2025 NFL Draft Mailbag: Xavier Watts’ draft stock, scouting combine risers, and drafting for the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots
The NFL season is heading down the stretch with only a couple of weeks left in the regular season. On the college football side, we are in the playoffs, which means there are also only a few weeks left there as well. Unfortunately for the fans out there, football is certainly winding down. Now lucky […]
The NFL season is heading down the stretch with only a couple of weeks left in the regular season. On the college football side, we are in the playoffs, which means there are also only a few weeks left there as well. Unfortunately for the fans out there, football is certainly winding down.
Now lucky for everyone out there, football never sleeps. The 2025 NFL Draft process will start shortly after the season concludes, but for the sickos out there, we have been talking about it for months. There is a lot to talk about, a ton of players to evaluate, and a million mock drafts to finalize.
With that excitement in mind, I have opened up a mailbag feature each week to take some great questions from the readers. Here are the top questions of the week. From everything from team fits, potential risers, and my evaluation process, this was a lot of fun to put together.
Combine Freaks and Risers
There are so many, and I honestly could do a whole podcast on this one topic. I ended up creating a huge list, and wildling it down to eight players who fit the criteria. Here are those players, with a brief synopsis. I focused more on some undervalued players than the obvious names.
Jailin Walker, LB, Indiana
He isn’t a huge linebacker at around 6-1 and 220 pounds, but Walker can run like the wind. I expect him to run fast, jump high, and take people off guard down in Indianapolis. Walker is a player more people need to talk about.
Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall
Green’s ascension began several months ago. Still, there are people who aren’t paying him enough attention. Green, who is listed at 6-4 and 248 pounds, was a member of Bruce Feldman’s Freak list before the season. If the rumors are true, expect a crazy performance.
Savion Williams, WR/RB, TCU
While he is a wide receiver by label, Williams spent some time on running back this season as well. There is at least one team who has him graded high as a running back, which brings a unique evaluation for someone who is nearly 6-4 and 228 pounds. He’s going to do some freaky stuff in Indianapolis.
Jordan Burch, EDGE, Oregon
Before he got injured early in the season, Burch was playing tremendously. That injury set him back a bit, but Burch is still trending upward. You just don’t see players move the way he does at his size (6-6, 290+ pounds).
Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
You don’t see a ton of safeties at 6-3 and 227 pounds, and you definitely don’t see any that move like this. The explosive numbers should be tremendous. His 40-yard time probably won’t be anything special, but nobody should expect it to be at his size.
Zane Durant, IDL, Penn State
The movement skills and power Durant boasts are tremendous. He might not look like part physically at about 6-1 and 290 pounds, but Durant is a tremendous athlete. Expect him to surprise a lot of folks at the event.
Armand Membou, IOL, Missouri
There is going to be some debate about whether Membou projects best at offensive tackle or inside on the next level. I prefer him inside, but regardless, he has outstanding movement skills. Membou should look as clean as just about anyone in drills.
Da’Quan Felton, WR, Virginia Tech
Felton didn’t have the season many hoped, but he’s still a height-weight-speed freak. At over 6-4 and 215 pounds, expect Felton to run an impressive 40-yard dash, and jump exceptionally well.
Top HBCU Prospects
I haven’t watched a ton yet, but there were two HBCU players I checked out before the season began. One was South Carolina State linebacker Aaron Smith, who was invited to the East-West Shrine Bowl. Smith is a smaller linebacker (6006v, 226v) but is a really smooth athlete, who has range. His anticipation and eye discipline does need to improve.
The other was Alabama A&M offensive tackle Carson Vinson, who I was somewhat surprised when he was invited to the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl. I like the raw tools, but Vinson is a bit away from being able to find a place on a roster. Vinson is long and lean at a hair over 6-7 but is only about 285 pounds right now. He’s ideally a practice squad stash early on for a team.
Drafting for the Cleveland Browns
You have to get it right at quarterback. Depending how things go down the stretch, the Browns could have a chance to find their signal caller of the future. There will be some who prefer Shedeur Sanders (Colorado), and others who like Cameron Ward (Miami) better. I personally prefer the latter.
If there isn’t a quarterback you like on the board, then getting the future signal caller support should be of the utmost importance. I would be interested in Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden at the fight cost, or potentially Texas left tackle Kelvin Banks.
My Evaluation Process
My favorite would probably be linebacker. It’s the position I played, and one I believe I know deeply. I have also noticed that my hit rate at linebacker is probably my highest, if not right near the top. Overall, the positions I have my highest hit rates at have been at linebacker, cornerback, and offensive tackle. I do like to think I do pretty well at every position, however.
Most important position outside of quarterback is a fascinating question. I tend to still be a traditionalist with those types of conversations, so I would probably say EDGE or offensive tackle. Both positions affect the quarterback directly, which again speaks volumes to how important it is getting it right behind center.
A lot of Xavier Watts questions
With my Notre Dame allegiance, it wasn’t overly shocking that there were a few questions about the Fighting Irish that were posed. All-American safety Xavier Watts has been a very popular player amongst the fanbase, and multiple people wanted to hear about his draft stock. He’s been fantastic all season long.
The big sell for Watts is two major things, his ball skills and impressive football IQ. He's a player who always seems to be in the right spot, and continuously makes plays on the football. For a player who has only been playing safety full time for a couple of seasons, Watts sees the game at an advanced level.
Coming into the year, most people had Watts graded as an early Day Three selection, with a lot of fourth round grades being out there. A big reason for those grades is some question the overall athleticism that Watts brings to the table. It’s possible he sneaks on to Day Two (rounds 2-3) but it isn’t a foregone conclusion right now.
Patriots Draft strategy
This is a great question, and honestly there are a lot of strategies that hold merit. The Patriots have needs at wide receiver and cornerback, so taking Hunter could fill whatever need you would like him too. He is also probably the best overall prospect in this class, so getting him after the early quarterback selections is a value play.
Although I’d be happy with taking Hunter, exploring trade back options would be a top priority for me. I think the biggest challenge is going to be the lack of depth at quarterback in this class in order to find a trade back partner. The Patriots are a team who might be better off recouping as much draft capital as possible with so many needs on the roster.
LSU defensive prospects
LSU defensive end Bradyn Swinson was someone I knew about coming into the season, but it was more as a late round sleeper to keep a close eye on. Swinson became a completely different player in 2024, ending the season with 56 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. With solid size (6032v, 252v) and a good first step, Swinson also brings tremendous power to the table. He is more of a nice secondary edge rusher, but that value should give him a chance to go in the top 100 selections in April.
When it comes to Sai’vion Jones, he just doesn’t get me overly excited. He has a huge frame (6046v, 280v) and plays with good effort, but he is unfortunately in that dreaded tweener mold. Jones isn’t bendy or explosive enough to win outside shoulder, and might have a tough time to add needed weight to play inside on a full time basis. There’s a good chance he’s drafted, but Jones is a player I personally wouldn’t bet on.
The curious care of Georgia LB Jalon Walker and his imperfect fit into the 2025 NFL Draft class
How does Georgia LB Jalon Walker fit into the 2025 NFL Draft class?
