Joshua Farmer, Florida State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Farmer was a four-star recruit from Gadsden County High School in Havana, Fla. in the class of 2021

Florida State defensive tackle Joshua Farmer shows flashes of immense potential and took over games against Clemson in 2023 and Cal in 2024. Unfortunately, the 2025 NFL Draft prospect doesn’t play to the level of his Day 2 talent consistently.

Visit my Twitter account @Sam_Teets33 for more opinions on prospects, clips, and the latest football content.

Joshua Farmer, IDL Florida State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt junior defensive tackle from Port St. Joe, Fla.

Background: Farmer was a four-star recruit from Gadsden County High School in Havana, Fla. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 649 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 679 for On3.com. Farmer was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked four-star recruit for ESPN with an 80 grade out of 100. He was a three-year starter who helped Gadsden County reach the 2020 Class 4A State Semifinals. Farmer earned First Team All-Big Bend honors as a junior. As a sophomore, he amassed 84 tackles, including 5.5 for loss with two sacks, and two fumble recoveries.

Injuries & Off-Field: Underwent surgery for a lingering thumb injury after the Louisville game (2023) and missed 2024 spring practices

Pros: Thick throughout frame, arm length appears to check boxes, sudden and violent athlete, explosive athlete, maintains a low pad level, powerful upper body extensions, push-pull-swim combo, club-swim, chops, rip move, nice leg drive, hip and ankle flexibility pop, lowers pad level to dip below guard’s hands, closing burst, uses a long-arm to stack, peak, and shed vs. the run

Cons: Failed to match his standout performance against Clemson (2023), inconsistent pad level, reps with no pass rush plan, too many non-impact pass rush reps, limited pass rush arsenal, push-pull move sometimes leaves him off-balance and unable to finish sacks, bend is impressive but not truly elite, frequently displaced against the run, doesn’t anchor and maintain gap integrity at a high level, lacks a reliable anchor, can’t anchor and is displaced by double teams, not a big difference maker vs. goal line packages, inconsistent timing block shedding, lacks the counters to break clamps consistently

Overview: Farmer primarily plays 1-tech, 2i, 2-tech, and 3-tech for the Seminoles. His best long-term fit in the NFL is as a penetrating 3-tech who provides value on passing downs. Farmer is thick throughout his frame with arms that should meet the league’s length thresholds. He’s a sudden mover who explodes off the line of scrimmage and attacks offensive linemen with violent hands and power. His flashes of playing with a low pad level paint a picture of how he can generate leverage mismatches and win by working pass rush moves off his bull rush. Unfortunately, he doesn’t maintain a low pad level consistently. Farmer’s pass rush plan includes push-pull-swim combinations, club-swims, chops, and rips. He has the powerful upper body to force linemen up in their stances and generate some pop on contact. Farmer’s hip and ankle flexibility pop for a defensive tackle prospect with legitimate mass but fall short of elite. He dips and bends to play below the guard’s hands and uses his impressive closing burst to hunt down quarterbacks. The redshirt junior approaches too many reps with no pass rush plan, which leads to him being a non-factor. While his rush moves are well-developed, he lacks a deep bag of options to call upon. His push-pull move backfires and causes him to lose his balance sometimes. Farmer puts examples of using a long-arm to stack, peak, and shed in run defense on tape, but defending the run is a significant weakness in his game. Offensive linemen displace him frequently, and he struggles to maintain gap integrity. Farmer must learn to use his strength and frame to anchor at the point of attack. The Florida native doesn’t deploy counters to separate from blocks in a timely fashion. He has all of the traits to be a positive force in run defense, which makes his struggles even more frustrating.

Overall, Farmer is an excellent athlete with a well-developed set of pass rush moves, but his down-to-down consistency and lack of impact in the run game are disappointing. Farmer had flashes of second round-caliber play in 2023 but failed to build upon or replicate his best performances outside of the Cal game in the early parts of 2024.

Role & Scheme Fit: Penetrating 3-tech in 4-3 defense

Round Grade: Late Third to Mid Fourth Round  

Size: 6'3", 318 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 07-05-24

Updated: 10-15-24