The college football season has brought us many disappointments and surprises for our favorite 2025 prospects, so the C2C Devy team got together to do their first way-too-early rookie mock draft of the season!
ROUND 1 TAKEAWAYS
RB: I usually prefer to target QB or RB at the top of the draft, but its hard to argue with Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty. Although he seems to be the consensus #1 RB in this class, don’t sleep on PSU’s Nick Singleton, who has about every trait you’d hope for in an ideal running back. He currently sits at the top of my running back rankings.
Kansas’ RB Devin Neal was a bold selection, but if you’ve followed along with this company over the past few years, you’d know we are big fans. His lack of attention from the draft community is concerning but he has one of the most complete skill-sets at the position.
QB: Avoiding QB at the top of the draft makes more sense when you think about the current state of this up and down class. I’m not sure you’d be able to find a consensus #1 QB across most rankers.
Georgia QB Carson Beck was the first selected here – and in all fairness, this was before a brutal showing this past weekend where he accounted for his THIRD three interception game of the season – but he was someone we had a lot of faith in as a company after the traits he showed last year (as evidenced by our QB1 ranking in last years Devy guide). It hasn’t been what we had hoped, but a strong finish to the season could still help him make a strong case as a top QB in this class.
Nussmeier, Ward, Sanders and Milroe round out an intriguing but polarizing quarterback group at the top of this class.
WR: The strength of this class lies with the WRs, with Burden, McMillan, Emeka and Colorado’s Travis Hunter – who I think Felix got a tremendous value on – all worthy of a being a top six selection in my opinion.
“Ward has the chance to be the first QB drafted and I think it’s likely to be drafted in the top 5-10 picks in the draft. He brings something to the position that no one else in this class brings. His ability to escape and make plays has become what every NFL GM is looking for.” -Matt Bruening
“Emeka is a very safe wide receiver pick at this point of the draft. He has been a steady producer amongst other great wide receivers at a school known to develop great wide receiver prospects. Emeka is versatile, has nice size, early production, and plenty of athleticism and elusiveness. He projects well to what the NFL is looking for these days.” -Colin Decker
“Hunter has been a value in C2C leagues due to the speculation on his position designation. He could be a value in traditional dynasty rookie drafts for the same reason. Never a bad idea to draft good football players.” -Felix Sharpe
ROUND 2 TAKEAWAYS
QB: Penn state QB Drew Allar is someone I still believe could be in consideration for a top QB in this class, should he decide to enter the draft. He’s taken positive steps forward in this new offense and the traits are undeniable. Allar will put on a show during the combine. He was the only QB selected in this round which was somewhat surprising, but there’s probably a good chance someone from the first round will fall when the time comes.
RB: This round saw an RB run with a strong group that has a good chance of being NFL contributors. Quinshon Judkins has surprisingly been the preferred option in the Ohio State backfield, but there is an argument to be made that Henderson’s skillset may be better suited for todays NFL. Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson has risen from the ashes after an abysmal sophomore season, and I wouldn’t even be surprised to find him slip into the first round of drafts after the year he is having.
WR: Oregon WR Evan Stewart willl be one of the more polarizing prospect in this draft, should he decide to enter. He shown flashes of a Garrett Wilson-type skill-set, but hasnt been able to consistently produce and has had trouble finding chemistry with Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel.
Texas’ Isaiah Bond is still a sneaky bet to go in the first round of the NFL Draft, especially once he runs a (likely) sub 4.4-second 40 yard dash, but injuries have plagued his season and made him a nice value here in the second round. The round closes out with a nice run on four WRs, with Ayomanor being my preferred option of the group. He hasn’t had the season most would have expected, but Stanford’s QB woes and offensive scheme change have really hampered his production.
TE: This biggest value of the round was probably PSU TE Tyler Warren, who I can almost guarantee will flirt with a first round rookie and NFL draft selection. The 6’6″, 260-pound specimen has been a multifaceted offensive weapon for the Nittany Lions who has caught, thrown, and rushed for a touchdown this season.
“TreVeyon has fallen from the RB1 spot in this class, but the athletic talent is still there. Despite sharing the backfield with another very talented back in Quinshon Judkins, Henderson has still looked like a top back this season, and has all the traits you want in a back. He is a steal at this slot. “ -Aaron Wilcox
“We’ve seen enough flashes from Evan Stewart this year to confirm our priors on his athleticism and route running ability. The big question will be his ability to handle greater target volume at the next level, which is a tricky proposition.” -Austin Nace
“A few players will vie for the TE1 spot, but Tyle Warren is my choice. He’s a great athlete with strong hands, crisp route-running skills, and is dangerous after the catch.” -Dwight Peebles
ROUND 3 TAKEAWAYS
RB: We start getting into my guy territory here, but I still think Kansas State RB DJ Giddens was a great value here. This RB class definitely has some depth, but I have a feeling Giddens will be one of those guys to get uncovered by the draft community when the offseason comes around. He has the size, athleticism and versatile skill-set that compares well to Tampa Bay Buccaneer Rachaad White.
QB: The third round is a perfect place to take shot on some upside, like we see with the selections of QBs Quinn Ewers and Jaxson Dart. Scouts still seem to praise Ewers, and Dart continues to get better year after year. Dart will get dinged for the offense he plays in, which consists heavily of half-field first-read plays, but Dart displays the traits, athleticism, and has the production that should get scouts attention.
WR: While I’m not the type of guy to usually invest in G5 receivers, Ricky White and Jalen Royals would definitely be near the top of my list. Royals unfortunately suffered a season ending injury last week, which may effect his ability to impress scouts with his reported 4.3-second 40 yard dash speed.
If I were to get on the train of one late-breakout receiver, it might be Maryland’s Tai Felton. He’s being used in multiple ways for the Terps and could be an ideal complimentary player in the NFL. Miami’s Xavier Restrepo has been on of the most consistent players over the last two seasons, and strikes me as one of the safer targets in this round. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him rise much higher by draft time.
TE: We finally make up for lost time by hammering the TE position in this round. While we are concerned with BGSU’s Harold Fannin‘s size, he’s been the most productive TE in the nation and should at least be able to find himself an Isaiah Likely-type role at the next level.
After being at or near the top of TE prospects for 2025, Michigan’s offensive deficiencies have clouded over Coleston Loveland‘s draft stock this year, but he’s a well rounded player who should see a more productive NFL career then the one at Michigan. Iowa’s Luke Lachey is truly a wildcard. His brief flashes have been marred by injuries and offensive ineptitude, but can we really ever count out an Iowa tight end at the next level?
“Dart has slowed down since his Heisman-caliber start to the season. But he’s still showing the progress we’ve seen him make over his college career. In a QB class with several good-not-great players, Dart’s skill set, performance, and progression likely has him locked in as a top 50 pick with the potential to sneak into the back end of the 1st round. I’ll take that in the late 3rd round every time.” -Colin Decker
“The combination of size plus athleticism should give Malachi Fields a play style edge. If he has a decent showing at the senior bowl and does well at the combine, which should be expected with his Feldman’s freak list inclusion, than he should be a steady climber up draft boards.” -Mike Vallerie
“Harold Fannin Jr. continues to excel and improve this season, and his production and athleticism are tantalizing indicators of future success.” -Dwight Peebles
SNUBS
QB:
- None
RB:
- Omarion Hampton, UNC
- Ollie Gordon, OKST
- Jordan James, ORE
WR:
- Germie Bernard, ALA
- Barion Brown, UK
- Matthew Golden, TEX
- Jayden Higgins, ISU
TE:
- Mason Taylor, LSU
Be sure to check out this weeks Back 2 Devy Podcast for an in-depth review of this mock draft: SPOTIFY | APPLE
