49ers Almost Used First-Round Pick On Offense
Each of the 49ers’ first five picks of the 2025 NFL Draft were on the defensive side of the ball, starting with Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams at No. 11 overall. General manager John Lynch recently discussed the decision in an appearance on the Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast, claiming that, had Williams not been around, offense would’ve been the focus in the first round. 
Now, the first few offensive picks to immediately follow the selection of Williams were Alabama offensive guard Tyler Booker, Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel, and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka. While Warren was certainly a highly talented prospect with good value at that point of the draft, the team’s plans for the tight end position were made clear when they extended George Kittle days after the draft.
While Egbuka could’ve helped to make up for the departure of Deebo Samuel, the team signed Brandon Aiyuk to a four-year extension and used a first-round pick on Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall just last year. Combine that with the fact that Jauan Jennings, the team’s leading wide receiver from 2024, is returning to the fold, and drafting Egbuka eight spots before he ended up being selected doesn’t seem very reasonable.
In an early draft of the Pro Football Rumors’ first-round mock draft, I initially had Missouri offensive tackle Armand Membou finding his way to the Bay Area. As it became clear that Membou was being valued with a higher draft stock, I reevaluated and sent him to New York. My reasoning for targeting an offensive tackle with the 11th overall pick still stands, though.
Historically, the 49ers haven’t drafted a guard in the first round since making Mike Iupati their second first-round selection in the 2010 NFL Draft. So, though they do have a need at guard, it’s more likely that they would look past an obvious projected guard like Booker in favor of someone with potential to play at tackle. In the interview, Lynch explained that they were shocked to see Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. still around when he was selected at ninth overall, and Banks was linked to San Francisco plenty in the pre-draft process, likely due to both his projection as a guard in the NFL and his experience as a tackle in college, giving him potential at both positions.
With Banks already off the board in the hypothetical, the focus now turns to Zabel. Though Zabel was projected to be a center at the NFL level, it was the only position he didn’t play for the Bison. He started 33 games at tackle (17 at right, 16 at left) and seven games at guard (four at left, three at right). This could’ve made Zabel a strong fit for the 49ers, who have an immediate need to replace former starting guard Aaron Banks and a not-so-distant need to eventually replace Trent Williams (age) or Colton McKivitz (contract) at tackle.
Instead, Williams fell into the 49ers’ lap, and they’ll hope to set him up across from Nick Bosa on the defensive line. Additionally, they spent their next four picks on defense and didn’t address the guard spot until their second-to-last pick in the seventh round. They’ll either need to make another offseason addition to the offensive line or depend on Ben Bartch to be a reliable starter in 2025 after only logging 10 starts in the last three years.
Tush Push Ban On Verge Of Passing?
A little over a month ago, efforts toward a league-wide rule that would essentially ban the short-yardage play that has, affectionately, come to be known as the “tush push” fell short — the Packers’ proposal reportedly failed 16-16 in a 32-team vote, and three-fourths (or 28) teams are required to pass a vote. According to Mark Maske of The Washington Post, we could see a new motion pass later this month that would effectively ban the play. 
It’s believed that the Packers’ proposal was “narrowly configured and written,” aiming too directly at the Eagles (and Bills, who have also frequently utilized the play). It attempted to prohibit “an offensive player from pushing a teammate who was lined up directly behind the snapper and receives the snap, immediately at the snap,” making the action worthy of a 10-yard penalty.
The new version of the proposal is currently unwritten, as it has not yet formally been modified, but it will move its focus towards pushing or pulling ball carriers anywhere on the field. While no injury data has really shown any direct harm from the play, NFL health and safety officials have repeatedly expressed injury-related concerns about it. This would potentially act as a reversal of a rule-change in 2006 that made it legal to push or pull players as part of a football play.
Obviously, this doesn’t apply to blocking and tackling situations, in which pushing and pulling are natural parts of the game. What this new wording could affect is plays in which a ball-carrier gets stood up by a defender but remains upright and another offensive player begins to push the two players up the field, sometimes resulting in a scrum that can surge forwards or backwards several yards. Plays like this have often been viewed as hustle plays, in which offensive linemen are lauded for churning out some extra yards, so it would be interesting to see such a play potentially become a penalty.
The play could also be linked to another league concern, and a play that has also seen several rule adjustments: field goal rushing. Some coaches have connected the new proposal to a previous rule-change that prohibits defensive players from pushing teammates to aid in attempting to block a field goal attempt. There’s a chance the new wording of the rule would prevent defenders from pushing or pulling any players they haven’t engaged with in either a block attempt or tackle attempt, meaning an offensive player couldn’t push a teammate into a defender to block them or a defensive player couldn’t push a teammate into a blocker or ball-carrier.
Such intricacies of a proposal like this are likely why it has not yet been formally changed, but there’s an expectation that it will be ready in time for the owners meeting in Minneapolis on May 20-21. Confidence that the proposal will pass this time around stems from a belief that the league office is in support of the rule-change, per Mike Florio of NBC Sports. Florio states that, if his sense that the league office wants to get rid of the maneuver is accurate, they might twist some arms in order to acquire the eight additional votes they need to pass the proposal.
Chiefs Sign First-Round T Josh Simmons
Following closely on the tails of the Cowboys and offensive guard Tyler Booker, the Chiefs have come to terms with Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons on his first-round rookie contract. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the four-year contract (with a fifth-year option) for the 32nd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft is worth $14.68MM. 
Simmons could end up being a bit of a project in the NFL. After a redshirt season at San Diego State, Simmons started a season at right tackle for the Aztecs before transferring to Columbus and switching to left tackle. As a redshirt junior, Simmons returned to start on the left side for another year before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
In his time with the Buckeyes, the 22-year-old displayed quickness off the line of scrimmage and impressive balance. While he isn’t much of a bulldozer in the run game, his quickness can help him be effective on pulls. What really shines for Simmons is his pass blocking abilities, which were good enough to put him in serious consideration for OT1 honors in the draft class, before he experienced his injury setback.
He won’t be a project because he needs to develop, he’ll potentially be a project because his road back to 100 full health may be a bit of a journey. The injury led him to be the fifth tackle taken in the draft and the eighth offensive lineman taken. If it was poor play that led to his slide, he may have slipped out of the first round altogether. Because of his injury, though, any team that drafted him was likely going to want to use a first-round pick on him so that the fifth-year option would give them a bit of additional time to evaluate his prospects for a second NFL contract.
In Kansas City last year, starting tackles Jawaan Taylor and Wanya Morris were anything but impressive. For competition, the team has last year’s second-round pick, Kingsley Suamataia, and free agent signing Jaylon Moore to work with, as well. Suamataia started the first two games for the Chiefs at right tackle last year before being benched for Morris, while Moore finished the last portion of 2024 filling in for Trent Williams as the 49ers’ starting left tackle.
In an ideal situation, it would be asking a lot of Simmons to jump into a competition that could see any combination of two of Taylor, Morris, Suamataia, and Moore bookending the line. He falls into a perfect situation, though, where, sure, plenty of question marks remain on the depth chart, but there are plenty of options who can man the spots effectively until Simmons is recovered and ready to compete and contribute. His fifth-year option gives him a bit of breathing room to show his worth before his rookie deal expires.
Simmons is just the first Chiefs rookie to sign their contract. The team has six more players from their draft class that still need to ink their deals.
Ravens Sign 17 UDFAs
Going stride-for-stride with the Seahawks in competition for the league’s largest rookie crop, the Ravens, much like Seattle, have signed 17 undrafted free agent rookies to join their 11-man draft class. The newest additions to Baltimore’s 28-man rookie class are:
- Jahmal Banks, WR (Nebraska)
- Diwun Black, OLB (Temple)
- Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan, T (Oregon State)
- Xavier Guillory, WR (Arizona State)
- Jay Higgins, LB (Iowa)
- Reid Holskey, G (Miami [OH])
- Ozzie Hutchinson, T (Albany)
- Desmond Igbinosun, S (Rutgers)
- Keondre Jackson, S (Illinois State)
- Jayson Jones, DT (Auburn)
- Reuben Lowery, CB (Tennessee-Chattanooga)
- Marcus Major, RB (Minnesota)
- Chandler Martin, LB (Memphis)
- Sone Ntoh, RB (Monmouth)
- Jared Penning, G (Northern Iowa)
- Sam Pitz, TE (Minnesota-Duluth)
- Marquise Robinson, CB (Arkansas)
The Ravens are notorious for finding undrafted free agents who have potential to make the 53-man roster. That will be a tall task for this year’s group as 17 of them compete with the 11 draft picks. That goes double for the several small school signees like Hutchinson, Jackson, Lowery, Ntoh, Penning, and Pitz, who will have to show what they can do in camp after playing inferior competition in college.
Christian-Lichtenhan certainly stands out as a possible contender for a roster spot. After the Ravens entered the draft needing to add bodies at tackle, Christian-Lichtenhan has volunteered his 6-foot-8, 315-pound frame for the job. After graduating from Colorado with a degree and 19 starts at left tackle to his name, Christian-Lichtenhan transferred to Corvallis, where he started all 12 games as the blindside blocker for the Beavers.
In Higgins and Martin, the team brings in two inside linebackers, a position at which Baltimore usually harbors hard-working UDFAs for their special teams value. Higgins was projected to be a late-Day 3 pick but just slipped out of the draft. In his two years as a starter (out of five total with the Hawkeyes), Higgins notched 295 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, three forced fumbles, 14 passes defensed, and five interceptions. After his only season as a starter at East Tennessee State, Martin leveraged a strong year into a transfer to Memphis. For the Tigers, Martin started two seasons, tallying 206 tackles, 33.0 tackles for loss, 10.0 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, nine passes defensed, and three interceptions. Both are undersized backers who display sideline-to-sideline ability and strong coverage abilities.
Jackson stands, perhaps, the strongest chance to make the roster from the small schools. Jackson started three of his five seasons in Normal. His final two years (172 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, 11 passes defensed, and four interceptions) were his strongest. His versatility earned him first-team All-MVFC honors, and he was recognized at the Senior Bowl as the National team’s Top DB. His versatility gives him a strong chance to compete for a roster spot.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/4/25
Today’s only minor NFL transactions to close out the week:
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR Giles Jackson
- Waived: RB Tyrion Davis-Price
After announcing their initial undrafted free agent signing class earlier this week, Philadelphia has tacked on a late addition in Jackson. After five years of finding his footing (two seasons at Michigan and three at Washington), Jackson finally broke out as an impact player in his sixth year of college (his fourth with the Huskies). He reeled in 85 passes for 893 yards and seven touchdowns, adding a score on the ground, as well, in 2024.
Davis-Price, a former third-round pick out of LSU, will now have a chance to join his third team in as many years. If he clears waivers, he could have his choice of where he signs.
Seahawks Announce 17-Man NFL UDFA Class
The Seahawks added one of the NFL’s largest draft classes this year with 11 rookies selected last week. After there was a heavy focus on offense in the draft (nine offensive players to just two defensive), Seattle announced a 17-man undrafted free agent signing class that leaned much more heavily towards defense (11 players) than offense (six players). Here are the 17 newest additions to the team’s 28-man rookie class:
- Zy Alexander, CB (LSU)
- Tyrone Broden, WR (Arkansas)
- Seth Coleman, OLB (Illinois)
- Jalan Gaines, OLB (Illinois State)
- Jared Ivey, OLB (Ole Miss)
- T.J. Jackson, DT (West Virginia)
- Nick Kallerup, TE (Minnesota)
- Amari Kight, T (UCF)
- Marshall Lang, TE (Northwestern)
- Federico Maranges, C (Florida Atlantic)
- Connor O’Toole, OLB (Utah)
- Demeco Roland, DT (Southern Mississippi)
- J.R. Singleton, DT (Iowa State)
- Bubba Thomas, DT (South Alabama)
- Isas Waxter, CB (Villanova)
- Jackson Woodard, LB (UNLV)
- Jacardia Wright, RB (Missouri State)
The Seahawks are bringing in four names at edge rusher, a position of need they failed to address in the draft. They felt so strongly about O’Toole that they gave him $234K guaranteed on his undrafted rookie deal, including a $30K signing bonus, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. O’Toole was a mildly impactful defensive end during his time with the Utes, logging only 8.5 sacks and 15.0 tackles for loss over his four years in college.
Ivey was projected to be an early-Day 3 selection before falling out of the draft. A former Georgia Tech transfer, his last two years with the Rebels were extremely productive, seeing him tally 12.5 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss. Coleman was a three-year starter in six years with the Fighting Illini. Over his three years as a starter, Coleman logged 13.5 sacks, 21.0 tackles for loss, and 13 batted passes.
Woodard was projected to be a late-Day 3 pick but just slipped out. His final two years with his Rebels were extremely disruptive as he had 26.0 tackles for loss (17.0 in 2024), 21 passes defensed (16 in 2024), and five interceptions (four in 2024). His elite production in coverage could help him land a role as a pass defending linebacker in today’s pass-happy NFL.
At cornerback, Alexander was another projected early-Day 3 pick. After a couple elite seasons at Southeastern Louisiana, Alexander transferred to LSU and became an immediate starter. Though a knee injury limited him in 2023, he tallied an impressive 44 tackles, nine passes defensed and two interceptions. He kept that production alive in 2024, as well, with six passes defensed and two more picks and was rewarded by Seattle with $249K in guaranteed money, including a $15K signing bonus, per Wilson. Waxter has a chance to be an impact defender out of Nova. After elite production in 2023 that saw him log 11 passes defensed and three interceptions, quarterbacks threw his way a lot less in 2024, but that didn’t stop him from leading the team in forced fumbles and earning first-team All-CAA honors.
On offense, Maranges showed enough during his time with the Owls to earn $250K in guarantees, per Wilson. A Puerto Rico-native, Maranges qualifies for an international roster exemption as a participant of the NFL’s International Player Pathway program. The IPP program stipulates that NFL teams can include a 17th player to their practice squad (normally capped at 16 players) as long as that player qualifies for the international roster exemption.
2025 NFL Draft Rumors: Texans, Browns, Williams
We entered the 2025 NFL Draft in unprecedented waters as all 32 teams were set to have their own first-round picks for the first time since the AFL-NFL merger. In fact, when the Tennessee was put on the clock, all teams still had their own first-round picks. Before that, the closest the draft had ever come to starting without any first-round trades was in 1993, when the Chiefs traded their first-rounder to the 49ers for Joe Montana just five days before the draft.
While Cleveland and Jacksonville were the first teams to ruin that pristine first round with a trade, the Texans and Rams were the only teams to trade completely out of the first round. In fact, all nine of Houston’s draft picks were the results of trades. We already discussed how the team looked to move back up into the first round for Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, but on Fan Duel TV’s Up & Adams show with Kay Adams, Texans general manager Nick Caserio detailed how they were initially attempting to move up into the top half of the first round but were unable to find a partner, so they looked instead into moving down, fielding several offers.
“We tried to move up a little bit,” Caserio told Adams. “It didn’t really work out. At about the 18, 19, 20 range, we started to get some calls about our pick, so we were putting the information up on the board.”
“We had actually three different trade scenarios that were on the board at one time,” Caserio continued. “We had trade scenarios, we were prepared to pick a player…and then we were on the clock, and a pick before — I think when Minnesota picked at 24 — and after they picked, we were able to consummate the trade with the Giants. So, we scooted back there to the second round and then had the second pick there to start Friday.”
Here are a few other draft rumors from the days following the 2025 NFL Draft:
- In a Q&A earlier this week, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated dropped an interesting tidbit about the Browns‘ potential first-round strategy last Thursday night. We’ve covered Breer’s earlier report that Cleveland attempted to get back into the first round for Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr., but he has since reasoned that the team was potentially looking for Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart late in the first round. Ultimately, it was the Giants that made the move back into the 25th overall spot for Dart, but there’s a chance the Browns may have done so if New York hadn’t acted when they did.
- Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams found himself getting drafted at the tail end of the first round by the Lions at No. 28 overall. Shortly after the draft, Williams told Justin Rogers of Detroit Football Network that he believes the Bills would have taken him two picks later if Detroit hadn’t selected him. Buffalo had considered defensive tackle a serious position of need as DaQuan Jones heads into a contract year, and head coach Sean McDermott and defensive line coach Marcus West told Williams they loved his game and how he played. There’s a chance Williams could’ve been headed to northern New York had Lions general manager Brad Holmes been more receptive to the phone calls he’d received gauging his interest in trading back from the 28th overall pick.
Ravens Sign T Joseph Noteboom
The Ravens have had a busy morning of paperwork today. After announcing the signing of nine of their 11 draft picks, they’ve now announced that they’ve added some starting offensive tackle depth by agreeing to terms on a contract with Joseph Noteboom. Though contract details are not yet known, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec tells us that the soon-to-be-30-year-old will be on a one-year deal in Baltimore. 
A former third-round pick out of TCU, Noteboom has had a seven-year career so far, with all seven seasons coming in Los Angeles with the Rams. After spending his rookie season mostly on special teams as a backup, Noteboom began his sophomore campaign as the team’s starting left guard before suffering a torn ACL and MCL.
His 2020 season opened the same way after recovery, but he was placed on injured reserve after only two starts with a calf injury. When he was activated later that year, he started the remainder of the season filling in for an injured Andrew Whitworth at left tackle, his first starts at tackle since college. In 2021, though, the Rams returned to their reliable pair of Whitworth and Rob Havenstein as Noteboom only started two games at tackle for the year, including his first start on the right side of the line.
With the retirement of Whitworth, Noteboom opened the 2022 campaign as the Rams’ new starter at left tackle under a new three-year, $40MM extension. Unfortunately, after only six games, his season ended with a torn Achilles tendon. Los Angeles had Alaric Jackson take over the starting left tackle role in 2023, and though Noteboom began the year as the starting right guard, he was ultimately moved around the line as a swing tackle, starting three games at right guard, three games at right tackle, and two games at left tackle. Noteboom began last year starting at left tackle as Jackson served a two-game suspension, but an ankle injury knocked him out of the game in Week 1 and would limit him as he only started and played in three games for the remainder of the season.
Luckily, in Baltimore, Noteboom’s injury history isn’t of much concern. The Ravens are certainly set at the tackle positions with veteran Ronnie Stanley re-signing on a three-year, $60MM deal this offseason and the team drafting Roger Rosengarten in the second round last year. After the free agency departures of Patrick Mekari and Josh Jones, the Ravens have been in need of a swing tackle to add depth and starting experience to the line, and Noteboom fits that bill to a T.
While seemingly a minor role on the offense, the swing tackle role has become a crucial one in Baltimore. Mekari proved the importance of that position as a Swiss Army sixth-man early in his career. Mekari started games at every position along the offensive line during his six years with the Ravens, proving to be extremely valuable during a tenure that saw Stanley miss 38 games over that stretch of time.
Even with Stanley returning to health to start all 17 games last year, and with Mekari becoming a mainstay at left guard, Jones saw plenty of action as a sixth-man on the offensive line for Baltimore in 2024. Jones didn’t make any starts last season, but his versatility allowed the Ravens to use him everywhere, as he’s started games at every position but center during his NFL career. A Baltimore offense that led the NFL in rushing in 2024 often depended on jumbo sets including a sixth offensive lineman, and Jones was often the man called to fill that role.
With Mekari and Jones both gone, the Ravens will now turn to Noteboom to man that job. Noteboom has similar versatility as Mekari and Jones — he’s also missing starts at only center — and should be utilized in a similar manner. The Ravens spent two draft picks on rookie tackles Emery Jones Jr. (third round, LSU) and Carson Vinson (fifth round, Alabama A&M) this year, and both should help add depth, but Noteboom’s starting experience and versatility should prove to be incredibly valuable in 2025.
An Early Look At 2026 NFL Draft QB Options
2025 was a proclaimed down year for quarterback prospects in the draft. New Titans quarterback Cam Ward was certainly deserving of his first-round status, but no other passers really commanded a first-round grade. Jaxson Dart ended up slipping into the back end of the first thanks to a trade up by the Giants, but Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe, and Shedeur Sanders all slipped down to later rounds in Green Bay. 
While the lack of elite talent behind Ward certainly contributed to lessened interest in reaching for passers in the first round, the potential quality of the 2026 NFL Draft class may have played a part, as well. This is especially apparent with teams like the Browns and Rams, who didn’t acquire first-round passers this year but did acquire 2026 first-round picks. Those two picks in 2026 will come in handy as Jeff Howe of The Athletic tells us that “personnel departments have been optimistic for months about the group” of passers that could declare for the next draft.
One of the main factors that could contribute to a strong quarterback class in 2026 is the status of Texas passer Arch Manning. Grandson of Archie Manning and nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, Arch’s tenure as the Longhorns’ starter has been highly anticipated as new Dolphins passer Quinn Ewers closed out his career.
Manning has shown plenty of promise in limited time. In 12 games (two starts), Manning has completed 66 percent of his passes for 939 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions, adding four more scores on the ground. It will be interesting to see if the youth comes out of school after only three years. Though the grandfather, Archie, came out of Ole Miss after only three seasons to go second overall in the 1971 NFL Draft, he highly encouraged Peyton and Eli to stay four years apiece at their respective alma maters. Enough hype off of a strong season may be enough to lure Arch out of Austin next year, but there’s always a chance he returns to campus and diminishes the 2026 class a bit.
Even without Manning, though, there’s still plenty of talent in next year’s class. LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and Penn State’s Drew Allar have consistently been billed as the next big NFL arms in college football, projecting consistently as future first-round picks. Unfortunately, the 2024 season did little to support either’s claim for a top draft spot.
After an impressive performance (395 passing yards, three touchdowns) in the Tigers’ bowl game victory over Wisconsin in 2023 (his first start), Nussmeier returned to Baton Rouge to start all 13 games in his redshirt junior season with plenty of hype. In some respects, he absolutely delivered. His 4,052 passing yards were second in the SEC this year behind only Dart (4,279), second in school history behind only Joe Burrow (5,671), and 10th in SEC history. Dart accomplished his number with 127 fewer pass attempts, though, while Burrow threw for 1,619 more yards on just two more attempts. Nussmeier also tied with Ewers and Carson Beck for the most interceptions (12) in the SEC last year. If Nussmeier can develop a more efficient passing game with more looks downfield while limiting turnovers, he may be able to retain his first-round stock next year. It would also benefit him to develop a bit more mobility; he currently has -96 career rushing yards (sacks count as negative rushing attempts in college).
At one point a five-star recruit and the top quarterback in the 2022 recruiting class, according to 247Sports, Allar has, so far, failed to live up to the hype in Happy Valley. After appearing in 10 games as a true freshman, Allar became the Nittany Lions’ full-time starter as a sophomore in 2023. He only completed 59.9 percent of his passes for 2,631 yards that season, but he became the second quarterback in FBS history to throw for 25 or more touchdowns and two or fewer interceptions after Hendon Hooker did so with 27 and two, respectively, in 2022. Allar improved his completion percentage (66.5) and passing yardage (3,327) in 16 games in 2024 (only a slight rise in yards per game), but his 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions indicated a step back. He does boast some rushing ability, though, with 560 yards and 11 touchdowns in three years. Penn State hasn’t been known for big passing numbers as they’ve transitioned from Trace McSorley to Sean Clifford to Allar, but one would expect Allar’s five-star talent to elevate the passing attack a bit more than it has. If he continues to put up lackluster numbers, he’ll still likely hear his name called in the draft, it just may not be in the first round.
One passer who may have passed both Nussmeier and Allar with his 2024 performance was Clemson’s Cade Klubnik. Another five-star recruit, and the second-ranked quarterback under Allar in the 2022 recruiting class, Klubnik was incredibly underwhelming in his first two years with the Tigers. Last year, though, Klubnik passed for 3,639 yards, 36 touchdowns, and only six interceptions while rushing for 463 yards and seven more scores. His performance led Clemson to an ACC Championship and a College Football Playoff berth. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded Klubnik as the eighth-best passer last season in the NCAA, over both Nussmeier (23rd) and Allar (32nd). 
Another name drawing plenty of first-round interest is South Carolina dual-threat quarterback LaNorris Sellers. Like Manning, and unlike Nussmeier, Allar, and Klubnik, Sellers will only be a redshirt sophomore next season, but he showed flashes of serious star potential in 2024 that has scouts licking their chops. Barely registering any time as a true freshman, Sellers entered this past fall as the Gamecocks’ starter. Missing a game and a half with injury, Sellers put up a 65.6 percent completion rate, 2,534 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, while rushing for 674 yards and seven more scores. He got off to a slow start, but starting with the team’s seventh matchup of the year, Sellers blew up, averaging 249 passing yards per game and 65 rushing yards per game while scoring 18 touchdowns (14 passing, four rushing) and throwing only three picks. The team ended the regular season on a six-game winning streak before losing its bowl game.
Two other names that scouts are dog-earring early are Nico Iamaleava and Fernando Mendoza, who have both transferred to new schools for 2025. Iamaleava is heading to UCLA after two seasons in Tennessee. Becoming a full-time starter for the Volunteers as a redshirt freshman, Iamaleava helped Tennessee win 10 games. His passing numbers (2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns, five interceptions) and rushing numbers (358 yards, three touchdowns) were only small contributions, though, for a team that was carried by a strong run game and defense. Still, Iamaleava’s ball security should be valued on a Bruins team that saw Ethan Garbers throw 11 interceptions in a disappointing senior campaign last year.
Mendoza is heading to Indiana after nearly two full years as the starter at Cal. Mendoza took over as the Golden Bears’ starter in the sixth game of the team’s 2023 campaign and started every game for the rest of the year. He started 11 games for Cal in 2024, averaging 273.1 yards per game for 16 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He also displays some decent mobility out of the pocket. Mendoza and former Indiana passer Kurtis Rourke will essentially switch cities with Rourke landing with the 49ers in the draft. Under head coach Curt Cignetti, Mendoza could have a breakout year with the Hoosiers.
And these are just the preseason names marked with first-round potential. At this time last year, Ward was considered a likely Day 3 option. Howe notes options like Ward’s successor at Miami, Beck, Dart’s successor at Ole Miss, Austin Simmons, Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt, Baylor’s Sawyer Robinson, and Kansas State’s Avery Johnson all as names that could skyrocket up the board with strong 2025 campaigns. Another one of Ward’s successors, John Mateer, who followed Ward as the starter at Washington State last year, is primed to be a contender, as well, in 2025 after transferring to Oklahoma.
For now, this is a ton of speculation. With the nature of the draft and transfer portal, so many of these quarterbacks’ teams will look extremely different in 2025, and it could really affect their performances as a result, potentially making 2026’s quarterback crop as thin as 2025’s. Small school or FCS passers could force their way into the conversation, as well. Or any number of these players could defer to the 2027 NFL Draft and make that year’s class even stronger. Regardless, teams like the Browns and Rams, with extra first-round picks next year, are feeling much more optimistic about the quarterback depth of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Texans Host Trio Of Veteran RBs
After finishing 23rd in rushing in 2023 without a 1,000-yard for the fourth season in a row, the Texans invested some draft capital to acquire former Bengals rusher Joe Mixon. With diminishing returns from Dameon Pierce, who is headed into a contract year, and the lack of a true receiving back, Houston has been making attempts throughout the offseason to bring competition to the room. 
The Texans carried five running backs (Mixon, Pierce, Dare Ogunbowale, J.J. Taylor, and British Brooks) on their 53-man roster last year. All five return to the roster in 2025, as does practice squad rusher from last year Jawhar Jordan, but that hasn’t stopped Houston from exploring plenty of other options. To start, the team drafted USC back Woody Marks in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Additionally, the team hosted veterans Nyheim Hines, Chris Evans, and Trayveon Williams for workouts yesterday, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2.
Hines is certainly an interesting option who is extremely familiar with the AFC South after spending parts of six seasons with the Colts. He split the 2022 season between Indianapolis and Buffalo and hasn’t appeared in a game since. He missed the entire 2023 season after tearing his ACL in a jet ski incident in the offseason, and after getting released and signing with the Browns, Hines was unable to make a return in 2024. Although Hines hasn’t appeared in a game in over two years, he’s an intriguing option based on the receiving abilities he displayed over his time with the Colts; he actually has more career receiving yards (1,778) than rushing yards (1,202). He’s also been a prolific return man in his career.
Williams and Evans signing with Houston would be an interesting development in that it would reunite them with Mixon and put three former Bengals in the Texans’ running backs room. Williams, a sixth-round pick in 2019, is a Texas-native who went to college at Texas A&M. Over six seasons with Cincinnati, he only accumulated 307 rushing yards and 74 receiving yards with no scores. He does add some special teams value as a kickoff return man.
Evans, a sixth-round pick in 2021, only has 89 rushing yards (no touchdowns rushing) in his four years with the team, but he showed more as a receiving back with 188 yards and three scores over that time. Like Hines, though, he has a recent injury history after a ruptured patellar tendon kept him out of the Bengals’ 2024 campaign. He, too, has return experience on kickoff returns.
No signings resulted immediately from the workouts, but all three veteran options seem to be likely candidates to add some competition to the room. If not, Marks may be the easiest answer. The rookie showed significant receiving potential at Mississippi State with a 502-yard, three-touchdown season in 2021, but his fifth-year senior season with the Trojans saw him contribute much more as a rusher than a receiver.