We’re halfway through the college football season, and unlike a year ago, there is no Caleb Williams in this draft class. There is a Cam Ward, who perhaps is closer to Jayden Daniels in that he’s gone from a Day 2 or Day 3 prospect to finding his way into the first round. But when it comes to your prototypical franchise QB, that guy hasn’t yet separated himself.
There’s still time, of course, but for now, the No. 1 player on my big board is Colorado’s Travis Hunter. He’s my CB2 behind Michigan’s Will Howard (and it’s close), and he’s my WR3 behind Tetairoa McMillan and Luther Burden III. If a team without a need at quarterback ends up with the No. 1 overall pick, I’m not hesitating to take Hunter. He can’t play 120 snaps a game on both sides of the ball like he does for the Buffaloes, but he can be a game-changing cornerback who gets 10 to 15 snaps on offense, too.
Some folks will complain that this draft class isn’t nearly as exciting as last year’s because of the lack of high-end passers (remember that six QBs went off the board in the first 12 picks last April), but I’d argue that the lack of uncertainty, particularly at the top, is what makes this process so much fun.
For more draft coverage, you can hear in-depth analysis twice a week on “With the First Pick” — our year-round NFL Draft podcast with NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson and former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman. You can find “With the First Pick” wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc. Listen below!
There are fewer than 200 days until the 2025 NFL Draft, so we have some time to sort things out. For now, here’s my midseason top-50 Big Board.
1. Travis Hunter, CB, Colorado
2. Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
3. Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
4. Mason Graham, DL, Michigan
5. Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
Will Johnson was my No. 1 prospect before the season and he’s still one of the best players in this class. It’s just that Hunter has been damn-near unstoppable at times, and McMillan hasn’t been far behind.
A cornerback has never been taken No. 1 overall, and there’s a decent chance Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham ends up as the top pick because he’s also viewed by some folks as the safest. What I’m most interested to see is if a team either talks itself into taking a QB at the top spot, or trades up for one.
6. Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas
7. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
8. Deone Walker, DL, Kentucky
9. Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
10. Cam Ward, QB, Miami
I know we fawn over Travis Hunter’s physics-defying displays of athleticism on a weekly basis, but Ashton Jeanty deserves as much (and maybe more!) of the fawning. He is special, as in “I’d take him over Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs” special. And while my co-host on the “With the First Pick” podcast, Rick Spielman, ever-so-slightly disagrees, there’s no disagreement on Jeanty’s ability to house it every single time he touches the ball.
11. Kenneth Grant, DL, Michigan
12. Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama
13. Nic Scourton, ED, Texas A&M
14. Will Campbell, OT, LSU
15. Mykel Williams, ED, Georgia
16. Abdul Carter, ED, Penn State
17. Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame
18. Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
19. Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas
20. James Pearce, ED, Tennessee
A year ago, Milroe, at times, looked lost. There were the flashes — the arm strength, the running ability — but too often he held the ball too long and made poor decisions once he did finally decide to throw it. This year has been night and day; we saw glimpses of that against Wisconsin, and the Georgia game felt like the turning point. He’s doing a better job getting through his reads, throwing on time — and with anticipation — and his deep ball has improved, too. And I haven’t even mentioned that he’s the fastest player on the field every snap.
It would be unfair to expect Milroe to look like Michael Penix Jr. at this point in his development under Kalen DeBoer, but the early signs are more than encouraging. And with no clear-cut QB1, Milroe is smack dab in the middle of the conversation.
21. Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
22. Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
23. Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota
24. Shemar Stewart, ED, Texas A&M
25. Danny Stutsman, LB, Oklahoma
26. Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State
27. Jack Sawyer, ED, Ohio State
28. Charles Grant, OT, William & Mary
29. J.T. Tuimoloau, ED, Ohio State
30. Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
The Nuss Bus is chugging along, punctuated by LSU’s come-from-behind overtime win over Ole Miss on Saturday night. Nussmeier hasn’t played a lot of football, but you wouldn’t know it to watch him. He’s incredibly accurate, understands what the defense is trying to do and isn’t afraid to make tight-window throws. He can be loose with the ball — and hopefully that improves with experience — but he’s playing at a high level in his first season as the starter.
NFL teams are high on Grant, and all you have to do is watch a few snaps to see why. He’s one of the best athletes along the offensive line in the country, and he had opportunities to transfer to bigger programs over the summer. Instead, he stayed at William & Mary, where he has allowed exactly zero sacks in 200 pass-blocking reps.
31. Carson Beck, QB, Georgia
32. Denzel Burke, CB, Ohio State
33. Donovan Ezeiruaku, ED, Boston College
34. Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
35. Landon Jackson, ED, Arkansas
36. Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State
37. TJ Sanders, DL, South Carolina
38. Davison Igbinosun, CB, Ohio State
39. Princely Umanmielen, ED, Ole Miss
40. Tacario Davis, CB, Arizona
Credit to Carson Beck for bouncing back from a forgettable first 30 minutes against Alabama. In the 10 quarters since, he’s looked every bit a first-round quarterback. Beck won’t blow you away with Cam Ward-level throws or Jalen Milroe-type scrambles, but his steady-as-she-goes approach to playing the position is where his appeal lies.
41. Tyleik Williams, DL, Ohio State
42. Jonah Savaiinaea, OT, Arizona
43. Donovan Jackson, OG, Ohio State
44. Walter Nolen, DL, Texas A&M
45. Isaiah Bond, WR, Texas
46. Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia
47. Jaxson Dart, QB, Mississippi
48. Kamari Ramsey, S, USC
49. Kyle Kennard, ED, South Carolina
50. Derrick Harmon, DL, Oregon
South Carolina gave Alabama all they could handle in Week 7, and a big part of that was edge rusher Kyle Kennard, who has been on our radar since Week 1 thanks to Shrine Bowl Director Eric Galko.
You might be curious about some of the other names currently in the Day 2 mix, and I’m happy to oblige. This also gives me an opportunity to talk up one of my favorite players in this class, Kyle McCord, who has thrown for at least 346 yards in all six games. He looks nothing like the Ohio State quarterback from a season ago, and I think he has a legit chance to be a top 100 guy, though some folks in the league aren’t quite yet willing to go that far (yet).
Big Board (Nos. 51-65)
51. Nicholas Singleton, RB, Penn State
52. TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State
53. Jaylen Reed, S, Penn State
54. Cameron Williams, OT, Texas
55. Howard Cross, DL, Notre Dame
56. Wyatt Milum, OT, West Virginia
57. Tommi Hill, CB, Nebraska
58. Grey Zabel, OG, North Dakota State
59. Dontay Corleone, DL, Cincinnati
60. Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford
61. Kyle McCord, QB, Syracuse
62. Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
63. Bradyn Swinson, ED, LSU
64. Michael Green, ED, Marshall
65. Tre Harris, WR, Mississippi
NOTE: Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons, LSU edge rusher Harold Pearce and East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel are top-50 players but I didn’t include them here because of season-ending injuries. Once we know what their plans are for 2025, we’ll revisit their situations.
