Insider notes on 2025 NFL Draft's top prospects: Risers and sliders after Week 10 – Carson Beck's issues continue
As we move into the final month of the college football season, games are becoming more important for schools as well as NFL prospects. This week, we saw buckeyes-football" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Ohio State go into State College and beat higher-ranked Penn State.
Georgia also had a battle on their hands during its annual cross-border rivalry with Florida. And the Bulldogs quarterback, Carson Beck, continues to watch his draft stock tumble. Here are the risers and sliders for Week 10 of the college season.
2025 NFL Draft stock: Risers after Week 10 of college football
#1 Kaleb Johnson (RB/Iowa)
The 2025 running back class for the NFL Draft looks markedly better than the one available last April. This is in large part due to running backs who were off the scouting radar stepping forward and playing great football this season.
The argument can be made Johnson heads that list. After starting five games a year ago and rushing for 463 yards, Johnson has watched his game take off this season. In nine games, he’s already accumulated 1,279 yards with 19 TDs. What makes Johnson’s performance so impressive is the fact he is the Iowa offense.
His rushing total surpasses the combined passing yardage of all Hawkeyes quarterbacks this season, a rare oddity for a big-time program in a major conference.
Johnson has failed to cross the century mark in rushing yardage just twice this season, including a 98-yard performance against Michigan State, and he’s scored at least one touchdown in every game.
Numbers aside, Johnson possesses excellent size, a tremendous burst of speed, and great vision. He effectively uses blocks everywhere on the field, picks his way through traffic, and consistently finds the running lanes.
Unlike prior running backs from the Iowa program, Johson is much more than a downhill ball career and grades as a Day 2 selection.
#2 Josh Kelly (WR/Texas Tech)
Kelly, who transferred to Texas Tech from Washington State, sits near the top of the list of the most underrated receiver prospects in the nation.
The senior carved up Iowa State, which fielded the second-best pass defense in the nation, for eight receptions, 127 yards, and two TDs during the Red Raiders’ stunning 23-22 victory over the previously unbeaten Cyclones.
Nine games into the season, he’s already accumulated 68 receptions for 736 yards and five TDs. Kelly is a possession wideout who runs precise routes and shows good anticipation.
He’s not a speedster, yet he’s a terrific natural pass catcher who should slide into the late part of Day 2.
#3 Jayden Higgins (WR/Iowa State)
Higgins was another who had a great game during the Texas Tech-Iowa State contest, finishing with 10 receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown. Though not as highly rated as Kelly, Higgins is a big-bodied pass catcher with terrific hands.
Coming in at 6-foot-3.5 and 212 pounds, Higgins is deceptively fast and consistently comes away with the contested grab. He’s a Day 3 prospect with enough ability to land in the NFL as a fourth receiver on a depth chart.
#4 Cody Simon (LB/Ohio State)
With so much high-profile talent on the Buckeyes defense, inevitably someone’s going to get overlooked, and that someone is Cody Simon. Smart, tough and instinctive, Simon entered the season graded by scouts as a UDFA, but he has played like a draftable prospect.
He presently sits second on the defense with 37 tackles (though he missed a game with an injury) while also being credited with five TFLs and three PBUs.
He was omnipresent during the Buckeyes’ victory over Penn State, an all-important game to keep the program’s playoff hopes alive, leading all with 10 tackles.
Simon was also involved in the play that ended the Nittany Lions hopes, an incomplete pass delivered by Drew Allar on fourth-and-goal at the one-yard line.
Simon measures 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds and is expected to run the 40 in a time of 4.65 seconds. It’s unlikely Simon receives a combine invitation, yet he has enough talent to make an active roster in the NFL as a seventh linebacker/special-teams player.
Sleeper Prospects in 2025 NFL Draft class
#1 Isaiah Nwokobia (S/SMU)
The sole defensive back to make the risers list this week is a complete safety prospect lowkey spoken about in the scouting community. Nwokobia leads the SMU defense with 64 tackles and has also intercepted two passes and broken up three more.
He’s a taller defensive back who looks as comfortable making plays in reverse as he is moving forward. Nwokobia possesses next-level ball skills and can effectively line up over the slot receiver.
He’s also a physical run defender, always willing to throw his pads into the pile. There’s a lot to like about his game, as Nwokobia offers scheme versatility and projects as a middle-round prospect.
Small-school Prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft Class
#1 Carter Runyon (TE/Towson)
Yet another small-school NFL prospect from the CAA conference, Runyon has shown a lot of development in his game and is a terrific pass-catching tight end with growth potential.
He easily moves his 6-foot-4.5, 235-pound frame around the field and consistently catches everything thrown in his direction. In nine games this season, he’s caught 34 passes for 351 yards with four TDs after 43/549/4 last year.
Runyon is not a true speedster, yet he’s fast enough to split the seam. He also shows great route discipline and finds the open spot on the field.
Runyon needs to improve his blocking but has a large upside and, at the very least, should be stashed on a practice squad next fall while he continues to develop his game.
2025 NFL Draft stock: Sliders after Week 10 games
#1 Carson Beck (QB/Georgia)
It’s long past time to admit that Beck is hurting the Georgia Bulldogs as well as his draft stock. Too many times this season, Beck has thrown multiple interceptions early in the game and then relied on Georgia’s great defense to bail him out.
It happened against Alabama as well as Texas last month and occurred against Florida on Saturday. Beck threw three interceptions in each of those games, and to date, he has 17 TDs and 11 INTs, a terrible ratio.
The Gators converted Beck’s interceptions into 10 points and held the lead of the game for almost three full quarters.
Beck is consistently misreading the defense and tossing passes into double or even triple coverage. There’s little chance he ends up a top-12 pick, and if he continues throwing picks at this pace, Beck could fall out of the first round.
Also Read: Insider notes on Curt Cignetti's breakout season at Indiana: Big Ten dominance, 8-0 record and why Notre Dame, Ohio State could be calling