NFL
By: Greg Rector
This is my first article as the newest NFL Draft Analyst for TeamNBSMedia, and I look forward to your feedback on everything I write about the NFL Draft. With that said, I don’t believe any of these draft prospects will be the next great thing. After all, not a snap has happened.
This list is simply a preliminary start, so if your favorite player from a Big Ten team isn’t listed, by the time the NFL Draft takes place next April, congratulate yourself for loving a player from your favorite college team. Now, as everyone knows, I am a Notre Dame Fighting Irish fan, but I do my best to be as impartial as anyone who looks at draft prospects needs to be.
Top 20 2025 NFL Draft Prospects for the Big Ten.
Will Johnson CB Michigan
There’s little doubt that Will Johnson, who stands at 6″2″ and weighs 202lbs, is the number one Corner as I write this for the 2025 NFL Draft. Johnson played very well against Marvin Harrison Jr. when the Wolverines beat the Buckeyes last season. Patience, quick reactions, and tremendous competitiveness mean Johnson will likely get picked in the top ten at the 2025 NFL Draft.
There I am, proving my non-bias right off the top by choosing a player from “That School Up North,” as I refer to that place.
Mason Graham, DT Michigan
Yes, another Wolverine, folks. Graham is a 6’3″ 318 monster and the first guy in line for being the top DT drafted in the 2025 NFL draft. He plays much lighter than someone who weighs 320lbs and uses his hands very well for a college player.
Please don’t get mad at me for including Running Backs in my list of top 20 prospects. This year’s draft class has many excellent RBs.
TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State
Had TreVeyon declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, he would have ranked higher than Johnathan Brooks and Trey Benson, my top two RBs. Henderson is 5’11” 213 lbs, and he has excellent receiving skills and a great zest for finding open lanes to run in.
Nicholas Singleton, RB, Penn State
Singleton is another RB with excellent skills. His rushing numbers went down last season compared to his 2022 numbers. Yet I believe that Singleton has the skills to be considered an excellent prospect for the 2025 NFL Draft. He stands at 6′ and weighs 227lbs.
Abdul Carter Edge Penn State
Carter has played linebacker for the Nittany Lions for the last two seasons. This season, he will become an Edge player full-time. 6’3″, 250 lbs and this man will hurt you in more ways than most people think. He moves and uses his hands very nicely. With a whole season playing the Edge, I expect Carter to be one of the top 20 players in this NFL Draft.
Colston Loveland, TE Michigan
Loveland was undoubtedly a feature receiver for the Wolverines in their championship run in 2024. The 6’5″ 245 lb tight end combines excellent blocking skills, and his route running was also solid. 45 catches, 649 yards, and 4 TDs.
Tired of seeing players from the usual schools? I am, so here’s another TE from Tight End University, the University of Iowa.
Luke Lachey, TE Iowa
Lachey has all the prerequisites the NFL loves to see in Tight Ends. He stands at 6’6″ and weighs around 255 lbs. He is also the son of former NFL defensive Jim Lachey. His skill set regarding running routes needs to be improved, but you can’t question his blocking skills.
Notice I haven’t named any Offensive Tackles as of yet? I don’t see many great OTs in the Big Ten this season. That’s mainly due to the significant number of OTs drafted last season.
Josh Conerly, OT Oregon
Here is an exception to the lack of OTs in the group of my top 20 NFL Draft prospects. Conerly played every game last season and gave up just one sack as the left tackle for the Ducks. He stands at 6’4″ and weighs 305 lbs.
Ajani Cornelius, OT Oregon
The right tackle for the Ducks last season is another exception to the lack of high-talent offensive tackles. Cornelius is a 6″5″ 310 lb, and he was just as solid as Conerly was for the Ducks offensive line last season.
Also, I noticed I didn’t name any wide receiver. Well, that changes right now.
Emeka Egbuka, WR Ohio State
Egbuka would have been drafted last season, but his injury-riddled season put that idea out of his mind. Egbuka threatened opposing offenses at all three levels, and if he remains healthy this season, I expect him to be a highly drafted-wide receiver.
Kenneth Grant, DT Michigan
Yet another Wolverine DT, who is even more significant than Mason Graham on the weight scale. He stands at 6’3″ and weighs in at 339 lbs.
Tyleik Williams, DT Ohio State
If Williams had declared for the NFL Draft last season, he would have been taken higher than last year’s teammate, Micahel Hall Jr., who was taken in the second draft round by the Cleveland Browns. 6’3″, 320 lbs, and this is one mean man.
Donovan Jackson, IOL Ohio State
Jackson has already played 26 games as the Buckeyes starting left guard. He is 6’4″ and 320 lb, and like I am always fond of saying on TEAMNBSMedia Draft Central show, this is one guy I want to stand by me if I were in a dark alley. He would have been drafted quite highly in last year’s draft, and if he remains healthy, I fully expect Donovan Jackson to be one of the first Interior Offensive Linemen drafted.
Dani Dennis-Sutton, Edge Penn State
Here is a vast Edge player, 6’5″, 270lbs, and this young man is one tough hombre. In 2023, Dennis-Sutton’s on-field exposure was sporadic at times, but the talented defender felt his presence nonetheless with 26 tackles, 3.5 sacks, six total TFLs, a pass breakup, and two forced fumbles. He takes over from Chop Robinson, and with the other edge players that Penn State has produced, I fully expect to hear Dani Dennis-Sutton’s name being called early on.
Jaishawn Braham, LB Michigan
Sorry to all the Wolverine haters out there, but they have many great players on their roster yet again. The 6’3″ 248lb linebacker takes the place of Junior Colson. This young man is a beast unto himself.
Evan Stewart, WR Oregon
Stewart might be one of the best wide receivers in this draft class. Don’t be fooled by his 6′ 175lb frame. This receiver displays excellent short-area quickness and can punish defenders at all three levels. His separation is something magical to watch. I would even look at giving him the ball out of the backfield.
Ephesians Prysock, CB Washington
Prysock played at Arizona last season and joins his head coach, Jedd Frisch, as the Huskies play in a rebuilding season. Prysock, though, carries his 6’4″ frame with just 190 lbs, and he needs to increase his size. If he can be the CB1, many feel he can, and his name will be called at the NFL Draft in 2025.
Gabe Jacas, Edge Illinois
Bret Bielsma’s defenses have seen several players drafted quite highly, and Jacas should join the likes of Devon Witherspoon. My favorite DT in last year’s class, Johnny Newton, is the next Fighting Illini’s draft pick. Jacas stands at 6’3″ and weighs around 250lbs.
He logged 35 tackles, four sacks, and five tackles for loss in 2022, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition in addition to his other accolades.
In 2023, Jacas’ production stagnated, and he only matched his sack total from the previous year. But with the other guys long gone from Champaign, Illinois, Jacas will be a force.
Xavier Nwankpa, S Iowa
The in-state product started Iowa’s bowl game in 2022, earning a 52-yard pick-six in his first starting action. In 2023, he became a full-time starter as a sophomore — amassing 42 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, an interception, and two pass breakups. This young man is draft-eligible as a 20-year-old, and if his form holds and he does declare for the 2025 NFL Draft, this safety should have his name called out before the end of night two.
Sebastian Castro CB Iowa
In 2023, Castro accumulated 67 tackles, eight TFLs, a sack, three interceptions, eight pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a defensive touchdown. Playing the team’s hybrid slot role, he earned second-team All-Big Ten honors and All-American buzz. He takes over on the outside this season, replacing Cooper DeJean.
Here’s my list of the Top 20 NFL Draft prospects from the Big Ten. Now, we wait and see how many of these players perform or don’t get injured and see their promising careers come crashing down.
Watch for more NFL Draft Analysis coming soon from me.
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