Admittedly, the Georgia tape is worrisome, and the FBS-leading penalty marks don’t quell concerns. Nevertheless, Cameron Williams is one of a select few athletes in this class who possess legitimate OT tools from top to bottom. He does all this in a ridiculously athletic 335-pound frame. Williams is certainly an inexperienced gamble, but his length, ease of movement, natural power, and flashes of consistent brilliance are enticing.
Harold Fannin Jr. is so talented that despite being the only real threat to Power Four schools defensively, he was still able to bully both Penn State and Texas A&M in consecutive weeks early in the season. Despite some clear stiffness to his rocked-up frame, Fannin makes himself a difficult target to take down with the ball in his hands, both with impressive contact balance and some creativity to make defenders miss in space. He’s undersized but ferocious as a run blocker.
Nick Emmanwori hasn’t received enough love in the 2025 NFL Draft class. Nobody seems to care about safeties, but one built like a linebacker who plays the back end like Kyle Hamilton did at Notre Dame should have everyone’s juices flowing. Seriously, there is absolutely nothing in the Alabama, Oklahoma, or Missouri games that suggests Emmanwori should be considered anywhere outside of the top half of Round 1. Although his unique measurables are scary on the surface for his position, there is no stickiness to his movements, he carries downfield with ease, and he’s an incredibly intelligent boundary safety for the Gamecocks. The only thing really missing from Emmanwori’s game because of the way he’s deployed is a blitzing element. However, his sure tackling force and technique, paired with unique athleticism, should make him a weapon there for imaginative defensive coordinators at the next level. He’s also uniquely qualified to be a TE erasure because of his blend of coverage prowess, physicality, and length. Emmanwori continues to rise in the rankings here until he hits the ceiling for where he can ascend in this class. His tape became more impressive as exposure mounted.
Marcus Freeman’s defensive backs are always high-IQ players, and Benjamin Morrison is no exception. His high-cut frame makes him look taller than he actually is, but his wingspan and feel for playing off receivers with over-top leverage help keep everything in front of him. That extends to man coverage, where Morrison plays on the front hip. While that allows nuanced receivers with brakes to snap off routes back to the QB on him, Morrison’s feel for route depth and receiver tells keeps him tight and disallows big plays with consistency.
Few players looked better in the first eight weeks of the college football season than the Ohio State LT. In fact, the reps Josh Simmons took at that time were the best of any offensive lineman in the country, and he was well on his way to securing OT1. However, the unfortunate nature of the business is that a knee injury against Oregon sidelined Simmons for the rest of the season and left us with serious questions. Although improved technically and mentally from a season ago, Ohio State’s schedule left Simmons without a marquee matchup. Even Marshall’s Mike Green barely lined up across from him in their matchup. In short, Simmons didn’t face any legitimate NFL talent. Things weren’t so pretty when he did in 2023. While his game certainly improved from that time, the bad taste from stiffer competition couldn’t be washed away in 2024 because of the injury. It feels like Simmons will hit, and the NFL should likely take him early because of his tools and play in 2024, but it still feels like a mighty gamble.
Even Graham can’t boast Tyleik Williams’ consistency, even if his ceiling is levels higher. Rumor has it Williams hasn’t played a bad game since arriving on campus in Columbus, Ohio. Although he’s never consistently flashed as a pass rusher, he’s also largely been deployed as the yin to Mike Hall Jr. and Ty Hamilton’s yang. He does the dirty work while they have all the fun. Williams possesses eye-popping torque strength and consistently stuns blockers with a quick first step to reset the line of scrimmage. He’s quick to read run keys, and his peripheral vision and insane flexibility allow him to drop anchor against double teams with ease.
The modern safety as we know it has changed. Many of the back-end NFL players we see were college slot defenders. Jahdae Barron’s step to outside cornerback for the Longhorns in 2024 was a success, but his skill set still suggests a slide back into the slot or deeper as a split-field player. Barron is incredibly adept at playing from depth and seeing the picture through receivers and to the quarterback with zone eyes. Like his running mate just above him, Barron has a thirst for filling the alley and making tackles. That physicality serves him incredibly well as a Cover 3 cornerback, but he will truly shine as an alley player in the NFL.
Kenneth Grant possesses impressive lateral explosiveness as a run defender to avoid getting reached by offensive linemen. However, he also tends to be late off the snap, which has been a common issue among Michigan interior defenders for years now. Yet, Grant’s size, athleticism, and hand usage should make him an impressive presence in the middle of an NFL defense quickly. He only really possesses a swim move as a pass rusher, but he’s surprisingly nimble when given the green light.
The Michigan State transfer came alive in Eugene, Oregon. Playing alongside a talented defensive front, Derrick Harmon found more advantageous opportunities to slash through gaps in 2024. Like fellow tall interior rusher DeForest Buckner, Harmon’s go-to move is a swim move. Because of his length and height, he can be a devastating winner. Even though Harmon is a bit high-cut, he fires low with a wide base in short-yardage situations, proving he’s not just a gap-shooting disruptor as a run defender. But the ferocity with which he flows against horizontal stretch concepts while defending the run stands out the most on tape.
Tre Harris won’t blow your door off with his athleticism or his route tree at the college level, but the latter has more to do with Mississippi’s offense than his inability to snap off at the top of routes. His suddenness and strength at the line of scrimmage should make him a red-zone favorite at the next level. Harris possesses freedom in his midsection to pivot at speed while also displaying detailed enough footwork to surprise defensive backs with impressive stopping power to drive back to the quarterback. He’s also a strong finisher and a tough tackle on first attempts.
Mike Green is a very dangerous presence off the edge. He possesses eye-popping burst and bend while also showcasing some impressive proactive pass-rushing moves, including a devastating Eurostep spin move he showed against Ohio State. However, Green’s pursuit speed doesn’t match the burst he shows off the line, and his lack of play strength leaves him engulfed by run blockers. Still, an early-career Yannick Ngakoue isn’t a far-off comparison for Green, and that type of production, although inconsistent, is incredibly valuable.
Jonah Savaiinaea has the athleticism, footwork, and length to live at offensive tackle. However, his unnerving tendency to overset and lose the arc to rushers with more advanced outside rush moves suggests he would be best served on the interior at the NFL level. Those issues shouldn’t follow Savaiinaea to the inside, where he can dictate tempo more consistently.
