2025 NFL Draft Top 200 Big Board confirms unfortunate lack of elite QB talent, but surprises with WRs and elite defensive depth

The 2025 NFL Draft is almost here. Our team of NFL Draft analysts has been working hard, putting out content for this particular draft cycle dating back to February of 2024 (14+ months ago), but now we have finally settled on our official collaborative Top 200 Big Board.Our team of eight draft analysts have now […]

Travis May — College Football Managing Editor
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Cam Ward, QB Miami looks as amid a game during the 2024 college football season
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The 2025 NFL Draft is almost here. Our team of NFL Draft analysts has been working hard, putting out content for this particular draft cycle dating back to February of 2024 (14+ months ago), but now we have finally settled on our official collaborative Top 200 Big Board.

Our team of eight draft analysts have now all graded, ranked, and updated their top players at every position for the 2025 NFL Draft. We then used those rankings to create a collaborative grading scale that fits historical positional draft premium and pick distribution. In order to help you understand this grading scale that we have used throughout this NFL Draft process, here's a quick summary:

Early First Round: 9.01 – 10.00
Late First Round: 8.01 – 9.00
Day Two Prospect: 7.01 – 8.00
Early Day Three Prospect: 6.01 – 7.00
Mid Day Three Prospect: 5.01 – 6.00
Late Day Three Prospect: 4.01 – 5.00

This Top 200 big board certainly deviates from consensus in a few key spots, but overall this list should be rather close to real 2025 NFL Draft outcomes. If you agree or disagree with any of these rankings make sure to let us know @AtoZSportsNFL (on X). Enjoy!

Early First Round Grades

1. Abdul Carter, EDGE Penn State – 10.00
2. Mason Graham, DL Michigan – 9.77
3. Travis Hunter, CB/WR Colorado – 9.69
4. Will Johnson, CB Michigan – 9.69
5. Cam Ward, QB Miami (FL) – 9.59
6. Shedeur Sanders, QB Colorado – 9.49
7. Tetairoa McMillan, WR Arizona – 9.30
8. Armand Membou, OT Missouri – 9.28
9. Will Campbell, OT LSU – 9.25
10. Kelvin Banks Jr., OT Texas – 9.14
11. Ashton Jeanty, RB Boise State – 9.10
12. Tyler Warren, TE Penn State – 9.07
13. Kenneth Grant, DL Michigan – 9.07
14. Shemar Stewart, EDGE Texas A&M – 9.05
15. James Pearce Jr., EDGE Tennessee – 9.05

There shouldn't be many surprises in this tier, but it is an unfortunate reminder that this class lacks consensus "elite" talents at the quarterback position. Cam Ward is still likely going to go first overall to the Tennessee Titans, but after that Shedeur Sanders may actually drop in the NFL Draft if latest trends are any indication. Jaxson Dart might be in this tier for some in the draft community, but a few writers at A to Z Sports are pretty low on him (which suppressed his overall ranking significantly).

Abdul Carter, Mason Graham, Travis Hunter, and Will Johnson have been the most consistently projected early first round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft for several months now. Will Johnson may be perceived to be "falling" due to his straight line speed concerns, but he's still a truly elite outside cornerback talent.

James Pearce Jr. may have some red flags stemming from his "love of football" or some other nonsense people are trying to spin, but our team of analysts at A to Z Sports still love his traits and consistent 20%+ pass rush pressure and win rates.

Late First Round Grades

16. Luther Burden, WR Missouri – 8.99
17. Josh Simmons, OT Ohio State – 8.98
18. Emeka Egbuka, WR Ohio State – 8.95
19. Malaki Stars, S Georgia – 8.93
20. Shavon Revel Jr., CB East Carolina – 8.91
21. Derrick Harmon, DL Oregon – 8.84
22. Colston Loveland, TE Michigan – 8.83
23. Mykel Williams, EDGE Georgia – 8.81
24. Jihaad Campbell, LB Alabama – 8.76
25. Tyler Booker, IOL Alabama – 8.75
26. Mike Green, EDGE Marshall – 8.70
27. Matthew Golden, WR Texas – 8.55
28. Nick Emmanwori, S South Carolina – 8.54
29. Walter Nolen, DL Ole Miss – 8.52
30. Nic Scourton, EDGE Texas A&M – 8.51
31. Jalon Walker, LB Georgia – 8.47
32. Jalen Milroe, QB Alabama – 8.37
33. Jahdae Barron, CB Texas – 8.33
34. Omarion Hampton, RB North Carolina – 8.32
35. Jaxson Dart, QB Ole Miss – 8.21
36. Aireonte Ersery, OT Minnesota – 8.19
37. Donovan Jackson, OL Ohio State – 8.14
38. Azareye'h Thomas, CB Florida State – 8.12
39. Maxwell Hairston, CB Kentucky – 8.11
40. Tate Ratledge, IOL Georgia – 8.08
41. Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE Boston College – 8.07
42. TreVeyon Henderson, RB Ohio State – 8.03

The first thing many may notice is that this grading system yielded 42 potential first round picks. Our crew really landed with just 15 true consensus first round grades in the 2025 NFL Draft class. This next tier just simply fits the bill in most classes for players who could sneak into the first round, but might have one or more imperfect aspects to their prospect profile.

Despite the lack of love for the wide receivers in this class, our team still ranks five total pass catchers (if we include Travis Hunter) inside the first 27 picks in this class. Luther Burden and Emeka Egbuka continue to inexplicably drop down consensus boards for some strange reason late in this process, but they certainly should not. Egbuka is especially polished, yet some have doubts likely linked to him constantly playing the WR2 role (alongside freak athlete first round picks) for Ohio State.

This tier of talents highlights the incredible depth of potentially elite edge defenders in this draft class. There are four in this tier alone, but that brings the total possible first round picks at the position to seven (Abdul Carter, Shemar Stewart, James Pearce Jr., Mykel Williams, Mike Green, Nic Scourton, and Donovan Ezeiruaku).

Day Two Grades

43. Jonah Savaiinaea, OT Arizona – 7.98
44. Xavier Watts, S Notre Dame – 7.96
45. Princely Umanmielen, EDGE Ole Miss – 7.93
46. Benjamin Morrison, CB Notre Dame – 7.91
47. Kaleb Johnson, RB Iowa – 7.87
48. Tyleik Williams, DL Ohio State – 7.87
49. Carson Schwesinger, LB UCLA – 7.85
50. Josh Conerly Jr., OT Oregon – 7.82
51. Chris Paul Jr., LB Ole Miss – 7.77
52. Tre Harris, WR Ole Miss – 7.73
53. Jack Sawyer, EDGE Ohio State – 7.68
54. Jayden Higgins, WR Iowa State – 7.66
55. Elijah Arroyo, TE Miami (FL) – 7.66
56. Trey Amos, CB Ole Miss – 7.65
57. Mason Taylor, TE LSU – 7.56
58. Landon Jackson, EDGE Arkansas – 7.53
59. Isaiah Bond, WR Texas – 7.52
60. Jaylin Noel, WR Iowa State – 7.52
61. Andrew Mukuba, S Texas – 7.51
62. Darius Alexander, DL Toledo – 7.49
63. J.T. Tuimoloau, EDGE Ohio State – 7.48
64. Will Howard, QB Ohio State – 7.46
65. Elic Ayomanor, WR Stanford – 7.46
66. Billy Bowman Jr., S Oklahoma – 7.45
67. Marcus Mbow, OL Purdue – 7.38
68. Bradyn Swinson, EDGE LSU – 7.38
69. Kyle Williams, WR Washington State – 7.37
70. Harold Fannin Jr., TE Bowling Green – 7.30
71. T.J. Sanders, DL South Carolina – 7.26
72. Quinshon Judkins, RB Ohio State – 7.24
73. DJ Giddens, RB Kansas State – 7.20
74. Barrett Carter, LB Clemson – 7.19
75. Tai Felton, WR Maryland – 7.10
76. Darien Porter, CB Iowa State – 7.10
77. Grey Zabel, North Dakota State – 7.07
78. Emery Jones Jr., OT LSU – 7.07
79. Quincy Riley, CB Louisville – 7.06
80. Gunnar Helm, TE Texas – 7.05
81. Cobee Bryant, CB Kansas – 7.05
82. Denzel Burke, CB Ohio State – 7.05
83. Jordan Burch, EDGE Oregon – 7.04
84. Wyatt Milum, OT West Virginia – 7.03
85. Demetrius Knight Jr., LB South Carolina – 7.02
86. Jared Wilson, IOL Georgia – 7.01
87. Kevin Winston Jr., S Penn State – 7.00

The 2025 NFL Draft class of typical Top 100 talents drops off rather quickly and a bit early this year. This isn't just the belief of the A to Z Sports team, but rather an entire draft community sentiment. The talent gap between the late first round picks and pick 87 isn't perceived to be that wide this year either. So, just because you may see one of your favorite talents ranked late in this group, that doesn't mean there isn't a significant possibility they get drafted much earlier.

Our A to Z Sports team is a bit higher than consensus on a few names in this group like Chris Paul Jr. (LB, Ole Miss), Andrew Mukuba (S, Texas), Will Howard (QB, Ohio State, and Billy Bowman (S, Oklahoma).

Chris Paul Jr. was an extremely productive and versatile weapon in his final season for Ole Miss. Both safety prospects were ball hawks that offer exceptional range. Will Howard comes in at our QB5 spot and could surprise with how early he goes in the 2025 NFL Draft given his final season success and efficiency as a passer.

Early Day Three Grades

88. Danny Stutsman, LB Oklahoma – 6.97
89. Cameron Williams, OT Texas – 6.96
90. Tory Horton, WR Colorado State – 6.95
91. Jalen Royals, WR Utah State – 6.92
92. Shemar Turner, DL Texas A&M – 6.92
93. Deone Walker, DL Kentucky – 6.90
94. CJ West, DL Indiana – 6.88
95. Ja'Corey Brooks, WR Louisville – 6.87
96. Alfred Collins, DL Texas – 6.85
97. Omarr Norman-Lott, DL Tennessee – 6.85
98. Charles Grant, OT William & Mary – 6.81
99. Jared Ivey, EDGE Ole Miss – 6.79
100. Kyle Kennard, EDGE South Carolina – 6.78
101. Josaiah Stewart, EDGE Michigan – 6.68
102. Lathan Ransom, S Ohio State – 6.67
103. Terrance Ferguson, TE Oregon – 6.66
104. Tez Johnson, WR Oregon – 6.60
105. Tyler Baron, EDGE Miami (FL) – 6.58
106. Trevor Etienne, RB Georgia – 6.56
107. Smael Mondon Jr., LB Georgia – 6.55
108. Dylan Fairchild, IOL Georgia – 6.53
109. Tyler Shough, QB Louisville – 6.48
110. Oluwafemi Oladejo, EDGE UCLA – 6.47
111. Devin Neal, RB Kansas – 6.46
112. Jack Bech, WR TCU – 6.46
113. Ashton Gillotte, EDGE Louisville – 6.44
114. Kyle McCord, QB Syracuse – 6.41
115. Damien Martinez, RB Miami (FL) – 6.36
116. Ajani Cornelius, OT Oregon – 6.35
117. Oronde Gadsen II, TE Syracuse – 6.34
118. Jeffrey Bassa, LB Oregon – 6.34
119. Jacob Parrish, CB Kansas State – 6.34
120. Dylan Sampson, RB Tennessee – 6.30
121. Anthony Belton, OT NC State – 6.30
122. Quinn Ewers, QB Texas – 6.28
123. David Walker, EDGE Central Arkansas – 6.27
124. Caleb Ransaw, DB Tulane – 6.27
125. Ollie Gordon, RB Oklahoma State – 6.26
126. Xavier Restrepo, WR Miami (FL) – 6.26
127. Ricky White, WR UNLV – 6.24
128. Zy Alexander, CB LSU – 6.23
129. Jake Briningstool, TE Clemson – 6.17
130. Seth McLaughlin, IOL Ohio State – 6.17
131. Jamaree Caldwell, DL Oregon – 6.11

This entire tier has a shot to sneak into the the back end of day two somewhere, some more than most.

Most of our A to Z Sports team is a bit lower on Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough, but his projected draft ranges are wider than almost any player in the 2025 NFL Draft class. He's already approaching 26 years old, so teams may let him drop to this range unless they overvalue his handful of crazy impressive throws this past season.

Ja'Corey Brooks is the one player in this group that likely stands out more than most as a tad "early", but that's because he's the most underrated wide receiver in the entire class. A former five star talent, Brooks developed into the WR1 for Bryce Young at Alabama back in 2022. I spoke with him at the NFL Combine about his journey, his injury-riddled 2023 year, and his wildly productive 2024 season that people are somehow ignoring this spring (as you can see in the video post below).

Mid Day Three Grades

132. Ozzy Trapilo, OT Boston College – 5.99
133. Aeneas Peebles, DL Virginia Tech – 5.99
134. Chase Lundt, OT UConn – 5.96
135. Joshua Gray, IOL Oregon State – 5.94
136. Miles Frazier, IOL LSU – 5.92
137. Nohl Williams, CB California – 5.92
138. Elijah Roberts, EDGE SMU – 5.91
139. Pat Bryant, WR Illinois – 5.90
140. Jonas Sanker, S Virginia – 5.90
141. Malachi Moore, S Alabama – 5.88
142. Jabbar Muhammad, CB Oregon – 5.82
143. Savion Williams, WR TCU – 5.79
144. Shemar James, LB Florida – 5.78
145. Upton Stout, S Western Kentucky – 5.77
146. Jalen Travis, OT Princeton – 5.76
147. Sai'vion Jones, EDGE LSU – 5.74
148. Cam Skattebo, RB Arizona State – 5.73
149. Jaylin Lane, WR Virginia Tech – 5.72
150. Mitchell Evans, TE Notre Dame – 5.70
151. Jaydon Blue, RB Texas – 5.67
152. Zah Frazier, CB UTSA – 5.66
153. Barryn Sorrell, EDGE Texas – 5.65
154. RJ Mickens, S Clemson – 5.64
155. Bhayshul Tuten, RB Virginia Tech – 5.61
156. RJ Harvey, RB UCF – 5.59
157. Jay Higgins, LB Iowa – 5.59
158. Luke Lachey, TE Iowa – 5.54
159. Garrett Dellinger, IOL LSU – 5.53
160. Ethan Downs, EDGE Oklahoma – 5.52
161. Kobe King, LB Penn State – 5.49
162. Jackson Slater, IOL Sacramento State – 5.48
163. Caleb Rogers, OL Texas Tech – 5.47
164. Jordan Phillips, DL Maryland – 5.47
165. Que Robinson, EDGE Alabama – 5.44
166. Kurtis Rourke, QB Indiana – 5.43
167. Tommi Hill, CB Nebraska – 5.43
168. Ty Robinson, DL Nebraska – 5.42
169. Warren Brinson, DL Georgia – 5.42
170. Ben Yurosek, TE Georgia – 5.39
171. Francisco Mauigoa, LB Miami (FL) – 5.39
172. Clay Webb, IOL Jacksonville State – 5.38
173. Riley Leonard, QB Notre Dame – 5.37
174. Chimere Dike, WR Florida – 5.36
175. Isaac TeSlaa, WR Arkansas – 5.36
176. Joshua Farmer, DL Florida State – 5.35
177. Mac McWilliams, CB UCF – 5.34
178. Jamon Dumas-Johnson, LB Kentucky – 5.33
179. Tonka Hemingway, DL South Carolina – 5.32
180. Kaimon Rucker, EDGE North Carolina – 5.31
181. Isaiah Neyor, WR Nebraska – 5.30
182. Antwaun Powell-Ryland, EDGE Virginia Tech – 5.27
183. Jalen Rivers, OT Miami (FL) – 5.23
184. Joshua Simon, TE South Carolina – 5.22
185. Luke Kandra, IOL Cincinnati – 5.21
186. Jaylin Smith, CB USC – 5.20
187. Jah Joyner, EDGE Minnesota – 5.19
188. Sebastian Castro, S Iowa – 5.19
189. Dillon Gabriel, QB Oregon – 5.18
190. Jack Kiser, LB Notre Dame – 5.18
191. Dorian Strong, CB Virginia Tech – 5.09
192. Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, EDGE Georgia – 5.07
193. Justin Walley, CB Minnesota – 5.06
194. Brashard Smith, RB SMU – 5.03
195. LeQuint Allen, RB Syracuse – 5.03
196. Jordan Hancock, CB Ohio State – 5.03
197. Lander Barton, LB Utah – 5.00
198. Cody Simon, LB Ohio State – 5.00
199. Jarquez Hunter, RB Auburn – 4.97
200. Fadil Diggs, EDGE Syracuse – 4.95

This mid day three grade group are all players who should be drafted, but have very little chance to be selected inside the first three rounds.

The surprising wide receiver and cornerback depth of this class is highlighted best amid this bunch. Most every WR in this group has plenty of impressive athleticism, but alarming production profile issues. Conversely, the CB group is mostly productive and proven veterans, but many of the them have athleticism issues that likely force them into the later rounds of the NFL Draft.

For example, Jabbar Muhammad is a bit older and smaller than most cornerbacks in this class, but he's one of the favorites among the A to Z Sports team because of his disciplined technique and tenacity.

We'll be back with more NFL Draft coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news! Let us know where you agree and disagree on this massive Top 200 big board for the 2025 NFL Draft!

And if you want to check out some of the plays that made Abdul Carter the best prospect in the entire 2025 NFL Draft just check out his highlights in the video below!

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