- Several running backs are sleepers: PFF analysts recognize Tahj Brooks, RJ Harvey, Brashard Smith and Jordan James, given their advanced metrics, even in a deep class.
- David Walker is an intriguing FCS prospect: Walker registered a 90.3 PFF pass-rushing grade or better in each of the past three years at Central Arkansas.
- 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF's best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025's top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
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Draft Position Rankings
The 2025 NFL Draft is only two days away, with the Tennessee Titans kicking off the festivities. While the NFL's top rounds showcase some of college football's best players, what makes the draft so unique is the ability to find diamonds in the rough.
Below are 14 PFF analysts' “my guys” — sleeper players they are high on.
Gordon McGuinness: DI Alfred Collins, Texas
PFF Big Board Rank: 79
Position Rank: 11
Collins is one of my favorite prospects in this draft class because he has one of the highest floors. His size, especially his length, gives him the opportunity to play all across the defensive line, and he is a monster against the run, as his 85.0 PFF run-defense grade suggests.
He is probably not going to wow anyone at the next level as a pass rusher, though his 77.8 PFF pass-rush grade against true pass sets is still solid, but there will always be a role for players who play the run as well as he does at the NFL level.
Andrew Ites: RB Tahj Brooks, Texas Tech
PFF Big Board Rank: 214
Position Rank: 20
Brooks proved he can be a true workhorse in college as he carried a heavy load — handling 665 total touches over the past two seasons at Texas Tech. He remained efficient despite that big volume, peaking at a 90.1 PFF overall grade in 2023, and he tested better than many anticipated with a 97th-percentile 20-yard shuttle and an 84th-percentile three-cone drill at the NFL Scouting Combine.
While Brooks may not be the most explosive back in the class, he can handle a ton of touches and keep the chains moving at the next level.
Mason Cameron: WR Jayden Higgins, Iowa State
PFF Big Board Rank: 36
Position Rank: 6
The top of the wide receiver class feels a bit light on true X receivers with difference-making potential. While Tetairoa McMillan is highly praised — for good reason — Higgins goes largely overshadowed in the conversation of top receivers in the class, despite earning the highest PFF receiving grade among FBS receivers with 100 or more snaps lined up outside.
The Iowa State standout may not be the greatest separator, but his sure hands and massive catch radius make up for that, evidenced by his 99th-percentile drop rate and 86th-percentile contested-catch rate over the past two seasons.
Josh Liskiewitz: S Andrew Mukuba, Texas
PFF Big Board Rank: 63
Position Rank: 4
Transferring from Clemson to Texas for the 2024 season served Mukuba well, as the Longhorns moved him from slot cornerback to safety, where he clearly felt more at home. His instincts and athleticism in coverage are outstanding, as he has a knack for reading route concepts and breaking in a flash to disrupt passes that most players at his position can’t get to.
His production in coverage this past season is simply unmatched in the class: He was tested 23 times and surrendered just 10 receptions for 74 yards and no touchdowns. Mukuba also picked off five passes and broke up another six. Opposing quarterbacks had just a 12.1 passer rating when targeting him through the air, the lowest figure among the Power Four cornerbacks.
Mukuba is a willing tackler, although he leaves his feet too often and will need to clean up that part of his game. But a safety’s first job is to be reliable in coverage, and Mukuba looks like a potential game-changer on the backend.
Sam McGaw: EDGE Oluwafemi Oladejo, UCLA
PFF Big Board Rank: 60
Position Rank: 12
Oladejo has the traits to be an excellent project player on Day 2 of the draft. This past season, he made the full switch from off-ball linebacker to edge rusher. At his floor, he’s a high-motor player who excels at defending the run. He earned a 78.6 PFF run-defense grade and posted a 9.3% run-stop rate in 2024. As a pass rusher, he found most of his success when he used an outside move.
Due to his lack of experience as an edge defender, Oladejo didn’t showcase an arsenal of moves, especially when attacking the inside shoulder of the pass protector. However, with the burst he shows at the snap, his willingness to play through the whistle and his 33-inch arms, Oladejo has the tools to become a quality NFL starter.
Ryan Smith: S Billy Bowman Jr., Oklahoma
PFF Big Board Rank: 117
Position Rank: 9
Bowman is one of the best ballhawks in this class, thanks to his elite combination of range, ball skills and instincts. Since 2022, his 11 interceptions are the second most of any safety in the nation (including three pick-sixes).
Bowman's versatility was on full display at Oklahoma; while he spent most of his career at free safety, he also played 500-plus snaps in the box and as a slot cornerback, which will be incredibly valuable in the NFL.
I would like to see him get more opportunities to rush the passer at the next level. He was utilized as a rusher just 17 times over 2,565 snaps in college, but his skill set (75.1 PFF pass-rushing grade in 2024) suggests that is something he is capable of doing more often. His missed tackle rate (25.1% for his career) is alarming, but his ability as a big-play machine in the backend of a defense is too intriguing to overlook.
Andrew Shaver: EDGE Collin Oliver, Oklahoma State
PFF Big Board Rank: 200
Position Rank: 31
For a team wanting to land a disruptor who offers versatility within a defensive front, Oliver fits the mold. He displayed an ability at Oklahoma State to play off the ball and on the edge at a high level as a true tweener at linebacker.
At the next level, his position is likely outside linebacker, where he has the most experience and excels. Over his college career, Oliver posted an elite 90.1 PFF pass-rushing grade off the edge with a 17.3% pressure rate. He was asked to play more off-ball linebacker in 2023 and led the Cowboys with 41 total pressures while ranking second with 49 defensive stops.
However, Oliver’s 2024 season was abbreviated, limited to just two games in which he got off to a fast start with 14 total pressures as purely an edge defender.
Trevor Sikkema: RB RJ Harvey, UCF
PFF Big Board Rank: 71
Position Rank: 8
When I try to think of “my guys,” not only do I like to go outside of the consensus top 50, but I also think of players whose tape I thoroughly enjoyed. This year, UCF running back RJ Harvey is the player who first comes to mind. He posted a 90.2 PFF rushing grade this past season, thanks to a 0.30 missed tackles forced per attempt average (86th percentile among draftable running backs) and a 3.88 yards after contact per attempt average (80th percentile).
He will likely be an early Day 3 pick because of how strong this running back class is, but put me in the group of draft analysts who believe he can find an impact role somewhere.
John Kosko: WR Jaylin Noel, Iowa State
PFF Big Board Rank: 79
Position Rank: 12
Noel isn’t physically imposing, but what he lacks in size, he makes up for with explosiveness, strength and athleticism. He tops the class in PFF’s Game Athleticism Score metric (tied with Travis Hunter), while his NFL Scouting Combine measurements were arguably the best of the class — a 4.39-second 40-yard dash, a 1.52-second 10-yard split, a 6.82 3-cone, a 41.5-inch vertical and an insane 23 bench reps.
Noel's tape matches the numbers, as he is explosive, is a quick-twitch athlete and shows a consistent ability to defeat man coverage. While he dominated out of the slot in college, he displayed that he can win on the outside against press man, too. If you are trying to find the next Amon-Ra St. Brown, Noel is your guy.
Jordan Plocher: EDGE David Walker, Central Arkansas
PFF Big Board Rank: 121
Position Rank: 23
The first thing NFL talent evaluators want to know when assessing the draft value of a non-FBS player is if they dominated their level of competition. Walker indeed dominated FCS football over the past three seasons, posting elite PFF pass-rushing grades of 91.5 in 2022, 90.3 in 2023 and 94.0 in 2024, which led all defensive edge players in FBS and FCS.
Over the past three seasons, Walker amassed 37 sacks, 17 quarterback hits and 97 hurries. He showed he could produce against top FBS competition during Senior Bowl week, recording six impressive wins on just eight reps in one-on-one pass-rush drills. In the game itself, he recorded a sack, a quarterback hit and four hurries. He might be only 6-foot-1, but all Walker has done is produce. He should be able to begin his NFL career in a situational pass-rusher role.
Dalton Wasserman: RB Brashard Smith, SMU
PFF Big Board Rank: 139
Position Rank: 14
Smith is a dynamic weapon who will be a good value pick on Day 3. He turned in an 87.0 PFF rushing grade in his first season at running back after previously playing wide receiver at Miami (FL). That receiving ability translated to his new position, though, as he led all Power Four running backs with a 90.8 PFF receiving grade.
The SMU product won’t be the most powerful runner between the tackles, but I would use him in a similar manner to a player like Nyheim Hines, who used to line up at wide receiver often. Regardless of alignment, Smith’s dynamic receiving abilities would be an asset to any running back room in the league.
Austin Scott: T Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona
PFF Big Board Rank: 86
Position Rank: 11
Versatility, toughness and experience make Savaiinaea an intriguing instant-impact, mid-round prospect who likely projects best as a guard, but his light feet and hand technique give him a chance to stick at right tackle, as well.
He split time almost evenly this past season between left tackle and right tackle and has more than 900 snaps at right guard in his career, as well. Savaiinaea never posted a PFF pass-blocking grade below 76.0 across three seasons as a starter, allowing just 13 quarterback knockdowns in that time. His PFF run-blocking grade (64.2 in 2024) doesn't pop off the charts after he was asked to play laterally and in space a lot at Arizona, but his functional strength and play demeanor are ready for the next level.
Billy Moy: LB Demetrius Knight Jr., South Carolina
PFF Big Board Rank: 52
Position Rank: 3
Knight will enter the league with a rock-solid foundation layered beneath levels of upside. He has the physical tools to be a three-down linebacker in today’s NFL, bringing size, speed and wingspan.
What makes Knight so intriguing to me, though, is everything else he brings to the table. He was a former dual-threat quarterback, and you can see that carry over on the field with his ability to quickly process plays as they unfold and with his ability to identify things pre-snap, communicate and shift the front-seven. He’s one of those guys who rarely — if ever — looks like the game is moving too fast for him, because he so consistently knows what he’s supposed to be doing.
Knight is an experienced, 25-year-old prospect who lives and breathes football. Give me that guy on my team, commanding the middle of my defense.
Bradley Locker: HB Jordan James, Oregon
PFF Big Board Rank: 253
Position Rank: 27
Even in an extraordinarily deep running back class, James’ tape emerged among the players I watched. After sitting behind Bucky Irving last season, James got his turn at Oregon and capitalized with a stellar 90.9 PFF rushing grade, 58 missed tackles forced and 39 runs of 10-plus yards — the 10th most among any FBS running back.
James brings a finisher's mentality to every carry, hits the hole with good burst and is elusive on his runs. Add on that he never fumbled once with the Ducks and just turned 21, and I think he could become a quality starting running back in the NFL — even if drafted on Day 3.
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