NFL Draft

12/11/24

7 min read

2025 NFL Draft: 5 Players With Tough Declaration Decision Ahead

By Ian Valentino

NFL/NFL Draft Analyst
Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) pumps up the crowd before Auburn Tigers take on Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. Alabama Crimson Tide leads Auburn Tigers 14-6 at halftime.

Expectations can be great, but failing to meet the bar for any reason can have a cascading effect. The 2025 NFL Draft class has been finding this out the hard way throughout the season. For every riser who has maximized their opportunity to show off their improvement, there's been an individual struggling to reach the finish line of the 2024 college football season.

With the regular season over, our 2025 NFL Draft evaluations are only a few weeks away from being complete before the NFL Scouting Combine. By then, draft-eligible underclassmen will have had to make the biggest decision of their young career. Declaring early can help a player get into a better situation at the next level with a fresh coaching staff and surrounding cast.

However, it's also a risk. More live reps at the collegiate level might pay off, but they also might not. With this in mind, we have identified five 2025 NFL Draft prospects with difficult decisions looming. Two are quarterbacks, and two others have been well-known since before their freshmen seasons in college began. 

5 2025 NFL Draft Prospects with Difficult Decisions

Drew Allar, QB, Penn State Penn State Nittany Lions logo

2024 stats: 224/324, 69.1 completion rate, 2,894 yards, 21 TDs, 7 INTs

There's no question that Drew Allar stepped his game up in 2024. Though Allar's physical gifts would make one think he'd be a gunslinger, he's one of the more conservative and savvy passers in the class. He takes calculated risks when he has to, but his career 1.2 percent turnover-worthy-throw rate rivals what hyper-efficient NFL quarterbacks produce. 

Scouts and coaches will like that when they see how he's increased his average depth of target by one full yard since 2023 while increasing his adjusted completion rate. He's more accurate and willing to throw downfield when he has better weapons, and the emergence of Tyler Warren helped unlock this new ceiling. His positives sound like he should declare, and he is a Round 1 lock.

The other side of the coin has made this a tougher decision. Allar might be a first-round pick in a weak quarterback class, but Penn State could go to the transfer portal and land much better receivers. In that case, Allar could demonstrate another big leap by hunting more aggressive, NFL-caliber throws and jump into No. 1 overall pick discussions in 2026. 

Drew Allar's Full Scouting Report, Pro Comp

Jaydn Ott, RB, Cal Cal Logo

2024 stats: 105 carries, 301 yards, 4 TDs

If you haven't heard of Jaydn Ott before, you'd look at his 2024 numbers and wonder why on Earth he'd even be mentioned as an NFL prospect. Flashback one year ago, though, and Ott was a consensus top-five back on most shortlists. He had just carried Cal's offense with 246 rushes for 1,311 yards and 12 scores. 

There was no question the 6-foot, 210-pounder projected to be an NFL starter as he overcame one of the more challenging situations in college football. 833 of his yards came after contact, and Ott was one of the most productive gap scheme runners in the nation. He blended power with great vision and timing to be successful. 

There's no singular thing to blame for what went wrong in 2024. Ott played half the snaps he did from the year before, and his yards after contact per carry followed suit. Cal called more zone plays, but Ott wasn't the same regardless. 

A return to Cal might not make sense for Ott, but his NFL future isn't clear now, either. 

Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama Alabama Crimson Tide logo

2024 stats: 189/287, 65.9 completion rate, 2,652 yards, 15 TDs, 10 INTs

The best athlete at quarterback in the class will immediately be one of the elite at the next level as soon as he arrives. However, it's not as simple as just out-athleting everyone in the NFL. Jalen Milroe can be an offensive engine when he's seeing the field well and making sharp passes, but his development hit a snag in 2024.

Kalen DeBoer brought new concepts and identity to an Alabama offense that lacked high-end playmakers besides Ryan Williams. Milroe couldn't consistently build off his first two seasons of growth, showing hesitancy and raw tools instead of the polish that helped DeBoer and Michael Penix Jr. build Washington into a power. Alabama's offense became too reliant on a strange blend of short attempts and deep throws.

Still, it'll be hard for teams not to give Milroe a shot at improving. He's such a gifted runner and deep thrower that his ceiling is massive. Even when playing poorly, he's rarely prone to forcing bad passes that lead to turnovers. Putting him into a different offense can ease some of the adjustments that hurt the Tide's offense this fall.

Returning to Alabama or transferring to a school with an offense more suited to Milroe's play style (Oregon, Ohio State, or Miami) could be as beneficial as jumping to the NFL.

Evan Stewart, WR, Oregon Oregon Ducks logo

2024 stats: 48 receptions, 613 yards, 5 TDs

Transferring from Texas A&M's anemic passing game to Oregon's more varied and spread attack was supposed to provide a coming-out party for Evan Stewart, but his addition was largely unnoticed. Stewart played a terrific game against Ohio State, but the 170-pound speedster took a backseat to Tez Johnson as the season progressed. Almost all of Stewart's 2024 production mirrored his previous success.

At only 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, Stewart doesn't quite fit the mold of a high draft pick. There have been several outstanding thin playmakers who have entered the NFL recently, including Tank Dell Zay Flowers and Xavier Worthy, but each had star production and traits to help their case. Stewart should do well at the Combine, possibly running under a 4.4 and showing off in the 3-cone drills.

But is it enough to prove he's capable of being more than a complementary piece in a healthy offense? Stewart could potentially return to Oregon without Johnson taking so many targets and showing a higher upside. He'd also be betting on whether Oregon's offense would be as effective without Dillon Gabriel or if he would be willing to expand his role beyond its current state.

Harold Perkins, LB, LSU LSU Tigers logo

2024 stats: 17 tackles in four games

A star was born as soon as Harold Perkins touched ground at LSU. The hyper-athletic defensive weapon raced out to 72 tackles and 7.5 sacks as a freshman, proving to be a Jamal Adams-like presence despite being a teenager in the SEC. The future looked amazingly bright.

Perkins continued to flourish in his sophomore season, even though he spent more snaps at linebacker in hopes of LSU transitioning him to more of a traditional role. However, at 6-foot-1, 225 pounds, and an ace pass-rusher with great closing speed and contact balance, Perkins' physique didn't match his game. He and LSU tried to get ahead of his NFL conundrum entering 2024, moving him to an off-ball linebacker role so he could practice more run keys and shedding blocks.

It was as rough a transition as it could be in 2024 before a torn ACL ended Perkins' junior season four games in. Perkins struggled with the position's physicality, seeing his missed tackle rate skyrocket above 21 percent and proving to be a liability in coverage. Without the ability to handle blockers at the point of attack or be confident in coverage assignments, Perkins' NFL Draft stock was plummeting.

Now, coming off a torn ACL, Perkins has a tough decision. He could go back to LSU, prove he's healthy, and look to continue developing. Or, he could leap to the NFL and offer a team a discounted star who clearly fits best as a weapon who can thrive on sub packages and as an edge-blitzer despite his small size.  

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Tags: 2025 NFL Draft, Drew Allar, Evan Stewart See More

Ian Valentino

NFL/NFL Draft Analyst

Ian Valentino is an NFL and NFL draft contributor for The 33rd Team. He has covered all aspects of the NFL since 2013. He's previously provided scouting services to the NFL, XFL and CFL. He also has written for Bleacher Report, Complex Sports and Pro Football Network.

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