The 2024 NFL regular season is just around the corner — but so is the college football season, meaning some have began to look ahead to the 2025 NFL Draft.
A lot will change from now until April, but it's never too early to look ahead for The Athletic's Dane Brugler.
Brugler released his initial top-50 big board for the 2025 NFL Draft earlier this week based off his early scouting ahead of the collegiate football season kicking off on Saturday.
If his initial list is any indication, 2025 is shaping up to be a big year for defensive players.
The draft analyst's top five prospects are all players who play on that side of the ball (counting Colorado's Travis Hunter, who is listed as a cornerback/wide receiver) with Michigan cornerback Will Johnson sitting at No. 1.
Behind Johnson is Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter at No. 2, Hunter at No. 3, Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham No. 4 and Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce, Jr., holding down No. 5.
The most popular positions in his top 20 are both cornerbacks and edge rushers with four players each, followed by defensive and offensive tackle with three a piece.
Brugler releases updated big boards as the college football season and draft process progresses, but he wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of movement to his board as time passes and games are played.
Brugler wrote:
Based on early scouting, the defensive talent is more impressive than the offensive prospects, with 13 of my top 20 below being defensive players. Five quarterbacks did make the initial top-50 cut, but will any separate themselves this season as no-doubt top-10 picks? Fluctuation at all positions should always be expected, and maybe even more so with this class — even at the top.
Some NFL Draft analysts have even taken a chance to put together their own mock drafts as well.
ESPN's Field Yates released his first mock draft earlier in the week. Although it is a preliminary exercise and a lot can change from here to April, the ESPN insider decided to take his chance ahead of the college football season.
With a draft order determined by ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI), the Bolts were picking No. 18 in Yates' exercise.
He had the Chargers selecting Michigan tight end Colston Loveland in that slot, although he had other names in mind that could fit here as well.
Yates wrote:
Loveland is my top-graded tight end based off his 2023 tape. Well known to coach Jim Harbaugh from their time together at Michigan, Loveland is a buttery-smooth route runner who generates good separation in man coverage. He's sudden, fluid and instinctive, and he puts defenses into a coverage bind -- he's too big at 6-5 and 245 pounds for most defensive backs to match, and he's too quick for most linebackers to carry. Wide receiver is naturally another spot to watch for the Chargers, and Missouri's Luther Burden III could fit well too.
Loveland was Brugler's No. 21 overall prospect on his initial big board.
To read Brugler's full initial 2025 big board, click here.
