Official 2025 NFL Draft Superthread | Prospect Discussion

[Lone Bolt]

At least you weren't the dude who only wants short armed players.

Lol...how did I get that label...?...defended one player!

Keep churning out your "outlier" mocks...you'll be back in the fold come mid April...

[CanadianBoltFan]

This is an interesting paragraph from an article on CBS that addresses why a guy like Shemar Stewart...traits over production...is projected to be drafted in the first round

The NFL Draft is about traits. Especially in the first round. The vast majority of teams prioritize athletic traits early because of the upside they produce. Just ask the Philadelphia Eagles. Essentially all of their stars were freaky specimens as prospects and have spectacular combine/pro day workouts on their resumes.

[Boltjolt]

This is an interesting paragraph from an article on CBS that addresses why a guy like Shemar Stewart...traits over production...is projected to be drafted in the first round

The NFL Draft is about traits. Especially in the first round. The vast majority of teams prioritize athletic traits early because of the upside they produce. Just ask the Philadelphia Eagles. Essentially all of their stars were freaky specimens as prospects and have spectacular combine/pro day workouts on their resumes.

Well Devanta Smith didn't light up the combine. He didn't even run or do drills, he was measured lol.
He was just productive in college. Stewart was not.

I think tape is always king. Combine makes you go back and look at someone or confirms what you thought.

Also interesting that the guy that wrote that, Chris Parassso,...in his X profile it says "never draft a RB in rd 1" and he has us picking Tuten at 22. I repeat, he has us picking Tuten at 22 while he is ranked 112 on that CBS site.

[Formula 21]

Jordan Palmer, younger brother of Carson, is a former backup quarterback in the NFL. Since his playing career ended, he's had a lot of success as a quarterback consultant tutoring college prospects for the NFL. He's worked with Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Deshaun Watson, and others.

I find what Palmer says about this quarterback class interesting. I'm not a fan of Shedeur Sanders, but I really like Cam Ward and think too many people are false when they say he's not first-pick-overall material. Palmer agrees with me about Ward, but what's also interesting is how highly he thinks of Kyle McCord. He says he's going to start for a long time. McCord's naysayers will mention how he's not very mobile and doesn't possess superior arm strength. Palmer doesn't seem to think that will prevent him from being successful in the NFL, though. He also likes Shedeur a lot. This quarterback class may turn out to be much better than what the draft analysts are saying right now.

McCord appeared to be a late-round prospect when he declared for the draft instead of pursuing an extra year of college football. His stock now seems to be rising lately. Although Palmer doesn't know where he'll go in the draft, I find it intriguing how he's adamant that he will start for a long time. McCord put up huge stats at Syracuse this past season, but I didn't pay him much attention because I figured he was just a guy who produces impressive numbers in college and then doesn't make it in the NFL. Palmer knows what he's talking about, though, so this has my attention. I think this team needs a long-term backup to Herbert, but I'm wondering if McCord can be the type of quarterback the Packers used to draft in the mid-rounds and flip for a second or even first years later. McCord is definitely a quarterback I'll be paying attention to up until he is drafted.

Palmer starts talking about McCord at the 5:55 mark.

Palmer also says this is potentially a historic class of defensive linemen.

I’d love to have McCord late, but he’s looking too expensive in the draft now. Some team with lower level QBing will probably take him in the 3rd now hoping he can prove to be a decent starter down the road.

[Formula 21]

Topcat = "True Centers only"

Boltjolt = "Big enough RBs only"

Chargers8491 = "Big EDGE only"

Lone Bolt = "Short arms only"

etc etc

I have put together a solid, reasonable legitimate outlier mock draft that pleases nobody...mission accomplished.

Personally, in RBs I like acceleration and short area quickness. In a 200 pound plus package. Although I also like bigger guys who run low behind their pads and run people over. RBs who deliver punishment, not take it .

[Chargers8491]

This is an interesting paragraph from an article on CBS that addresses why a guy like Shemar Stewart...traits over production...is projected to be drafted in the first round

The NFL Draft is about traits. Especially in the first round. The vast majority of teams prioritize athletic traits early because of the upside they produce. Just ask the Philadelphia Eagles. Essentially all of their stars were freaky specimens as prospects and have spectacular combine/pro day workouts on their resumes.

Most of the players that are taken in the 1st rnd have traits, but they also have production that goes with the traits. That's what makes them a 1st rnd pick. If a player has the traits and didn't produce, you really have to look at the film to see if you can find the reason why. Tape that none of us have access to.

[Fleet 1]

February 16, 2025 - 1:22 pm

Path to the draft runs thru Indy … We made the point both when the NFL released the names of the players invited to next week’s scouting combine in Indianapolis, as well as in yesterday’s post listing some of the top prospects who were not invited this year, that simply who gets invited to the combine is crucial to the process because the large majority of players who will ultimately get drafted in April will be at the combine. And it appears to be getting t be more so in recent years. Last year, for example, of the 253 position players selected at the 2024 draft 233 or 92% had participated in some way at last February’s event in Indianapolis. That’s down from just over 86% in both 2022 and 2023 and well down from earlier figures when combine participants made up only around 80% of all those drafted.

It is important to note, though, that while getting a combine invite is a really good start, it still does not guarantee that a player is selected. Last year, of the 300-plus players in Indianapolis, just over 70% were ultimately selected at last spring’s draft. However, there are major differences in the likelihood different positions get drafted. Last year, for example, 85% of the WRs in Indianapolis last February were ultimately drafted, while the figure was 83% for defensive linemen, 79% for QBs, 77% for DBs, 75% for TEs, and 70% for offensive linemen, compared with around 60% for both RBs and LBs. We should note too that ALL the QBs, DEs and TEs selected at the 2024 draft were at the combine, while there was also only non-combine RB and LB drafted. In contrast, the largest number on non-combine participants drafted were DTs, although in truth there were just 4 of those and they made up less than 20% of all players chosen at that position.

It is also true that players who were at the combine make up almost all of those selected in the early rounds. Indeed, every player selected in the first three rounds of the 2024 draft were at the combine. Indeed, the first player drafted in 2024 didn’t come until the 4th round when New England selected former UCF WR Javon Baker with the 110th pick overall, while Detroit also took one later in the 4th when the Lions nabbed Canadian offensive lineman Giovanni Manu from UBC with the 126th pick.

February 16, 2025 - 9:27 am

Buff star Hunter listed as CB for combine … Interesting development regarding Colorado star Travis Hunter who is being listed as a CB for the upcoming combine. Hunter, one of the top 2-3 prospects overall for the 2025 draft, was an all-American at both corner and WR this fall for the Buffalos and has indicated that he would like to also play both ways in the pros. What isn’t clear from the reporting is whether Hunter will be allowed to also work out with the receivers in Indianapolis. Of course, its also possible that he doesn’t actually work at either at the combine, but waits for his pro day next month. He could also choose to work with the DBs at the combine and then catch passes for his buddy Shedeur Sanders at the Colorado pro day. Stay tuned.

February 15, 2025 - 1:20 pm

Guess who’s not coming to dinner … or at least not invited to this month’s scouting combine in Indianapolis. One of the always interesting aspects of the NFL’s announcement of which players have been invited to the combine is which players did not get invites. Clearly, every year a certain number of players do get drafted who were not at that combine, but most players who are ultimately selected are combine participants. And every year, there are some surprises as to who isn’t invited and this is no exception. Indeed, players who will not be in Indianapolis, at least as full combine participants, when the combine gets underway in just over a week include QBs Will Rogers, KJ Jeffereson and DJ Uiagalelei; RB Quinton Cooley; WRs Will Sheppard, Efton Chism, Zahkari Franklin and Kris Mitchell; TEs Ben Yurosek and Caden Prieskorn; OTs Drew Shelton, Trey Wedig, and Reuben Fatheree; OGs Jaedan Roberts and Marcus Wehr; Cs Willie Lampkin, Thomas Perry and Jacob Bayer; DEs Barryn Sorrell, Johnny Walker, RJ Oben and Jack Kelly; DTs Darrell Jackson and Nash Hutmacher; CBs Fentrell Cypress and Jordan Clark; and safeties Shilo Sanders and Major Burns.

February 13, 2025 - 12:35 pm

NFL releases combine invite list … The NFL released the names of 329 players who have been invited to the annual scouting combine in Indianapolis later this month. The combine gets underway on February 24th and runs thru March 3rd. And who is on the list is a big deal because generally the large majority of players that are ultimately drafted originally attended the combine.

[CanadianBoltFan]

Well Devanta Smith didn't light up the combine. He didn't even run or do drills, he was measured lol.
He was just productive in college. Stewart was not.

I think tape is always king. Combine makes you go back and look at someone or confirms what you thought.

Also interesting that the guy that wrote that, Chris Parassso,...in his X profile it says "never draft a RB in rd 1" and he has us picking Tuten at 22. I repeat, he has us picking Tuten at 22 while he is ranked 112 on that CBS site.

You cant compare that mock to others. It was a mock based on traits, which he was pretty clear on at the beginning. No one thinks Tuten is going 22

[CanadianBoltFan]

Most of the players that are taken in the 1st rnd have traits, but they also have production that goes with the traits. That's what makes them a 1st rnd pick. If a player has the traits and didn't produce, you really have to look at the film to see if you can find the reason why. Tape that none of us have access to.

A player went first overall on traits without matching production.

The author is not wrong...NFL teams love traits and upside.

[DerwinBosa]

I’d love to have McCord late, but he’s looking too expensive in the draft now. Some team with lower level QBing will probably take him in the 3rd now hoping he can prove to be a decent starter down the road.

That's true, although if we trade back and get an extra third-round pick I wouldn't mind using that one on him.

[Topcat]

Lol...how did I get that label...?...defended one player!

Keep churning out your "outlier" mocks...you'll be back in the fold come mid April...

So, Lone, r u saying that SOME T-Rexes can become decent starters?

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[Formula 21]

That's true, although if we trade back and get an extra third-round pick I wouldn't mind using that one on him.

It would be nice to not just concede the loss if/when Herbie gets injured. Of course, improving the OL to keep him from getting hit would go a long ways too.