2025 NFL Draft: Updated Scouting Notes and Pro Player Comparisons After CFB Week 7
As the college football campaign progresses, the 2025 NFL draft becomes increasingly intriguing.
Week 7 provided a few 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 7 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 simplistic height/weight/length similarities to give you an idea of how each prospect's tools and traits could translate to the next level, and we'll also name few other standouts from play around the country.
Advanced stats via Pro Football Focus.
James Pearce Jr., Edge, Tennessee
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Reminds Me Of: David Ojabo
Week 7 Stats: 7 tackles, 2 pressures, 1 TFL, 1 FF, 1 FR, 0.5 sacks vs. Florida
Impact Play: Forced fumble and fumble recovery
Week 7 was used as a bit of a coming out party for James Pearce Jr. Projected as one of the premier pass-rushers in the 2025 draft class, his impact against Florida was long overdue.
He was everywhere: up and down the line of scrimmage, in the backfield and in the fringe areas. Florida doubled Pearce on occasion to limit his impact off the ball, yet his explosiveness and instincts consistently put him in spots to make plays on the football.
Similar to Ojabo out of Michigan a few years ago, more refinement has been warranted in Pearce's game. The size, length and twitch are all there, yet fine-tuning the details in his game (pass rush approach, hand counters, ability to play with power) will assist in his ability to reach his lofty performance ceiling.
Pearce's showing in Week 7 could be used as a springboard for what's to come.
Potential NFL Fits: Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders
Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
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Reminds Me Of: Andy Dalton with a higher athletic profile
Week 6 Stats: 22/51, 337 yards, 3 TDs vs. Ole Miss
Impact Plays: TD pass in closing seconds, OT winner to Kyren Lacy
Garrett Nussmeier continues to play well week after week. Just a fortnight removed from a 352-yard, three-touchdown performance against UCLA, he led LSU in an upset of the then-No. 9 ranked Ole Miss Runnin' Rebels.
While his night started off slowly (he began the game completing one of his first six passes), his ability to power through adversity showcased the makeup of a potential QB1 at the next level. Similar to Dalton, Nussmeier touts the arm talent and creativity as a thrower to lead an offense at a high level and with a similar build.
While the skill set of Nussmeier is vastly different to the one Tigers fans have watched over the past two seasons (Jayden Daniels), his knack for understanding how to attack certain coverage rotations and open space has seen his game continue to thrive.
The 22-year-old has become a name to highlight every week as LSU continues to rise in the rankings.
Potential NFL Fits: Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins
Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
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Reminds Me Of: Theo Johnson
Week 7 Stats: 17 catches (20 targets), 224 yards, 1 TD vs USC
Down 14 at halftime and on the road, escaping the L.A. Memorial Coliseum looked far-fetched for the top five-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions. Someone needed to step up to get them back in the football game.
A senior from Mechanicsville, Virginia, Tyler Warren was nothing short of sensational against the Trojans, hauling in 17 passes (most ever in a single game for an FBS TE) for over 220 yards and a trip to paydirt.
He also caught a touchdown pass on the same play he snapped the ball, which is a first even in the college landscape.
Similarly built to fellow Penn State product Theo Johnson (New York Giants), Warren has used 2024 as a springboard to leapfrog other athletes in his positional pool.
Potential NFL Fits: Los Angeles Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Commanders, New Orleans Saints
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Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa
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Reminds Me Of: Brian Robinson Jr. and a little of Breece Hall (one-cut explosiveness)
Week 7 Stats: 21 carries, 166 yards, 2 TDs, 3 catches, 22 yards, 1 TD vs. Washington
Impact Play: 18-yard TD catch
Another name to know in what projects to be a historic pool of talent at RB, Kaleb Johnson continues to be everything for the Iowa offense.
A physical and well-built athlete, he leads the Big Ten in rushing through seven weeks (932 yards) and is third in the nation with 12 touchdowns. He is also averaging a gaudy 8.0 yards per carry on 117 attempts (ninth in CFB).
Like Brian Robinson Jr. and Breece Hall, Johnson's powerful yet elusive build allows him to create both inside and outside the tackles and pass-block well. In space, like Hall, he also has the get up and go to outrun corners and safeties in open grass.
Potential NFL Fits: Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings
Derrick Harmon, DL, Oregon
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Reminds Me Of: Bryan Bresee with 10 more pounds of body mass
Week 7 Stats: 3 pressures, 3 hurries, 2 tackles vs. Ohio State
What a Week 7 it was for Oregon, taking down the then-No. 2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes inside a raucous Autzen Stadium.
While the numbers and underlying analytics won't jump off the page like some of his other outings (watch his Boise State tape), Derrick Harmon was everywhere, all the time and all at once against the Buckeyes.
Similar to Bresee, he touts an excellent blend of size and twitch at 6'5", 310 pounds, and his ability to clog gaps on early downs, as well as rush the passer on long down-and-distances, will hold weight for prospective NFL clubs.
Potential NFL Fits: Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys
Other Notable Standouts
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Kyren Lacy, WR, LSU: 5 catches (13 targets), 111 yards, 1 TD vs. Ole Miss
Tawee Walker, RB, Wisconsin: 24 carries, 198 yards, three TDs vs. Rutgers
Jamal Haynes, RB, Georgia Tech: 19 carries, 170 yards, 2 TDs vs. North Carolina
Jack Endries, TE, California: 8 receptions (8 targets), 119 yards, 1 TD vs. Pitt
Kobe Hudson, WR, UCF: 7 catches (13 targets), 114 yards, 1 TD vs. Cincinnati
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