NFL Draft
11/18/24
8 min read
2025 NFL Draft Stock Report: Carson Beck, Riley Leonard Turn Back the Clock
As the college football season enters its final weeks, the stakes for each game are incredibly high. Top players across the country are vying for spots in conference championships and the College Football Playoff. This is the crucial moment for the 2025 NFL Draft class to showcase their skills and compile impressive film.
In our Week 12 analysis, we’re seeing some players rising in stock while others are falling. We’ve monitored the top 300 prospects eligible for the 2025 NFL Draft and have a good sense of what to anticipate if they all decide to enter. Additionally, it's becoming evident which players might benefit from returning to school next year.
Let's examine the three stars who pushed their 2025 NFL Draft stock up and those who fell.
CFB Week 12 Stock Up Players
We saw enough quality performances to name a couple of other risers who dominated their competition. Here are three more players who caught our eyes in Week 12.
Honorable Mentions
- DJ Giddens, RB, Kansas State
- Ja'Corey Brooks, WR, Louisville
- Landon Jackson, EDGE, Arkansas
— dubs408 (@dubsvidstouse) November 17, 2024
📈Carson Beck, QB, Georgia
Stats: 25/40, 346 yards, 2 TDs, 3 carries, 32 yards, 1 TD
The 2024 season has been worse for Carson Beck than anyone else in the nation. Coming into the fall as a projected first-round pick and arguably the top passer in the class, the argument has shifted to whether Beck should declare for the 2025 NFL Draft at all. His struggles playing without stars and while under duress have caused considerable concern for his pro outlook.
Those issues are still warts on his resume, but Beck turned in his best game of the season against Tennessee. Instead of being timid and second-guessing himself, Beck answered the call when Georgia needed him the most. That included a fantastic 10-yard touchdown scramble and several middle-of-the-field throws under pressure.
Finally, we also saw Beck maximizing his playmaking corps. Georgia doesn't have Brock Bowers or Ladd McConkey, but Oscar Delp had a season-best output, and nine other receivers caught a pass.
There's no overlooking that Beck is an average athlete with physical tools that will hold him back, but his mental processing and poise were that of a franchise star once again.
Riley Leonard finds Jayden Harrison for SIX to put the Irish up by two scores. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/fW0IYzeyng
— Notre Dame on NBC (@NDonNBC) November 16, 2024
📈Riley Leonard, QB, Notre Dame
Stats: 22/33, 214 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 8 carries, 32 yards
While Beck turned back the clock to the 2023 season, we finally saw the 2022 version of Riley Leonard this week. Once considered a potential first-round pick at Duke, injuries, inconsistency, and a scheme change hurt Leonard's outlook. A great athlete with a good arm that will generate some errant throws, Leonard had dipped to a late-round prospect this season.
Time will tell whether that will change, but his last few weeks have shown improvement as someone who can convert aggressive throws and impact games. Leonard was efficient against Virginia but managed to show growth within the offense. Instead of taking check-downs and being a game manager and runner, Leonard is becoming more of an engine for an improving unit.
His improvement was across the board, even as he threw an interception. Virginia logged 12 pressures, but Leonard shook several near-sacks and avoided taking one. He also posted his fourth passer rating of 100 or higher of the season, and each of those has come in his last six games.
Finally, Leonard looks more like a draftable quarterback worth developing as a backup over the coming years.
📈Jordan James, RB, Oregon
Stats: 25 carries, 121 yards, 1 TD; 2 receptions, 25 yards
He might not declare for the 2025 class, but Jordan James could give the Oregon Ducks another running back in the NFL after Bucky Irving and Noah Whittington left last year. James wasn't dominant against Wisconsin but proved to be a difference-maker when it mattered most. Oregon couldn't rely on Dillon Gabriel, so James earned key carries throughout the second half as the Ducks scrambled for a comeback win.
James has turned in his best performances when Oregon has needed them the most this season. James ' explosiveness went beyond his obvious speed by generating seven missed tackles, 3.16 yards after contact per carry, 79 total yards after contact, and four runs of 10 or more yards. That parlayed into two catches, reaching the milestone three of his last four games.
The depth of this class is impressive, but James is a riser who could hear his name called earlier than expected. His ability to fit into zone and gap schemes, win with quickness and some power, plus bring value as a receiver, could push him into the early Day 3 range.
CFB Week 12 Stock Down Players
📉Noah Thomas, WR, Texas A&M
Stats: 2 receptions, 23 yards, 1 TD
No other playmaker in the class can match Noah Thomas' immense 6-foot-6 frame, and that unique size and fluidity combination makes him quite intriguing. Like former Florida State and current Philadelphia Eagles receiver Johnny Wilson, Thomas will have a role in the NFL as a power slot or quasi-tight end. The league will always want to roll the dice on someone so uncommonly built.
The limitations on Thomas aren't shocking, but he profiles as a better athlete than Wilson and has had fewer drops throughout his career. With only four drops on 94 targets in the last three years, Thomas is a better projection than Wilson. Some evaluators have him in the middle of Day 2 range.
However, Saturday should've allowed Thomas to break out with a big game. Facing New Mexico State, Thomas was barely part of the offense. He was targeted three times, catching two for a 23-yard and a 16-yard score. It's great he reached the end zone, but his performance taught us nothing about his upside.
Thomas has only two games with more than three receptions on the season and one showing with more than 65 yards. Only a junior, Thomas looks more likely to return to Texas A&M than to jump to the NFL and make an impact beyond being an obvious red zone target.
Make that ✌️ touchdowns for Kyle Monangai 🤩@RFootball snags the lead. #B1GFootball on FS1 📺 pic.twitter.com/s3HYNrZR6y
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 17, 2024
📉Kyle Monangai, RB, Rutgers
Stats: 25 carries, 97 yards, 2 TDs
Running back stats can be misleading in several ways. While it's great Kyle Monangai logged two touchdowns, this was his worst individual effort of the season by the advanced metrics.
It's hard to fault Monangai for Rutgers not blocking well for him against Maryland, but this is also where a 209-pound back has to be more than a plodder who averaged under four yards a carry.
Tying his season-low in forced tackles missed, ranking under his season average in yards after contact per rush, and getting the lowest number of gap scheme runs of the year all point toward a limitation in place for Monangai. Instead of being a workhorse who can excel despite his physical build, he might be more of a zone slasher who complements the team's top back.
The investment cost of Monangai will take a massive hit if that's true. Instead of fighting to be a top-100 pick, this game puts him closer to the middle of Day 3.
📉Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College
Stats: 3 tackles, 2 quarterback hurries
Despite his massive production and breakout status in 2024, Donovan Ezeiruaku has a slim margin for error as he chases a first-round landing spot. Only standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 247 pounds, he has to buck some trends to win teams over. His lack of elite size and length will be an issue for franchises.
Unfortunately, in Boston College's biggest game of the conference schedule, Ezeiruaku was hard to find. SMU had tremendous success at slowing the edge rusher, allowing only two quarterback hurries and three tackles. Ezeiruaku compounded his quiet game by missing a tackle.
One bad outing doesn't define Ezeiruaku's prospects moving forward, but he was unable to follow up a two-sack game last week with an impactful performance. He's logged only those two sacks since Week 6, so his star is fading at the wrong time of the year.
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