2025 NFL draft class: Strengths, weaknesses, big questions - ESPN

For months, the 2025 NFL draft class has been billed as weak relative to recent years by scouts and media analysts. It has been labeled thin and void of blue-chip talent. And sometimes, it has been called flat-out bad.

But as NFL analysts, scouts and executives dive further into the class ahead of Round 1 on April 24, that narrative is shifting. Thanks to underclassman declarations and a closer look at Day 2 and 3 prospects, this class could be stronger than previously predicted.

How did we get here? After talking to more than a dozen scouts and general managers over the past few weeks, a clear pattern emerged. What started as a quest for historical perspective on the inferiority of the 2025 class became a deep dive into positional value, team-building philosophies and the idea that good players are out there — scouts just need to find them.

«The people saying this is a bad class just haven't watched enough players yet,» an AFC college scouting director said.

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Overall thoughts | Question marks
Positions of strength | Best comp

«There are four, maybe five, blue-chip players,» one NFL general manager said. «After that, it's 40 guys with a late-first-round or second-round grade.»

Scouts view the 2025 class as light on future All-Pros but strong on starters. «You're going to see a ton of rookie starters from this class because it's such an experienced group,» an AFC South area scout said.

Though the class appears to lack high-end, can't-miss prospects seen as future stars — such as Caleb Williams and Marvin Harrison Jr. last year — it has fewer players ranked high based purely on potential. As an AFC East area scout put it: «Player No. 15 on your board might have the same grade as No. 50.»

That's great for teams