- Thread starter dbair1967
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Lots and lots of quality value RBs in this draft.
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Quality and value, yeah probably so.
True franchise altering type skill and production though? Probably only 1.
Aggiepride
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Jeanty is a combo of Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith. Maybe a tad more Barry?
Of course, we need an OL. It's a problem as of today. I hope we didn't miss on Guyton. Hope they figure it out.
Zack Martin's cap allocation could go to another Guard. Will Fries maybe? Trey Smith from KC is very good, but he suffers from blood clots in his lungs.
We must get that 60 million Dak cap hit down. Waaay down!
Cooper Rush to the Saints? Money talks. And no, I do not mean as a starter. Have no fear, we'll probably be able to keep Lance,
I wonder if Schotty is having second thoughts.
Of course, we need an OL. It's a problem as of today. I hope we didn't miss on Guyton. Hope they figure it out.
Zack Martin's cap allocation could go to another Guard. Will Fries maybe? Trey Smith from KC is very good, but he suffers from blood clots in his lungs.
We must get that 60 million Dak cap hit down. Waaay down!
Cooper Rush to the Saints? Money talks. And no, I do not mean as a starter. Have no fear, we'll probably be able to keep Lance,
I wonder if Schotty is having second thoughts.
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We have built in restructures after 2025 season. Only eating one bad cap year. Cap was increased nicely however. Still gonna be serviceable money wise.
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Which NFL Draft 2025 prospects will show off at the combine? Revisiting Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List
From Travis Hunter to Ashton Jeanty, Bruce Feldman revisits his famous Freaks List to determine who should stand out in Indianapolis.
www.nytimes.com
1. Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina, safety
For a while, he was the best-kept secret in the SEC. He made 156 tackles in his first two seasons of college football, including 24 in two games against Georgia. He was No. 11 on the 2024 Freaks List after he put up spectacular numbers last offseason, broad-jumping 11-4, vertical-jumping 42 inches and completing 24 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press in addition to squatting 565 pounds. The former three-star recruit was lights-out again last season, earning first-team All-America honors after leading the team with 88 tackles, to go with four interceptions and three tackles for loss. He turned 21 this month. At 6 feet 3 inches and 220 pounds, he ran, I’m told, a 4.35 in the 40 last week.
2. Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M, DL
The one-time five-star recruit had an inconsistent college career. He managed only 4 1/2 sacks in 37 games, but his potential is tantalizing, and he was impressive during Senior Bowl week when he showed some refinement in his pass-rush game. In 2024, the Miami native led A&M with seven QB hurries to go with 5.5 TFLs. Expect him to turn a lot of heads when he tests in Indy.
“He’s a Freak, man,” said his former defensive line coach at A&M, Sean Spencer, who previously coached at Penn State and Florida and in the NFL. “He will run a low-4.5 (in the 40) at 280 and 6-5-plus. He can fly. At worst, I think he’ll go 4.62, 4.63. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t break 4.60.”
3. Abdul Carter, Penn State, edge
The latest Nittany Lions freakshow defensive talent, Carter was Penn State’s first unanimous consensus All-American since Saquon Barkley in 2017. Carter had a nation-leading 23.5 TFLs and 12 sacks in leading Penn State to the College Football Playoff semifinals. Last offseason at 6-3 and 254 pounds, Carter clocked a 4.48 40 along with a 4.35 shuttle to go with an equally impressive 10-7 broad jump. He vertical jumped 33 1/2 inches.
4. Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado
The Heisman Trophy winner’s best physical traits — the ones that make him so special — are harder to test for than what you see on the field at the combine. Yes, the 6-1, 185-pounder is very fast and is expected to run the 40 sub-4.4 and jump around 40 inches in the vertical. His shuttle times should be elite too, but his gas tank and play-speed are what are so rare.
For the past two years at Colorado, he has been playing almost twice as many snaps as most players, and he still is capable of making game-changing plays late in games. In 2023, Reel Analytics gauged Hunter’s max speed on a touchdown-saving chase-down against TCU at 21.2 mph. Then, on Hunter’s 81st snap of that game in near 100-degree heat in Texas, he displayed a closing speed of 6.9 yards per second on his diving red-zone interception midway through the third quarter. That 6.9 YPS was the second-fastest time on record for nearly 8,400 defensive backs in the Reel Analytics database.
5. Jalon Walker, Georgia, edge/linebacker
The 6-2, 245-pound junior was a problem for offenses as an off-the-ball linebacker and as a ferocious pass rusher. His closing speed is scary. Walker won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker after making 60 tackles and 10.5 TFLs and notching 6.5 sacks. He dominated Texas in two games, producing six combined TFLs and four sacks. Georgia coaches think he could run in the 4.4s in Indy and vertical jump around 36 inches.
6. Jordan Burch, Oregon, DL
Like Stewart, Burch is another former five-star recruit who has been inconsistent but figures to shine at the combine. Burch was more productive, notching 11 TFLs in 10 games with 8.5 sacks and six passes broken up while battling some injuries. Last offseason, the South Carolina transfer added 13 pounds to his 6-5 frame to weigh 295 pounds — and still vertical jumped 35 inches and hit 20.75 mph on the GPS.
7. Savion Williams, TCU, WR
The 6-5, 225-pound receiver is coming off his best season, catching 60 passes for 611 yards and six touchdowns, and he had 51 carries for 332 yards and six more TDs. In addition, he was 3-for-3 passing for 22 yards and a touchdown. His size and athleticism are eye-catching: Last offseason, he hit 10-6 on the broad jump and posted a 40-inch vertical. He squatted 600 pounds, bench pressed 355, power cleaned 350 and clocked 22.5 mph. And it shouldn’t have been a big surprise that he was a weapon throwing the ball because he is a former high school quarterback who has a strong arm, and teammates say can throw the ball 80 yards.
8. Kenneth Grant, Michigan, DT
The former unheralded recruit from Indiana began wowing the UM staff almost from the moment he set foot on campus, causing Jim Harbaugh to rave about the then-360-pounder running a sub-5.0 40. Grant, No. 3 on our Freaks List in 2024, has been clocked at 18.75 mph on the GPS while weighing 350 pounds. Last offseason, he vertical jumped 29 inches. He had 32 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, three sacks and three QB hurries to go with five passes broken up in 2024.
9. Elijah Arroyo, Miami, TE
The latest in a deep and talented pipeline of Canes tight ends, Arroyo was finally healthy and became a big weapon for Cam Ward, catching 35 passes for 590 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024. The 6-5, 251-pounder had scouts at the Senior Bowl raving over his agility and route-running. He’s expected to run the 40 in the low 4.5s at the combine. Miami coaches tell me they expected his shuttle times to be “elite.” Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said Arroyo moves like a huge wideout and will become a Pro Bowler before too long.
10. Jihaad Campbell, Alabama, edge/linebacker
The 20-year-old was the best player on the Tide defense in 2024, wreaking havoc as he piled up 117 tackles to go with a team-high 11.5 TFLs and five sacks. The 6-3, 245-pounder is expected to run the 40 in the 4.4s and I’m told he should excel in everything else.
11. Tyleik Williams, Ohio State, DT
The Buckeyes had a terrific D-line, and the 6-3, 327-pound Williams was its anchor. He had eight TFLs and 46 tackles for the national champions and should excel at the combine. Despite his massive frame, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him run the 40 in the 4.8s and clock a 10-yard split under 1.65.
12. Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona, WR
He has the best ball skills of any receiver in this draft, and though this draft isn’t as good as last year’s for receivers, the 6-4 former volleyball star probably has better ball skills than any of those top players. He has remarkable timing, which makes it seem like he’s a much bigger leaper than he is.
“T-Mac is probably the biggest freak that I’ve ever been around,” said Washington head coach Jedd Fisch, McMillan’s former coach at Arizona and a former longtime NFL coach. “He doesn’t have that great a vertical, but it’s his coordination that is freakish. He has great hand-eye coordination. He’s the best athlete I’ve ever seen.”
The 212-pounder’s speed is good, not great, but he was clocking almost 22 mph last summer, up from 19.8 when he first arrived in Arizona. One NFL receivers coach said this month that his football speed is still impressive as he has noticed how often McMillan is running away from defenders on film. During the past two seasons, McMillan caught 174 passes for 2,721 yards and 18 TDs on a team where everyone knew he was the one who Noah Fifita, his best friend and quarterback, looked for on almost every play.
13. Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota, OL
A three-year starting left tackle for the Gophers, the 6-5, 339-pounder earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2024 after being voted second-team All-Big Ten in 2023. The Kansas City native excelled in high school track and field as a shot putter, and threw the discus and javelin. Some of that athleticism is reflected in the eye-popping numbers he put up last offseason, clocking a 1.52-second 10-yard split — a program record for offensive linemen — and hitting 18.34 mph on the GPS. If he matches that 1.52 or gets close to it, there will be some jaws on the floor. That time is faster than any offensive lineman has clocked at the combine since the league officially has kept that stat. Duke’s Jacob Monk did a 1.66 last year, which tied Weber State’s Sua Opeta from 2019 as the fastest. Ersery posted a 27.5-inch vertical and a 9-2 broad jump along with a pro shuttle time of 4.61. That’s not bad for a player who was once rated as the No. 77 tackle prospect in the 2019 class.
14. James Pearce Jr., Tennessee, edge
He has been productive for a good Vols defense, posting a team-high 13 TFLs, 7.5 sacks and 10 QB hurries in 2024. As a sophomore, the 6-5, 243-pounder wowed folks in the Citrus Bowl when he clocked 23 mph on a pick six against Iowa, turning in one of the fastest GPS measurements of any FBS play all season. Vols coaches have told me Pearce is a legit 4.4-caliber talent. He has become a bit of a polarizing prospect, but he should impress in the testing part of the draft process.
15. Will Johnson, Michigan, CB
The defensive MVP of the 2023 national championship game missed much of last season due to injury. The 6-2, 202-pounder is the complete package. Coaches gush about his intelligence. Johnson has good size and had the fastest time on the team last offseason on Michigan’s reactive plyo stairs test at 2.27 seconds. He did the three-cone drill in 6.57 seconds, which would top the best time during the past two years for corners at the past two combines of 6.62. Johnson’s 20-yard shuttle time was 4.05 seconds, which would’ve been third during the past two years in Indianapolis. His broad jump was 10-8 1/2