8 Under-the-Radar 2025 NFL Draft Prospects Who Will Go Higher Than Expected
In 2025, the idea of overlooked or under-the-radar NFL draft prospects isn't what it once was. But there are always those who surprise based on how high they are ultimately drafted.
Three primary factors—elite athleticism, raw upside and/or positional value—tend to push prospects up the board, even if question marks exist regarding what they put on film.
Organizations often reconcile certain questionable aspects of a player's skill set if the upside and value remain in their favor. Sometimes, specific talent is well worth taking a chance on, even if the potential downside higher compared to other available options.
Eight prospects currently graded outside of the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's top 50 have a legitimate case to break into that range.
QB Will Howard, Ohio State
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Current B/R Ranking: 54th
Quarterbacks are almost always driven up the board. Last year, Washington's Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon's Bo Nix weren't universally viewed as first-round talents, let alone top-12 picks.
A suitable baseline of skills coupled with QB-needy teams can shift the landscape dramatically.
Ohio State's Will Howard has the profile of a prospect teams will love. Basically, he fills the Bill Parcells requirement sheet. For anyone who doesn't know those qualifications, Howard was a three-year starter, played until his senior year, graduated from college, started more than 30 games, posted a number better than a two-to-one touchdown-to-interception ratio and completed more than 60 percent of passes throughout his collegiate career.
Oh, he's a 6'4", 235-pound athlete who led this past year's national championship squad.
Howard can be inconsistent as a passer, especially early in the game when he's amped up. He can also place the ball in harm's way with certain throws. But he's an experienced prospect with a sturdy frame, good arm, excellent movement skills and solid understanding of his job. Those traits make him QB3 on B/R's board and could push him into the early second-round range.
QB Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
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Current B/R Ranking: 58th
Of anyone on this list, Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart has the greatest chance to find himself in the first round because of A) his position and B) his potential.
The error lines between Dart's ceiling and floor as a prospect form a chasm.
No one will deny the 21-year-old's natural throwing ability. Dart can sling it, whether he's working on- or off-platform. He will drive the ball downfield, particularly in the intermediate 10-to-20-yard window. He will make throws where his upper body is disassociated from his lower half.
Clearly, Dart did something right with 4,279 passing yards in 2024, which are the sixth-most in SEC history. He earned the respect of the league's coaches as a first-team All-SEC performer.
The quarterback prospect even adds a little in the run game, with 1,500 rushing yards over the last three seasons. Though he shouldn't be considered a top-notch athlete.
Dart's utilization at the collegiate level is a major sticking point.
Certain throws can be found on the quarterback's tape that translate to the professional game. However, the Rebels offense is mostly made up of simplified, half-field reads where wide receivers are schemed open. Dart did what he was supposed to do by executing the system. At the same time, he looked like a slow processor who could get stuck on reads and often lacked anticipatory traits.
A team with a plan to bring Dart along slowly, as he grows accustomed to the professional game, could benefit greatly by taking the quarterback sooner rather than later. But there's big risk in this investment.
OT Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota
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Current B/R Ranking: 65th
Offensive tackles are always in demand, especially if they can play on a quarterback's blind side.
Granted, the difference between left and right tackles in today's game are negligible. Even so, teams continue to look for those elite athletes.
Among the 2025 class, the incoming crop of offensive tackles runs a little thin in general. Depending on how a team views LSU's Will Campbell, the first-round options among the natural-level tackles include Ohio State's Josh Simmons, who's coming of a torn patellar tendon, and Oregon's Josh Conerly.
Minnesota's Aireontae Ersery could get a long look late in the first or early second depending on how the board falls.
Ersery left the Golden Gophers as a three-year starter at left tackle. He was named first-team All-Big Ten and the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2024.
The 6'6", 331-pound prospect is a thickly built and an athletic blocker. Ersery has an upright playing style that hinders his movement skills to a degree. Yet he tested extremely well at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. In fact, Ersery posted an impressive 9.89 relative athlete score, according to Kent Lee Platte.
Coaches will work with linemen who have the movement skills yet lack technique refinement. Ersery falls into this category. Considering the lineman's powerful frame, athleticism and how teams still view the left tackle spot, Ersery is primed to go much higher than initially anticipated.
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Edge Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College
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Current B/R Ranking: 66th
Help Wanted: Pass-rushers need apply.
Every NFL team is constantly searching for those who can pin their ears back and get to opposing quarterbacks. The Philadelphia Eagles laid forth the latest blueprint of how to win a Super Bowl, and they did so by consistently and relentlessly harassing Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Boston College's Donovan Ezeiruaku is a slippery and productive edge-rusher. He finished second in the nation last year with 16.5 sacks. He's managed 27 over the last three campaigns.
Ezeiruaku's effectiveness is predicated on his ability to bend coupled with a varied pass-rushing repertoire. He's also effective when asked to slant and loop depending on the defensive call. As such, he can immediately enter a lineup as a pass-rush specialist, which automatically raises his profile.
Teams will assess the edge-defender's negatives and understand the 248-pounder will need to improve his play-strength. He'll struggle if asked to consistently hold the point of attack as an every-down defender.
But the reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year will enter the professional ranks with a simple order from his coaching staff: Go get the quarterback. Ezeiruaku is more than capable of doing so, which should intrigue an organization enough to take him relatively early despite lacking a well-rounded skill set.
CB Quincy Riley, Louisville
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Current B/R Ranking: 71st
Louisville's Quincy Riley isn't going to ring a lot of bells when it comes to many of things that typically get people excited during the predraft process. Yet his consistent skill set makes him someone who fits well at the next level.
As the cliche goes, "A team can never have too many good corners." Well, Riley is a quality cover corner, even if he isn't particularly elite in any specific area.
The second-team All-ACC defender is 5'11" and 194 pounds, with 31-inch arms. He's not overly explosive after running a solid 4.48-second 40-yard dash. Yet he's not overwhelmed when locked onto targets.
Riley was one of the top performers at this year's Senior Bowl. He excelled when regularly asked to stick to target in one-on-one drills. The Middle Tennessee transfer is a fluid athlete and shows excellent body control to contort and make plays on the ball—30 combined passes defensed between pass breakups and interceptions over the last two seasons. He constantly competes with assignments all the way down the field. These traits won't go unnoticed when NFL coaches watch his tape.
Riley will need to improve his awareness in zone coverage.
NFL defenses have trended toward lighter boxes, with more people dropping to disguise coverages and confuse opposing quarterbacks. The incoming cornerback does provide man-coverage capabilities, which can expand coverage plans, while coaches can help him get a better grasp of playing in space.
Someone will see one of the better pure corners in this year's class and not wait to select him.
LB Carson Schwesinger, UCLA
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Current B/R Ranking: 83rd
UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger didn't open the 2024 season as a starter. Once the Bruins coaching staff made some changes, the redshirt junior finally entered the starting lineup for the first time in his collegiate career, started 10 games and quickly developed into one of the FBS's best linebackers.
Schwesinger, who majored in bioengineering, put in the work to drastically improve on the field and physically after joining the program as a walk-on.
“We see it every day. The way that (Schwesinger) plays this game and the way that he approaches it, it’s all in his training,” UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster told reporters in October. “He’s truly a captain on this team. People respond to him. He might not say much, but actions speak louder than words and they try to follow the way that he leads.”
The first-team All-Big Ten performer finished the 2024 campaign with 136 tackles and nine tackles for loss. He's comfortable playing in space, but he also slices through as a strong run defender.
Schwesinger's biggest obstacle was showing he could retain his athleticism after adding mass. At the NFL Scouting Combine, he weighed 242 pounds—after originally being listed at 210, then 225—while also posting a 39.5-inch vertical.
The linebacker continues on an upward trajectory that shouldn't stop once the draft begins.
OC Jared Wilson, Georgia
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Current B/R Ranking: 86th
When working down this year's list of offensive line prospects, center isn't populated with a lot of options.
Maybe North Dakota State's Grey Zabel goes in the first or second round and then converts from left tackle to center, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Graham Barton did last year.
Otherwise, Georgia's Jared Wilson is the class' best pure center prospect after only one year of starting.
"I sat behind [Sedrick] Van Pran for a very long time," Wilson told Bleacher Report prior to the 2024 campaign. "He was a really, really good mentor. But it was important to me to soak up all of the information that I can with this year [as a starting center] and only one year of eligibility remaining after that.
"I have two ears and one mouth for a reason. I need to use them."
The junior prospect became a stater and flourished as a second-team All-SEC honoree.
However, what really stands out is the 6'3", 310-pounder's athleticism. According to Kent Lee Platte, Wilson posted a 9.98 relative athletic score, which ranks second among all center over the last 38 years.
The Georgia product may lack positional versatility, but that potential sticking point won't matter if a team sees him as its future at center.
CB Darien Porter, Iowa State
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Current B/R Ranking: 109th
The following statement may be shocking to some: 6'3" cornerbacks, who run 4.3-second 40-yard dashes, aren't readily available, unless we're talking about Iowa State's Darien Porter.
While the previous information may be hard to accept, it's the truth. For comparison, the 6'3" Richard Sherman, who redefined the cornerback position over a decade ago, ran a 4.53 prior to the 2011 NFL draft.
Porter is truly a rare athlete. He posted a 9.99 relative athletic score, which ranks top five among cornerbacks since 1987, per Kent Lee Platte. His size and athleticism are simply too tempting for some team to let him slide late into the draft's second or even third day. With arms over 33 inches in length, the 24-year-old prospect can physically overwhelm wide receivers.
As is the case with any larger cornerback, questions exists about hip tightness and sudden movements to react in coverage. Porter is no different. He can be high and tight in his backpedal, with a tendency to rise up through his turn. However, his aforementioned size, length and straight-line speed allow him to make up ground like a Gold Glove center fielder.
Granted, smaller and shiftier receivers may give Porter trouble with quick routes. But his game is predicated on using his length, especially in zone-heavy schemes where he can redirect and condense throwing lanes.
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