Here are some of the top 2025 NFL Draft prospects in the Independents League entering the 2024 college football season. Notre Dame is heavily represented — with several potential early-round prospects — but UConn is also firmly in the mix in 2025.
Top 2025 NFL Draft Prospects in the Independents
Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame
Benjamin Morrison is the top Independent prospect on PFN’s early 2025 NFL Draft Board, and in fact, he’s a top-five overall prospect in the class. At 6’0″, 185 pounds, Morrison is a gnat in man coverage, who pairs elite short-area mobility with aggression and instincts.
Riley Leonard, QB, Notre Dame
Riley Leonard broke out with a 20-touchdown, six-interception 2022 campaign, but his passing development stagnated in 2024. The 6’4″, 216-pound quarterback is a superb athlete with flashes of tantalizing touch on throws, but he needs to be more consistent.
Mitchell Evans, TE, Notre Dame
Coming back from an injury will be the biggest task for Mitchell Evans this year, but if he can get back to 100%, he’s a safely draftable TE prospect. At 6’5″, 260 pounds, he’s a nuanced separator and a high-energy blocker in spite of his non-elite athleticism.
Xavier Watts, S, Notre Dame
Xavier Watts was the winner of the Bronco Nagurski Award in 2023, amassing seven INTs, four pass breakups, and three tackles for loss. At 6’0″, 203 pounds, his two-phase instincts stand out as perhaps his strongest trait, and that trait underpins his universal playmaking voracity.
Howard Cross III, DT, Notre Dame
In three years as at least a rotational or full-time starter, Howard Cross III has accumulated seven sacks and 14 tackles for loss. The 6’1″, 288-pound lineman is the traditional sawed-off interior presence, and he uses his natural leverage as a weapon.
Rylie Mills, DT, Notre Dame
With nine sacks and 14.5 TFLs over the past three years, Rylie Mills has been similarly productive to Cross. While Cross is the sawed-off disruptor, Mills is a power factory at 6’5″, 295 pounds, with long levers for arms and massive force output at initial contact.
R.J. Oben, EDGE, Notre Dame
R.J. Oben will be a 24-year-old rookie, and he’s not an elite athlete. But at 6’3″, 262 pounds, he’s a high-motor rusher with a well-rounded arsenal, who’s amassed 14.5 sacks and 19.5 TFLs over the past three years. He could become a steady rotational EDGE.
Chase Lundt, OT, UConn
At 6’8″, 305 pounds, Chase Lundt — a natural right tackle — needs to improve his play strength before making the NFL leap. But his athleticism is quantifiably elite, and he’s also impressively balanced and synergetic in pass protection. He has starting upside at his peak.
Malik Dixon-Williams, S, UConn
At 6’1″, 200 pounds, Malik Dixon-Williams is an experienced safety who’s played in 32 games since 2021. With four career interceptions and 6.5 TFLs, he’s a force both in support with his voracity and attack explosiveness, and in coverage with his spatial instincts.
Kris Mitchell, WR, Notre Dame
Notre Dame has several draft-eligible wide receivers, but Florida International transfer Kris Mitchell might be the most intriguing. The 6’0″, 183-pound catalyst racked up 1,118 yards and six touchdowns on just 64 catches in 2023, showing off his dynamic vertical ability.
Other Top 2025 NFL Draft Prospects in the Independents
- Cam Edwards, RB, UConn
- Jayden Thomas, WR, Notre Dame
- Beaux Collins, WR, Notre Dame
- Skyler Bell, WR, UConn
- Frank Ladson Jr., WR, Massachusetts
- TJ Sheffield, WR, UConn
- Dominick Mazotti, TE, Massachusetts
- Brayden Rohme, OT, Massachusetts
- Valentin Senn, OT, UConn
- Jelani Stafford, DT, UConn
- Pryce Yates, EDGE, UConn
- Jordan Botelho, EDGE, Notre Dame
- Jack Kiser, LB, Notre Dame
- Jordan Clark, DB, Notre Dame
- Tyler Rudolph, S, Massachusetts