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The 2025 NFL Draft may be light when it comes to franchise-changing quarterbacks. That's fine; it's stacked almost everywhere else.
This year's rookie crop is loaded with dynamic playmakers and hosses who can batter each other in the trenches. Like every year, teams will stake their futures on touted blue chip players in the first round before searching for starters and, eventually, bargains later on. This series will unpack those three levels at each major position — except quarterback, where great breakdowns have already proliferated across top-heavy groups (personally, I recommend Ben Solak's player-team pairings over at ESPN, but there's so much good stuff out there).
The goal is to break down one stud, one sleeper and one player who may not have his name called in Green Bay and examine what they bring to the NFL table.
Studs are players with first-round grades. Their inclusion here doesn't necessarily mean they're the best at their position — just that they're worth singling out for a deeper look. Sleepers are prospects slated for selection in the middle or toward the end of the 2025 NFL Draft. REM cycle stars — the deep sleepers — will likely be undrafted free agents after pick No. 257 is read. That's going to create an uphill battle to find a roster spot, but these could be bargain pickups who play key roles for playoff teams.
Let's talk about three guys who could have big NFL impacts from three very different draft positions this spring.
I'm including Hunter as a wideout because I'd rather talk about Will Johnson when we get to the defensive back phase of these breakdowns. The fun thing about this is, well, there's nothing anyone can write that adequately captures witnessing Hunter's explosion with your own eyes.
Hunter's first step when he's reaaallllly trying is ludicrous. He plants and bursts forward with video game speed, getting to the ball with authority and pulling away from opposing cornerbacks with ease. His work as a two-way player means his routes are still raw and he can get thrown off-schedule, making life a little more difficult for his quarterback. But then he tracks the ball like a veteran and, welp, all is forgiven.
Dike was often the only reliable receiving threat in a moribund Wisconsin Badger offense over the first four years of his college career. Then he followed quarterback Graham Mertz to the Sunshine State after being phased out UW's gameplan in 2023 to have a revival season in 2024. His 783 receiving yards last fall were more than half his entire career production in Madison.
Dike is a smooth runner with the size (6-foot-1, about 200 pounds) and route capability to play along the sideline or in the slot. He effortlessly hits an upper crust top speed — he ran a 4.34-second 40-yard dash at the combine — and is equally reliable with short or long targets. He's a trustworthy blocker and high-effort leader who has persevered through less-than-ideal circumstances throughout his college career.
A tendency to remain engaged with cornerbacks too long dings him, as well as the lack of elite production owing, at least in part, to uneven quarterbacking. Despite his top line speed, he's inconsistent after the catch. He can take screens to the house but he can also run into traps that take yards off the board. That's all correctable, however. Even if he doesn't become a big play machine, there's enough Jauan Jennings to his game to make him a reliable contributor.
Let's continue with the theme of leaving for greener pastures. While Dike stuck with his Wisconsin quarterback Mertz (for the most part), Sheppard left a pre-Diego Pavia Vanderbilt offense to play with Shedeur Sanders. That is a remarkable glow-up.
Despite his place in a stacked receivers room (alongside Hunter, Jimmy Horn Jr. and Lajohntay Wester), Sheppard found ways to stand out. He's a technically sound 6-foot-3 target who can put in work deep but is best utilized in the intermediate range. There, his fleshed-out route tree and solid technical skills put him where his quarterback expects for clutch gains. Leave him in zone coverage and he'll find open space. Ask him to come through in the red zone and he'll make a big play (27 career touchdowns, including 17 between 2022 and 2023 at Vandy).
He may not hear his name called in Green Bay because he's a merely average college receiver. He lacks upper tier top end speed (a 4.59-second 40) and the breaks that shook coverage on Saturdays will be much more difficult to pull off on Sundays. He's a possession-type receiver who doesn't win his battles for the ball as consistently as you might like and lacks the size to be a true matchup problem.
Still, he rose up to be a major contributor for the Commodores and proved he can be an important piece in an elite passing offense with the Buffaloes. If Sheppard isn't drafted in 2025, he'll be a priority free agent pickup across the league.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: 2025 NFL Draft WR sleepers and studs, starting with Travis Hunter
Continue reading...
This year's rookie crop is loaded with dynamic playmakers and hosses who can batter each other in the trenches. Like every year, teams will stake their futures on touted blue chip players in the first round before searching for starters and, eventually, bargains later on. This series will unpack those three levels at each major position — except quarterback, where great breakdowns have already proliferated across top-heavy groups (personally, I recommend Ben Solak's player-team pairings over at ESPN, but there's so much good stuff out there).
The goal is to break down one stud, one sleeper and one player who may not have his name called in Green Bay and examine what they bring to the NFL table.
Studs are players with first-round grades. Their inclusion here doesn't necessarily mean they're the best at their position — just that they're worth singling out for a deeper look. Sleepers are prospects slated for selection in the middle or toward the end of the 2025 NFL Draft. REM cycle stars — the deep sleepers — will likely be undrafted free agents after pick No. 257 is read. That's going to create an uphill battle to find a roster spot, but these could be bargain pickups who play key roles for playoff teams.
Let's talk about three guys who could have big NFL impacts from three very different draft positions this spring.
Stud: Travis Hunter, Colorado
I'm including Hunter as a wideout because I'd rather talk about Will Johnson when we get to the defensive back phase of these breakdowns. The fun thing about this is, well, there's nothing anyone can write that adequately captures witnessing Hunter's explosion with your own eyes.
Hunter's first step when he's reaaallllly trying is ludicrous. He plants and bursts forward with video game speed, getting to the ball with authority and pulling away from opposing cornerbacks with ease. His work as a two-way player means his routes are still raw and he can get thrown off-schedule, making life a little more difficult for his quarterback. But then he tracks the ball like a veteran and, welp, all is forgiven.
Sleeper: Chimere Dike
Dike was often the only reliable receiving threat in a moribund Wisconsin Badger offense over the first four years of his college career. Then he followed quarterback Graham Mertz to the Sunshine State after being phased out UW's gameplan in 2023 to have a revival season in 2024. His 783 receiving yards last fall were more than half his entire career production in Madison.
Dike is a smooth runner with the size (6-foot-1, about 200 pounds) and route capability to play along the sideline or in the slot. He effortlessly hits an upper crust top speed — he ran a 4.34-second 40-yard dash at the combine — and is equally reliable with short or long targets. He's a trustworthy blocker and high-effort leader who has persevered through less-than-ideal circumstances throughout his college career.
A tendency to remain engaged with cornerbacks too long dings him, as well as the lack of elite production owing, at least in part, to uneven quarterbacking. Despite his top line speed, he's inconsistent after the catch. He can take screens to the house but he can also run into traps that take yards off the board. That's all correctable, however. Even if he doesn't become a big play machine, there's enough Jauan Jennings to his game to make him a reliable contributor.
REM cycle star: Will Sheppard, Colorado
Let's continue with the theme of leaving for greener pastures. While Dike stuck with his Wisconsin quarterback Mertz (for the most part), Sheppard left a pre-Diego Pavia Vanderbilt offense to play with Shedeur Sanders. That is a remarkable glow-up.
Despite his place in a stacked receivers room (alongside Hunter, Jimmy Horn Jr. and Lajohntay Wester), Sheppard found ways to stand out. He's a technically sound 6-foot-3 target who can put in work deep but is best utilized in the intermediate range. There, his fleshed-out route tree and solid technical skills put him where his quarterback expects for clutch gains. Leave him in zone coverage and he'll find open space. Ask him to come through in the red zone and he'll make a big play (27 career touchdowns, including 17 between 2022 and 2023 at Vandy).
He may not hear his name called in Green Bay because he's a merely average college receiver. He lacks upper tier top end speed (a 4.59-second 40) and the breaks that shook coverage on Saturdays will be much more difficult to pull off on Sundays. He's a possession-type receiver who doesn't win his battles for the ball as consistently as you might like and lacks the size to be a true matchup problem.
Still, he rose up to be a major contributor for the Commodores and proved he can be an important piece in an elite passing offense with the Buffaloes. If Sheppard isn't drafted in 2025, he'll be a priority free agent pickup across the league.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: 2025 NFL Draft WR sleepers and studs, starting with Travis Hunter
Continue reading...
