1 – Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State
First Team All-Big Ten twice – once as an off-ball linebacker and once as an edge rusher, Carter has elite burst off the line and overwhelming speed in backside pursuit. Combining his impressive stunt ability with skilled teammates, his 66 pressures and 13 sacks in 2024 suggest All-Pro potential beyond the NFL Draft.
The Heisman Trophy winner has incredible ball skills, arguably the best I have seen in a college athlete. Seven interceptions at CU reflect Hunter’s break on the ball, and 120 snaps a game cement 1-of-1 stamina. He sees the field well on both sides of route recognition.
2024 rushing leaders in the draft: Jeanty (2,597), Cam Skattebo (1,712), & Omarion Hampton (1,660).
2024 missed tackles forced: Jeanty (151), Skattebo (102), & Kyle Monangai (71).
Johnson’s First-Team All-American and National Championship-winning 2023 all but locked up his NFL Draft first-round future.
Teams can’t ignore Johnson’s elite change of direction at his size. He is seamlessly smooth out of his backpedal and closes on the ball, squeezing routes in a blink (primarily off-coverage zone).
Graham is one of the most pro-ready prospects available, a quick-handed interior player who can penetrate and has the speed to pursue outside runs and play-extending quarterbacks.
“Only” being 6 foot 4 does not matter for Membou, considering he brings 33 ½ inch arms to the table. His barrel chest and elite feet are hell on wheels in a zone-heavy scheme.
Featured above with Trent Williams and Tristan Wirfs in terms of NFL Draft athletic testing…Campbell’s urgency in pulling and getting to the second level somehow looks effortless for this “ole boy.”
2024 First Downs by draft-eligible tight ends: Harold Fannin Jr. (74), Tyler Warren (67), Oronde Gadsden (48), Mason Taylor (37). Talk about dominant as Penn State’s focal offensive piece, loving contact at a towering 6 foot 6, 256 pounds.
Elite change of direction as a physical ball hawk, Starks brings 42 starts of experience and maturity at a National Championship caliber.
Snap count (1,581) for 2023-2024:
The former five-star edge (7 sacks in 2024) is schematically universal and the best of both worlds. Campbell’s 4.52 speed features oily hips to flip and run with running backs, and 240 pounds of proportional play strength to hang with downfield tight ends and disengage second-level blockers.
11 – Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
Loveland perfectly timed his NFL Draft entrance. Modern offenses will value his smooth versatility in creating mismatches more than ever: 47.6% in the slot, 32.5% inline, and 18.2% out wide in 2024.
Whether a 3-4 EDGE or a blitzing WILL LB, Walker was the first in 20 seasons to have three sacks and seven tackles against a No. 1-ranked AP team (Texas). Walker’s noted leadership, rock-solid muscular build, and buy-in start by being the son of a Division II All-American linebacker and Head Coach (Catawba College).
Tape > Testing. Booker is a killer in a phone booth. The average NFL Guard is 6 foot 4, 314 pounds, and has 9 ⅞” hands, & 33-inch arms. Booker is 6 foot 5, 321 pounds, and has 11” hands, & 34 ½ inch arms.
“I (Booker) make guys not love football anymore.”
Jackson has Grade A credentials under his big belt, including 40 starts and three First-Team All-Big Ten selections. The Buckeyes would not have won the National Championship without his flawlessly executed 530 left tackle snaps through the College Football Playoff.
Tennessee Titans QB1 Cam Ward sounds right, go ahead and buy a very expensive house in Nashville. The strong arm arrogance is justified, paired with great pre-and post-snap anticipation and active feet commanding his offensive line.
Barron was a Top 75 player for me in the 2024 Draft before returning to a Jim Thorpe Award-winning season. The zone corner/nickel has played everywhere successfully in the secondary. Barron’s anticipation is elite beyond his five 2024 interceptions.
Green’s ability to turn the corner and create a straight line to the quarterback was ready for Sundays yesterday.
Green’s stunningly revved up motor compiled an NCAA-leading 17 sacks in 2024, along with 63 pressures.
Outside of maybe Shemar Stewart, Nolen physically blew me away most at the Senior Bowl, not an ounce of bad weight on the former #1 recruit. Barrel-chested and heavy-handed, yet somehow only looks 265 at 293+ pounds.
13 sacks and a 3.2% missed tackle rate the last two seasons as an interior is filthy, absolutely disgustingly filthy production to match the “potential.”
“Outside of maybe Shemar Stewart, Nolen physically blew me away the hardest at the Senior Bowl,” see what I mean? Stewart’s situation is simple: what team is willing to bet on 100th-percentile athletic potential over proven production (4.5 college sacks)?
Williams does not allow his prototype stature to affect his pad level; he stays low and delivers powerful blows in opposing blockers’ strike zones.
There’s no rush move more effective than a dominating bull rush. Williams will overwhelm opponents and effectively defend against runs like a brick wall.
Nose tackle-sized with the movement skills of a 3T, Grant’s ability to penetrate the line and turn the corner is marvelous while simultaneously averaging 4 sacks per year at 330+ pounds.
Pass-rushing interiors get paid. 2024 pressure leaders among this NFL Draft class iDL: Harmon (55), Ty Robinson (38), Aeneas Peebles (35). Add five sacks and a 26.5% 1v1 win rate (2nd in class behind Omarr Norman-Lott), and Harmon’s huge frame is money.
Averaging 1,356 receiving yards, nearly 10 touchdowns, & a 13+ yard average Depth of target (aDot) has to go beyond just the acrobatic TikTok catches and naysayers asking about long speed (4.5s). Tet averages around a 22% slot snap share … that’s your “Drake London” comp attempt.
Athletically testing better than any NFL Draft safety in the last 20 years is a promising start for Emmanwori, right? Coupled with his hard hits and natural ball skills (eight pass breakups and six interceptions in 2023-24), he’s money in April.
Am I sure I saw Golden’s 4.29 at the NFL Combine on tape? Maybe not THAT blistering fast, but undoubtedly he can gear up and down in his routes, creating additional separation with great body control beyond just getting vertical on top of corners and raining on their head.
A real five-tool OL, Zabel may not be Graham Barton, but his path should be similar (961 left tackle snaps in 2024, 696 right tackle snaps, and 211 left guard snaps in 2023, and snapped the best in the group at the Senior Bowl). The average NFL center has a 28-inch vertical. Zabel? 36.5. Boo-yah explosiveness.
Amos provides a huge wingspan to contest the catch (26 career pass breakups). He has played in a variety of schemes and may be the most well-rounded, ready-to-go cornerback in this class.
Hampton’s exceptional 99th-percentile athleticism and physique add to his excellent contact balance. Nice jump-cut; explodes his plant foot, reminding me of Ryan Matthews/David Montgomery vibes on his way to 3,000+ yards the last two seasons.
The most interesting body in the NFL Draft, Ezeiruaku is 6 foot 2 yet tested the second longest arms in the EDGE class (34 ½”) behind only Mykel Williams (34 ⅜”) despite being 2 ½” shorter. That much length and leverage from a Wide-9 bringing 14 sacks of production in 2024? “Ez.”
If not for a season-ending torn patellar tendon in his knee, Simmons’s ideal length and strong, violently handed upper body was possibly projecting to OT1 for an Inside Zone or Gap-centric scheme.
Banks is a brick house with bad intentions. Powerfully striking and a constant leg driver,
41 starts, 1st & 2nd Team All-Big 12, 1st Team All-SEC, and the Outland Trophy shine up Banks’s NFL Draft resume real nice.
Higgins is a certified freak to be 6 feet 4 and 214 pounds, jumping a 39-inch vertical and running in the 4.4s. Higgins had an astonishingly low drop rate of under 3% while catching over 2,000 yards in the last two seasons.
End of Rant…Day Two Grades (33-100) in progress.
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