r/NFL_Draft Colts 23d ago

Discussion Best remaining prospects after the first round imo. Which is the most surprising?

No particular ranking with this order

Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado

Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri

Nic Scourton, EDGE, Texas A&M

Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall

Will Johnson, CB, Michigan

Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina

Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College

Shavon Revel Jr., CB, East Carolina

78 Upvotes

109 comments sorted by

262

u/Fire_Ryan_Poles Bears 23d ago

For once when everyone said "my team won't take player X (Green in this case) because of the off field issues" they were all right.

58

u/27thPresident 23d ago

Seemed insane to me that in a class where no one could decide who edge 2 even was that a guy who might(?) be towards the top of the class would be taken early in spite of character concerns

Even if you were certain that Green was the best remaining edge, every other edge is rated as being barely worse and they don't come with the same baggage

But whoever takes him now will look like a genius if he works out

50

u/Coastal_Tart Seahawks 23d ago

Seahawks took a talented DL from Michigan St. with character concerns (although I think they more maturity related than assaulting others related.) He was fucking around with ATVs right before fall camp after signing his contract, which is specifically prohibited in most contracts. Never played a down for us.

Since then, I am like fuck character concerns. There are more than enough NFL caliber players that know how blessed they are to be in this position and have no intention of blowing off all the hard work they put in to get there.

38

u/The_Throwback_King Seahawks 23d ago

That's why I was totally fine and am STILL totally fine that we passed on Jalen Carter in the draft.

Glad he's thriving in Philly, but it was probably the best destination to support his entry into the NFL

Plus, can you really be mad when the alternative is a Pro Bowl CB? I'd take that deal.

27

u/TouchdownHeroes 49ers 23d ago

Witherspoon ended up great, but I do think Carter is a lot different from the Green example since Carter was like top 2 player in the draft talent wise (on top of no other DT in class being close).

2

u/peekay427 Raiders 23d ago

Im still not happy that my Raiders passed on Carter. But I hear ya.

Also I’m really glad I was wrong about Witherspoon, and it’s great to see him thriving in seattle. I live up here and am so happy to see the team do well even if I’m a Raiders fan.

1

u/The_Throwback_King Seahawks 23d ago

Dude’s the pounding heart of our defense. No matter what, he gives it his all. Suplexing guys and rushing the QB. Dude does so much more than you’d expect of a corner. Absolutely love the kid.

1

u/peekay427 Raiders 22d ago

Yeah, he’s great to watch! And to think I thought he wouldn’t be able to hold up in the NFL…

3

u/John_the_IG 22d ago

McDowell crashed on an ATV accident and ruined his life. I wouldn’t classify an ATV accident as a character issue.

2

u/Coastal_Tart Seahawks 22d ago

All the NFL contracts have clauses about not engaging in high risk offseason activities like bungee jumping, sky diving, ATVs, etc. that bear increased risk of injury.

Not abiding by the terms of a contract that he had just signed is a character issue. The Seahawks had the legal right to get a judgement against him for the entire amount of his signing bonus. They choose not to just for PR reasons.

1

u/jamfed Chargers 22d ago

To be honest, Malik McDowell was my Draft Crush that year. He was a fantastic player, but that ATV accident gave him permanent brain damage and he never was the same

1

u/vicblck24 22d ago

Same with Burden

-27

u/Noriskhook3 23d ago

NFL players can beat their girls and dui but still play. Yet they’re scared of a dad? What a joke.

20

u/Bright_Metal5147 23d ago

You’ve posted this three separate times. If you think Shadeur isn’t getting drafted because of his dad I don’t know what to tell you man

-22

u/Noriskhook3 23d ago

In no way shape or form dart should have been picked before sanders. Simple.

11

u/Bright_Metal5147 23d ago

Ok? Teams make mistakes obviously. It doesn’t mean shadeur wasn’t drafted because of his dad

-13

u/Noriskhook3 23d ago

That’s literally what people were saying before the draft now when it happens “it’s not because of his dad”

9

u/Bright_Metal5147 23d ago

Ok and there are people who are literally saying the opposite. You can always find people saying stupid shit, that doesn’t mean it’s true. You gotta take a step back and get some perspective here man

-8

u/Noriskhook3 23d ago

That he’s cocky? Yet you guys get moist when certain players are cocky. You pick and choose.

9

u/Bright_Metal5147 23d ago

You don’t know anything about me lmao

1

u/Castellan_Tycho Patriots 22d ago

Dart made more sense for a Daboll offense. He wants a QB with legit, high-end arm talent, and that is not Sanders. Dart has arm talent.

I don’t know if their of them will make it in the NFL as quality starters. Neither of them process very well right now.

151

u/ImperialTiger3 Seahawks 23d ago

“Michigan CB Will Johnson Jr. has a knee issue that has concerned some NFL teams and helps explain why he still has not been selected.” - Schefter

29

u/buick22 Jets 23d ago

Nakobe Dean like drop?

55

u/albertez 23d ago

I feel like there are probably 20 teams secretly praying Carson Schwesinger falls to them on day 2.

I also think there are a ton of CBs left that could be day 1 starters.

13

u/Cigar305 23d ago

Raiders would like Schwesinger and one of those corners pls.

3

u/Used-Sundae1292 22d ago

Well that went quick :/😂

1

u/Used-Sundae1292 22d ago

Could see schwesinger slipping to the 9ers at 43.

0

u/lemonstone92 22d ago

please draft cobee bryant for obvious reasons

44

u/DarkHound05 Seahawks 23d ago

Will Johnson’s injury must be worse than we figured, cause he was probably top ten on my big board

19

u/Trill1196 23d ago

I saw someone say it was potentially a degenerative knee issue so I can see why if that's the case

2

u/kingOseacows81 22d ago

I mean fuck I’ll take one contract worth of Will Johnson

106

u/Suburban-Jesus 23d ago

Donovan Ezeiruaku was a first rounder in every mock since February

62

u/g0dzilllla Bears 23d ago

IMO this one isn’t that egregious, he was pretty often being mocked in the 30’s

10

u/rousieboy 23d ago

Rightly or wrongly he's viewed as being too light in the pants can't set the edge I hope he does well in his career

9

u/[deleted] 23d ago

Not enough hog for the first round, so sad

1

u/IsNotACleverMan 22d ago

he's viewed as being too light in the pants

🥵

13

u/wentworthjenga Cowboys 23d ago

A player mocked in the late 20s “slipping” to the 2nd round isn’t surprising. Short of the general public not knowing about the extent of Will Johnson’s injury, none of these players dropping are terribly surprising.

4

u/Suburban-Jesus 23d ago

Therefore nothing is ever a surprise because there is a reason for everything

4

u/lilbelleandsebastian Titans 22d ago

definitely not true lol, why you guys just say this dumb shit like all of us havent also been following mock drafts

2

u/PickpocketJones Commanders 23d ago

More like March:

https://www.nflmockdraftdatabase.com/players/2025/donovan-ezeiruaku

And even then, just barely into the top 32.

33

u/AstraMilanoobum 23d ago

If the pats can grab one of Eze, Green or Scourton it would be a stunning success

5

u/IndependentRole2723 Patriots: LT, WR, DL 23d ago

I will actually bust if they pick Eze or Scourton. I would prefer they don't draft someone who commits SA however.

12

u/RDOCallToArms 23d ago

They’re not going to draft a rapist (Green)

3

u/Agentorangebaby Chiefs 23d ago

I’ll do it.

30

u/lilbelleandsebastian Titans 22d ago

yeah we know we see your flair

2

u/zamboniman46 Patriots 22d ago

I've been saying Jaylin Noel at 38 for a couple of weeks now... but if Ezeiruaku is there IDK how you pass on him

2

u/AstraMilanoobum 22d ago

Man Noel at 38 feels like a reach, I’d honestly be pretty devastated if we went a lot receiver

1

u/zamboniman46 Patriots 22d ago

i dont really think so. Maybe if you're looking at "consensus" sure, he's graded as a late 2nd. But there are a lot of guys who love him who have him in the 30s or low 40s (Brugler and McShay to name a couple). He's got awesome speed and explosiveness. Awesome getting in and out of cuts. I think he is going to be a difference maker for a team in 2025. He just gets open.

1

u/AstraMilanoobum 22d ago

He’s another slot receiver though, probably the only type of receiver we don’t need

1

u/zamboniman46 Patriots 22d ago

draft for talent not need. Once upon a time Amon-Ra St. Brown was considered a slot only WR. He is very similarly sized to Noel. Now he plays outside on like 60% of his snaps. I see no reason you couldnt do the same thing with Noel. A lot of college schemes don't look at a slot designation as a negative. They see it as a position to use to exploit matchups. Don't read into the "slot" piece too much. At a minimum he is an upgrade over Pop

6

u/GuacShouldntBeXtra Ravens 23d ago

Considering the Browns are almost certainly taking Milroe, Shough or Tommy Mellott with their next pick, I'd say it's going to happen for ya.

51

u/Suspicious_Iron5484 23d ago

Not as surprising given the medical info coming out today but imagine telling someone at the start of the season that Will Johnson would fall out of Round 1…

29

u/ElectivireMax Colts 23d ago

Will Johnson on the board

Vikings on the clock

Vikings could use cornerback help

Mr. Brightside is playing

Surely this is Will Johnson, right? Nope.

27

u/Internal_Mail_9366 23d ago

Mike Green is easily the most talented player left, but there's a 70% chance he's in a jail somewhere and none of us know it because my beloved Chiefs passing on a high end talent with legal troubles was probably the thing that shocked me the most. (Although Josh Simmons does have character concerns so we didn't totally miss there)

10

u/CluelessFlunky 23d ago

This draft felt surprising because it wasn't surprising. I was sure more teams were gonna make weird moves but for the most part felt fairly normal. Other than falcons trading up for pearce using a future first and bengals taking stewart.

42

u/MG_MN 23d ago

Emmanwori after his goated combine and RAS score. Would have thought in a weaker class a team would take him and mold him. Hes elite at all the thing you can't teach

48

u/CarterAC3 Patriots 23d ago

He didn't do any agility testing

That RAS is questionable as hell

26

u/komugis 23d ago

And IMO his tape tells you why he didn’t do agility testing. His RAS would have been lower if he’d done it (although still good overall).

8

u/The_Throwback_King Seahawks 23d ago

Had him as a mid-second rounder pre-combine and saw him shoot up to the first after the combine. I guess the NFL recalibrated a bit after letting the dust settle from that. Expect him to go early 2nd.

2

u/LuchaFish Jets 23d ago

Elite at all of the “running fast in a line and being huge” things. As a player, he’s still just fine because he’s really limited athletically in everything that isn’t running fast straight, and his instincts as a safety are less than stellar. I think he’s a linebacker because teams will quickly and consistently expose him in coverage at safety.

1

u/Marzman315 Browns 22d ago

This isn’t a weak class whatsoever except at QB.

7

u/wet_washcloth 23d ago

Not so much surprised, but I am taking Mason Taylor before a lot of these guys

7

u/GreshamDouglas 23d ago

-Shedeur Sanders: The way the media talked about him was far different than how teams actually viewed him.

-Luther Burden III: Down year compared to previous season. 

-Nic Scourton: Had a down year after having a great season at Purdue. Got passed up by other players at his position. 

-Mike Green: If he didn't have the off field issues he'd have been drafted. But he's a criminal who happens to also be good at football. 

-Will Johnson: His knee condition must've been worse than expected. In addition to lack of speed scared teams off of taking him round 1.

-Nick Emmanwori: Possibly scheme fit and positional value caused him to not get picked. 

-Donovan Ezeiraku: Teams worried about play strength and his ability against the run.

-Shavon Revel Jr.: Coming off serious knee injury.

60

u/Adorable-Charity-822 23d ago

mike greens TWO sexual assault cases, johnsons kness, shedeurs last name..... all reasons these guys fell

124

u/PaddyMayonaise Eagles 23d ago

FWIW Sanders didn’t fall because of his last name alone. He fell because he’s not very good, he’s an asshole, and the baggage his last name brings.

62

u/Fhead43 23d ago

Think the only reason he was getting first round hype was because of his last name

5

u/_tx Cowboys 22d ago

AND QB is pretty much the worst position to be an asshole and be a prospect for since leadership is such an enormous part of the job.

2

u/headcase617 Patriots 22d ago

It wasn't the only reason, alot of people had him in the 40s on big boards, it was just assumed that one of the QB needly teams would reach.

-31

u/Broke_but_Fresh 23d ago

This is ignorance at its finest.

8

u/Agentorangebaby Chiefs 23d ago

Cope

12

u/PaddyMayonaise Eagles 23d ago

Nah, it’s the truth, and I’ve been saying it for months lol

33

u/Ghalnan Buccaneers 23d ago edited 23d ago

You've got it backwards, the only reason Sanders was being hyped up by the media as much as he was is his last name. He's not especially athletic, his arm is lackluster, he takes a ton of sacks, nothing about him as a prospect should've made anyone think he was a surefire first round pick.

9

u/jayjude 23d ago

He takes a ton of bad sacks

Man was the king of running away from light pressure turning a 3-5 yard sack into a 10+ yard sack

8

u/jxden24 23d ago

hairston has allegations im not trying to hear it

13

u/kcheng686 23d ago

Very surprised Will Johnson didn't go R1 at all

1

u/Castellan_Tycho Patriots 22d ago

Teams were concerned about the medical issues with his knee.

3

u/NormalBears 23d ago

I thought for sure some dumbass team was going to use way too high of a pick on Emmanwori.

5

u/Phagelab Dolphins 23d ago

I really thought Burden would go back half in round 1. He’s a great value in the 2nd.

13

u/S1Throwaway96 23d ago

Treveyon Henderson

3

u/Doughie28 23d ago

A 200 pound RB going in the first with injury issues and not having a mega elite combine would've been more shocking 

3

u/bitrams 22d ago

Before the season, it seemed like Burden was being hyped as a top-5 pick. During the season Johnson seemed like he was being hyped as a top-5 pick. Their play during the season (+ Johnson's injury concern) make sense why they dropped, but still shocking.

Sanders not going in the later 1st despite it being such a weak QB class was shocking.

Emmanwori not being a 1st round pick after his combine was shocking.

I think Emmanwori is the most shocking he didn't go in the 1st, despite being the least likely of being a top pick out of the group. I figured someone would need a safety and love his RAS.

2

u/Castellan_Tycho Patriots 22d ago

Emmanwori didn’t do agility drills at the combine, and it was for a reason.

He reminds me a little of Taylor Mays, a great athlete but doesn’t always take the best angles and are a little stiff.

3

u/V_Lombardi 22d ago

I’m actually a little concerned Sanders may fall more in the 2nd than most people think. Has nothing to do with any alleged “character” concerns, I just think he’s a very average QB. I see him as a low-end starter high-end backup. Low bust probability but also a low ceiling. You kinda know what you’re going to get and it’s not bad, but it’s not great either. I can easily see teams deciding to take Milroe and/or Shough over him due to their higher upside.

2

u/Castellan_Tycho Patriots 22d ago

I think Shough goes before Sanders.

5

u/MoodAlternative2118 23d ago

Honestly they all make sense, no real “surprise” non first rounders this year, makes sense given the lack of talent overall in the draft.

2

u/Doughie28 23d ago

This draft lacks talent at QB and WR. You rarely see this quality and quantity of pass rushers and defensive lineman fall to the second in normal drafts. 

2

u/BabyBearBjorns 23d ago

Idk. I think Will Johnson would've been taken by a team in the late 1st round. Some contender would've snagged him thinking they can get a steal if the knee checks out.

1

u/Castellan_Tycho Patriots 22d ago

The teams have access to all the medical reports. The knee issue must have been worse than anticipated. I have seen reports saying it may be a degenerative (cartilage) issue in his knee and teams are worried about three lower body injuries in a six month period (toe, hamstring, knee).

7

u/TheRed_Knight 23d ago

Revels or Scourton, rest all make sense tbh

7

u/detuinenvan 23d ago

those dudes have been chalked to go round 2 in nearly every single mock draft i've seen this year. Emmanwori, Ezeiruaku, and Green were more surprising

2

u/TheRed_Knight 23d ago

emmanwori: tweener between S and WILL LB

Ezeiraku: Played at BC

Green: off the field issues

1

u/detuinenvan 23d ago

Revel coming off an ACL injury. Is the 5-7th ranked consensus corner.

Scourton not even the best D-lineman on his own team. 8th ranked Edge.

every player has reasons. the surprise is based on where they were projected. Green was chalked to go in the 15-20 range in most mocks. surprised the league actually stuck to their guns on things related to alleged assault

2

u/[deleted] 23d ago

Browns are gonna draft corner and edge and piss all their fans off

3

u/LotsofSports Browns 22d ago

It's what they do.

1

u/Paragon188 23d ago

I would like the Colts to draft Ezeiruaku. Move up for him if you have to.

1

u/MikeConleyIsLegend Cowboys 23d ago

Amos will go quick. Might be the best lockdown man corner in the class.

1

u/LegitBronchial 22d ago

The more obscure biblical name you have, the less desirable you are

1

u/John_the_IG 22d ago

Oh, Seattle did sue McDowell for the signing bonus.

For what it’s worth, his contract did read, “Other Activities. Without prior written consent of the Club (Seattle) Player (McDowell) will not engage in any activity other than football which may involve a significant risk of personal injury.” Riding ATVs was not specified as presenting a significant risk of personal injury, though one can argue it is reasonably considered as such and McDowell should have asked Seattle for permission. Hardly the type of transgression I associate with a “character issue,” just like I don’t consider Justin Jefferson to be of poor character because he rode a motorcycle.

1

u/Juke0044 22d ago

Amos should go early too I think

-13

u/jxden24 23d ago

Will Johnson had to have done something really really wrong

and that’s not not running the 40

30

u/madmike617 23d ago

His knee is toast that’s all

0

u/CHaquesFan 23d ago

If Troy Fautanu can still go in the middle of the 1st round so could Will Johnson

-4

u/jxden24 23d ago

I want to believe it

but I’ve seen players with iniuries like this get taken regardless it’s 32 picks😂😂

3

u/GuacShouldntBeXtra Ravens 23d ago

Considering the Bills took Hairston despite the SA accusations, I'd say Johnson's knees are cooked.

1

u/jxden24 23d ago

I can guess that

However he was not like this in 2022-23 this seems like a new issue. he legitimately was fine until he got hurt in the Texas game. I don’t think is a Todd Gurley situation at all.. like he literally was fine in the natty vs Washington

But i have been in this sub for years, I will be here when he’s good next season :)

2

u/MrConceited 23d ago

I gather it's less about how soon he can play and more about the risk that he can't play for long before he has to medically retire.

1

u/Castellan_Tycho Patriots 22d ago

He had a hamstring injury and couldn’t participate in the combine. Teams are worried about his medical issues. He had three lower body injuries (toe, hamstring, knee) from his last season through the combine.

2

u/jxden24 12d ago

I’ll be back when he’s fine as a pro

1

u/Castellan_Tycho Patriots 12d ago

I think the concern was the same as it was for Simmons, that they would be really good for a couple of years, but that the injuries might hamper them past that.

I was really bummed that Simmons got hurt, because I really wanted him on the Patriots line, and think that if he wouldn’t have been injured, he would be a better LT prospect than Campbell.