Ty's 2025 NFL Draft Preview

The NFL draft kicks off tonight with the first round. As I do every year I'm going to give my version of a draft preview. I'll pick five prospects I like, five I'm not so high on and three sleepers. I watch a ton of college football, so I do feel like I know a good amount about these guys. I'm also pretty stoked that the draft is in Green Bay this year. That's pretty cool as a Packers fan.

I'll start with the five prospects I like most.

I want to mention my first prospect that I have little to no doubt will be an eventual star in the league, Travis Hunter. Hunter is so rare and so damn good at the game of football. He is one of the top receivers in the draft and may be the top corner in the draft. He can play both ways at a very high level. He is coming off a Heisman win. He is the Shohei Ohtani of the NFL. I will be curious to see what position he ends up playing more in the league, but I fully expect him to play a good amount of offense and defense. I just hope he doesn't end up in Cleveland.

I'm going to clump my next prospect into two tight ends, Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland. Warren is more of a brute who can do a little bit of everything. He is a superior blocker. He can get separation from linebackers with ease. And he can be used in a bunch of different sets and trick plays. He is also built like a brick. Loveland is more athletic and a faster tight end. He is an okay enough blocker, but he is so much better utilized as a receiving tight end. He is tall, fast and can get away from linebackers and corners all the same. He could have a long career.

My next prospect is Kenneth Grant. Michigan has two interior d lineman that I think will be good, but I like Grant just a little more than Mason Graham. Grant, for his size, is incredibly fast. He chased down his fair share of running backs. He is an o line wrecker and a run stuffer. And once he figures it all out, he is still relatively young, he has the tools to have a productive career.

My fourth prospect I like is Tet McMillan, the receiver out of Arizona. He is big, he is fast and he has incredible hands. I hope he falls to the Packers. I'd love that. He was so productive in college, had great games against the best teams, and I personally think he is the best wideout prospect in this draft.

My final prospect I like is Cam Ward. He is, by a very wide margin, the best QB prospect in this draft. He controls the game. He has a very cool and calm demeanor that teams in need of a QB will covet. He absolutely owned the ACC last season. While at Washington State he also controlled the Pac 12. Ward is going to be a productive QB who, with the right weapons, can be a franchise cornerstone.

Now to my five prospects I'm lower on.

First, and I hate to talk down Michigan guys, is Will Johnson. Johnson was so disruptive and lockdown in his sophomore season. He and Mike Sainristil dominated in the secondary. He would have been an easy top 10 pick last year if he were eligible. He wasn't and his junior year was not as great. He was often injured after the first 1/3 of the season. He made two great plays against Fresno State and USC, but then he was basically out of the lineup. He hardly played after that. I was excited because he suited up for the game I went to see live, and he only played one series. I figured he was saving himself for the draft, but he didn't do anything at the combine and maybe even less at Michigan's pro day. He has all the tools to succeed, but he has hardly been available for over a year now, and that scares me.

Next I have James Pearce Jr. He was a projected top pick coming into this season, but he really made no noise. He could've been double and triple teamed, but no one ever really talked about him. He just kind of disappeared. I never heard about him during the combine or during Tennessee's pro day. He kind of vanished and that is not the best look.

The next guy I have is Matthew Golden, the wideout from Texas. While he is very fast, he is small and slight. That may work for a guy like Xavier Worthy, but he has otherworldly speed. Golden does not possess that kind of speed. And at 5'11 he is destined to be a slot receiver. Any team could find that in the later rounds and be happy. I just don't see him as a first round type of prospect.

My fourth guy is Malaki Starks. This is just like the James Pearce Jr stuff. Starks was supposed to be a top 10 pick, but he just kind of vanished. He didn't do much of anything that really stood out. And Georgia's defense wasn't as good as they were supposed to be last season. Starks may be an okay enough player in the long run, but he is not the elite prospect many thought he could have been.

The final guy I have is offensive tackle Josh Connerly Jr from Oregon. He has been slipping down most teams' draft boards throughout the pre draft process. His motor isn't always the highest either. He is big, but he needs to want to dominate. I don't know if he will be able to do that in the NFL. I just don't trust a first round pick on him.

Onto my three sleepers.

First I have Luther Burden III. He was a highly regarded prospect out of high school. He dominated while at Mizzou. He made Brady Cook look halfway decent. He would face double and triple teams and he still put up productive numbers. I'd take a guy like Burden before Matthew Golden. I firmly believe that Burden is the third best wideout in the draft, behind only McMillan and Hunter.

My next sleeper is Jimmy Horn Jr. He was Colorado's number two wideout behind Travis Hunter. He put up big time numbers. Receivers are also premium players in the NFL, especially if you can get them in later rounds. Jimmy Horn Jr has the pedigree, he runs solid routes and he has good hands. He can also get separation and make big plays down the field. If a receiver needy team has a later round pick, they should go after Jimmy Horn Jr without a second thought.

My final sleeper is Andrew Mukuba, the safety from Texas. I saw him up close and personal when Texas played Michigan earlier this year. He was a beast and he dominated. He was all over the field making a ton of plays. This continued throughout his whole season. And safeties are much needed in the NFL. I would love Green Bay to take him in round three or four. That would be great for me.

There you have it, my 2025 NFL draft preview. Enjoy. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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