2025 NFL Draft Notebook: Final Senior Bowl thoughts, betting on an outlier, a redemption story, and other draft nuggets to talk more about
With the all-star circuit wrapping up, the 2025 NFL Draft process is firmly underway. Before you know it, April will be here and the draft will be ready to kick off. The future of the NFL is ready to find their respective homes. As we roll towards April, more and more questions will arise about […]
With the all-star circuit wrapping up, the 2025 NFL Draft process is firmly underway. Before you know it, April will be here and the draft will be ready to kick off. The future of the NFL is ready to find their respective homes.
As we roll towards April, more and more questions will arise about the 2025 class. In this week’s mailbag, I discussed an FCS star to know, a potential top 100 defensive lineman more people need to talk about, and the upside pass rusher every team will want.
Betting on an outlier
In the scouting world, we often talk a lot about size thresholds. That includes height, weight, arm length, and wingspan among others. The point of utilizing these thresholds is to eliminate as much margin for error as possible. Utilizing historic results based on those measurements can be an important tool to eliminate risk, and create a more succinct understanding for what wins on the NFL level.
When you look at Central Arkansas pass rusher David Walker, there are going to be some teams that are going to overlook him a ton because of his height (6’ ⅞”) and arm length (31 ½”). They will ignore that he was able to produce 63 tackles for losses and 31 sacks over the last three seasons. It also doesn’t matter that Walker went down to the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl, and made play after play during the week.
He showcased the power profile that he brings. Walker was able to utilize his natural leverage and his weight room strength to overwhelm blockers at the point of attack. He put more than a couple of talented offensive tackles on skates down in Mobile.
Over the three days of practice, Walker also showed that he is one of the more tactical rushers in the class. He has clear understanding for how to attack opposing offensive tackles, plays with strong hands at the top of the track, and consistently flattens to the quarterback. Any prospective team is getting a professional pass rusher with Walker.
Top 100 pick that showed out in Mobile
There was some fanfare out there for Toledo defensive lineman Darius Alexander, but that went to a whole other level after his week at the Senior Bowl. At 310 pounds, Alexander has the athleticism to make plays from various alignments. He was consistently winning 1-on-1s in Mobile, and could have solidified himself as a top 100 selection leaving the week.
Toolsy EDGE to have
Every year there is a raw pass rusher with the world of upside, and they end up being the value upside player that teams want. This year that player might be Femi Oladejo from UCLA, who began his career as an inside linebacker for Cal. Now he stands as a nearly 6-3 and 262-pound EDGE with absurd bend and explosiveness.
With that transition, we still need to see Oladejo develop a deeper pass rush plan and get some game experience. Oladejo did start to show comfort in 2024 while recording 57 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks. All the tools are there but landing with a good defensive line coach will be paramount. If he does, Oladejo has starter upside and impact pass rush potential.
A redemption story
Once upon a time, wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks was a massive recruit who ended up signing with the University of Alabama. Brooks showed a lot of great moments during his career, but was eventually phased out during the latter part of his career, hauling in just three receptions for 30 yards in 2023.
When Brooks opted for the transfer portal last offseason, not many people hyped up the move. He eventually landed at Louisville, and proceeded to put together his best college season. During his long campaign with Louisville, Brooks hauled in 61 receptions for 1,013 yards and nine touchdowns.
While Brooks isn’t a dynamic athlete, he is one the best overall ball trackers in the class. Brooks also has long strides that can chew up a lot of grass. That skill set should be enough for him to develop into a solid contributor in a wide receiver room.
Fascinating backstory of Femi Oladejo, David Walker, and other 2025 NFL Draft prospects who quietly rose up boards at the Senior Bowl
2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl risers we need to talk about more.
