2025 NFL draft buzz: Late risers, Day 2 sleepers, mini-mocks - ESPN

We're less than two weeks away from the start of the 2025 NFL draft on April 24. Amid a ton of buzz about early picks, top prospects and the quarterback class, we asked NFL draft analysts Matt Miller, Jordan Reid and Field Yates to break down the latest intel from around the league.

Which players are making a late climb up boards? What are our experts' final takeaways from all the pro days? Which team could go completely off the script in the first round? What are the biggest injury concerns, and who are some Day 2 impact players to watch? We get into all that and then let Miller, Reid and Yates project the perfect draft for three teams picking inside the top 10.

Finally, our experts empty their scouting notebooks with what they're hearing, seeing and thinking ahead of Round 1. Let's start with some prospects who are getting late notice in NFL circles.

Jump to a section:
Last-minute risers | Pro day takeaways
Biggest wild-card teams in Round 1
Day 2 impact players | Injury concerns
Seven-round mock drafts: NE, CAR, CHI
Emptying our notebook: What we're hearing

Reid: Darien Porter, CB, Iowa State. At 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, Porter is a long zone corner who also had a standout performance at the combine. His 4.3-second 40-yard dash and 10-foot-11 broad jump matched the athletic traits we see on his tape. The main knock on Porter is he has only two seasons of defensive experience, as he played wide receiver for the Cyclones prior to the 2022 season. But that also means his upside is immense, and teams specializing in zone coverage likely have him circled as an early-to-mid Day 2 target.

What's also helping Porter is the number of injuries facing this year's corner class. Porter was one of the few top prospects who managed to