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Matt Miller
The 2025 college football season is quickly approaching, and the outcomes of the upcoming marketing campaign will do loads to find out the place of lots of of prospects within the 2026 NFL draft. However there are a number of gamers that evaluators are actually trying ahead to seeing in 2025.
After speaking to scouts and personnel individuals all through the NFL, I selected 10 gamers who I really feel have probably the most at stake this season. Some want to redeem themselves from a disappointing 2024 season, others have harm points which they should handle, whereas nonetheless others should be extra constant to actually transfer up draft boards. Tens of millions of {dollars} in skilled earnings may very well be on the road for the gamers under.
We’ll begin with one of many three quarterbacks on this record, with this signal-caller additionally being a main topic of this train a year ago.
Leap to a participant:
Allar | Bailey | Beck | McCoy
Nussmeier | Onianwa | Ott
Payton | Proctor | Tyson
There have been moments in 2024 when Allar regarded like a possible top-five choose. There have been different instances when it appeared like Penn State was successfully taking the ball out of his palms. With tight finish Tyler Warren gone to the NFL and backup quarterback Beau Pribula transferring to Missouri, all eyes shall be on Allar in 2025.
Allar is a 6-foot-5, 235-pound quarterback with good arm energy, plus-level mobility and two seasons of stable beginning expertise. These traits describe a participant NFL scouts usually fall in love with, however that hasn’t been the case but with Allar. As an alternative, scouts have questioned his decision-making and instincts.
“Love the instruments, however I’ve not often been blown away by what he does with them,” an NFC East space scout mentioned.
One faculty scouting director mentioned, “There is not any killer intuition with him. He’ll take what the protection provides him. I would really like to see him be extra aggressive and throw a couple of extra picks.”
Allar has thrown simply 10 interceptions to 49 landing passes in his two seasons as starter. He accomplished 66.5% of his passes final season — a soar from 59.9% the 12 months earlier than. If Yr 2 in offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s scheme produces the identical improvement as Yr 1, Allar has the expertise to get himself into the highest of Spherical 1.
Texas Tech has assembled a line of defense group as proficient as any within the nation, with Stanford transfer Bailey because the headliner.
The 6-foot-4, 250-pound senior was principally used as only a cross rusher at Stanford, which led to restricted snaps, however good issues occurred when he was on the sphere. In 2024, he posted seven sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss and 5 pressured fumbles in solely 339 snaps.
“Bailey is a blur off the ball,” an NFC South space scout mentioned. “I imply, he can flat-out transfer. It is higher than James Pearce Jr. final 12 months and he [was selected in the] late first.”
Bailey is certainly fast, with a 2.64-second time to first strain. That is not fairly Abdul Carter territory (2.48), but it surely was ok for No. 23 within the nation final season.
Bailey has to show he can develop into a three-down participant and never dwell purely as a situational rusher. However he is proficient sufficient that one Massive 12 coach instructed me he is one of the best cross rusher his group will see all season lengthy.
One 12 months in the past, Beck was being hailed because the potential QB1 for the 2025 draft after a stellar first season as a starter at Georgia. As an alternative, Beck noticed his manufacturing endure in 2024, as his interceptions doubled from six to 12 whereas his completion proportion dropped from 72.4% to 64.7%. The Bulldogs struggled to interchange receiver Ladd McConkey and tight finish Brock Bowers, which highlighted Beck’s accuracy and ball-placement points.
A torn UCL suffered within the SEC title game sidelined Beck, who initially declared for the NFL draft earlier than deciding to hit the switch portal. Like Cameron Ward, Beck is hopeful a move to Miami will increase his draft inventory.
“He is higher than individuals give him credit score for,” a university scouting director mentioned. “He appears to be like like a top-10 choose bodily … he simply struggled too many instances down the stretch at Georgia.”
Following elbow surgical procedure in December, Beck was cleared for spring observe and is anticipated to be at 100% for the season opener Aug. 31 against Notre Dame. The Irish protection shall be a giant early take a look at for Beck — and an opportunity to remind scouts of his expertise and talent as a pure pocket passer.
A real blue-chip cornerback prospect, McCoy would not be on this record have been it not for a torn ACL in January. When requested at SEC media days about McCoy, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel didn’t have an replace on his availability.
McCoy is strictly what you need in a first-round nook along with his quickness, timing and ball expertise. The 6-foot, 193-pound junior has picked off six passes in his first two seasons mixed. He allowed a QBR of 15.7 final season, which might have been the fifth better of any cornerback within the 2025 draft.
“I feel we might have seen him go first [among cornerbacks] final 12 months,” mentioned an AFC North scout, who didn’t embody two-way participant Travis Hunter in his nook rankings.
If McCoy can get again onto the sphere in 2025 and present that very same stage of play, his odds to be CB1 within the 2026 class are robust.
Heading into LSU’s battle towards No. 14 Texas A&M on October 26, Nussmeier was receiving official first-round buzz amongst NFL scouts and analysts. The 6-foot-1 quarterback and son of New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier was wowing scouts along with his versatile arm angles, quick decision-making and upside forward of his eighth profession begin.
Then it fell aside. Nussmeier threw three interceptions and accomplished solely 50% of his throws towards the Aggies. The next week against Alabama was a lot of the identical, with two interceptions. Nussmeier completed the season with 12 picks to 29 passing touchdowns, with one other three touchdowns speeding. He returned to highschool as an alternative of coming into the 2025 draft.
The hype continues to be there, although, and for good motive. Nussmeier might need thrown 5 picks in these two SEC contests we talked about, however he additionally threw for 405 yards and three landing passes towards A&M.
In a draft class with no clear-cut QB1, Nussmeier is usually talked about by scouts as one of many high gamers — with one AFC scouting director even declaring him as QB1 earlier than the season begins. “Give me his hearth and his instincts, plus his soccer data, even when he is not that large,” the director added.
What’s on the road is a possible No. 1 general draft slot if Nussmeier can reduce down on his turnovers (and turnover-worthy performs) whereas nonetheless making the aggressive throws of a possible starting-caliber quarterback.
The Ohio State offensive line was a powerhouse in 2024, main the Buckeyes to a national championship on the again of an elite run recreation. However starters Donovan Jackson, Josh Simmons, Seth McLaughlin and Josh Fryar are all gone. To assist construct a brand new entrance wall, the Buckeyes tapped into the transfer portal and picked Onianwa, who beforehand performed at Rice.
A four-year participant with the Owls, Onianwa has beginning expertise at each sort out spots, with 9 begins approaching the left aspect final season. His stat line was absurd, with no sacks allowed and simply eight whole pressures and two penalties attributed to him all season. The 6-foot-6 Onianwa is listed at 357 kilos and performs with the facility anticipated of a person that measurement.
“I am unable to wait to see him towards Texas [in Week 1]. His agility and energy on tape are insane … we’ll know by about 1 p.m. if he is a legit prospect or not,” an AFC East space scout mentioned. Onianwa will get a trial by hearth going through star Longhorns cross rushers Colin Simmons, Anthony Hill Jr. and Trey Moore.
In a 2026 class that appears loaded at offensive sort out, Onianwa has loads of competitors atop that group. If he can ace the Ohio State schedule and lock down future first-round cross rushers, his inventory will soar.
One 12 months in the past, Ott was debuting because the No. 1 working again on my preseason watchlist, even over Ashton Jeanty, who would develop into the No. 6 pick within the 2025 draft.
Ott’s season didn’t go practically in addition to Jeanty’s, due to an ankle injury that restricted him to 10 video games. He rushed for less than 385 yards and 4 touchdowns — a giant step down from his 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2023. The 5-foot-11, 208-pounder initially introduced he would return to Cal for his senior season earlier than hitting the transfer portal and signing with Oklahoma.
The Sooners plan to function a robust speeding assault with Ott as the first again, however he has additionally proven off his receiving expertise at Cal with seasons of 46, 26 and 24 catches, respectively. Can Ott get again to his previous kind in a brand new location?
“I am type of out on him as a result of he appears to be like to have misplaced all his burst, even earlier than he bought damage,” one AFC West space scout mentioned. “If he comes again and has that energy once more, I will be again in on him, however the summer season grade from me was mid-rounds.”
Ott must show himself once more after a disappointing season, even when the drop-off in numbers got here as he performed via harm as an alternative of shutting down for the 12 months. Week 2 towards Michigan’s protection shall be an incredible barometer as to how resurgent he’ll be.
Like Beck, Payton debuted excessive on my preseason watch record right now final 12 months. His lack of a 2024 breakout was the results of a Florida State group that struggled in each part of the sport. He ended the season with solely 4 sacks — down from seven the 12 months earlier than — and promptly transferred to LSU, the place he is a greater slot in defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s aggressive scheme.
Payton has a formidable software equipment at 6-foot-6 and 255 kilos. He demonstrates first-step quickness and size with a physique kind that might add extra energy to raised spherical out his pass-rush recreation plan. And whereas he has proven flashes of high approach, he lacks consistency in that space.
Transferring to the SEC means weekly battles towards premier offensive tackles. Up first is Clemson in Week 1, the place he’ll doubtless face top-100 prospect Blake Miller, adopted by Florida’s Austin Barber in Week 3 and Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor on November 8.
If Payton is to develop into the first-round expertise scouts noticed in 2023, he’ll have loads of recreation alternatives this fall to ascertain it.
There hasn’t been an offensive sort out taken with the No. 1 choose since 2013 (Eric Fisher), however many scouts really feel the 2026 sort out class might break that mildew. Proctor headlines the group.
A 6-foot-7, 366-pound left sort out who signed with Alabama as a five-star recruit, Proctor has dominated defensive linemen along with his uncooked energy and grip energy. In 11 begins final season, Proctor allowed three sacks and simply 14 pressures. Two of his three allowed sacks got here within the last two video games of the season, so scouts are already whispering about conditioning and availability.
“He is large and his energy is one in every of one, however is he going to make it via the 12 months? He was gassed towards Auburn [in Week 14] and he regarded terrible towards Michigan,” an NFL common supervisor mentioned.
In Alabama’s bowl game against Michigan, Proctor allowed one sack and two pressures, his worst efficiency of the season contemplating he performed solely 32 snaps. Proctor was enjoying via a shoulder injury, which stored the two-year beginning left sort out out of the primary two video games of the 2024 season and in the end required offseason surgical procedure.
Proctor’s expertise is uncommon, and scouts are nit-picking when mentioning his struggles and never compensating for enjoying via harm. However consideration shall be on him this 12 months as an OT1 candidate and a possible No. 1 choose.
As scouts put together for the upcoming season, no participant has emerged because the consensus high receiver within the 2026 class. And whereas we look ahead to sophomores Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State) and Ryan Williams (Alabama) to be eligible in 2027, Tyson has a official declare to the WR1 spot in April if he can clear up one apparent weak point — drops.
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Jordyn Tyson hauls it in for Arizona State TD
Jordyn Tyson brings the cross down and into the top zone to pad Arizona State’s lead vs. Arizona.
Tyson was credited with eight drops final season on 114 targets — a drop charge of seven.0%.
However he has expertise. He is 6-foot-1, 195 kilos and has sprinter pace to get open down the sphere. He caught 75 passes for 1,101 yards with 10 touchdowns and closed out the common season with back-to-back-to-back performances of greater than 125 yards.
Tyson, who broke his collarbone towards Arizona and missed each the Massive 12 championship recreation and faculty soccer playoffs, shall be again with star quarterback Sam Leavitt this season. And if he can higher safe the soccer, he has WR1 potential.