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Matt's top 2025 NFL Draft prospects. His NFL Draft big board for the 30-21 ranked players. Read the NFL Draft expert analysis, rankings, and breakdown.
Turn off social media and block out the noise. NFL teams are going to start setting off smoke screens in an attempt to cover up their intentions come draft day.
After months of overanalyzing, breaking down film, and yelling at your buddies about who the best running back is in the 2025 NFL Draft, the wait will soon be over.
Here is my RotoBaller Big Board, where we will break down the Top 50 NFL Draft prospects leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft. Here, we take a closer look at my Big Board and those draft prospects ranked from 21 to 30. For a deeper dive into dynasty strategy, rankings, and trade tactics, be sure to check out our complete Dynasty Fantasy Football Guide.
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Top NFL Draft Prospects: 30-21
30. Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
Matthew Golden is a big play waiting to happen whenever he steps on the field. He's the type of player offensive coordinators can manufacture touches for; he's like the NFL's version of the "torpedo bat."
Expect Golden to continue to operate from the slot, but don't let his size fool you as he plays bigger than his 5-foot-11, 191-pound frame would have you believe. Golden is more than willing to go into high-traffic areas of the field and win with physicality. Golden has proved to be a weapon, producing consistently at all three levels with an elite understanding of leverage and tempo within his routes.
Matthew Golden’s Advanced Analytics:
➖HIGHER Y/Rec than Tetairoa McMillan (17.0)
➖HIGHER CTC % than Emeka Egbuka (61.1%)
➖LOWER Drop Rate than Tre Harris (6.5%)Golden had 7 Formal Meetings including the Bills, Packers, Bengals, Cardinals, Steelers, Rams, and the Cowboys.. pic.twitter.com/3PobsbUkEk
— Austin Abbott (@AustinAbbottFF) April 3, 2025
When Isaiah Bond was active, Bond was the primary weapon for the Longhorns' attack. However, when Golden was allowed to be the true No. 1, he took that opportunity and made the most of it.
29. Grey Zabel, OT, North Dakota State
Grey Zabel is another versatile offensive lineman who can play anywhere along the offensive line. He played all five offensive line positions throughout his collegiate career at North Dakota State, including last season at left tackle. Zabel will most likely kick back inside at guard as he transitions to the NFL, as his nasty ground and pound make him best suited to anchor the interior.
There weren't too many reps in which someone got the better of him during his time in Mobile, Ala., where he proved to be one of the top linemen attending the Senior Bowl.
28. Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
Whatever you are looking for in a running back prospect, Omarion Hampton has that in spades. Size? Hampton has plenty of that. At 220 pounds, he proved he could handle a heavy workload, carrying the ball 534 times for 3,163 yards and 30 touchdowns over his final two seasons in Chapel Hill. Hampton also has some experience in the passing game, as he finished that same period with 67 receptions for 595 yards.
Omarion Hampton is such a good example of a RB getting rewarded for reading his keys. LB overruns the pullers, Hampton stays north and he's off. https://t.co/8gtIKuenjD pic.twitter.com/ghe0kGxDoc
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) April 3, 2025
While Ashton Jeanty is getting all the headlines, Hampton is bringing David Johnson-type vibes to this year's draft. Opposing defenders will need to wrap him up, which is easier said than done, considering business decisions are likely to be made at the second and third levels. Of Hampton's 1,660 rushing yards last season, 1,222 of those came after contact while forcing 73 missed tackles.
27. Mykel Williams, Edge, Georgia
If not for an injury that Mykel Williams suffered early on during the 2024 campaign, the Georgia edge-rusher would have been higher on many big boards across the league. It's hard to get a proper evaluation on Williams, as that ankle injury limited what he was able to showcase this past year. However, there is no denying that Williams possesses all the physical traits needed to succeed in the NFL.
Not only does Williams have the ability to flip the script as an edge-rusher, but he is also very good at setting the edge against the run and plays with unprecedented power to avoid being locked up. Against Texas, Williams totaled four sacks in those two contests, showing he can be a dominant force.
26. Walter Nolen, DT, Mississippi
In an incredibly strong defensive line draft, Walter Nolen is another player who has flown under the radar. Nolen was an absolute monster for Ole Miss, showing an ability to get off the ball and shoot the gap quickly. The wild part of Nolen's game is that no matter how disruptive he has proved to be, he has yet to reach his full potential. This is coming off a 6.5-sack, 48-tackle season.
With some coaching, Nolen will continue his ascension as he learns to locate the ball and improve his vision. Even a diamond needs a little polishing before it shines. Nolen could end up being the most productive tackle in this class.
25. Shemar Stewart, Edge, Texas A&M
Speaking of perfection, Shemar Stewart, like Nick Emmanwori, posted a perfect 10.00 relative athletic score and ranked first among defensive end prospects dating back to 1987. Stewart lacked production in college, but his film showed plenty of upside. His explosiveness, power, and ability to affect a game without necessarily getting his name on the stat sheet were on display.
Plenty of people have voiced their concerns, but Stewart silenced many with a solid outing at the Reese's Senior Bowl, where he had a productive week in front of the decision-makers.
24. Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
Nick Emmanwori is the very definition of an athletic freak. At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, the former Gamecock is already an imposing figure. With that size and checking in at the combine with a 4.38 40-yard time, Emmanwori has elite traits at the safety position, and his 88 tackles and four interceptions a season ago show that he has the production profile as well.
With Emmanwori's ball skills, he fits the mold as a strong safety but has enough athleticism to add value to his future employer as a nickel or as a linebacker in sub packages who can matchup up against some of these hybrid tight ends we see more of every year.
Emmanwori scored a perfect 10.00 relative athletic score, which ranked him first among safeties between 1987 and 2025. He would have also registered a perfect score as a free safety and at cornerback.
Nick Emmanwori Combine Results (Percentile)
•Height: 6-foot-3 (97th)
•Weight: 220 pounds (96th)
•40-yard-dash: 4.39* (91st)
•Vertical: 43 inches (98th)
•Broad jump: 11-foot-6 (99th)Perfect 10.00 RAS https://t.co/67ZEbBINUW pic.twitter.com/9mGHOje52D
— Ross Jackson (@RossJacksonNOLA) April 3, 2025
23. Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon
Derrick Harmon is a game-changer on the interior. In every game he played last season, he found a way to affect the outcome by being a disruptive force. Harmon put on a clinic last season, displaying a combination of speed and power. He led the nation in interior pressures (55) and was second in pressure rate among defensive tackles (10.7 percent), adding five sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss.
In the run game, despite being double-teamed, Harmon would anchor down and close off gaps, disperse any blocks, and more often than not, shoot the gap himself and make a play.
22. Donovan Ezeiruaku, Edge, Boston College
From one edge-rusher to another. Despite being undersized, Donovan Ezeiruaku can ball. The tape doesn't lie, and if Ezeiruaku begins to bend, you are already beat. The former Eagle recorded 16.5 sacks in 2024 while attending Boston College, adding 60 quarterback pressures and 20 quarterback hits to his resume.
Ezeiruaku often wins by using his burst and length to pin opposing quarterbacks in the backfield with nowhere to go but down. He can also cross opposing tackles up before they know it and flashes elite lateral quickness to come back inside after attacking that outside shoulder -- it's almost indefensible. On the backside, he is just as relentless in using his speed to track down the ball-carrier in the backfield.
Has anyone comped Donovan Ezeiruaku to Brian Burns yet?
In conclusion, we should draft him. pic.twitter.com/nbD9hlpl94
— Eli Berkovits (@BookOfEli_NFL) April 2, 2025
21. James Pearce Jr., Edge, Tennessee
James Pearce Jr. can do whatever he wants if he chooses to. Pearce was productive at Tennessee, producing 65 tackles, 19 sacks, and 101 pressures these past two seasons, performing at a high level in the SEC. Coming off the edge, he was a nightmare for both opposing quarterbacks and tackles, often gaining an edge within his first three steps.
Pearce posted a relative athletic score of 9.40 with his combine performance, largely thanks to his 4.47 40-yard time at 245 pounds. In just 13 games a season ago, Pearce had 43 hurries, four hits, and eight sacks and is the only edge-rusher in the draft to post back-to-back pass-rush pressure rates greater than 20 percent.
In a game against Alabama, Pearce would finish with 10 pressures, a pass-rush win rate of 28.1 percent, and 1.5 sacks. Talent and production matter, and Pearce has both.
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