Aside from the season-opening game and the Super Bowl, the draft is one of the most anticipated events for NFL fans. Each year, knowing who will be the first pick and who the rest of the teams will select excites both the media and fans. This year, however, things are different.
Experts often assert that each draft class contains between 15 and 20 first-round-worthy prospects. In stark contrast, according to most analysts, the 2025 class is so short on talent that this number is practically cut in half-or even less.
The most discerning analysts claim that this class’s talent is so lacking that scouts have had no choice but to single out a player who would normally be relegated to the second round: running back Ashton Jeanty.
Jeanty and the lost generation
In the most recent episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, analyst John Middlekauff bitterly complained about the lack of spark he perceives in the 2025 class. “I think the NFL is very turned off by this crop. Typically, you feel really good about 10 to 15 guys in a draft,” he asserted.
Middlekauff immediately clarified that he really likes Ashton Jeanty but couldn’t help emphasizing that he usually wouldn’t be first-round material. “People think I’m being critical [but] when a 5-foot-8 running back from Boise State is considered the third-best talent in your draft, you’ve got problems.”
Middlekauff emphasized that the only reason Jeanty is considered a top prospect is the lack of talent among the rest of the draft class. “Teams just don’t think the other prospects are good. So they’re saying, ‘We might as well take this little guy who’s at least good.'”
The analyst was blunt in saying that if Jeanty is destined to be one of the top 10 picks this year, “he’d better be Barry Sanders. Because the last few guys who went that high-McCaffrey, Saquon, Bijan-weren’t 5-8 kids from Boise.”
Jeanty isn’t the only one
Despite all the hype they’ve caused, some analysts argue that quarterbacks Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are more developing talents than first-week starters. Receivers Luther Burden III and Tetairoa McMillan certainly have skill but lack the superstar looks.
The rest of the positions face similar dilemmas. Although the profile of players in this class meets some of the requirements of modern football, analysts agree that versatility does not equal talent. Even worse, they believe this same problem will recur every three or four years, as is already happening in the NBA.
Read the full article here
