2025 NFL Draft: Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Penn State’s Abdul Carter finish atop final prospect rankings

The 2025 NFL Draft is now one day away. The NFL Scouting Combine, all-star events, Pro Days and 30 visits all led to this moment. The work done to evaluate eligible prospects is complete and all that is left is to make the picks. 

In an effort to pull back the curtain and provide fans with an early glimpse at when those players may come off the board, CBSSports.com has compiled its prospect rankings one final time. The big board below is a compilation of individual prospect rankings by Ryan Wilson, Chris Trapasso, Mike Renner and I. 

The presumptive No. 1 overall selection, Miami quarterback Cam Ward, is the No. 3 overall prospect in the final rankings. Colorado’s Travis Hunter has been forecast as both a cornerback and wide receiver. The league has not seen a player capable of playing positions on both sides of the ball at a high level. Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter is the oft-mentioned prospect in line with Hunter when discussing the blue-chip talents available in this draft class. The other prospect that is held in similar regard is Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty; the one and only running back prospect in the top-25 overall. Positional value may not carry him into the Top-5 overall, but there is a small sampling of prospects better at their respective positions than Jeanty. 

It is interesting that the 2025 NFL Draft is not regarded as being particularly strong at offensive tackle and yet three found their way into the top-10 overall. One of the other interesting takeaways is that Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden was able to combat the public narrative that he is sliding down boards. Burden is the second highest rated wide receiver behind Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan and ahead of Texas’ Matthew Golden, Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka. 

The most well-presented group are the edge rushers with five. Notably absent were Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Penn State tight end Tyler Warren. 

One consideration is that, with a limited supply of prospects with first-round grades, there is more variation among prospect rankings from one team or one media outlet to the next. Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart and Sanders are the two other quarterback inside the top-50 overall. 

The second group is noticeably light in regards to the skill positions. North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton is the only running back. Warren is the only tight end. Iowa State’s Jayden Higgins and Egbuka are the only wide receivers. There is no shortage of cornerbacks (5), edge rushers (4) or defensive linemen (4), however. 

Why is understanding the depths of each position and where the runs could potentially occur important? A team may have needs at offensive tackle and edge rusher or defensive line. If they know the latter could be adequately addressed on Day 2, then it could inform their decision to take an offensive tackle on Thursday night.

The rest of the top-100 overall is heavy on the edge rushers (9), offensive tackles (9) and wide receivers (8). Those three positions account for nearly 50% of spots 51-100. There were two other quarterbacks, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Ohio State’s Will Howard, ranked among the top-100 overall. 

The run on running backs is expected to occur on Day 2. After two were among the top-50 overall, an additional three were among the top-100 overall, but many others are expected to hear their names called Friday night. 

To recap the top-100 overall, there were 11 prospects from non-Power 4, and former Pac-12 schools. Recently, I explored the impact of institution of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal on the production of small school draft prospects.

The 2025 NFL Draft is to take place from April 24-26 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. More draft coverage can be found at CBSSports.com, including the weekly mock drafts and a regularly available look at the eligible prospects.