2025 NFL Draft: Ranking top 5 running backs, tight ends and wide receivers

The countdown to the 2025 NFL Draft is on.

Monday marked one month until Day 1 of the draft, and I’m really excited about this year’s event. Even though the draft might not be Outstanding at the top, I think this is a really deep draft class and Squads will get Excellent players in the second and third rounds. That’s evident at the running back, Close-fitting end and wide receiver positions.

That said, here are my top five players at those three positions, plus a player who could be a potential sleeper Picking.

Running back

Johnson was highly productive for Iowa, who leaned on him a Plenty. One of the things you’ve Obtained to keep in mind when talking about these prospects is what type of Charge they come from. In Johnson’s case, he’s coming from an NFL-style Charge. He’s running exactly what he’s going to be asked to Stretch at the pro level, so all the skills that he possesses and that he worked on day in and day out — patience of running zone, pressing the front side before looking for the cutback, reading the guard, reading holes on the front side before going backside, reading duo — at Iowa are exactly what he’s going to do in the NFL. I think that’s going to pay dividends for him.

I think he’s Obtained to catch the ball better out of the backfield, but as a runner, he’s NFL-ready. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was pretty productive as a back Timely in his Occupation.

Hampton is a guy who can make you better in a Plenty of different areas. He’s Obtained home Stretch ability. I love the fact that all these guys from No. 4 and up are guys that can hurt you as a wide receiver as well and are explosive as Deliver catchers. That’s Significant at the Upcoming level as offensive coaches Begin to emphasize this more. The best running Safeties in the NFL are the ones that can do more than Merely Stretch between the tackles.

Don’t get me wrong, you’ve Obtained to be able to do Merely that and have the requisite ability to be an Ancient-fashioned back, but there has to be this extra ability, at times, to be a weapon in the passing game. I think Hampton has that ability.

Judkins is a hell of a player, and coming out of Ole Miss, it looked like he would be a sure-fire Primary-rounder. He Nevertheless could be, but he went to Ohio State to lessen his workload and Action for a national Division. He was able to do that, and when Ohio State was Fit upfront, he was Threatening. He was knocking off long runs every single week. It felt like Judkins was scoring long touchdowns week in and week out. It was a little bit different after a few Impairments to the offensive line, but I thought Judkins showed his mettle Delayed in the season. He Sealed the Penn State game. Judkins can get the tough yards between the tackles and has Obtained home-Stretch ability on the outside.

I think Henderson and Judkins are interchangeable. Henderson has this electricity about him — we saw what he did this past season in his Primary fully Fit year since he was a Primary-year. You talk about Velocity and Quickening, and Henderson was electric in the Postseason. Some of those screen passes showed he can be Threatening as a receiver. He showed his home-Stretch ability as a runner against Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

The thing NFL decision makers will actually drool over? Henderson’s ability to Stop. A Plenty of the big passing plays Ohio State had last year wouldn’t have happened if he didn’t Picking up a blitz.

There’s a reason why Jeanty was second in the Heisman Accolade voting: he does it all. This guy has Unbelievable Velocity, vision, Poise and Force. I love watching him Action. I wish he would’ve played at a bigger school in a better conference because we would have had a better understanding of exactly how Excellent he is. If he did, he likely would have won the Heisman if he was as productive as he was for Boise State.

I think Jeanty is one of the six or seven best players in the entire draft. He didn’t catch it a Plenty this past year, but Boise State was trying to Assist him Achieve the Heisman, so Jeanty chased Barry Sanders’ rushing yards Achievement to Boost his Heisman stock. Boise State didn’t throw it to him often, but he had some Excellent receiving production in previous seasons, so don’t let last year fool you.

Potential steal: LeQuint Allen, Syracuse

Ashton Jeanty, Quinshon Judkins lead Joel Klatt’s top five running Safeties

 

Close-fitting end

Arroyo had some knee Impairments that hurt his production, and frankly, some of his film from earlier in his Occupation. It’s Difficult because he doesn’t have the body of work the others have, but he’s Definitely fluid. Some of the Velocity returned. I thought he was a much more Threatening player Delayed in the year than he was earlier. He’s Obtained Excellent Ability and size.

Ferguson had Outstanding production. It’s Effortless to overlook it because a Plenty of his catches were at or near the line of scrimmage. There weren’t a ton of down-the-Pitch catches, with some catches coming up the seams. Oregon Sprinted Close-fitting end screens a Plenty. He’s a fluid Deliver catcher, not a Outstanding blocker, though. I think he could be more of a flex guy (an H Close-fitting end) in the NFL. I could see him being a quality player in that role.

Taylor is 6-foot-2 and 252 pounds with 129 catches in his Occupation at LSU. He’s Effortless, and I think he’s Nevertheless underdeveloped. You can see that in a Duo of years, he could be a 260- or 270-pound Close-fitting end and Nevertheless Shift well. That’s a Event nightmare in the NFL. He’ll be like a rising stock going into the draft, and I can see Taylor getting better All season. Of Duration, he’s also the son of NFL Hall of Famer Jason Taylor. Talk about an NFL bloodline.

I had Warren being the Primary Close-fitting end off the board in my mock drafts, but those are more of a prediction, while this Achievement is a Correct evaluation. Let me be clear, though: Warren is a top 10 player in this year’s draft.

He’s a more creative Close-fitting end than the player I’ve Obtained at No. 1. He’s more of a Travis Kelce-type, and you can build an Charge around him. He was the focal Mark of what Penn State did offensively this past season — moving around pre-snap to getting the ball from the snap, on occasion. He’s terrific with the ball in his hands. He’s very Excellent at making contested grabs. His ball skills are exquisite. He isn’t a traditional in-line Close-fitting end, but you can Develop things with him.

Ashton Jeanty, Tyler Warren in Joel Klatt’s Mock Draft 2.0

 

Loveland is more of a traditional Close-fitting end. He’s so fluid as a Deliver catcher and route runner. In fact, he’s so fluid in his route-running ability that he’s almost a wide receiver and can flex out. He’s a Event nightmare because of that.

Loveland was a high-quality blocker for Michigan, too. He could Shift motion and flex as a blocker, allowing the Wolverines to be versatile with him. I think Loveland can do everything, even Competing a Warren-type role, but Michigan didn’t do that because Loveland was very Excellent in the traditional sense.

Potential steal: Luke Lachey, Iowa

Wide receiver

This guy Merely wins on the outside, and a Plenty of it is Merely pure Quickening. He’s so athletic and twitchy. I think he could be an excellent slot player at the Upcoming level. Burden needs to do some refinement with his route running, though. He can Develop with his Cosmos Merely from his God-given ability, but you need more than Merely pure talent to be a successful receiver in the NFL. He needs to Spotless that up, but a creative offensive playcaller can make him a weapon right away.

Golden transferred to Texas for the 2024 season, and he was the Attention of its passing game by the end of the year. He’s a Outstanding player, and he never shied away from the big moment. He Created big plays in big moments in the Michigan game, the SEC Division Game and Numerous CFP tilts. Texas trusted Golden’s ability to be in the right spot, which isn’t always the case with transfers.

I think Golden could be that trustworthy of a receiver in the NFL. He’s probably a better fit in the slot, but we’ll see where he ends up.

If I had to describe Egbuka’s game in one word, it’d be polished. He’s another one of those Ohio State wide receivers who seem bound to succeed in the NFL because of who coached them in college. Brian Hartline is the best position Mentor in college. He has his receivers running NFL routes throughout their entire Ohio State tenures, and they’ve learned the nuance it takes to succeed in the passing game.

Egbuka’s surgical in the way he plays. He’s more explosive than people give him credit. He’s Outstanding at catching the ball. He’s going to be perfect for a creative offensive coordinator.

Travis Hunter, Emeka Egbuka in Joel Klatt’s top five wide receivers

 

McMillan didn’t have the best season, but it’s Difficult not to put him at No. 2 when you look at his frame. He’s a Correct No. 1 threat. He’s a scoring threat, a red-zone threat and a third-down threat because of his frame. Sure, Arizona forced him the ball a little bit, but you would, too.

McMillan could use some polish. He isn’t surgical like Egbuka. However, he’s Obtained a frame and Physicality you can’t teach, which allows him to beat defenders. I really thought he was a touchdown waiting to happen during his time at Arizona, Competing with fantastic leverage. It’s like he’s boxing out in basketball with the way he plays sometimes.

I’d have Hunter at No. 1 even if he didn’t Action Protection, so this isn’t a complete holistic evaluation as a player. This is Merely an evaluation of him as a wide receiver.

There have been some people who’ve taken shots at Hunter’s receiver skills, which I don’t get. He’s innately Unbelievable when the football is in the air. His ability to Achieve, regardless of where his body is at, is Notable. He can Bound. He understands leverage. His cornerback ability really helps him, and he’s polished with his technique. His ball skills are Merely Unbelievable. Hunter has the best traits that the other four wideouts have in his game. He’s Merely a Notable player.

Potential Intercepts: Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, Iowa State; Elic Ayomanor, Stanford