2025 NFL Draft: Ohio State RB Quinshon Judkins, Louisville QB Tyler Shough among underrated prospects
With an entire day of dedicated coverage, football fans spend most of their energy following the first round of the NFL Draft. That makes sense, considering that 32 of the best football players on the planet will realize their dreams, but the back six rounds are often where NFL teams find real value.
Prospects worthy of an early selection regularly slip deep into the draft, then go on and have a better career than some first-round picks. After all, no matter what tape and measurables may suggest, drafting is largely a dart throw.
Plenty of under-the-radar and unheralded players quickly make a name for themselves. Just look at current San Francisco 49ers and former Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy, who was the 2022 NFL Draft's Mr. Irrelevant at pick No. 262. He eventually beat former first-round pick Trey Lance for the starting job and even led the 49ers to an appearance in the 2024 Super Bowl.
Purdy is just a recent example of an underrated prospect flourishing in the NFL, but there were many before him -- and many to come after. With the 2025 NFL Draft just days away, it felt appropriate to identify some college football stars that have a good chance to outperform their spot in the CBS Sports 2025 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings and their projected draft slots.
CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Ranking: 47
Walker is currently projected as a late second round pick, which is fair for a more traditional nose tackle. That being said, he could be an absolute steal, with the upside to emerge as a high-tier, multi-year professional starter. He measured in at 6-foot-7 and 331-pounds at the NFL Combine and, though he didn't participate in many drills, his tape shows that he moves extremely well for a lineman his size. In fact, he has so much burst and athleticism that Kentucky would use him as an edge rusher in certain packages. He played through the 2024 season with a stress fracture in his back, which explains the drop off in production, but he still had 37 total tackles and 1.5 sacks.
CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Ranking: 54
At 6-foot-3, Fannin is a bit undersized. There are some questions about his ability to hold up as a blocker in the NFL. But there's no doubting his tremendous talent as a receiving option. He became the first tight end in FBS history to lead the nation in both yards receiving (1,555) and receptions (117). He showed out against good competition, too, with a combined 19 catches for 282 yards and two touchdowns against Penn State and Texas A&M. Oh, and he's only 20 years old with three years of experience playing the tight end position. At worst, whatever team selects Fannin will get an offensive weapon that could give opposing linebackers and safeties tremendous headaches in coverage.
CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Ranking: 70
Harris spent a majority of the 2024 season battling through injuries, which may explain why he's become an "odd man out" in a relatively weak wide receiver class. In what amounted to six fully healthy games last season, he still had 60 catches for 1,030 yards and seven touchdowns. Though Harris might not have top-shelf speed, he averaged a blistering 17.7 yards per catch in his two years at Ole Miss. He wins at the line of scrimmage more often than not and is an absolute menace to guard in one-on-one situations -- both very desirable attributes for an NFL wide receiver.
CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Ranking: 81
Safeties have become a bit undervalued in the NFL -- a true safety hasn't been drafted earlier than pick No. 47 since 2022. But there's really no substitute for an eraser deep in the secondary, and Watts fits that bill. He's a true ballhawk, with an FBS-leading 13 interceptions over the past two years. He also has the range and athleticism to run sideline-to-sideline and did not allow a single receiving touchdown from 2023-24. Maybe not a first-round guy, but he has value within the top 60 picks.
CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Ranking: 89
The 2025 NFL Draft is a paradise for teams that need a running back. Even though the backfield class is absolutely stacked, Judkins still deserves more recognition. He's been an absolute workhorse since his 2022 freshman season at Ole Miss, when he carried the ball 274 times for 1,567 yards and 16 touchdowns. He totaled 1,200-plus yards and at least 15 total touchdowns in each of his three years of college football. While he may not have that second gear in terms of speed, he is a powerful three-down runner with nice short-area quickness that's more than capable of breaking tackles. He also has some upside as a receiver, with 59 catches for 442 yards and five touchdowns at Ole Miss and Ohio State.
CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Ranking: 102
What should have been a spectacular fifth-year season for Horton was cut short by a knee injury in October. He erased any lingering doubts about the setback by measuring in at 6-foot-2 and running a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. Horton brings the size and speed front offices crave at the wide receiver position, and he also has proven production to back the traits up. He hasn't totaled below 600 yards receiving in a full 12-game season and he posted back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns from 2022-23. He has the versatility to play inside or near the boundaries, further boosting his profile as an impactful player.
CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Ranking: 113
Belton isn't a plug-and-play NFL starter. He's still very raw and needs more refinement with the technical aspects along the offensive line. There's also some questions surrounding his positional future. At 6-foot-6, he has the ideal frame for an offensive tackle -- he played left tackle at NC State -- but his arm length sits just a tick below 34 inches, which tends to be the benchmark for a professional OT. Those minor red flags aside, Belton is a gem. Obviously the size is imposing, but he has excellent feet and balance for an offensive linemen with the requisite strength to hold up in the trenches. If he can land somewhere that will take the time to develop him, it won't be long before he's a standout.
CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Ranking: 117
There's been plenty of buzz suggesting Shough could go much earlier than people expect in the 2025 NFL Draft. He's 25 years old, which makes him older than nine expected starting NFL quarterbacks, but that also comes with the upshot that he's started 32 games at multiple high-level Power Four conference schools. He's boasts experience in pro-style systems at Texas Tech and Louisville. When fully healthy in 2024 he put together a solid campaign with 3,195 yards and 23 touchdowns passing to just six interceptions. Shough also has decent mobility, as he posted 733 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing in college.
CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Ranking: 133
Again, it's a really good draft to need a running back. Skattebo is, on all levels but physical, an absolute dawg. He didn't participate in on-field drills at the NFL Combine -- which increased concerns about his athletic ability -- but that really does not matter. The tape shows a hard-nosed runner with a low center of gravity that carries the ball like he has a personal vendetta against anyone trying to tackle him. He can also impact the game in so many different ways. Just look at Arizona State's College Football Playoff showdown against Texas, where Skattebo had two touchdowns rushing, a passing touchdown and 99 yards receiving. That kind of versatility will land him a role in the NFL, no matter when he's drafted.
CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Ranking: 235
Higgins' draft stock absolutely tanked after a rough combine performance, where he ran a 4.82-second 40-yard dash and posted a sub-9.5-foot broad jump. While his physical traits may not jump off the page, there's no denying he's an impactful player. He had 289 total tackles from 2023-24 and logged a career-high four interceptions and five pass deflections last season. He's also consistently graded as one of the best pass coverage linebackers since he emerged as a starter at Iowa, suggesting that he moves a lot better on the field than he does in underwear.
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