NFL Draft 1st Round Wild Cards
Every year on the first night of the NFL Draft, there are surprises. Whether someone goes way higher than expected, or drops out of the 1st round.
Let's discuss what prospects might fit into this category.
Last year, we saw Will Johnson, Mike Green, and Shedeur Sanders plummet down the board, for various reasons.
In 2023, as pictured above, both Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell were drafted well above where they stood according to the consensus board.
I released an article predicting how many of each position would go in the 1st round, including what players I thought would go.
In no world, an I mean ABSOLUTELY no world, will those 32 players that I listed all go in the 1st round.
It was a fairly bland list, very much not putting my own opinions into it, staying close to the consensus board.
So today we will go over draft night wild cards. Prospects that could potentially rise up into the 1st round, guys who might drop into Round 2, but also some takes about position groups as a whole!
Let's get into it!
Rising into Round 1
Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt
Stowers is a somewhat unique prospect. A former QB and an incredible athlete, he posted a 4.51 40 yard dash, 45" vertical, 11'3 broad, all at 6'4 239lbs.
The problem is, nobody views him as a TE, because he won't be. He's not a blocker, and probably never will be. He's a big slot WR. My problem with Stowers is that he's not exactly a natural separator as a receiver.
But I think there is a real chance that, with all the top six WRs gone, a team at the end of the 1st round looks at Eli Stowers and says, "this is the best pass catcher available," and drafts him!
Bring in a guy who is an incredible athlete, can align as a TE, and be a matchup nightmare for defenders in the box and slot.
I'm looking at the Chiefs, Dolphins and Patriots, at picks 29, 30, and 31 at the end of the 1st round. That's where he could slide in.
Chris Bell, WR, Louisville
Bell was looking like a 1st rounder after his final two years at Louisville, but tore his ACL in late November. He's a massive man, listed at 6'2 220lbs according to Louisville. Bell thrives after the catch, and has the elite speed to beat college athletes deep.
The negatives with Bell, besides the injury, are concerns about his route running. There have been A.J. Brown comparisons, but also Xavier Legette and Jonathan Mingo comps. Is he anything more than a slant catching, big bodied WR, YAC WR?
I think the physical profile and speed gives Bell a chance to be the 7th WR drafted, even with the ACL tear. A team will have a clean record for him and shove the injury out of their minds. Again, maybe a team at the end of the 1st round just wants to take the next best pass catcher, and it would make sense if that was Bell.
Chris Bell's ability after the catch might be the best in this class, and some teams might value it enough to grab him in Round 1.
I'm looking at the 49ers, Texans, and Dolphins, at picks 27, 28, and 30.
Gabe Jacas, DE, Illinois
Jacas seems to be loved in the draft community and media, but has almost zero 1st round hype. He's a solid 6'4, 260lbs, and yet has played more in a stand up role. Jacas is just ridiculously strong, with a wrestling background and great motor in pass rush, he never stops. Jacas also has legitimate production, with 19 sacks and 6 forced fumbles over the last two seasons.
The lack of 1st round hype is likely because of non-elite traits. He's strong and relentless, but not as dynamic or twitchy. His arm length is below average.
But there is just so much good stuff with Jacas, that I believe there's a chance a team thinks they can maximize his abilities in their scheme. This is the type of player where whichever team drafts him in Round 2, the draft room erupts with joy. If that's the reaction in Round 2, what's stopping him from going in Round 1?
So many teams could go EDGE at the end of the 1st round, I don't see why just one team can't prefer Jacas, with all of his visible strengths.
I'm looking at a wide range here, starting all the way up with the Chargers, going to the Eagles, Bears, Bills, Texans, Chiefs, Patriots, Seahawks. They sit at picks 22, 23, 25, 26, 28, 29, 31, and 32.
R Mason Thomas, EDGE, Oklahoma
The rusher out of Oklahoma has had up and down hype, dating back to last summer. He was highly regarded by some headed into the season, where he followed up a 9 sack 2024 with 6.5 sacks and 2 FFs on an elite OU defense. Thomas is arguably the best pure pass rusher in this draft, his bag is unlimited. He showed good speed to power and has incredible bend.
Unfortunately, the 1st round hype was firmly offset by his results at the NFL Combine. Mostly because of his size. Thomas is just 6'2, 240lbs with 5th percentile arm length. There is no size.
But the pure rush ability may give him a shot to go Day 1. I've brought this up before, but I see a possibility for lots of edge rushers to sneak into the back of Round 1. Teams there have the need, and this is a valuable position.
Even if R Mason Thomas is just a pass rusher, he'll be a dang good one, and a team could have him high enough to prioritize this at the end of night one.
The range is similar to Jacas, but I'm specifically looking at the Bills and Patriots, at picks 26 and 31 here.
Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
This might be less crazy, as many people have hyped up Rodriguez throughout the process. He's consistently mocked at the top of the 2nd round. And how could you not love him? The former QB has good size for a LB in today's game, and even tested incredibly well at the combine:
6'1, 231lbs. Ran a 4.57 40 yard dash(84th percentile), had a 38" vertical(88th), 10'1 broad(72nd), 6.9 three cone(86th), and a 4.19 shuttle(79th).
On top of a great athletic performance at the combine, Rodriguez led FBS with 11 takeaways in 2025. He's a playmaker and physical tackler, there's no reason every NFL won't covet him.
Honestly, there isn't even a clear reason for him to not go in Round 1, perhaps besides age(will be 24 come Week 1) and his lack of length allowing him to get caught on blocks.
I think there's a great case for Jacob Rodriguez to go in Round 1. There will 100% be a front office member out there who has a high grade on Rodriguez and believes he's a clean prospect that is an easy double in the draft. It's just a matter of whether or not that team is in the spot to take a LB in the 1st round.
I'm looking at the Bills, Texans, and Patriots at selections 26, 28, and 31 for possible 1st round landing spots.
D'Angelo Ponds, CB, Indiana
There's been lots of discussion about CBs in this draft cycle (and you'll see more later in this article). How many will go, a sleeper that will rise up, guys falling out of favor, etc. The entire time, D'Angelo Ponds is sitting here. All 5'8, 182lbs of him.
There are just so many pros with Ponds, starting with his ball skills, having 7 INTs and 31 PDs in his three year career. He's such a good athlete on the perimeter, allowing him to be physical when contesting. Ponds also loves getting in on the run game, being aggressive in run support, yet his missed tackle rate is minuscule. He really doesn't do anything wrong as a CB.
The only knock is his size, and the projection of him being a slot corner in the NFL. Taking a small guy and moving him to a position he hasn't really played before in the 1st round is not a great team building move.
But, because of how good his tape is, I can see NFL teams being willing to keep him on the perimeter. And if they are willing to bet on his inner dawg rather than knock him for size, he easily has the film of a 1st round CB.
Landing spots for him include the Chiefs, Dolphins, Seahawks at picks 29, 30, and 32.
Falling out of Round 1
Akheem Mesidor, DE, Miami
Mesidor is a 6'3, 260lb grown man who played off the edge for Miami. He only transitioned to edge two years ago, where he immediately found a home and his production and role grew massively. He's got size, power, and is said to be coveted to be an inside rusher, which is lacking a bit in this draft.
The problem is the fact that he's 25 years old and his injury history. He's torn ligaments in both of his feet and had a shoulder surgery. Now, all of this was over two years ago, so he might clear the medical bar. It's hard to knock him for injuries when the best two seasons of his life occurred after said injuries.
But it's not hard to imagine teams flagging the medicals as a potential issue, combining this with his age, and not being willing to take him in the 1st round. Early on, Mesidor had some good hype, often being put in the Top 15 of the 1st round. It's died off a bit recently, but that doesn't mean he won't be a 1st rounder.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo
Praised for his insane frame and overall athleticism, McNeil-Warren had ridiculous amounts of hype. Part of this stems from the new trend in the NFL of having a safety that can play near the line of scrimmage as a nickel. It allows the defense to play a coverage focused on stopping the pass, but have the personnel capable of stopping the run. But does McNeil-Warren really fit this profile?
Because of this trend, he gets compared to rookie Nick Emmanwori, but Emmanwori outweighs McNeil-Warren by 20lbs.
Not only do safeties just often fall in the draft every single year, but McNeil-Warren playing against weaker competition, having size concerns, and a general late reaction to the play and imperfect tackling approach will likely make teams stray away from him in Round 1.
He might be seen as more of a project, as it's very much up in the air whether or not McNeil-Warren will get away with some of the things he did at Toledo. And no team wants a project at safety in the 1st round
Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
As we see more big boards and mock drafts come out, the Terrell 1st round hype seems to have died down, so again, maybe this isn't a flaming hot take.
While I love Terrell, it's easy to understand why he may slip out of Round 1. To start, he's small, just over 5'10 185lbs. He doesn't play small, but that might not matter in the NFL. Both of these aspects, his physical size and aggressiveness, make Terrell a likely candidate to move into the slot at the NFL level. Again, do you want to take a slot defender in the 1st round? Many teams will say no.
Terrell has great movement, he's aggressive, and he forces turnovers. But he's not the best athlete, at least speed wise, on tape. And his 4.60+ 40 yard dash at his Pro Day didn't help disprove this(although he did pull his hamstring).
A smaller nickel just often doesn't have a place in the 1st round. But that doesn't make Terrell any worse of a player or prospect, it's just a matter of what NFL front offices will likely prioritize.
Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
This is a recent development, unfortunately.
There were already questions about McCoy. Following a terrific 2024 season, he tore his ACL in January 2025 and did not participate in any football activities until a few weeks ago at his Pro Day. He ran well(4.38 40 yard dash), but reportedly some did not like what they saw from his positional drills.
And just yesterday(4/20), a report came out that McCoy may require another surgery to repair a bone plug in his knee. This would likely cause McCoy to miss most, if not all, of his rookie season. Meaning he would be over two years removed from playing football before he takes an NFL snap.
We saw this with Will Johnson in last years draft. He reportedly had a degenerative knee, causing him to fall out of Round 1. McCoy's is not that. But does a front office want to use their 1st round pick on a player who might not play this year, and will be years removed from playing any football at all? The answer is likely no.
This one is tough, because McCoy is regarded as one of the best prospects in the class even without playing in 2025.
Other Risers and Fallers
Risers:
Non-1st round QBs
I think a lot QBs could go on Day 2. Ignoring Ty Simpson, there is Garrett Nussmeier, Drew Allar, Carson Beck, and even Cole Payton. While not regarded as a good QB class, there are lots of intriguing and experienced prospects. And all have had their stocked damaged by extenuating circumstances, mostly being injuries. I believe a couple teams will believe in these guys, and there will be a run of QBs at the end of Day 2 and beginning of Day 3, right around Pick 100. Teams will want to come get their favorite guy to have in their QB room.
WRs and OTs
There is a clear top six WRs in this draft. I expect them to all go in the 1st round, and fairly early. Like, top 25 early.
Similarly, there are a clear top seven OTs in this draft. I also expect them to go incredibly high, think top 23.
Now, it's unlikely for both of these things to happen, I'd probably project 1 out of the 13 players to fall out of the Top 25. But OTs and WRs are valuable positions, and there are some very good ones in this class. They'll fly off the board.
Keylan Rutledge, OG, Georgia Tech
Rutledge has had some extra steam recently, including from Peter Schrager's first mock draft, which is why I did not include him in the main risers section. But I think he's got the goods to be a day one NFL starter, and a team at the end of Round 1 could like him enough to draft him so they can have a plug-and-play, 5 year starter at guard.
Malachi Lawrence, EDGE, UCF
I've loved Lawrence for a while, but, like Rutledge, he's gotten serious 1st round steam as of late. I don't think he would qualify as a surprise at this point. But throw him in the discussion for edge rushers team may like at the end of Round 1.
Treydan Stukes, DB, Arizona
Stukes played all over Arizona's secondary, but projects as more of a safety in the NFL. Or a nickel, third safety type of player. I think he has the ability to sneak into Round 1, but I'd be dumbfounded if a team took a nearly 25 year old DB who tore his ACL in 2024 with no clear position in the NFL. But I expect Stukes to be a Top 40(?!) selection. Or at least don't be surprised if he is.
Fallers:
Makai Lemon, WR, USC
I'm kind of just spitballing here. Lemon is incredibly productive, and incredibly tough, which is becoming increasingly valued among NFL WRs(see Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, Amon-Ra St. Brown). And I just said WRs will go early. I don't think Lemon will fall out of the 1st Round, not at all. But the consensus top 3 WR might not be a top 3 WR taken in this draft. I believe certain front offices may favor the RAC ability of an Omar Cooper Jr or KC Concepcion over the "safeness" of Makai Lemon.
Of course, I could be right about this but Lemon still goes above those two. All it takes is one GM. I'm just saying, don't be surprised if Lemon is on the board at Pick 20.
That was my list of prospects and groups that I think could rise or fall during draft weekend. Let me know who you think should, or should not, have made the list and why!
This was the last draft related article, with only my final mock draft to go! Thanks for reading through!
Stay tuned for more NFL and 49ers articles, news, and opinions!
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