After seeing a record-breaking number of offensive players go in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, defense strikes back hard for the initial 2025 Big Board. So I hope you enjoyed your glut of quarterbacks and wide receivers to stock up your dynasty teams because the trenches have the pole position so far.
Here are my way-too-early top 25 prospects for 2025.
Williams has so far averaged less than one solo tackle per game in his college career (26 solo tackles in 28 games) and had just 4.5 sacks in 2023. So how is he so high on this big board?
Well, like most recent defensive line and edge prospects from Georgia, it’s all about seeing what Williams does when he is on the field as part of Georgia’s deep rotation up front. And even in a part-time role, Williams’ package of traits and impact play is instantly apparent. In the run game, he is constantly blasting offensive linemen back with his explosive strength and twitch, and when rushing the passer he flashes an evolving move set with the get-off and bendy athleticism to turn the corner on offensive tackles.
Williams has the size, athleticism, technique and competitiveness to be a true ace pass rusher for a defense that is also an impact player against the run. He even has the size and versatility to kick inside for snaps to create matchup advantages. He’s an impressive player who should keep adding layers to his game with more playing time.
2. Will Campbell, OT, LSU
A smooth technician who seldom gets out of position with his feet or body as a blocker, Campbell already shows off very good hand usage and the ability to recover against defensive counters because of his calm and quick footwork.
LSU often puts Campbell on an island in dropback situations that will help his game translate to the next level, and he plays with good eyes and awareness as a run blocker and in protection, often anticipating defensive stunts and quickly adjusting.
Campbell doesn’t seem to have the longest arms, but it hasn’t hindered him so far against longer defenders in college because of his hand placement. If Campbell can ease that concern with his play in 2024, then he has all the makings of a longtime blindside protector.
3. Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas
We’re set up for a battle for OT1 for the 2025 draft. Banks is already an experienced blindside blocker, already starting 27 games as he enters his true junior season in Austin. He is broadly built and seldom gets out of whack because of his light feet, very good base, strength and balance. He’s a competitive and tough player who can move people in the run game, and coordinators will have no qualms with running behind him. He’s even more fun to watch as a pass protector. Banks already uses his hands well, taking advantage of his length to strike defenders on the inside of their pads, allowing him to control and nullify them.
Banks lacks ideal height for the position (listed at 6-foot-4), but he has the length to more than compensate for that. His intelligence, two-way play, quickness and strength, along with potentially having 40 games under his belt when he enters the NFL, gives Banks the profile of a high-quality tackle prospect who can hit the ground running as a professional.
A hoss (listed 6-6, 348 pounds) on the defensive line, but don’t let Walker’s size fool you. He has the athleticism and light feet to line up across the defensive front — he lines up at end in Kentucky’s three-down scheme as much as defensive tackle — with hand quickness and pass rushing ability that make him much more than your typical XXXXL plugger.
Walker is a unique combination of size and finesse that would allow him to be a three-down defender who can eat up blockers or explode for tackles for loss and sacks from different spots up front.
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