2025 NFL Combine and Misc Draft Material

MaroonBells wrote:

At the bold, I agree completely. And that's a good way to put it. In fact, sometimes I think the less science you put into it (math, metrics, stats, RAS), the better off you are. It's like you mean to tell me that player X is better than player Y because his YPC is a half yard better despite playing in a different offense in a different conference with different blockers against different defenses? You do that and I'll watch their feet and we'll see who does better. 

Actual NFL scouts, guys who get paid to travel the country and watch players and write evals, have proven time and time again they are absolute shit at this. Just read their comments about Aaron Donald I posted a couple days ago. You would think with as much money at stake as there is, and as many resources as they have, NFL teams would've found a way by now to be a little more accurate than they are.

I rely on my gut and eyes. First guy I truly “scouted” was Chuck Foreman. I knew after the Hula Bowl he could put us over the top. His style was so unique. Hung onto the ball like it was a loaf of bread. But even as a 13 year old I knew he was the one. To date that’s been my most on the head prediction.

MaroonBells wrote:

At the bold, I agree completely. And that's a good way to put it. In fact, sometimes I think the less science you put into it (math, metrics, stats, RAS), the better off you are. It's like you mean to tell me that player X is better than player Y because his YPC is a half yard better despite playing in a different offense in a different conference with different blockers against different defenses? You do that and I'll watch their feet and we'll see who does better. 

Actual NFL scouts, guys who get paid to travel the country and watch players and write evals, have proven time and time again they are absolute shit at this. Just read their comments about Aaron Donald I posted a couple days ago. You would think with as much money at stake as there is, and as many resources as they have, NFL teams would've found a way by now to be a little more accurate than they are.

I agree, and not to go down this rabbithole again but this was why I was against the Kwesi hire in the beginning because I think it's almost always a mistake to hire a general manager in charge of identifying talent in the draft who does not come from a scouting background for at least several years. To me, that's the most important job of a GM because the draft supplies the lifeblood to an organization. Numbers, metrics and all that stuff only get you so far but at some point you have to dig your heels in the sand and know when someone can play, when they can't, and know what you are looking at on film and in person. Kwesi has been very good in the other areas a GM deals with, but the draft has been a struggle and I will forever contend having Grigson as the "veteran voice" in the draft room further muddies the waters. This is going to be a very telling year for those two because so much is going to depend on McCarthy, Dallas Turner, and getting some type of impact out of this upcoming draft.

#SouthCarolina LB Demetrius Knight, Jr

6-foot-2, 235

Physical play demeanor. Stack/shed at the POA. Sees it fast to slip/evade blockers. Strikes on contact. Zone discipline in coverage. Splash plays on the tape. pic.twitter.com/SsiUGplSa8

— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) April 6, 2025

I’ll saw it again. This is more of a need than most believe.

Hey, what about Will Howard for a Developmental guy???

purplefaithful wrote:
Hey, what about Will Howard for a Developmental guy???

Definitely

edited out

From Jordan Reid at ESPN:

The lack of true first-round grades in this class is notable. On average, most teams usually have 15 to 20 prospects who are considered true first-round talents. Two high-level NFL executives told me this week that neither of their teams reached that number. What does that mean? Expect to hear unlikely names in Round 1. Because of the lack of high-end talent, many teams are equating the quality of players in the middle of the first round to prospects in the middle of Round 2.

JustInTime wrote:
https://x.com/mattbowen41/status/1908923664352805137?s=46&t=TjjB9Q4BmOwmN74RrrMjoQ

I’ll saw it again. This is more of a need than most believe.

MB and I have talked about this months ago. MLB is a bigger need than people think.

supafreak84 wrote:

I agree, and not to go down this rabbithole again but this was why I was against the Kwesi hire in the beginning because I think it's almost always a mistake to hire a general manager in charge of identifying talent in the draft who does not come from a scouting background for at least several years. To me, that's the most important job of a GM because the draft supplies the lifeblood to an organization. Numbers, metrics and all that stuff only get you so far but at some point you have to dig your heels in the sand and know when someone can play, when they can't, and know what you are looking at on film and in person. Kwesi has been very good in the other areas a GM deals with, but the draft has been a struggle and I will forever contend having Grigson as the "veteran voice" in the draft room further muddies the waters. This is going to be a very telling year for those two because so much is going to depend on McCarthy, Dallas Turner, and getting some type of impact out of this upcoming draft.

I think it depends on the level. I don’t think you’d want your scouts using analytics. But I would imagine for a GM who has to compile a hundred different opinions and formulate them into one cohesive picture, it would be useful. Analytics aren’t just about stats though. There are soft skill and predictive factors as well.

"Billy, this is Andrew Van Ginkel. He's never had more than 6 sacks in a season. People don't like him because he looks like an extra for Fast Times At Ridgemont High. But in our scheme he'll be unleashed as an attack Edge. We project he'll have about 40 havoc plays. He'll produce like a franchise tag player at half the cost"

I think Moneyball is closer than we know. AWS is providing terabytes of data. Definitely easier at the pro level than the college level, but sprinkle in a little AI and someone with a vision, we'll get there.

4. Demetrius Knight | South Carolina | 6015/235 | RAS: 8.17 | Comp: Junior Colson

Big, experienced, well-built linebacker. Knight, a four-year starting quarterback in high school, sees the field well. The cousin of former NFL CB DeAngelo Hall, Knight took some time to develop while transitioning to full-time LB at Georgia Tech.

He was a reserve and special-teamer his four seasons with the Yellow Jackets. Knight broke out in 2023 at Charlotte (First-Team All-AAC) before his true coming-out party in 2024 for South Carolina. Knight has the grit and body armor for dirty work between the tackles—he’s fearless coming downhill and is happy to scrap with offensive linemen. He’s an explosive, violent finisher, accelerating to the doorstep and kicking down the door with a firm base under him while uncoiling through the target. Last season, Knight finished 87th percentile in PFF run-defense grade.

He’s also strong in coverage due to his combination of athleticism and football IQ. Over his two full seasons as a starter—and across nearly 600 coverage snaps—Knight picked off four balls while allowing only one TD and surrendered a QB rating against on targets lower than 66.0 in both campaigns.

Of my top-15 ranked LBs, Knight allowed the lowest QB rating against on targets in 2024, and was No. 2 in that department in 2023. Knight scares the analytics community due to his late breakout and older age. However, Knight’s size, athleticism, instincts, and level of play in the SEC last season strongly suggest he’s going to be an effective NFL player.

The last time the Vikings used Round 1 on a position:

— TE: Never
— OG: 37 Years Ago
— RB: 19 Years Ago
— DT: 12 Years Ago
— LB: 11 Years Ago
— C: 6 Years Ago
— CB: 5 Years Ago
— OT: 4 Years Ago
— S: 3 Years Ago
— WR: 2 Years Ago
— EDGE: 1 Year Ago
— QB: 1 Year Ago

— Dustin Baker (@DustBaker) April 8, 2025

All of these guys are pure edges, except Stewart. Stewart is about 5-10 lbs away from being a prototype at 5T. 

My 2025 Draft EDGE rankings. Abdul Carter is a once every few years type of player, but this position has a lot of F the play up guys this year. pic.twitter.com/Bh9ov55sXn

— Chris Simms (@CSimmsQB) April 7, 2025

Despite signing multiple players at the position, @BenGoessling says to “keep an eye on” DT at pick 24 if they plan to stay there, he mentioned on @KFAN1003. Goessling also says CB and S could be in the mix as well, and briefly touched on OL.

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) April 8, 2025

How's this for some @NextGenStats goodness.

As Abdul Carter was rounding the corner on his sack against Ohio State, he was accelerating at a staggering 5.4 yards per second squared.

For context, that's about 20% higher than Saquon's highest peak of acceleration (4.43 yps2) when… pic.twitter.com/sHXLMhUBiJ

— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) April 9, 2025

New Ep of @AlecLewisShow with @dpbrugler...

— Talking "The Beast"
— Two prospects Dane's eyeing at No. 24
— Interior OL comparisons
— Derrick Harmon eval
— Later-round Flores fits

Watch: https://t.co/ZwPCefyvYf pic.twitter.com/UJFNbEMfE1

— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) April 10, 2025

The Beast is must have material. This is my third year with a subscription to the Athletic.

The #Vikings had personnel at Texas’ Pro Day to monitor both CB Jahdae Barron and OL Kelvin Banks Jr specifically, @alec_lewis mentioned via the @AlecLewisShow.

Lewis also mentioned that if Byron Murphy Jr did not re-sign, it would be hard to believe that Minnesota wouldn’t go… pic.twitter.com/QJxJVxAGSx

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) April 11, 2025

Here are the scouting reports, final grades and round projections available for over 425 prospects in the 2025 NFL draft. The round projections are where I believe each prospect could be drafted after speaking with league sources. https://t.co/lQTvcGxgWQ

— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) April 11, 2025

The Biggest 2025 NFL Draft Sleepers 😴

✍️ @StevePalazzolo_ & @SamMonsonNFL pic.twitter.com/5bHz1D6azH

— Check the Mic with Steve Palazzolo & Sam Monson (@CTM_Show) April 10, 2025

If we needed an Edge I’d be screaming about Que. Crazy win rate. Lithe. Lampkin is John Randle on the iOL. Just watch.

JustInTime wrote:
If we needed an Edge I’d be screaming about Que. Crazy win rate. Lithe. Lampkin is John Randle on the iOL. Just watch.

If Ivan Pace Jr goes undrafted, hard to see Lampkin getting drafted. I don't know if this is true or not, but I read at 5-10 he's 3 inches shorter than any offensive line prospect EVER. 

But I'd take a flyer on him in the 7th and definitely after the draft. Guy's a bulldog. He went to Mobile and played against NFL size and talent and looked damn good doing it. He deserves a shot.