The 2025 NFL Draft landscape has already begun to take shape now almost a quarter into the 2024 college football season. There are some prospects who have been rising quickly up boards, while others are falling swiftly.

Here is the latter, with several players who have brought some legitimate worry so far. There is plenty of time to save draft stock, but things are great early on. Each of them need to find answers to their questions quickly.

QB Conner Weigman (Texas A&M) – 6030e, 220e

It has been a disastrous beginning of the season for Weigman, who put together a putrid performance against Notre Dame in the season opener. He played against McNeese State during the second week, playing clean football but not doing anything overly exciting. Weigman then missed the third game against Florida with an AC joint injury, making way for Marcel Reed to start the contest.

From a physical perspective, there is a lot to like about Weigman. He has a good frame, solid functional athleticism, and an extremely live arm. The decision making has just been a major problem through the first couple weeks of the season. Weigman has also seen his accuracy be very spotty, and is now dealing with more durability stuff. Some believed he could be a major riser in the 2025 class but that is a dead conversation up until now.

QB Riley Leonard (Notre Dame) – 6035v, 216v

Notre Dame fans were super excited to see a healthy Riley Leonard, who was dynamic when at full health for the Duke Blue Devils the past couple of years. On paper, Leonard brings one of the more dynamic skill sets that the Irish have had at quarterback in a very long time. The problem, games aren’t won and lost on paper.

The Irish passing offense has been a major struggle through three games. Some of that is due to wide receiver inconsistency and playcalling inconsistencies but Leonard definitely hasn’t played well either. Some thought that Leonard could make a big leap with a fully healthy season, but it hasn’t happened yet.

RB Ollie Gordon II (Oklahoma State) – 6020e, 225e

Gordon has had a struggling start to the season. In three games, he has rushed for 216 yards and four touchdowns, averaging just 3.5 yards per carry. The Oklahoma State offensive line hasn’t been great but the deficiencies in Gordon’s game has also been highlighted. Gordon is a straight line athlete who isn’t efficient in changing direction.

There were some people who believed Gordon could compete to be the top running back in the 2025 class, but that hasn’t come to fruition. It’s unclear how well his game will even translate well on the next level. Those high legged runners can have difficulty, especially those who don’t play low to the ground.

EDGE Patrick Payton (Florida State) – 6050e 250e

Payton, who has first round athletic gifts, has been a major disappointment so far in 2024. In a lot of ways, he is a microcosm of the Florida State team. He looks the part physically, possessing incredible length and explosiveness. Payton is also up to around 250 pounds, which was a major criticism coming into the season.

The effort from Payton just hasn’t been good so far this season. He appears a little tentative taking on blocks, and isn’t overly physical. The urgency that Payton is playing with is puzzling. Payton has been a major faller so far.

EDGE Mykel Williams (Georgia) – 6050e, 265e

This one is more of a situation of injury. Williams has been limited to just one football game so far, when we really needed to see him play. Nobody will ever question the talent of Williams, he is long, explosive, and possesses tremendous closing speed. Williams has all the talent in the world.

As a collective, we just haven’t seen him rush from a traditional outside alignment. We need to see how often Williams can threaten an outside shoulder. Some of the things we have seen from the Georgia native just aren’t super translatable to the next level. Williams will still go early based on athletic gifts but some were talking about him fighting to be the first overall selection.