubt in 2024 that Caleb Williams would be the first pick of the draft as the quarterback was head and shoulders above the competition.
However, 2025’s cohort has no clear leader at present. There are, however, plenty of quarterbacks who are likely to enter the NFL Draft next year. Some of the top contenders in this group include Shedeur Sanders from the Colorado Buffaloes, the Texas Longhorns’ Quinn Ewers, and Carson Beck from the Georgia Bulldogs.
Alabama’s Jalen Milroe also looks strong, though he may end up being pipped to first pick when the time comes.
All of these guys are a long way from where they need to be yet and the next 12 months are going to be a tough journey for them all. One will likely become next year’s first pick, but it’s not clear who just yet.
Wide Receiver
There are more than a dozen wide receivers that are looking strong for the 2025 NFL Draft. This is pretty usual as there is always a lot of top talent competing for top picks in this role.
Like the quarterbacks, there aren’t any clear winners for the first wide receiver pick, but there are several contenders that are worth a mention. This includes Tetairoa McMillan, who is currently in Arizona, Luther Burden from the Missouri Tigers, Texas’ Isaiah Bond, the University of Mississippi’s Tre Harris, and Evan Stewart of Oregon.
This year, the first wide receiver to be picked was Marvin Harrison Jr. who was the fourth overall pick. We can expect 2025’s WRs to begin showing up at around the same time in the draft.
Running Back
The 2024 NFL Draft was a bit lacking in the running back department but 2025 should make up for this. There are around a dozen top backs in the NCAA at the moment, with all but a couple of them eligible for the draft next year.
Some of the stand-out names from this group are Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson from Ohio State, Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon, and California’s Jaydn Ott.