10 schools stacked with NFL draft prospects: A college football cheat sheet for draftniks
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The first week of the 2024 college football season is less than a month away, and NFL draft evaluators are already making plans to visit schools.
Over the next five months, scouts and front office execs will hit the road to watch prospects, talk to coaches and begin building their boards for the class of 2025.
But which schools will they visit most? We picked the 10 programs most stacked with 2025 prospects. These are the schools that will likely send the most players to the pros next April — and the ones you should watch closely over the next few months.
We sorted them into three tiers, in which we considered the number of draft prospects overall and how many of those playmakers will be first-rounders.
Tier 1
Georgia Bulldogs
Top prospect to know: Mykel Williams, Edge
Sleeper prospect to watch: Jared Wilson, C
Game circled on the schedule: at Texas, Oct. 19
Georgia is again loaded with NFL talent starting with quarterback Carson Beck, who could go No. 1 in the upcoming draft.
Beck has prototypical size at 6-foot-4, 230 pounds and finished his first season as a starter with 3,941 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions.
He tied for the nation’s quickest release time last season at 2.38 seconds and completed 72.4% of his passes (fourth best).
“Think [Jared] Goff coming out of Cal. They have a lot of similarities,” said an NFC southeast area scout responsible for scouting Georgia.
Williams, meanwhile, enters the season as the No. 1 overall player on my preseason board. The 6-foot-5, 265-pound edge rusher is an NFL-ready defender, and switching from defensive end to outside linebacker this season should provide him more opportunities to rush the passer after 4.5 sacks in 2023.
“Can he finally put it all together this year? That’s literally the million-dollar question,” an NFC scouting director said about Williams.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Top prospect to know: Denzel Burke, CB
Sleeper prospect to watch: Josh Simmons, OT
Game circled on the schedule: at Oregon, Oct. 12
The Buckeyes’ draft class starts with Burke. After an inconsistent, injury-riddled 2022 season, the 6-foot-1, 193-pound corner rebounded to his freshman form, allowing a mere 38.5% completion percentage as the primary defender in 2023.
If he’s able to repeat that performance, Burke will likely finish as a mid-to-late first-round pick. Fellow defensive backs Davison Igbinosun, Jordan Hancock and Lathan Ransom have a mixture of Day 2 and Day 3 grades.
Senior edge rushers JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer are surprise returnees, as they were expected to declare for the 2024 draft. They’re currently seen as Day 2 prospects, but scouts view Tuimoloau’s upside as greater because of his burst and NFL-ready power in his hands.
“If we could make every game the Penn State game, he’d be an easy top-15 pick,” an NFC area scout said about Tuimoloau, who has three sacks in his past two games against the Nittany Lions.
Texas Longhorns
Top prospect to know: Kelvin Banks Jr., OT
Sleeper prospect to watch: Trey Moore, Edge
Game circled on the schedule: vs. Georgia, Oct. 19
The Longhorns haven’t had an offensive lineman drafted in the first round since 2002, but Banks — my top-rated offensive tackle — should break that streak.
Banks has allowed only 12 pressures and two sacks in two seasons and is one of the most impressive pass protectors in the country.
He is a physical road grader who creates clear running lanes reminiscent of what Ikem Ekonwu, the No. 6 pick in the 2022 draft, did at NC State. Banks could be picked at a similar spot.
“He gets by a lot off of his natural ability in pass pro, but you can’t coach the natural gifts that he has,” an NFC area scout said.
Tier 2
Michigan Wolverines
Top prospects to know: Mason Graham, DT and Will Johnson, CB
Sleeper prospect to watch: Josaiah Stewart, Edge
Game circled on the schedule: vs. Texas, Sept. 7
The defending national champions set a school record with 13 draftees in April and will have several more in 2025, especially early on.
Graham is my highest-ranked player on the Michigan defense. The 6-foot-3, 318-pound 3-technique is a disruptive force in the middle, as his 8% defensive pressure rate last season ranked within the top 40 of FBS interior defenders.
“No one could block him last year,” an NFC area scout said. “Just go watch him in every big game that they played last year — Ohio State, Alabama or Washington couldn’t do anything to slow him down.”
Graham could be the first defender off the board next April, but Johnson might beat him out. Some evaluators thought the junior cornerback would have been the best defensive prospect in the draft this year if he had been eligible.
Ole Miss Rebels
Top prospect to know: Princely Umanmielen, Edge
Sleeper prospect to watch: Antwane Wells Jr, WR
Game circled on the schedule: vs. Georgia, Nov. 9
The Rebels secured several talented defensive players in the transfer portal, adding Umanmielen, defensive tackle Walter Nolen, linebacker Chris Paul Jr. and cornerback Trey Amos.
The No. 1 high school recruit in 2022, Nolen hasn’t lived up to expectations, but the bursts of potential are impossible to ignore. He could turn into a Round 1 prospect with a bit more consistency.
Umanmielen is arguably the most flexible edge rusher in this draft class, as the 6-foot-5, 255-pounder can make offensive tackles retreat quickly and can win with power. Umanmielen has the traits to become a top-50 pick, but scouts want to see his sack total grow from the seven he had in 2023.
Tier 3
Penn State Nittany Lions
Top prospect to know: Abdul Carter, Edge
Sleeper prospect to watch: Nicholas Singleton, RB
Game circled on the schedule: vs. Ohio State, Nov. 2
The Nittany Lions are again stacked with draft prospects, with Carter leading the way after transitioning from linebacker to edge rusher.
Carter had a 19.5% defensive pressure rate in 42 rushes in 2023 but possesses the upfield burst and quickness that could make him a top-10 pick.
“You see him running around in No. 11 and just making play after play,” said an NFC area scout. “He sort of reminds you of Micah [Parsons] and that’s why [coach James] Franklin’s not waiting to convert him to the edge.”
