• Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty: The highest working again within the 2025 NFL Draft is the highest prospect remaining within the School Soccer Playoff.
• Penn State’s Abdul Carter: The very best edge defender within the draft is the one different top-five prospect who’s nonetheless alive within the playoff.
• Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full entry to all of our in-season fantasy instruments, together with weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projections, the Begin-Sit Optimizer and extra. Join now!
Estimated studying time: 5 minutes
With only one week within the NFL common season remaining, many groups are already turning their consideration to the 2025 NFL Draft. Actually, 15 of the 32 franchises are already eradicated from playoff rivalry it doesn’t matter what occurs within the last week.
The School Soccer Playoff gained’t simply determine the nationwide champion, it’ll additionally considerably have an effect on the draft shares of a number of the high prospects on this 12 months’s draft. Earlier than the quarterfinals kick off, right here’s a have a look at the highest prospect for each college remaining within the playoff in response to PFF’s 2025 NFL Draft large board.
Oregon Geese: QB Dillon Gabriel
Rating on PFF large board: No. 53 total
Bo Nix surgically ran the Oregon offense in 2022 and 2023, distributing the ball precisely with out ever placing it in hurt’s method. Whereas Gabriel’s bodily instruments might preclude him from turning into a top-15 decide like Nix, he’s crammed that very same level guard function extraordinarily nicely. The Oklahoma switch is sixth amongst FBS quarterbacks in each passing grade (89.3) and turnover-worthy play fee (1.3%). His 81.8% adjusted completion fee is third among the many nation’s signal-callers as nicely.
Georgia Bulldogs: S Malaki Starks
Rating on PFF large board: No. 7 total
Starks has basically been the highest security within the 2025 NFL Draft ever for the reason that first sport of his true freshman season at Georgia, when he did this.
A TRUE FRESHMAN @StarksMalaki!#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/zg3DFkovcX
— Georgia Soccer (@GeorgiaFootball) September 3, 2022
Of the 256 Energy 4 safeties who’ve performed at the least 500 snaps during the last two seasons, Starks is considered one of 12 who’s earned 80-plus grades each in protection and as a run defender. Particularly, his 91.3 run-defense grade is tied for fourth in that very same group. Starks is the uncommon security prospect who looks as if a lock to go within the first spherical.
Boise State Broncos: RB Ashton Jeanty
Rating on PFF large board: No. 4 total
What’s there to say about Jeanty that hasn’t already been mentioned? The Heisman Trophy runner-up isn’t simply the most effective working again in faculty soccer this season, he’s having top-of-the-line seasons of all time.
Ashton Jeanty’s historic season:
| Stat | Ashton Jeanty | Earlier single-season report |
| Speeding Yards | 2,496 | 2,628 (Barry Sanders, 1988) |
| Speeding Touchdowns | 29 | 37 (Barry Sanders, 1988) |
| Speeding Grade | 97.6 | 96.2* (Blake Corum, 2022) |
| Yards After Contact | 1,889 | 1,355* (Jonathan Taylor, 2017) |
| Pressured Missed Tackles | 135 | 104* (Bijan Robinson, 2022) |
*Since PFF started charting faculty soccer in 2014
This isn’t new for Jeanty both. Final season, his 95.1 PFF grade led the nation’s working backs. In 2022, his 89.5 PFF grade was the best amongst all true freshmen within the FBS. He’s with none obtrusive weak spot and is a projected top-15 decide, a rarity these days for working backs.
Arizona State Solar Devils: RB Cam Skattebo
Rating on PFF large board: No. 143 total
Whereas Jeanty’s been simply the most effective working again in faculty soccer, Skattebo would take the silver medal because the second-best. His 92.6 PFF grade is second amongst all FBS tailbacks whereas his 92 compelled missed tackles on the bottom lead all Energy 4 ones. The senior can be a really succesful go catcher, inserting third amongst all working backs with 506 receiving yards.
Texas Longhorns: OT Kelvin Banks Jr.
Rating on PFF large board: No. 11 total
The race for OT1 within the 2025 NFL Draft is tight between Banks and LSU’s Will Campbell, though Banks might have the within monitor after his stellar junior 12 months. His 89.0 pass-blocking grade is fifth among the many nation’s tackles whereas his 87.4 total grade is seventh. Banks has solely surrendered a stress on 1.8% of his pass-blocking snaps this season, sixth amongst Energy 4 tackles. Anticipate to listen to his identify referred to as throughout the first 10 picks in April.
Penn State Nittany Lions: EDGE Abdul Carter
Rating on PFF large board: No. 5 total
Just a few years in the past, the Nittany Lions had a star defender who wore No. 11 that they caught at linebacker. That participant would go on to change into top-of-the-line edge defenders within the NFL. Very similar to Micah Parsons, Carter began off the ball at linebacker, however Penn State appeared to have discovered its lesson, shifting him to the sting this 12 months. The transfer proved to be clever as Carter is third among the many nation’s edge defenders with a 91.9 pass-rushing grade this 12 months whereas his 22.4% pass-rush win fee is fourth. The junior is a freak athlete who appears like the most effective edge rusher within the 2025 draft and a projected top-five decide.
Notre Dame Preventing Irish: S Xavier Watts
Rating on PFF large board: No. 48 total
This may’ve gone to cornerback Benjamin Morrison, who’s presently seventeenth on our large board. Nevertheless, Morrison is out for the season after present process hip surgical procedure again in October. Watts has greater than held it down for Notre Dame’s secondary in Morrison’s absence, posting an 89.1 protection grade that’s a top-15 mark among the many nation’s safeties. Final 12 months’s Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner is the most effective ballhawk within the nation, choosing off 13 passes within the final two seasons.
Ohio State Buckeyes: WR Emeka Egbuka
Rating on PFF large board: No. 14 total
As is the case with Notre Dame, Ohio State’s high prospect is out for the season. Offensive deal with Josh Simmons is thirteenth on our large board however is out for the 12 months with a knee harm suffered again in October. Egbuka is only one spot behind Simmons on our board and is a clean operator. He’s gotten open on 77.2% of his targets towards single protection during the last two seasons, which locations him within the 98th percentile of FBS wideouts. The senior has robust arms in addition (4.9% profession drop fee) and easily does the whole lot at a excessive stage. Anticipate Egbuka to listen to his identify referred to as someplace within the first spherical.
