2025 NFL Draft: Updated Scouting Notes and Pro Player Comparisons After CFB Week 2
As the college football campaign progresses, the race toward the 2025 NFL draft becomes increasingly intriguing.
Week 2 provided some standout performances, offering NFL organizations insight into how top prospects are developing in real time.
Players who entered the season with hype have begun to confirm preseason evaluations, while under-the-radar names are rapidly climbing draft boards.
It's the time of the year when breakout stars emerge, and Week 2 gave us no shortage of talking points.
Below, we'll dive into updated scouting notes on several key prospects. We'll also offer pro player comparisons beyond the simplistic height/weight/length similarities to give you an idea of how each prospect's tools and traits could translate to the next level.
Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas
1 of 6
Reminds me of: Derek Carr with elite arm talent
Week 2 Stats: 24/36, 246 yards, 3 TDs v No. 10 Michigan
Impact Play: TD pass to Matthew Golden on 3rd & Goal
Quinn Ewers was nothing short of sensational in Texas' blowout victory in the Big House. For evaluators, it was a game that will hold an immense amount of weight considering the circumstances and atmosphere. But Ewers passed the test with flying colors.
Like Derek Carr coming out of Fresno State, the Texas quarterback is unafraid to push the football to all three levels of a defense, with the poise and confidence to lead an offense.
While Ewers trumps Carr when it comes to pure arm talent and the ability to deliver throws with zip at every arm angle, the two are similar in the ways they won under center. Ewers' touch over the middle of the field and ability to vary his speeds as a thrower are also reminiscent of the four-time Pro Bowler.
Moving forward, the spotlight will only expand around Ewers. The leader of a Longhorns offense that has totaled 83 points in its first two outings, his ability to both push the football vertically while moving the chains with efficiency will remain paramount toward finalizing his evaluation.
Texas will host UTSA in Week 3.
Potential NFL Fits: New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders
Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
2 of 6
Reminds me of: Dalvin Cook with the contact balance of Javonte Williams
Week 2 Stats: 25 Carries, 192 yards, 3 TDs @ No. 7 Oregon
Impact Play: 70-yd TD run
Arguably the Heisman favorite through two weeks, Ashton Jeanty has also put himself in the conversation to be the top ball-carrier taken come spring next year.
His nine touchdowns through two weeks (six in Week 1) are more than a long list of Power Four programs in totality, and his production thus far this could be an appetizer for what's to come.
Like Dalvin Cook, Jeanty's powerful yet elusive build allows him to run around and through opponents. His vision and explosiveness in the open field is also reminiscent of Cook during his days at Florida State, painting the picture of a well-rounded skill set at the position.
In addition, at 215 pounds, the Boise State star's ability to run through arm tackles via a powerful lower half and low pad level shows flashes of Javonte Williams during his time at North Carolina.
While Jeanty's rate of production is impossible to keep up for an entire campaign, his ability to attack loaded boxes and find his way to the end zone showcases one of the nation's elite at the position.
Potential NFL Fits: Baltimore Ravens, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders
Nick Martin, LB, Oklahoma State
3 of 6
Reminds me of: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
Week 2 Stats: 16 tackles (8 solo), 4.5 TFLs v Arkansas
If you haven't watched Nick Martin fly around for Oklahoma State, make an appointment to do so in the next few weeks.
Similar to Owusu-Koramoah years ago, the questions over Martin's overall size could hamper his draft projection. However, when you flip on the tape and study the impact he has from sideline to sideline, it's very reminiscent of Owusu-Koramoah's game out of Notre Dame.
Martin's mold is where the linebacker position is moving at the NFL level. He has the instincts and tackling ability to live at LB on run downs, the athleticism to cover RBs and TEs in space, and the electric trigger and movement skills to live on all three downs at varying depths.
His portfolio was on full display in Week 2, chasing down Razorbacks QB Taylen Green in space, only to defeat blocks and wrangle down ball-carriers behind the line of scrimmage.
A preseason All-American, Martin remains one of the premier off-ball 'backers in the country whose projection could land him as the green dot inside an NFL defense down the road.
Potential NFL Fits: Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, Washington Commanders
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Desmond Reid, RB, Pittsburgh
4 of 6
Reminds me of: Bucky Irving with the explosiveness of Keaton Mitchell
Week 2 Stats: 19 carries, 148 yards, 0 TDs // 6 receptions, 106 yards, 1 TD v Cincinnati
Impact Plays: 56-yard TD reception
A transfer from Western Carolina, Desmond Reid has been one of college football's best stories early in the 2024 campaign.
Like his pro comparisons above, the Pitt player is a threat to take it the distance every time he touches the football, with the nuance and physicality to also lead a running backs room.
He isn't the biggest prospect in the country, but his ability to threaten teams both as a ball-carrier and in space has showcased a name to keep an eye on in what is expected to be a historic class of running backs, should he declare (true junior).
Projecting him as a lead back within an NFL attack would be rich at this point in time, but similar to both Irving (Oregon) and Mitchell (East Carolina), Reid's skill set could provide a jolt of electricity into a backfield in need of a chess piece.
Upcoming matchups against West Virginia and North Carolina will be the biggest tests thus far in his collegiate career.
Potential NFL Fits: Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers
Jack Sawyer, Edge, Ohio State
5 of 6
Reminds me of: Sam Hubbard with shades of George Karlaftis
Week 2 Stats: Six pressures, three hits, two hurries, one sack v Western Michigan
Ohio State hasn't faced anyone yet (Akron and Western Michigan), but Jack Sawyer has been as advertised early in his senior season.
Like Hubbard, a former Ohio State standout in his own right, the 22-year-old's balance of setting the edge in the run with nuanced technique as a pass-rusher showcase a well-refined prospect.
Sawyer won't challenge anyone as the most explosive, flexible or twitched up pass-rusher in the 2025 class, but his ability to play consistent football has remained on display in abundance through two games.
Similar to Karlaftis out of Purdue, Sawyer's power and technique-driven game showcase a high floor as a prospect.
While teams, like they did with Karlaftis, could prioritize speed and bend early in the draft over Sawyer, his game will not require an extended grace period to translate to the NFL.
Potential NFL Fits: Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills
Honorable Mention
6 of 6
Collin Oliver, Edge, Oklahoma State: Five pressures, three hurries, sack v Arkansas (suffered foot injury in Week 2).
Andrew Mukuba, Safety, Texas: Three tackles, three catches allowed (five targets) v Michigan.
DJ Giddens, RB, Kansas State: 19 carries, 114 yards // 4 catches, 63 yards, 1 TD v Tulane.
Jack Nelson, OT, Wisconsin: Two pressures allowed in 69 pass pro snaps through two weeks.
Kyle Kennard, Edge, South Carolina: Three pressures, two hurries, sack v Kentucky.
Oronde Gadsden II, TE/WR, Syracuse: Six catches (eight targets), 93 yards, two TDs v Georgia Tech.
Dylan Sampson, RB, Tennessee: 20 carries, 132 yards, two TDs // 3 catches, 37 receiving yards v NC State
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
