Building an All-My Guys Team in the 2025 NFL Draft

Learn about some of my favorite prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft

I assembled two teams of “my guys” from the 2025 NFL Draft. These 44 prospects span the entire class, from projected top ten selections to undrafted free agents. Some of these players I’ve championed for over a year, and others I simply enjoy watching. It’s a mix of professional hits and personal enjoyment. Most players are accompanied by analysis from my published prospect profiles.

If you want more “My Guys” content, check out this media collaboration I set up that features brief write ups from 31 unique analysts on their favorite Day 2 and Day 3 prospects. Hear from writers for Bleacher Report, ESPN, PFF, The Athletic, The 33rd Team, and more.

Be warned: I’m going to brag a little in this article. I don’t get to do it too often and want to pat myself on the back a little before I put my head through a wall on draft night for botching an obvious pick on my final mock draft.

First Team Offense

Quarterback: Cameron Ward, Miami

Ward makes plays that no other 2025 quarterback prospect, but his creative playstyle leads to a mix of genius and perplexing reps. He still suffers from some bad decision making but has shown incredible improvement with his ball placement and touch.

My first report on Ward was based solely on his Incarnate Word tape back in August 2022. I liked him as a mid-round developmental option back then, and I had him ranked as high as No. 37 on my boards during the 2023 season. It has been a lot of fun (and sometimes frustrating) to follow his journey to being a first round pick.

Running Back: TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State

Henderson is one of the most natural runners in the 2025 class. His level of instantaneous explosiveness and smooth movement skills are unrivaled among the top prospects. Henderson’s vision isn’t elite, but his instinctive feel for run lanes took a significant step forward in 2024.

Wide Receiver: Jalen Royals, Utah State

Royals is an explosive vertical threat and a burgeoning route runner with some elite reps under his belt, but he still needs to expand his release package and route tree. He offers value on schemed touches because of his explosiveness and ability to test angles.

Wide Receiver: Tory Horton, Colorado State

Horton’s long strides cover ground quickly, allowing him to build up enough speed to stack corners. Horton overtakes corners working in off-man coverage and quickly stacks defenders playing press coverage. Horton’s abilities to stretch the field at his size and generate YAC on shallow passes are enticing, but he’ll need to diversify his route tree and release package to be a starter at the next level.

I first evaluated Horton as a fourth round pick in May 2023, and he’s consistently been floating between Nos. 55 and 110 on my big boards ever since.

Wide Receiver: Elijhah Badger, WR Florida

Badger’s on-field potential and versatility arguably exceed all other Day 3 receivers, but there are enough flags in his profile to lower his projected ceiling and floor. Badger offers terrific value on schemed touches while still possessing the speed and ball skills to threaten defenses over the top.

Like Horton, I first evaluated Badger in May 2023. I had a mid-third to early fourth round grade on him with the arrow pointing up. For perspective, 15 out of Badger’s 17 big board rankings registered in Mock Draft Database are mine. I just really enjoy watching him play.

Tight End: Tyler Warren, Penn State

I don’t need to intro Warren for you; you all already know him. He blew me away on tape during summer scouting. I gave a second round grade to him in March 2024, and he’s never been lower than No. 22 on a big board for me this cycle (dating back to May 2024). I was doing victory laps every Saturday this year. It’s nothing super special, but it means something to me to have moments like this.

Offensive Tackle: Jalen Travis, Iowa State

Travis is a massive left tackle with excellent strength. He offers rare explosiveness and surprising range in pass protection at his size. His frame limits his agility and suddenness, but he frequently overcomes these concerns. Travis needs to refine his hand usage and placement and maximize his size in the run game more often. He has the tools to eventually become a starter.

Travis was another May 2023 evaluation. I disliked his 2022 tape and never really dove into his 2023 stuff since I knew he was going to see playing time at Iowa State after transferring from Princeton. Travis blew me away with his development this year. He’s a totally different player now.

Offensive Tackle: Armand Membou, Missouri

Membou was another 2024 summer scouting hit. I gave him a top 40 grade last February and had him in the top 25 on my August big board. His stock took off as he strung together shutdown performances. Now, he seems like a top ten lock on the eve of the 2025 cycle’s final week.

Guard: Caleb Rogers, Texas Tech

Rogers is an athletic collegiate veteran with alignment versatility and revered leadership traits. He lacks the arm length and balance to stick outside but checks many boxes, suggesting he could develop into a starting-caliber guard or center. Rogers needs to play more under control at times, but his motor and aggression rank among the best in the 2025 class.

Guard: Miles Frazier, LSU

Frazier is a stout guard whose experience at offensive tackle helps him excel in pass protection. His impact in the run game is disappointing for a player with his size and strength profile. Frazier needs to refine his hand usage in pass protection and generate more displacement in the run game. His high floor and consistency in pass protection should make him competitive early in his career.

Center: Jared Wilson, Georgia

Wilson entered the season with just 204 career offensive snaps, including 131 from 2023. I gave him a late third round mark in May 2024 and he delivered in a big way. Wilson enters draft week feeling like a top 100 lock with the potential to sneak into the second round. He’s an elite athlete who checks all of the physical boxes. He has quickly developed his football IQ despite limited starting experience.

First Team Defense

Defensive End/Edge: Bradyn Swinson, LSU

Swinson is an excellent pass rusher with a strong combination of speed, power, and developed rush moves. There’s room for him to improve in run defense, but his speed and change of direction make him a unique weapon against mobile quarterbacks. The idea that he won’t go in the top 100 is mind blowing when he’s clearly a top 50 performer (at least).

Defensive End/Edge: Josaiah Stewart, Michigan

Stewart is an explosive and productive edge with a nice array of pass rush moves who defends the run at a higher level than his limited frame and size suggest. His recent athletic testing won’t help his case, but it’s hard to ignore his productivity and ability to punch above his weight.

Defensive Tackle: T.J. Sanders, South Carolina

Sanders is an explosive and violent defensive lineman with the raw athletic traits to develop into a starter at the next level. He still needs to refine his frame and the technical elements of his position, but Sanders’ ceiling firmly puts him in the discussion for an early second round selection.

Nose Tackle: Jamaree Caldwell, Oregon

Caldwell’s short-area burst and low build make him a unique prospect in a draft class loaded with more prototypically build interior defensive linemen. Caldwell’s explosiveness and dominating power give him a floor rushing the passer and raise his ceiling to a high level in run defense.

Linebacker: Jihaad Campbell, Alabama

Campbell is a tremendous athlete with the tools to diversify a defense’s coverage profile and make plays between the tackles and outside the numbers against the run. He can still clean up his run fits and improve his comfort level in intermediate zones, but he’s a math-changing player.

Linebacker: Smael Mondon Jr., Georgia

I had a top 100 mark on Mondon in 2023 before he went back to school. He’s a loose, speedy coverage linebacker with sideline-to-sideline range, but his struggles shedding blocks and injury history create some concerns about his ability to stick in the NFL.

Cornerback: Azareye'h Thomas, Florida State

Thomas’ combination of height, weight, and length makes him one of the most physically gifted cornerbacks in the 2025 class. His smooth hips and ability to accelerate or decelerate to mirror and match receivers are rare for a man coverage corner with his build. Thomas plays faster than he tested.

Cornerback: Shavon Revel Jr., East Carolina

Revel checks all of the boxes as a physical cornerback with the football IQ and athletic traits to be a starter at the next level. He’s a scheme-diverse corner with the measurables and strength to jam and the awareness and closing speed to play zone. Everyone should be hoping his medicals work out because he’s an exciting player.

Defensive Back: Upton Stout, Western Kentucky

Stout is an undersized nickel who thrives in man coverage because of his football IQ, instincts, physicality, and fluid frame. Stout’s size and lack of elite athleticism will make his road to playing significant defensive snaps difficult, but his motor and playmaking make him a candidate to overachieve relative to his draft positioning.

Safety: Andrew Mukuba, Texas

Mukuba is a versatile safety prospect with athletic upside who is at his best in read and react situations when the play unfolds in front of him. He has some physical limitations but has the speed and closing burst to be a menace over the top in a single or two-high defense. Mukuba delivers some big time hits striking through the frames of would-be pass catchers and running backs.

Safety: Jack Henderson, Minnesota

Henderson popped up on my radar when he was still at Southeastern Louisiana during the 2022 season. I don’t see him getting drafted, but his instincts and flashes of pop as a tackler have always brought me back to his tape. Hopefully he sticks in the NFL as a special teams player.

Second Team Offense

Quarterback: Max Brosmer, QB Minnesota

Running Back: Bhayshul Tuten, Virginia Tech

Wide Receiver: Matthew Golden, Texas

Wide Receiver: Zakhari Franklin, Illinois

Wide Receiver: Daniel Jackson, Minnesota

Tight End: Jalin Conyers, Texas Tech

Offensive Tackle: Josh Simmons, Ohio State

Offensive Tackle: Ozzy Trapilo, Boston College

Guard: Ajani Cornelius, Oregon

Guard: Bryce Cabeldue, Kansas

Center: Seth McLaughlin, Ohio State

Matthew Golden debuted at No. 75 on my Way-Too-Early May Top 100 Big Board last year, two spots ahead of Jared Wilson and four behind Josaiah Stewart. He was up to No. 52 right after the season began in August and has been a top 50 player ever since. Golden is an easy player to fall in love with because he mixes the agility to separate with sharp route running and his background as a return man.

If you go to Mock Draft Database and scroll to the bottom of Zakhari Franklin’s page, you’ll see a big board grade from July of 2023. I viewed Franklin as a potential fourth round pick at the time and have full reports on him from as far back as July 2022. Way back then, I had him as a mid-fifth to early sixth rounder, which is probably closer to where he’ll actually go if he’s drafted (no guarantees). His ball skills are still crazy.

I gave Jalin Conyers a late third to early fourth round mark in a report from May 2023. He still has all of the physical tools to be a fourth rounder, but the volume and blocking just haven’t gotten there. The team that selects Conyers on mid-Day 3 will get an exciting player with an impressive frame capable of creating big plays after the catch.

Josh Simmons received a second round evaluation when I graded him in February 2024. He’s basically been a top 20 prospect for me throughout the entire process. Congratulations in advance to whoever among the Chiefs, Eagles, or Texans get him at a discounted price in the draft.

I found Bryce Cabeldue’s Shrine Bowl performance encouraging enough to take another look, and he’s a nice scheme-specific Day 3 option at guard. His movement skills to mirror rushers in pass protection and speed and fluidity to win in space in the run game make him an ideal wide zone option.

Ajani Cornelius received a mid-fourth to early fifth round mark when I graded his Rhode Island tape in April 2023. I was hopeful he would take the next step this year, but that never really happened. He’s a powerful player who will benefit from kicking inside to guard and battling 3-techs in a phone booth. Cornelius is still a fourth round player on my board.

Second Team Defense

Defensive End/Edge: David Walker, Central Arkansas

Defensive End/Edge: Amin Vanover, Penn State

Defensive Tackle: Tonka Hemingway, South Carolina

Nose Tackle: Jay Toia, UCLA

Linebacker: TaMuarion Wilson, Central Arkansas

Linebacker: Cody Simon, Ohio State

Cornerback: Robert Longerbeam, CB Rutgers

Cornerback: Bilhal Kone, CB Western Michigan

Defensive Back: Jabbar Muhammad, Oregon

Safety: Lathan Ransom, Ohio State

Safety: Maxen Hook, Toledo

I can’t get Vanover’s 2022 tape out of my head. He showed so much potential, but injuries in 2023 seemed to sap some of his explosiveness and bend. He didn’t get back to his old form in 2024 but showed some flashes. He’ll probably be a UDFA. You can’t find many guys with 6'3 1/2", 243 lb. frames, 34 1/2-inch arms, and 83 1/4-inch wingspans.

No one is pumping up Tonka Hemingway because of his undersized frame and mediocre athletic profile, but he has the makings of an impactful rotational 3-4 defensive end. Hemingway was the most dominant performer at the Shrine Bowl this year and consistently stole several reps per game against elite SEC competition.

Jay Toia is an explosive, powerful nose tackle who primarily plays downhill, which limits his ability to two-gap and hold the point of attack. This aggressive approach frequently resets the line of scrimmage. If you miss out on a Day 2 nose tackle, Toia offers terrific value between the late fourth to late fifth round.

TaMuarion Wilson played some safety and overhang for Central Arkansas this year but is primed for a transition to linebacker in the NFL. Wilson should provide value on special teams and could factor in as a rangy subpackage defender who makes some splashy coverage plays at the intermediate level.

Jabbar Muhammad is too small and too slow for NFL teams to take any higher than late on Day 3, but I still have an early Day 3 mark on him. He’s a highly competitive player who mirrors releases well and showcases impressive football IQ to read and jump routes from off coverage or zone. Muhammad plays bigger than his listed size at the catch point.

I still default to many elements from my initial report on Lathan Ransom back in September 2023. Ransom’s coverage profile outside of deep zone is limited, but it’s impossible to ignore his run fits. He’s a little role specific but is a quick trigger defender who delivers big time hits to set the tone for his fellow defenders. Ransom isn’t a rangy player, but he moves well within his limits.

Honorable Mentions Offense

Isaiah Neyor, WR Nebraska

Dymere Miller, WR Rutgers

Quentin Skinner, WR Kansas

Jaylin Noel, WR Iowa State

Xavier Guillory, WR Arizona State

Samuel Brown, WR Miami

Jaylin Lane, WR Virginia Tech

Ulysses Bentley IV, RB Ole Miss

Jo'Quavious “Woody” Marks, RB USC

Joshua Simon, TE South Carolina

Jake Briningstool, TE Clemson

Terrance Ferguson, TE Oregon

Caden Prieskorn, TE Ole Miss

Aireontae Ersery, OT Minnesota

Garrett Dellinger, G LSU

John Williams, G Cincinnati

Xavier Truss, G Georgia

Marcus Wehr, G Montana State

Chase Lundt, G Connecticut

Thomas Perry, C Middlebury

Honorable Mentions Defense

Cam'Ron Jackson, IDL Florida

Vernon Broughton, IDL Texas

Octavious Oxendine, IDL Kentucky

Dvon J-Thomas, IDL Penn State

Payton Page, IDL Clemson

Warren Brinson, IDL Georgia

Nazir Stackhouse, IDL Georgia

Jasheen Davis, Edge Wake Forest

Kaimon Rucker, Edge North Carolina

Francisco Mauigoa, LB Miami

Jamon Dumas-Johnson, LB Kentucky

Bam Martin-Scott, LB South Carolina

Jermari Harris, CB Iowa