- Travis Hunter is the very best non-quarterback within the draft: The Heisman Trophy winner is the very best pure soccer participant within the 2025 NFL Draft as a consequence of his two-way brilliance.
- Abdul Carter seems like a slam-dunk top-five choose: The junior was the very best edge rusher within the nation in his first 12 months on the place.
- 2025 NFL Draft season is right here: Strive PFF’s best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and study 2025’s high prospects whereas buying and selling and drafting to your favourite NFL crew.
Estimated Studying Time: 7 minutes
Discovering a franchise quarterback is the secret within the NFL.
Take the Washington Commanders, for instance. Final 12 months, they completed because the second-worst crew within the league. Now, with rookie sensation Jayden Daniels main them, Washington is one win away from advancing to the Tremendous Bowl.
Whereas there’s zero doubt that quarterback is a very powerful place in soccer — and arguably in crew sports activities — they’ll’t win video games by themselves.
With that in thoughts, listed here are the ten greatest non-quarterbacks within the 2025 NFL Draft.
WR/CB Travis Hunter, Colorado
Hunter is a very distinctive prospect in that no one is aware of which facet of the ball he’d be higher fitted to, or if he can proceed taking part in each at a famous person degree. The Heisman Trophy winner ranked sixth amongst FBS wideouts in PFF receiving grade (89.0) whereas putting third amongst cornerbacks in PFF protection grade (90.3). Hunter combines his elite endurance with excellent athleticism and ball abilities whereas additionally being the neatest participant on the sphere. He needs to be the primary non-quarterback chosen in April, if not the primary total choose.
EDGE Abdul Carter, Penn State
Prepare to listen to loads of analysts evaluating Carter to Dallas Cowboys famous person Micah Parsons. Not solely did each put on No. 11 for the Nittany Lions, however Carter and Parsons every made the transition from off-ball linebacker to edge defender. Whereas Parsons made his change within the NFL, Carter began taking part in on the ball in his last collegiate season. And like Parsons, he flourished.
The junior completed the season as simply essentially the most beneficial edge defender within the nation, based on PFF’s wins above common metric, whereas his 64 pressures have been the third most amongst FBS edge defenders. Carter is a ridiculous athlete, putting within the 99th percentile of PFF’s Recreation Athleticism Rating metric. The truth that he was so productive in simply his first season at edge defender factors to a star trajectory within the NFL, very like his Penn State predecessor in Parsons.
DI Mason Graham, Michigan
Graham is about as protected of a wager as there may be on this draft for the easy incontrovertible fact that he was a star from Day 1 in Ann Arbor. In 2022, he led all true freshman inside defenders in PFF total grade (80.3).
As a sophomore, he was one among solely two defensive tackles in faculty soccer to complete with a top-10 PFF grade as a pass-rusher and a run defender (T’Vondre Sweat was the opposite). This 12 months, he was each the highest-graded and most useful inside defender in faculty soccer, based on PFF’s wins above common metric. Graham’s motor, agility and sheer energy at 6-foot-3 and 320 kilos make him almost unblockable.
WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
McMillan is a prototypical X-receiver at 6-foot-5 and 212 kilos. His elite ball-tracking skill at that measurement allowed him to make 35 contested catches over the previous two seasons, greater than some other receiver within the nation. Nevertheless, McMillan proved in his junior 12 months that he’s way over only a receiver who dominates in 50-50 conditions, additionally forcing 29 missed tackles. The one FBS wideout who broke extra tackles is one other participant on this listing whose calling card is his after-the-catch skill: Luther Burden III.
CB Will Johnson, Michigan
Johnson battled a number of accidents as a junior that brought on him to overlook seven video games and clearly restricted him when he was on the sphere. And but, he nonetheless deserves to be a top-10 choose within the 2025 NFL Draft for the way good he was in his first two years. Throughout his true freshman and sophomore seasons, Johnson’s 90.8 PFF grade in man protection tied for the very best mark amongst FBS cornerbacks with Quinyon Mitchell, a first-round choose who simply wrapped up a really profitable rookie season with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Johnson has the dimensions (6-foot-2), footwork and ball abilities wanted to be a wonderful cornerback within the NFL. In actual fact, his closest comparability is likely to be the present high cornerback within the league, Pat Surtain II.
EDGE James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
Pearce has been arguably the very best pass-rusher in faculty soccer over the previous two seasons. His 22.2% stress price since 2023 leads all Energy 4 edge defenders, whereas his 92.4 PFF pass-rushing grade ranks second to solely Laiatu Latu. Pearce additionally grew to become a significantly better run defender as a junior, bettering his PFF run-defense grade from 67.7 in 2023 to 84.3 this previous season. He’s a freakily athletic velocity rusher who nonetheless has some room for enchancment by way of pass-rushing strikes, which is extremely engaging, contemplating how dominant he was within the SEC with some rawness to his recreation.
T Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas
Banks began for Texas since his true freshman season and lived as much as his five-star billing. In 2022, he allowed stress on simply 3.5% of his true move units, rating fifth amongst Energy 5 tackles. He flashed dominance as a run blocker in 2022, putting second amongst FBS tackles with 12 big-time blocks. Solely eventual first-round choose Taliese Fuaga had extra. As a junior, Banks was essentially the most beneficial Energy 4 offensive deal with, based on PFF’s wins above common metric. He’s additionally been implausible towards elite competitors, posting a mixed 86.9 PFF grade towards Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Clemson, Ohio State and Georgia (twice).
T Will Campbell, LSU
Like Banks, Campbell has been a star at left deal with ever since his true freshman season. His 85.6 PFF pass-blocking grade on true move units in 2022 trailed solely Peter Skoronski amongst Energy 5 tackles. Campbell ranked fifth amongst FBS offensive tackles in PFF run-blocking grade throughout his sophomore 12 months (84.9). He subsequently posted a career-high PFF pass-blocking grade as a junior, incomes an 80.6 mark.
Just like the aforementioned Skoronski, Campbell’s greatest match could also be on the inside long run, as he typically struggles with size. Regardless, he’s simply among the finest offensive linemen on this class and is worthy of a top-15 choose.
RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
Usually, we’d advise towards utilizing premium assets on working backs, contemplating the place is inherently depending on exterior elements. Nevertheless, Jeanty is so particular that he could be the exception. The Heisman runner-up shattered many PFF single-season information this 12 months — PFF speeding grade (96.6), yards after contact (1,970) and compelled missed tackles (151) amongst them. Jeanty’s 99.2 profession PFF grade is definitely the very best of any working again within the PFF Faculty period.
WR Luther Burden III, Missouri
Burden is a menace after the catch. His 50 pressured missed tackles on receptions since 2023 are the third most amongst FBS receivers, and his 1,097 yards after the catch are the fourth most. He’s extra than simply an after-the-catch receiver, although, hauling in 55.9% of his contested targets over the previous two seasons. Whereas Burden nonetheless has some work to do as a route runner, he’s an electrical receiver with the ball in his palms and possesses nice athletic items.
