NFL Draft
1/10/25
8 min read
2025 NFL Draft Prospects Benefitting from Final Draft Order
The end of the NFL regular season means the order of the top 18 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft is locked in. Late wins by some of the worst teams in the league completely changed what we thought we knew entering the last few weeks of the year. Now, with the best college football stars staring down deadline day to return to school or jump to the NFL, they can make decisions with more information.
Trades could shake up how the draft plays out, but we usually see minor moves instead of earth-shattering ones where a team moves up from the late teens into the top 10. For now, we're operating under the current order where five teams in the top seven picks need a quarterback. That means the next few months will be filled with drama.
A handful of players will benefit from how the end of the season played out. Here are five 2025 NFL Draft prospects who are in a better position today than they were a few weeks ago.
2025 NFL Draft Order Winners
Whether these players are better situated to land with their ideal new franchise or have seen their stock rise because of how the order fell, each is a clear winner.
— dubs408 (@dubsvidstouse) January 1, 2025
Drew Allar, QB, Penn State 
Penn State QB Drew Allar said he was likely returning to school, but his strong play this season has made it difficult to imagine he wouldn't capitalize on his momentum. Only 20 years old, the 6-foot-5, 235-pounder has led his Nittany Lions deep into the College Football Playoff. Beyond being a good prospect, the draft order fell in a way where I don't think Allar has an especially difficult decision to return to school or make the jump.
Tennessee, Cleveland, and the New York Giants are atop the 2025 NFL Draft and have a massive need for a quarterback. While Shedeur Sanders and Cameron Ward will battle Allar to be the top passer in the class, it's hard to imagine anyone but these three individuals coming off the board with the first three picks. The quarterback class has been maligned because there's not quite the star power of the 2024 group, but each has a clear pathway to being a good to a very good starting NFL passer.
The argument for Allar, a Cleveland suburb native, to be a top-three pick is relatively simple. Franchises have wanted quarterbacks with massive frames and cannons for an arm throughout the NFL's history, favoring more durable bodies and high-velocity throwers. Allar isn't a run threat, but he's in the same vein of a physical presence as Matthew Stafford.
He hasn't been nearly as aggressive or turnover-prone as Stafford, though. Allar's career interception rate of 1.2 percent is remarkably low, but also the byproduct of not testing tight windows as often as he needs. It's possible that changes as he gets a better surrounding cast and an offensive coach, which is something each team in the top three will offer him.
Drew Allar's Full Scouting Report, Pro Comp
NOT ONE, NOT TWO, NOT THREE BUT FOUR RUSHING TDS FOR JALEN MILROE 😱
— ESPN (@espn) November 10, 2024
ABSOLUTELY TERRORIZING THE LSU DEFENSE 😳 pic.twitter.com/XuXOsCkLLC
Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama
The fallout from Jalen Milroe's entry into the 2025 NFL Draft class has been interesting. After struggling through his first season under Kalen DeBoer, he's set up to be the most polarizing prospect in the class. The Crimson Tide failed to surround Milroe with a competent running game and reliable playmaker outside of Ryan Williams, but then fans were surprised when Milroe stagnated under the increased strain.
A dynamic athlete with a tremendously strong arm, Milroe is as frustrating in the pocket as he is explosive. That dichotomy is risky for general managers and coaches, but his high-variance style gives him an upside that is worth investing in for teams outside of the top three quarterbacks. For example, a team like the Jets, who have to play Josh Allen, or the Raiders, who see Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert four times a year, need an alien to combat those historically freakish talents.
Milroe may not look the part of those guys right now, but he's a big play hunter like Jalen Hurts at Alabama and Oklahoma. Following Philadelphia's model of surrounding Milroe with an elite supporting cast and slowly bringing him along could pay off with incredible results. After all, no quarterback in the class has a better ratio of big-time throws to turnover-worthy throws (via PFF).
Even if Milroe ends up reaching the ceiling of an early-career Lamar Jackson, he'd be well worth a top-10 pick. Prognosticators mocking him on Day 2 are missing how his upside will play into his draft spot and how desperate teams will be for help at the position this offseason. As of now, barring a J.J. McCarthy or Malik Willis trade, the potential veteran quarterback market includes Sam Darnold, Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, and Justin Fields.
Jalen Milroe's Full Scouting Report, Pro Comp
340-pound Kenneth Grant.
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) January 9, 2024
Goodness. pic.twitter.com/nlkD4Q1N6k
Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan
There are plenty of winners beyond just the quarterbacks. 340-pound defensive tackle Kenneth Grant is a literally huge winner from the final draft order, and he has a good chance to join teammate Mason Graham as a top-15 pick this April. Grant was stellar again in 2024 next to Graham, increasing his quarterback pressures and run stops while reducing his missed tackle rate.
This is a good defensive tackle class, but Grant's athleticism and versatility will make him DT2. There's always a need for penetrating tackles who collapse pockets and open opportunities for negative plays. This year happens to be a weaker edge-rusher class, and it's a draft order where several franchises will be looking at Grant in the top 20.
Grant's range should start around No. 9 with New Orleans and include Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Miami, Arizona, Cincinnati, and Houston. It would be shocking to see him fall any further, and less so if he goes before No. 9. Most defensive tackles with Grant's pass-rush upside are 40 to 60 pounds lighter, so he's a rare prospect.
Kenneth Grant's Full Scouting Report, Pro Comp
ASHTON JEANTY IS UNSTOPPABLE ⚡️@BroncoSportsFB scores a third TD before the half 😤 pic.twitter.com/2Xek565tR5
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 7, 2024
Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State 
The return of the running back is upon us. Saquon Barkley broke the 2,000-yard mark, and Derrick Henry, at 30 years old, reached 1,921 yards. In total, 16 backs hit the 1,000-yard milestone in 2024.
With NFL defenses becoming smaller and favoring two-high safety looks to stifle explosive and efficient passing games, running backs matter again. This is a historically good running back class compared to the last two decades, and Ashton Jeanty is at the top of the crop.
We may see multiple first-round backs and as many as 10 on Day 2. Jeanty will start the run, with Chicago, Dallas, and Cincinnati looking like ideal fits for offenses desperately lacking star power around their respective quarterback.
Playoff teams will certainly look at Jeanty as a value pick should he fall beyond those franchises that missed the postseason. Denver, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles Chargers, and Washington are all easy projections for Jeanty. While there will be handwringing, Jeanty's rookie contract will take him through prime years at the cost of the 10th-best running back each season.
If he's healthy, Jeanty will undoubtedly outperform his draft slot and salary. He's a winner, as the Cowboys and Bengals missed the playoffs, increasing the ceiling of where he could be taken.
Ashton Jeanty's Full Scouting Report, Pro Comp
emeka egbuka touchdown pic.twitter.com/WqNTMiazDX
— ◇ (@H00DH3R0) January 1, 2025
Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
On top of being a late-season riser in general, Emeka Egbuka has clearly established himself as the best receiver behind Tetairoa McMillan, Travis Hunter, and Luther Burden. He will be a first-round pick after he shows out at the Scouting Combine. Seeing this new draft order only confirms his range is likely higher than expected.
The need for speed and Day 1 playing ability is at an all-time high. Depending on how the combine goes, Egbuka could see consideration as high as New Orleans at No. 9, Dallas, Miami, Arizona, Cincinnati, Houston, and his floor should be Denver. Basically, Egbuka will get looks at almost every draft spot in the teens.
With his ability to win from the slot or as an outside receiver, Egbuka is one of the easiest projections in the entire class. He's as reliable at the catch point as he is creative after the catch. His minuscule 4.9 percent career drop rate is even more impressive when considering he creates an average of 6.7 yards after the catch at an average depth of target of 9.2 yards.
Emeka Egbuka's Full Scouting Report, Pro Comp
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