NFL Draft
3/27/25
8 min read
2025 NFL Draft: 3 NFL Prospects Who Are Getting Too Much Hype
We are just one month away from the NFL Draft, and mock drafters around the world are tightening up their predictions. This is usually the time of year when the mock drafts start becoming more accurate, and the national media (Mel Kiper Jr., Daniel Jeremiah, etc.) get more tuned into what will happen in late April.
Some interesting trends have popped up during the last few weeks, and a few surprise players have made their way into the top 15. But is it justified?
Here are three NFL Draft prospects who are getting a little too much hype right now.
2025 NFL Draft Prospects Getting Too Much Hype
Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
Going into the College Football Playoffs, Matthew Golden was widely viewed as a potential Day 2 pick who could sneak into Round 1. In the first 12 games of the season, Golden caught 39 passes for 576 yards and eight touchdowns. He averaged 48 yards per game, but he never had a single outing of 90 or more yards.
But Golden exploded in the Conference Championship Game against Georgia, catching a career-high eight passes for 162 yards in an overtime win. A couple of weeks later, he caught seven passes for 149 yards and a touchdown in another overtime win against Arizona State. But that’s the concern. Nearly 32 percent of his production in college came in two overtime wins late in the year.
All of a sudden, Golden is now viewed as a lock first-round pick, and several mock drafters have slotted him to the Dallas Cowboys at pick No. 12. He’s also surpassed Tetairoa McMillan and Luther Burden as the No. 1 receiver in the 2025 NFL Draft for some experts. That is quite a rise for a player who was viewed as a Day 2 pick just four months ago.
That seems like a mistake for several reasons, but the lack of production might be the biggest. Here is a chart of every first-round receiver drafted since 2020 and the top four receivers in the 2025 class, ranking their receiving yards per game in their best season. As you will see at the bottom, Golden’s production would be the worst by any first-round receiver in the last six drafts:
Golden failed to cross 1,000 receiving yards in 16 games at Texas this year and has never done so in three collegiate seasons. Before transferring to Texas, Golden played two years at Houston and never surpassed 600 receiving yards.
Teams shouldn’t draft receivers based on production alone. Instead, it just needs to be a box that is checked. Unfortunately for Golden, his production is very underwhelming for a first-round receiver, let alone the top receiver in the class.
His 4.29 40-yard dash time is certainly boosting him up boards and mock drafts, but that hasn’t worked out well historically for speedy receivers. Golden’s tape is pretty good but not worthy of the top 15. There are better receivers in this class than Golden, and the buzz has officially gotten out of control with just one month left until the draft.
Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
Ashton Jeanty has always been viewed as the top running back in the 2025 NFL Draft, and the gap between him and the next runner is wide. However, that hasn’t been the case over the last few weeks, as multiple draft experts are now placing Hampton inside of the top 15 in mock drafts.
Mel Kiper Jr. released his latest mock draft last week, and he had Jeanty going to the Raiders at pick No. 6, while Omarion Hampton went to the Dallas Cowboys at No. 12. Drafting a running back inside the top-12 is always a risky proposition, but selecting the second running back in a deep class in the top half of the first-round seems unwise.
Hampton isn’t quite the consensus RB2 in this class, but he’s not far off. However, it sure seems like he is starting to separate himself from the group of Kaleb Johnson, Treveyon Henderson, and Quinshon Judkins. Take a look at his current draft stock via Grinding The Mocks:
His average draft position has risen from the mid-40s in February all the way up to 23 in a month. As you can see from the chart, there have been at least a dozen mock drafts over the last week that have put him in the top 16 selections.
Hampton is a really good player with no real holes in his game. He was productive for multiple seasons at North Carolina and checked all of the athletic boxes you would want to see at the NFL Combine. But is there anything truly “special” about his game that is worth a top-16 selection?
He isn’t the same caliber athlete as Bijan Robinson or Saquon Barkley. He doesn’t have the same quickness as Jahmyr Gibbs and is nowhere near as dynamic. Instead, Hampton is a workhorse back that can handle a lot of work and be efficient in doing so. There is a lot of value in that player, but only “special” running backs get drafted inside the top 20.
Unfortunately, that isn’t Hampton. He is much closer to the group of Henderson, Judkins, and Johnson versus Jeanty. But it sure seems like he might be picked only a few spots after the Heisman runner-up. Meanwhile, the other three might be available for pickup 30-45 picks later. And that’s the biggest issue here. Hampton is good but not worthy of being drafted that much higher than his closest peers.
Jahdae Barron, DB, Texas
The Athletic released their updated 2025 consensus board last week, and one of the fascinating names on the list was Jahdae Barron at No. 15.
This isn’t the best cornerback class, but seeing him inside the top 15, along with Travis Hunter and Will Johnson, was a bit of a surprise. Especially considering that Barron has now moved up 12 spots on the consensus board in just the last month.
That movement was likely a response from the NFL Combine after running a 4.39 40-yard dash at 194 pounds. NFL Draft evaluators love speed, and seeing Barron hit the 4.3s likely shot him up their draft boards. Here is a look at his RAS profile despite not performing any of the agility drills:
So, what’s not to like about Barron? He has great speed, and he led the SEC in interceptions with five during the 2024 season. He can play multiple positions, and he has a bunch of big-game experience (57 career games).
There are two major knocks on Barron, and they are tied together. Barron’s arms measured in at just 29 5/8 inches at the NFL Combine, which would put him in the fourth percentile among all cornerbacks in the NFL since 1999, per Mockdraftable. Most NFL teams won’t draft a cornerback with sub-30-inch arms, and some are even more strict than that.
Barron’s lack of arm length means that he won’t be an outside cornerback in the NFL, but that’s okay because he didn’t play much there at Texas anyway. He was primarily a slot cornerback who played some safety, as well. But that’s the second issue here. The NFL just doesn’t value slot defenders or box safeties highly in Round 1.
It’s why we saw players like Brian Branch and Cooper DeJean fall to the second round in back-to-back drafts. Of course, those players should have been selected high in Round 1, but the NFL just doesn’t pick them high anymore. His lack of size would become an even bigger issue for safety as 5-10 194 pounds would be well below average for the position.
Barron will be 24 during his rookie season, which raises concerns about his age. While it’s not a huge concern by itself, it did take him five years to become a draft-worthy prospect. In contrast, Malaki Starks and Nick Emmanwori, the two other safeties in first-round consideration, are both 21 and have been starters for multiple seasons in the SEC.
Barron is a good player and should be a starter right away in the NFL, so don’t get too low on him. His best role in the NFL will be a slot cornerback/safety hybrid who moves around the field depending on the matchup. However, the thought of him being a top-15 prospect in this class, given his lack of length, positional value, and age, is too difficult to overlook.
Make sure to check out our new home for all of our NFL Draft content.
