An article series I began last year, I’m bringing you my favorite prospects and top sleepers of the 2025 NFL Draft. The 2024 edition included names like Georgia WR Ladd McConkey and Oregon RB Bucky Irving, two players who went on to have strong rookie campaigns.
Here’s my list of 2025. It consists of well-known prospects I simply like more than most and Day Three sleepers who could become hidden gems in the later rounds of the draft.
Will Howard/QB Ohio State
If you’ve followed my draft notes and coverage, you know I’m higher on Howard than most. His ability to make touch and layered throws from the pocket and his overall accuracy is impressive. It’s easy to fall in love with a top-tier athlete and those who create plays out of structure, two important elements no doubt, but most quarterback play is still nuts-and-bolts. Stand and deliver from within the pocket and on-time.
Howard had early-year struggles at Ohio State but transferring to a new system and school is bound to create a learning curve. He played his best ball when it mattered most, leading the Buckeyes to a National Championship. He’s a leader, a winner, and more athletic than given credit for. Yes, he was surrounded by gold-plated talent at Ohio State but watch even the highlights and Howard’s receivers weren’t bailing him out with spectacular plays. He was dropping them in the bucket.
My quarterback motto is normally “go big or go home,” taking one in the first round or not at all, but Howard is an exception worth making. I’d have no issue selecting him in the third or fourth round.
Devin Neal/RB Kansas
I ranked Neal sixth in my recent running back rankings. And maybe that was even still a spot too low. His name has gotten buried in a deep running back class. Neal was highly productive at Kansas, leaving as the school’s all-time leading rush.
He brings a blend of size, burst, change-of-direction with healthy receiving production (77 career catches) Neal simply had good and consistent tape. He truly led the Jayhawks’ offense as a workhorse back. His testing wasn’t stellar but he’s athletic, briefly a two-way player at Kansas who played outfield on the baseball team. If Neal lasts into the fifth round, it’s a steal.
Andrew Armstrong/WR Arkansas
I’ve been on record noting I’m not a fan of this year’s wide receiver class. It’s one of the weakest in years. But Armstrong is a potential Day Three gem. Transferring up from East Texas A&M, Armstrong put up big numbers in the SEC. He led the conference in receptions and yards, beating out the likes of Ole Miss’ Tre Harris and Texas’ Matthew Golden, two players who will get drafted ahead of him.
Numbers alone don’t mean everything but Armstrong has impressive tape. With big and strong hands, Armstrong makes tough catches in traffic. Despite a larger frame at nearly 6’4 and 202 pounds, he shows fluidity and the ability to drop his hips. His 6.85 three cone is an excellent figure that matches the tape. Armstrong must clean up his footwork and be more efficient getting out of his breaks but the tools are there. I compared him to Jakobi Myers.
Andrew Armstrong Scouting Report
JJ Galbreath/TE South Dakota State & Oronde Gadsden II/TE Syracuse
Galbreath is getting absolutely no love. You won’t even find him on some extensive draft lists. Playing at the FCS level in South Dakota no less is part of the reason but it’s produced so many capable tight ends in recent years, he should be getting more attention.
A smooth and fluid athlete who runs like a big receiver, Galbreath was productive when he wasn’t missing time with a shoulder injury in 2024. He’s not a great blocker but moved around and was asked to do it. He ran a 4.67 40 with a 38-inch vertical and 6.82 three cone, a better figure than than all but one tight end in Dane Brugler’s draft guide (shoutout to Rhode Island’s Tommy Smith and his 6.79, though he is a receiver/tight end hybrid who is 11 pounds lighter). Galbreath should be drafted late.
I didn’t write the report on Gadsden but watched a ton of Syracuse tape this year in my reports on teammates like LeQuint Allen and other games. He’s a pure receiver but does the job well who nearly had 1,000-yards in two seasons with the Orange: 975 in 2022 and 934 in 2024, missing most of 2023 with a Lisfranc injury. His father is Oronde Gadsden, a successful NFL wide receiver who won a Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys.
In a deep tight end NFL draft class, Gadsden’s name has gotten lost but presents plus value.
Teddye Buchanan/LB California
Buchanan was my write-up in our Steelers Depot roundtable “sleeper” post so I won’t repeat myself too much here. Buchanan transferred up from UC Davis and made an immediate impact in his lone year at Cal. Always around the ball, he can rush the quarterback, take the ball away, and has the athletic traits to improve in coverage.
Strong Combine testing coupled with good tape and a chip on his shoulder as a former two-star recruit has me excited. Buchanan’s play must be refined but if he can clean up his technique, he’ll be an NFL starter. He’s been a true riser throughout the NFL Draft process.
Teddye Buchanan Scouting Report
Maxwell Hairston/CB Kentucky
Hairston is no longer any sort of “secret” he may have been early in the draft process. Now attending the NFL Draft, he’s likely a Top-32 pick and popped at the Combine with a 4.28 40. He plays with an alpha mentality with great ball skills, a smart and athletic cover corner.
There’s been questions over his tackling but a 2024 shoulder injury misrepresented his ability. Fully healthy, he won’t be a liability. Hairston will be a starting corner and playmaker.
Maxwell Hairston Scouting Report
Malachi Moore/DB Alabama
Moore had one of the biggest positive disparities in my scouting report, a second-round grade despite being viewed as a fourth/fifth-round pick. A nickel/safety, he’s versatile, productive, tackles reliably, and can cover. In 2024, he did a bit of everything to finish with 70 tackles (three for a loss), two picks, two forced fumbles, eight pass breakups, and one sack.
A lack of high-end athleticism and a nagging pre-draft injury hasn’t helped him throughout the process but I compared Moore to Micah Hyde, who had a similar profile and carved out a long and successful NFL career.
Hunter Wohler/S Wisconsin
It’s easy to love Hunter Wohler. He’s physical, smart, hard-working, and stronger in coverage than given credit for. A lac of true foot speed is the only thing holding him back, a tick slow in tape with a 4.57 40 to match.
Still, he can be a starting box safety with all the other tools in his belt to succeed. He’s a guy who will raise the floor of a defensive back room but has the potential to do more than just be a hair-on-fire backup. Wohler can play.
Dan Jackson/S Georgia
Jackson is Hunter Wohler light. Same all-out mentality but unlikely to crack the starting lineup. A little less athletic with a slimmer frame. Still, Jackson earned everything he received at Georgia. A walk-on who climbed every hung of the ladder from buried on the depth chart to starter, never even officially earning a scholarship and living off NIL money, Jackson might have the hottest motor in this year’s class. One of my favorite NFL Draft Day Three guys.
His run and chase is simply fun to watch and he has the makings of a core special teamer. A Jeremy Reaves-type who makes Pro Bowls for his ability to cover kick and punts. Someone will get great value drafting Jackson late on Day Three. He won’t be a ten-year starter but he’ll cut his teeth on football’s third phase for the next decade. Book it.
