We’re entering Week 9 of the season. The top of the class is solidified, maybe? Let’s look at that middle group of players fighting for Day 2 draft capital. I will outline players we’re assuming have legitimate Day 1 potential or already can be “safely” assumed to have Day 2 draft capital. Let a pessimistic think and talk to you about hope.
Quarterbacks
I think the public has overly talked about the QB class, and I will call an audible in the first segment of this article. Of the discussed “1st round potential QBs,” I’ll just talk about which ones I feel confident about in the Day 2 discussions.
Early season discussions around 1st round QBs revolved around the following QBs:
- Sheduer Sanders
- Carson Beck
- Jalen Milroe
- Garrett Nussmeier (Popular ‘Dark Horse’ 1st round QB)
- Quinn Ewers
- Cameron Ward
- Jaxson Dart
At this point, the most likely guys to fall from the list are Jaxson Dart and Quinn Ewers, and I’ll include Nussmeier. I still find Nuss a fringe guy. Nussmeier will be a fun study in the off-season. Let me say this: There is no quarterback in the 2025 class that I would put above pre-draft Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, or Jayden Daniels.
Day 2 Woefuls
I find myself towards the end of the bell curve.
Pre-season: This QB class kind of stinks; everyone has their red flags, and this class could rival the Kenny Pickett Class.
First four weeks of non-conference play: We have a legitimate seven guys to talk about as potential first-rounders.
Pre-Week: This quarterback class kind of stinks. Everyone has their red flags, and this class could rival the Kenny Pickett Class.
Let’s talk about how all these “1st round potential” hopefuls may become woeful.
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
First-round name, Day 2 talent. Jaxson Dart has always been a gunslinger with the ball and is considered a great CFF player, but the steps in the last two years in cutting down mistakes have led many to believe that he has Day 1 potential. His recent SEC play has not elevated the pieces around him, and he targets the reliable physical receiver, Tre Harris. Dart looked off during the LSU game, a defense routinely overrated by mainstream media.
He has regressed and tried to force the ball where it shouldn’t be. He’s still a great scrambler, but as of today, it’s hard to point to a skill set he has that’s better than other guys in this class.
Quinn Ewers, Texas
Game manager and pocket passer. Quinn Ewers is like the anti-Jaxson Dart and doesn’t take risks. He has a bit of a deep ball issue combined with a pathing issue. He misjudges when to lollipop it up for placement or when to throw it into a tight window. Regardless, Ewers is a safe-play type of player and shows up for the big games. It’s a bland playing style, but the NFL likes a guy that minimizes mistakes. Ewers needs a clean line to play well. He’s frequently on and off the injury report; durability will be brought up in the pre-draft process.
Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
Nussmeier has arm talent for days; he’s an accurate passer and challenges the defense with deep balls and tight-window throws. He has minimal starting experience but has proven to play it smartly in the pocket. Nussmeier doesn’t take sacks and has a great offensive line, but he’s great at realizing when he needs to throw the ball away. The class has guys with more tantalizing traits. I think Nussmeier may be the consolation prize for whichever team misses out on drafting a QB early.
Fun Stat: Nussmeier has only been sacked once in the entire season.
Carson Beck, Georgia
Beck hasn’t stepped up against tough defense, including the final games of 2023 and the games of the 2024 season. His decision-making seems to have regressed this year, and the weapons are not as good as in 2023. Although I don’t mind quarterbacks making bold throws, they have crossed the line to just making bad decisions. Beck looks like he won’t be a quarterback who elevates the play of the talent around him.
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
One of the few guys on this list that has improved. Sanders’ pocket presence is still bad, but he’s improved his game around that weakness. He’s much more willing to throw that tight window ball under pressure. Sanders takes a ton of hits but always gets up. These sacks he takes generate negative yardage for his team and dictate play calling, which NFL teams won’t like. His ability to make plays in the face of pressure will. I can’t predict if his body will take these hits in the NFL, but If Shedeur gets picked by a team with a strong OL, he should be fine.
Fun Stat: Sanders would have the lowest best-season QBR of any first-round QB in the last four years
Jalen Milroe, Alabama
This is just a better version of Joe Milton, the version of Joe Milton that got overhyped in the offseason. Milroe has a strong arm but is inaccurate in the short/intermediate areas. He has questionable decision-making but can run as well as Hurts in the NFL. Milroe put together amazing games with one of the best play callers in the NCAA. Then he goes back to making boneheaded mistakes. Milroe’s probably the best athlete and has that power-back running style. Milroe is this year’s traits QB that an NFL team will want to invest in.
Cam Ward, Miami
Ward has the most manageable schedule of the yard, plus his number one skill is his pocket presence and evasion ability. It’s tough to say he’s elite; watching the UVA game, the first touchdown, he had close to seven seconds to throw. What am I supposed to take away from that? If I simplify the eval, Ward is excellent at extending the play and working off-platform.
There are many other parts of his game that hit the “good enough” mark on the evaluation. Let me say this: Ward waits too long to throw the ball. This has been an issue for him. He likes to see his receivers open, like Shedeur has done, and needs to be more willing to throw those tight window balls in the face of pressure.
Running Backs
This class is deep at RB; the average RB in the last ten years typically has between 6-7 RBs taken on Day 1 or 2. This class could be on the high side of RBs taken during Day 2 of the NFL draft. Let’s outline who I won’t talk about:
- Ashton Jeanty
- Quinshon Judkins
- Nick Singleton
- Devin Neal
- DJ Giddens
- Trevor Etienne
Neal and Giddens could’ve been expanded on below, but I discuss them a lot. The TL:DR checks every skillset box. Neal has a high level of athleticism, and Giddens’ athleticism hits the good enough threshold. Both are huge pluses as pass catchers with downfield play-making ability, not just short area or behind the LOS skillsets.
Omarion Hampton, UNC
Hampton is the UNC offense, and it’s becoming easy for the opposing defense to game plan against him. Hampton is a slow accelerator but a proven power. I typically don’t endorse the style of runner that needs insane volume to break through eventually. NFL teams don’t hand out that type of workload, so those stylistic players end up as rotational pieces and TD-dependent for a good fantasy day.
Kaleb Johnson, Iowa
Johnson is similar to Hampton but has an excellent offensive line. The holes are massive, and Johnson is strong enough to bully DBs attempting a tackle. His production profile is insane, and I don’t have a good feeling for his athleticism, but I don’t think he has that top-end speed. Johnson’s pass-catching is also decent and certainly checks the box.
Dylan Sampson, Tennessee
THE undersized guy in the RB class—and thank God we are spared from the nickname “Tank” this season—can we get some variety? Sampson’s issue has always been vision, but he looks better at avoiding tackles this season. The NFL is more willing to give the light guys a chance in today’s era.
Jordan James, Oregon
Oregon RBs haven’t been the best at translating the NFL, but James is quickly becoming someone who checks all the boxes. It’s really nice to see Oregon play defenses out of the Pac-12. James has been consistent in his play. He’s certainly not the most physical, but he does have some slashing ability on his resume.
TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio St
He split the backfield with Judkins but has been relegated to the 1b position. Henderson’s skillset still looks very translatable, but it would’ve been nice to see him take over a game or have an impressive production profile outside his true freshman season. He will be a frustrating evaluation during the in-depth off-season analysis.
Wide Receivers
List of guys I will not be talking about because I feel that it is safe to assume they are locked in Day1/2:
- Tet McMillan
- Luther Burden
- Travis Hunter
- Emeka Egbuka
- Isaiah Bond
- Elic Ayomanor
- Tre Harris
- Barion Brown
Barion BROWN, Why DID hE InCluDe HiM? Well, audience members, if the NFL sticks to its current kickoff structure, most of the league will view Brown as a modern-day Devin Hester and draft him with that level of investment in mind. Also, I’m not trying to write about ten players here.
Let me start with three guys with very translatable skillsets, but that production profile is making me nervous that we will have to wait another year. The next three will be in order of confidence.
Evan Stewart, Oregon
Oregon opened up the playbook against Ohio State, taking more shots downfield, which allowed a very special route to show off his skill set. Oregon was running a conservative short area offense that was game-scripting out Stewart from making an impact, but the last two weeks of in-conference play have been vintage Evan Stewart. If he keeps this production up, he will get back into R1 talks.
Antonio Williams, Clemson
Antonio Williams has been a crucial part of the Clemson offense and used in every way. He has a passing TD, a rushing TD, and a receiving TD. Williams is still a great route runner and an athlete; what’s his flaw?
Clemson is an embarrassment of riches at WR, and they are spreading the ball around. Williams isn’t putting up the gaudy numbers everyone initially looks for when looking at prospects. I believe he could be an Amon-Ra type of player. I imagine Williams’ production profile will stay constant, but I will still be in on him if he declares.
Matthew Golden, Texas
I still like the routes, and a lot of the plays we saw in his early career are still here. He’s just not getting the production profile, and I believe Golden will likely return for a senior year.
Kaden Prather/Tai Felton, Maryland
Felton was crushing the non-conference easy schedule, but Kaden Prather has been the leading receiver the last three weeks. If Prather continues to grow his production profile, he will have the athleticism to get Day 2 consideration, leading to the draft. He will be talked about as one of the guys who can fill the role of Prototypical X.
Malachi Fields, UVA
The shining star on a roster that is struggling to find top-end talent. Fields has led the team in receiving in every game except one. He’s having an awkwardly down year for contested catches. Fields still has some of the best ball skills and should be viewed as one of the best prototypical Xs in the class. He doesn’t have anyone on the roster to threaten the path of his production profile and has athletic testing that should impress during the combine.
Kyren Lacy, LSU
LSU WRs have dominated the NFL, but this should be viewed as a down year. Lacy makes poor receiver plays when in contested situations and has overall issues with technique. Lacy has had some disappearing acts in big games despite having one of the best passers behind one of the best OLs in college football. He will still receive the “It’s an LSU WR1” label, which will award him plenty of spotlight.
Xavier Restrepo, Miami
Restrepo has been a reliable slot receiver for Miami. He gets open and handles the physical game remarkably well. His athleticism likely won’t wow anyone, but it’s hard to find holes in his game.
Jalen Royals, Utah St.
Royals is a thick G5 WR with athletic testing and a strong production profile. His skill set lacks the nuances of wide receiver play, but on paper, he will look great.
Ricky White, UNLV
Similar to Jalen Royals, White will be seriously considered for special team abilities, with the chance to earn a rotational role.
