RADIO
John's early 2025 fantasy football mock draft, post NFL Combine, for 12-team, single quarterback leagues. His analysis on top rookies for 2025 fantasy football.
The 2025 NFL Combine has now been completed, so it's worth doing another mock draft to see where everyone stands after the league's pre-draft testing event.
Overall, there were a few surprises, but the order of many players will remain the same. The mental domain of the original rankings, which have been fairly set in stone since the end of the 2024 college football season, dictates where most people will draft their players.
After hundreds of hours of research, I've given all my best takes on each player at each draft spot. Heed them, or despair, or something like that. Let's dive in.
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Round 1 Mock Draft
1.01 - Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
He didn't participate in the combine, but nothing will change. Over 2,600 rushing yards, a long highlight reel of Jeanty ripping off massive plays, being incredibly difficult to tackle, carrying his offense to a playoff berth, and nearly winning the Heisman Trophy have cemented Jeanty as the No. 1 overall rookie in nearly all rankings for 2025 rookie drafts. That won't change.
1.02 - Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
McMillan was crowned as the WR1 after he put up a huge stat line in Week 1, but it was against the New Mexico Lobos. His refusal to participate in the combine drills is concerning, but he's a massively overhyped player that has serious issues with separation, consistency, and strength.
In 10 days Tetairoa McMillan is going to annihilate the combine.
And Tee Higgins 🤫won't matter to #NEPats fans. pic.twitter.com/VKWZnCyYaM
— ZeeBee (@BellinoZee) February 17, 2025
It might be hard to stomach, but you should trade out of this pick if you have it. You can get a very nice haul, and let your league mates eat up the avalanche of propaganda of infatuated fans who desperately want TMac to be the next Mike Evans, even though that's never happening.
1.03 - Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State University
Another player who refused to participate in combine drills was Egbuka. I suspect he may not have tested well, but we'll have to hold off judgment until his pro day, if that will even be a thing. Egbuka is best suited as a power slot WR at the next level. He likely won't play X, so he's overrated here. Trade this pick away.
1.04 - Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
So the 2025 rookie drafts will all start with a gauntlet of overrated and disappointing receivers because the Dynasty fantasy community seems to love the idea of the top three wideouts being premier selections, even in a weak class. Burden is not a good separator and won't be able to simply rely on his run-after-catch ability at the next level. He's just bad against tight coverage. He's a bust in the making. Avoid.
1.05 - Omarion Hampton, RB, UNC
Hampton checked all the boxes with an elite Raw Athletic Score at the combine. He's a tank of a back, ran under 4.5, jumped 38 inches in the vertical jump and 10-feet-10-inches in the broad jump. He put together a huge season of workhorse usage and good efficiency.
Omarion Hampton is a RB prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.93 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 14 out of 1909 RB from 1987 to 2025.
Splits projected, times unofficial. https://t.co/BvtORFYopS pic.twitter.com/8Q7SRqnAgv
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 1, 2025
Hampton is a solid pick here. You should be leaning into the stacked RB class, anyway. With weak classes, often, the players at the top aren't worth it. This is why the three wide receivers above Hampton are such bad picks, but Hampton isn't. He profiles similarly to Joe Mixon and should get early workhorse usage at the next level.
1.06 - Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
Brock Bowers and Sam LaPorta have thoroughly convinced us that rookie tight ends are great picks to make. The difference between them and Warren is that both LaPorta and Bowers are fantastic route-runners, separators, and all-around receivers, while Warren is not.
Warren has elite strength and can run over tacklers, and he has surprising speed for his size, but he's not a good traditional route-runner, so he'll have limited upside in PPR. He may be used more as a chess piece, and if he develops his explosiveness in and out of his breaks, he could progress nicely.
But for fantasy football, he'll probably be a disappointment. Even TEs need to win with good separation skills, which Warren doesn't have yet.
1.07 - Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
The WR bros strike again with the guy who ran a 4.29-second 40-yard-dash, so clearly he must be great. Solid, but not great, receivers have a way of getting hyped to Mars and beyond in the pre-draft process, but Golden is a raw prospect.
The upside is there, but don't look at how the wide receivers who ran faster than a 4.32 at the NFL Combine have fared at the next level.
1.08 - TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State
One long catch and run against a poor defensive look and with great blocking has convinced people that Henderson is actually better than most of the other running backs who didn't play as many games. Henderson is a great pass-protector, but his upright running style will make it hard for him to avoid NFL tacklers.
Treveyon Henderson gets his 2nd touchdown in the 2025 Rose Bowl. This has been a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day for the Oregon Ducks.#CFBPlayoff
— The Voice of College Football Network (@TheVOCFB) January 2, 2025
Henderson should get plenty of work in obvious passing downs. He could get a significant role depending on what team he goes to, but there are still a lot of better backs to pick below him in rookie drafts.
1.09 - Tre Harris, WR, Ole Miss
Somehow, the best wide receiver in this year's draft class is selected as the WR5. Harris is a complete wideout, possessing elite ball skills, amazing route-running prowess, great size, a big body, and jump ball ability. He'll probably be the Brian Thomas Jr. of this year's class, not because of his athleticism but because of how overlooked he is.
“Something I take pride in is going out there and taking the DBs soul”
We have a new quote of the combine from Ole Miss WR Tre Harris pic.twitter.com/xwdTmnn7Hn
— Daniel Harms (@InHarmsWay19) February 28, 2025
You can check my other articles for extensive breakdowns of Harris, as I can't do another one here. What I can tell you is that he will do what he says in the above X post countless times in his NFL career. Harris's ceiling isn't far off from Davante Adams. He's that good.
1.10 - Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State
He has fantastic strength and great speed for his size, but he also has the stiffest hips I've ever seen. Look at his highlight reel and try to find a single instance of him juking a defender if you don't believe me. The lateral movement on his juke attempts is laughable.
You can't just run over NFL linebackers and defensive linemen like you can in college. Even some of the defensive backs can give RBs runs for their money on tackles. Judkins likely won't ever have a three-down role, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's a bust.
If he goes to a team with good run blocking that gives him open lanes up the middle, he could find some success, though, so I won't write him entirely off. But he has a few glaring weaknesses to his game that will limit his upside.
1.11 - Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa
In an absolutely stacked RB class, Johnson is a horrific pick. If you take him above the Virginia Tech guy I talk about at the 1.12 pick here, I'm warning you right now—you are making an incredible mistake. Johnson benefited massively from elite run blocking and poor tackling.
No one had better luck than him in 2024. Luck is less of a factor in the NFL. Johnson isn't explosive or particularly good at anything. I wouldn't draft him in any of the first four rounds of rookie drafts.
1.12 - Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Virginia Tech
Tuten is the best running back in this class. He's the fastest, most explosive, has elite vision, shiftiness, curvilinear acceleration, and speed. He'll be a nightmare for both linebackers and defensive backs at the next level, because not only is he a fantastic tackle-breaker and able to put defenders on skates, but he should be able to outrun most other players on the football field at the next level.
Bhayshul Tuten is the biggest riser at RB in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Boasts 228 missed tackles forced with 46 TDs in the last three years. 18% explosive run rate and also a beast in the red zone. Fumbles are of concern (5 in 2024). Pass pro/receiving is average.
Day 2 talent, imo. pic.twitter.com/2KFZsVa7Cp
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) February 21, 2025
I wouldn't be surprised if he has a Breece Hall type rookie season if he lands on the right team. He's a track star and a great football player combined. My ranking of him as the RB3 in January is aging well -- I was the highest in the industry on him, and I still am, though I wasn't high enough.
Tuten will win leagues in 2024 if his team gives him enough of a workload.
Round 2 Mock Draft
2.01 - Cameron Ward, QB, Miami
This is a lousy quarterback class, and Ward isn't a very good quarterback. There's one gem we'll get to later, but Ward isn't it. Caleb Williams, but less talented, is a good comparison. He isn't a good decision-maker, yet too many get caught up with athletic abilities, big plays in college, and improvisational skills.
"The Bad" for Miami against Ga. Tech is the Cam Ward fumble to essentially end the football game. Ward has two check down backs and HOLDS THE BALL forever. He also waits to escape and it results in disaster for Miami. Thankfully, Pitt went full Nardawg and Miami is in control pic.twitter.com/qpIAS5hTpq
— imfb_blog (@IMFB_Blog) November 10, 2024
Ward isn't an elite athlete, so he won't be able to make NFL defenders look silly. Whichever team drafts him is damning themselves to at least a few more years of terrible mediocrity. He might be relevant in fantasy leagues for a few years, especially in SuperFlex, but I wouldn't waste a pick on him.
2.02 - Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford
He's really not a bad pick here. Ayomanor was a surprise with a 4.44-second 40-yard dash, which will help him be a decent YAC threat at the next level. He has a solid release package, which he should be able to develop more. He could carve out a role as a decent WR2 at the next level.
Elic Ayomanor absolutely PLAYED WITH Travis Hunter when they went 1-on-1 against each other in 2023.
Ayomanor finished the game with 13 receptions, 294 yards, and 3 TD's against Hunter (who many proclaim as the CB1 of the draft).
One NFL GM believes Ayomanor is the "most… pic.twitter.com/ZUMaSHVzfP
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) February 22, 2025
He does have impressive body control, though he isn't the most explosive or creative of his breaks. He'll need to develop in these areas if he wants to see long-term success, but a more explosive Michael Wilson is a solid comp for him.
ELIC AYOMANOR ARE YOU SERIOUS 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
📺 ESPN#GoStanford | @elicayomanor pic.twitter.com/VjrkZS44vW
— Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) September 20, 2024
2.03 - Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
May God have mercy on your soul if you take Sanders. For starters, the mental aspect of the game seems like it could stymie him, as his arrogance is impossible to ignore. Yet it's not this that will immediately make him struggle at the next level, but his horrible decision-making under pressure.
#Huskers Sack Shedeur Sanders.
Ty Robinson, Princewell Umanmielen, James Williams, Jimari Butler all involved. Colorado goes 3 and Out to Start in Lincoln.
Ft. Huskers Radio Network🌽🚨 pic.twitter.com/RkPrC1WxI2
— @HuskerEastNE (@HuskerEastNE) September 8, 2024
He has very little awareness of when he can escape from pressure in college, and when NFL pass rushers are flying in his face, this problem won't magically fix itself. "The quarterback who takes terrible sacks" usually doesn't succeed in the NFL. Sanders takes plenty of them.
Blame the offensive line all you want. The fact is that good quarterbacks make bad OL's look passable and bad QBs make mediocre offensive lines look like dumpster fires, in the eyes of those who don't understand the role that the QB has in escaping from pressure once it's there.
Sanders is Sam Darnold 2.0, which won't produce good results because Sanders will go to a bad team instead of an elite group like the Minnesota Vikings.
2.04 - Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
The best route-runner of the tight ends in this class, Loveland should immediately get a prominent role in his new team's passing game. Loveland is explosive both into and out of his breaks, which is hugely important. It stands to reason that you need to quickly separate and also maintain separation when running routes.
Colston Loveland is Going to be a Monster.
📌 6’5 / 245 lbs - Long, Strong, Athletic
📌 Natural separator (❤️) +++
📌 Tough, Coordinated, ExplosiveThere are some really fun landing spots…
(#Bengals? #Chargers? #Broncos? #Patriots? #Rams? #Chiefs??) https://t.co/M4udmb1Vlb pic.twitter.com/DH8rXgLfMu— SCOUTD (@scoutdnfl) February 14, 2025
Yet this trait is consistently underrated, and guys who look like they're running through mud are praised because they got separation on a three-yard out route against coverage that's 10 yards away. Loveland has no such issues. He moves extremely well for a 6-foot-5, 245-pound TE. He'll make an immediate impact, and if he's able to develop further, he could become one of the NFL's premier pass-catching tight ends.
That's massive for fantasy football. Loveland is a fantastic pick and quite the steal here. He's worth taking in the first round, easily.
2.05 - Jayden Higgins, WR, Iowa State
Higgins is the second-best WR in this class (considering if Hunter doesn't play full-time at wideout, but who knows). He's a fluid mover, a great route-runner, and moves very well for a wideout, not even considering that he's 6-foot-4 and 216 pounds.
Jayden Higgins is a WR prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.87 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 46 out of 3408 WR from 1987 to 2025.
Splits projected, times unofficial.https://t.co/bew6rmnwBD pic.twitter.com/iOEFCg0HFX
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 1, 2025
This is fantastic news. He'll be a huge steal. He profiles and plays similarly to Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins, with a little less deep speed and explosiveness, but 90 percent of Collins is more than enough to be an elite pick in the second round. Higgins is another huge steal.
Jayden Higgins is an incredibly smooth route runner at 6’4 215lbs with excellent hands, physicality, and contested catch ability.
Has a little Nico Collins to his game 👀 pic.twitter.com/jliz8K5H1r
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) January 11, 2025
Without question, he's better than McMillan, Egbuka, Burden, and Golden. Many fantasy managers will experience some form of depression when they look back and see who they chose over this ISU product.
2.06 - Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado
The question remains whether Hunter will get significant snaps at wide receiver. We really don't know yet. He has the highest athletic ceiling of the wideouts in this class, and if he plays the majority of his time in that position and develops there, he should have some monster seasons.
Travis Hunter = Tempo King
He manipulates his defenders with speed transitions, tempo, and footwork.
Special talent.pic.twitter.com/uGkOR4sn49
— Snoog's Fantasy HQ (@FFSnoog) January 16, 2025
He has the best combination of fluidity, explosiveness, body control, and ability to manipulate his burst in this class. It's just a matter of whether he'll be able to use it. The risk is priced in here.
2.07 - Devin Neal, RB, Kansas
Neal is a solid RB that should occupy a role in a committee at some point within the next two years. I doubt he ends up being the workhorse back unless he goes to a team that has a serious lack of talent at the RB position. There are landing spots where he could produce nicely, so keep an eye out for those. He doesn't have the explosiveness to be a league winner unless he gets a ton of volume.
2.08 - Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State
Royals is another mediocre route-runner that the community swears is elite because of a few gimmicky routes that got separation against poor competition. He's a speedster, but he's not a good separator. It will be tough for him to find consistent success at the next level.
2.09 - Cam Skattebo, RB, Arizona State
Skattebo's biggest concern is his speed and explosiveness. On tape, you see a back that likely doesn't run any faster than a 4.6, so it's no surprise that he didn't run at the combine. His vertical jump (39.5 inches) was impressive, and his broad jump (10-foot-3-inches) was solid, but the speed is a major concern.
But he's shifty and elusive, plays with great strength, is a good tackle-breaker, rarely gives up on plays, and has excellent lateral agility. He should find a decent role, though you shouldn't expect him to hit any home runs. He's much better at dodging defenders in space than backs like Henderson and Judkins (who's a bowling ball and nothing else).
Skattebo can be a good fantasy option if he gets the volume for it, and depending on where he goes, that could easily happen. However, teams will likely want to retain at least one more explosive option than him. Keep an eye on the rosters he's on. He should be able to outplay many backs with similar speed, so the barrier will become if the team has a guy who runs 4.4 or faster.
2.10 - RJ Harvey, RB, UCF
Harvey, like Tuten, is a back that benefitted greatly from his combine performance. The UCF product ran an official 4.40-second 40-yard dash, logged 38 inches on the vertical jump, and leapt 10-feet-7-inches for his broad jump. He's an elite RB prospect that's being massively overlooked for other backs that possess nowhere near his skill set. But he didn't go to a bigger school, so he's being slept on.
RJ Harvey has elite lateral quickness in tight spaces.
Forced 69 missed tackles placing him 8th in all of college football.
His 22 rushing touchdowns was 3rd most in 2024 pic.twitter.com/qGdc2v84GN
— PeteNova (@SuperrNova38) January 27, 2025
Harvey is my RB3 because he is at least the third-best back in this class. I may move him to RB2 ahead of Jeanty. He's 24 years old but is an elite pick to make in Dynasty. His value should skyrocket after Year 1 if he gets the volume for it. He's one of my league-winner players. So you should draft him.
2.11 - Brashard Smith, RB, SMU
Smith's abilities as a receiver, his explosiveness, and his quick feet will make him a big steal here. He's one of my top RB sleepers in this class, along with Harvey and Tuten. If you get Smith in the second round, you should do just fine, though in most drafts, he'll probably fall further.
I just had to put him here because he's being massively disrespected right now for how good he is. He's a league-winner in waiting. He profiles and plays similarly to Miami Dolphins RB De'Von Achane.
2.12 - Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss
Finally! The best quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft class, Dart, had a fantastic season in 2024, despite missing his No. 1 wideout, the aforementioned Harris, for much of the season. Dart had very little to work with, yet showed that he's the best QB against pressure and has the best understanding of the fundamentals of the game at the quarterback position in this class.
Stop what you’re doing and watch this throw by Jaxson Dart 🎯 pic.twitter.com/X7Pi3hbuN9
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) February 14, 2025
Sanders and Ward are the flashier guys and do fine when the heat isn't on. Guess what. In the NFL, there are insanely talented pass-rushers that are faster, bigger, and far stronger than most QBs that are out to take your head off. Playing under this pressure isn't something that Sanders or Ward does well. Physical tools aside, sometimes playing quarterback can get ugly.
Dart is a huge, huge steal. Getting the best quarterback in the class in the second round shouldn't be a thing, but it is.
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