Happy NFL Draft week!
The NFL Draft begins this Thursday at 8 p.m. from Green Bay, Wisc. For those who have not been informed, let me be the one to show you my favorite players coming into the first night of the NFL Draft. I would have put Travis Hunter, the Colorado superstar and reigning Heisman Trophy winner, in the mix but his urgency to play both cornerback and wide receiver in the NFL turns me away.
Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State
Carter is widely regarded as the best defensive player in this class, after a stellar 2024 season at Penn State that earned him unanimous All-American status. In the 16 games last fall with the Nittany Lions, Carter racked up 68 total tackles, 12 sacks, two forced fumbles and four pass deflections. As he tops ESPN’s Matt Miller’s prospect rankings, Carter has been compared to another former Penn State edge rusher: Micah Parsons. When you are being compared to a player who has earned Pro Bowl honors every year he has been in the league, that should give you confidence as Carter enters the NFL.
Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
The Maxwell Award winner (college football’s most outstanding player) is expected to hear his name called early on Thursday night. Jeanty is the most polarizing running back prospect since Saquon Barkley entered the 2018 NFL Draft. Look how Barkley turned out., Hhe is the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year. Jeanty was a first-team All-American in his final two seasons at Boise State and became a superstar during the 2024 campaign, rushing for 2,601 yards (led the nation) and 29 touchdowns. It felt like every time he was handed the ball he would break out to an incredible touchdown run. He is such a polarizing prospect that NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein compared him to Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson.
Will Campbell, OT/G, LSU
Campbell is not blowing away a lot of the NFL Draft analysts. That includes ESPN’s Todd McShay, who revealed that teams think Campbell would have been the fourth or fifth best at the offensive tackle position last year. However, I am a believer in Campbell. After all, he was a consensus All-American in 2024 and was an All-SEC selection in each of the past three seasons at LSU. Chad Graff, a New England Patriots writer for The Athletic, compared Campbell to Brandon Scherff, a five-time Pro Bowler at guard who had a prominent career in Washington from 2015 to 2021. The major red flag is his arm length, which is shorter than the ideal NFL left tackle.
Jalon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
Arguably Georgia’s best defensive player last season, Walker made a name for himself in Week 8 of the 2024 season. He had a huge game against Texas, recording three sacks and six pressures against the Longhorns’ two premier offensive tackles, each of which are expected to be selected within the first two days of the NFL Draft. He won the Butkus Award, given to college football’s best linebacker. Like Carter, Walker has also gotten comparisons to Parsons. This comes from former Raiders general manager Mike Mayock, who has called him the best edge rusher in the draft. This draft class is loaded with premier edge rushers.
Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
McMillan received a lot of hype during his career at Arizona, especially with a ten reception, 304-receiving yard game against New Mexico to open the 2024 season. His final season in Tucson was terrific, earning him consensus All-American honors. However, it seems like the hype has died out a bit. I agree that the receiving class this year is inferior to last year’s. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler said that McMillan would be behind Brian Thomas Jr. in last year’s class. Thomas was the fourth wide receiver to be drafted. Three more would come off the board before the first round ended.
Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
I was told after the Michigan spring practice that Loveland would be one of the best players in college football last season. He set himself for that hype after making the All-Big Ten first team en route to the program’s first claimed national championship since 1997. With hopes of carrying the load on offense, Loveland was a second-team All-American last fall, with 56 receptions for 582 yards and five touchdowns. When superstar quarterback J.J. McCarthy is not the man under center, Loveland’s chemistry with whoever started at quarterback was not going to click as well. Most NFL analysts have compared him to Sam LaPorta, who was a member of the 2023 All-Pro second team as a rookie.
Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
Egbuka might have to wait until the second round to hear his name called, but he could wind up being a steal in this year’s draft. It should not come as a surprise that he was an All-Big Ten selection in each of the last three years and helped the Buckeyes win its second College Football Playoff National Championship. He can play multiple spots within the offense, either as a slot or outside receiver. If he can live up to his comparison to 2024 Pro Bowler Jaxon Smith-Njigba, he will be a fantastic addition to the NFL.