The calendar has officially turned to April, meaning all eyes are set on Green Bay, Wis., and the 2025 NFL Draft. Over the next few weeks, we will take a look at some expert breakdowns of the top prospects entering this year's draft, position by position:
Let's continue with the defensive backs.
Names of Note
CB Travis Hunter - Colorado
Measurables
Height - 6'0"
Weight - 188 lbs
Arm - 31 ⅜"
Hand - 9 ⅛"
Prospect Overview
Hunter began his college career at Jackson State before transferring to Colorado. He was First-team Associated Press All-Purpose and First-team All-Pac-12 in 2023. He won numerous awards in 2024, including the Heisman Trophy, Associated Press College Football Player of the Year, Biletnikoff Award (given to the nation's best WR) and Bednarik Award (given to the nation's top defender). He ranked top five in the country with 15 receiving touchdowns and had 1,258 receiving yards to go along with four interceptions and only 23 catches allowed on defense.
Rankings and Analysis
Pro Football Focus: No. 1 overall (No. 1 CB) "Hunter is one of the most talented players I have ever scouted. As a cornerback, he brings good mirror-matching movements and truly elite ball skills. He can be a bit out of control and lacks some density, which gets exposed the most in press-man coverage. As a primary zone defender with press-man flexibility, he can be an immediate starting cornerback with an All-Pro ceiling.."
"Exciting two-way player whose world-class athleticism and ball skills help him shine on both sides of the ball… Hunter takes his skills and instincts from receiver and transfers them to cornerback, where they amplify his ball-hawking talent and production. Hunter plays with excellent anticipation from man or zone with burst and playmaking range that should terrify quarterbacks. He possesses rare ball skills and leaping ability to make challenging interceptions and he will contest a high number of passes."
"As a cornerback, Hunter stays in phase and gets his head turned around when running with receivers. He's a playmaker who plucks the ball out of the air and picked off seven passes in the past two seasons. Hunter reads the receiver and gets his eyes on the quarterback as soon as a receiver breaks on the route. Then, he flattens out, undercuts the route and breaks up the pass from the trail position."
CB Jahdae Barron - Texas
Measurables
Height - 5'11"
Weight - 194 lbs
Arm - 29 ⅝"
Hand - 9 ½"
Prospect Overview
Barron was Second-team All-Big 12 in 2023 with the Longhorns. He followed that up with First-team Associated Press All-American and First-team All-SEC nominations in 2024 and was awarded the Jim Thorpe Award (given to the nation's top DB).
Rankings and Analysis
Pro Football Focus: No. 7 overall (No. 2 CB) "The word "versatile" gets thrown around too much with defensive back prospects, but Barron is exactly that. As a natural zone defender with excellent instincts and anticipation, he is a starting-caliber pro at safety, wide cornerback or nickel defender -- sometimes as all three in the same game -- for Cover 3- or quarters-heavy schemes."
"Big nickelback was in the right place at the right time throughout his impressive 2024 season. Barron played smothering coverage underneath, fueled by route recognition, footwork and play strength. His instincts allow him to pounce on catch points or tackle pass catchers immediately from zone …Tackle technique in run support is a shade inconsistent but looks easily correctable. The size and tape work in his favor as a physical nickel who can be an early contributor and future starter, with the potential to cross-train as a safety."
"Barron's spacing, ability to read quarterbacks in zone and feel for route combinations are impressive. He is one of seven corners to run a sub-4.4-second 40-yard dash at the combine. His balance and strength make it tough for receivers to separate even though he has average size… He's a playmaker who tied for second in the SEC with five interceptions in 2024. He is a tough run defender who limits production after the catch."
CB Will Johnson - Michigan
Measurables
Height - 6'2"
Weight - 194 lbs
Arm - 30 ⅛"
Hand - 9 ⅛"
Prospect Overview
Johnson was a Freshman All-American in 2022 and First-team All-Big 10 in 2023. Last season, he set the school record with three interceptions returned for touchdowns in his career and was Third-team Associated Press All-American.
Rankings and Analysis
Pro Football Focus: No. 13 overall (No. 3 CB) "Johnson is a long, lean cornerback with elite foot quickness and change-of-direction fluidity. His limited long speed will create questions about his man coverage reliability in the NFL, but having him play off coverage with his eyes on the ball as a zone-scheme wide cornerback could allow him to make impactful plays more often."
"Teams love big, fluid cornerbacks with ball production and that is exactly what Johnson offers. He's instinctive and plays with good body control and change of direction in space. He can play man coverage, but he's at his best when playing with his eyes forward instead of chasing routes downfield. Johnson displays good pre-snap recognition and can read and anticipate routes/throws at a high level… He has coveted traits and his areas of concern fail to stand out as impediments for what could become a long, successful career as a future Pro Bowler."
"Johnson excels at reading the quarterback then getting his eyes on the receiver and breaking on passes in off coverage. He splits high-low route combinations and plays the ball not the man in zone looks. Johnson is strong enough to reroute and stay on top of receivers in press coverage. He's a playmaker who returned three of his nine career interceptions for touchdowns."
S Nick Emmanwori - South Carolina
Measurables
Height - 6'3"
Weight - 220 lbs
Arm - 32 ½"
Hand - 9"
Prospect Overview
Emmanwori led the Gamecocks with 88 tackles in 2024 and was named First-team Associated Press All-American and First-team All-SEC.
Rankings and Analysis
Pro Football Focus: No. 45 overall (No. 3 S) "Emmanwori is a tricky prospect who will require a leap of faith, considering where he's likely to be drafted. His elite athleticism and playmaking ability suggest his ceiling could be on par with a player like Kerby Joseph, but his underwhelming box play and questionable technique and instincts are more reminiscent of Isaiah Simmons, who was drafted in the first round in 2020 but has struggled to find a natural NFL position."
"He's a physical specimen with rare size and outstanding speed… When he gets it cranked up, he becomes a much more effective tackler and overall run stopper from sideline to sideline. He's capable of playing over the top, inside the box or even matching up with pass-catching tight ends. He's upright with average transition fluidity in coverage, but he has great recovery speed and uses his length to throw a blanket over the catch point. He has rare NFL traits and talent."
"Emmanwori is one of four players 6-foot-3 or taller who topped 40 inches in the vertical jump and ran a sub-4.4 time in the 40-yard dash since 2003, according to ESPN Research. He closes quickly and breaks on the ball well. He blows up screens and matches up well with tight ends. Emmanwori can press and run with slot receivers -- he recovers well and undercuts routes."
S Malaki Starks - Georgia
Measurables
Height - 6'1"
Weight - 197 lbs
Arm - 31 ⅝"
Hand - 9 ½"
Prospect Overview
Starks began his career as a finalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award in 2022. He then was a First-team Associated Press All-American and made First-team All-SEC in 2023 and was a finalist for Bronko Nagurski (nation's top defender) and Jim Thorpe (nation's top DB) Awards. In 2024, he was again a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award and made Second-team Associated Press All-American and Second-team All-SEC.
Rankings and Analysis
Pro Football Focus: No. 9 overall (No. 1 S) "Starks was a playmaker in the SEC for three straight seasons. He brings good football IQ, tackling and movement ability to play free, strong and slot. He isn't a rare athlete, but he's a starting-caliber player for the backend of any defense."
"Three-year starter with reams of high-leverage games on his résumé. Starks is a versatile safety with the size and athleticism to eliminate contested catches and the speed and ball skills to shine when the action travels deep. He is a future starter as a movable back-end piece whose consistency will determine his floor/ceiling."
"Starks is a three-year starter who had 197 tackles, 23 passes defended and six interceptions at Georgia. He reads the receiver, gets his eyes on the quarterback and breaks on the ball in off coverage. Starks has the range to cover a deep half when he takes sound angles. He is a playmaker who tracks the ball well and high points passes."
S Xavier Watts - Notre Dame
Measurables
Height - 6'0"
Weight - 204 lbs
Arm - 31 ¼"
Hand - 8 ⅝
Prospect Overview
Watts won the Nagurski Trophy (given to the nation's top defender) and was First-team Associated Press All-American in 2023 after tying for the FBS lead with seven interceptions. In 2024, Watts joined Hunter as the only consensus All-Americans in 2023 and 2024 after tying for second in the country with six interceptions.
Rankings and Analysis
Pro Football Focus: No. 39 overall (No. 2 S) "Watts is the best ball-hawking safety in this class thanks to his intelligence and ability to break on the football. That will have him drafted somewhere on Day 2, even with his tackling woes."
"Safety with the versatility and ball skills to make plays from a variety of alignments. Watts plays with rare feel and instincts on the back-end, allowing him to range over the top in single-high or read and drive on throws as a split safety… The tackling lowers his floor some, but I expect him to drift toward his ceiling because he's so good on the back-end.."
"Watts has grabbed 13 interceptions and broke up 13 passes over the past two seasons. He tracks and catches the ball well even though he has smaller hands. He can get there early, but he tends to time it well breaking up passes. He's at his best breaking on the ball in off-man and zone. Watts reads receivers, gets his eyes on the quarterback and jumps routes."
CB Maxwell Hairston - Kentucky
Measurables
Height - 5'11"
Weight - 183 lbs
Arm - 31"
Hand - 8 ¾"
Prospect Overview
Hairston was Second-team All-SEC in 2023 and led the SEC and tied for sixth in the FBS with five interceptions.
Rankings and Analysis
Pro Football Focus: No. 42 overall (No. 5 CB) "Hairston is a feisty competitor who likes to get his hands on receivers in bump-and-run coverage from off-coverage techniques. As a zone-heavy cornerback, he has the chance to develop into a CB2 type of player in the NFL."
"Slender outside cornerback with long arms and impressive ball production. Hairston is capable of playing all forms of zone and man coverage. He anticipates well with his eyes forward and has the burst to take the ball away, posting six interceptions (three returned for TDs) over his last 20 games. He stays connected in man coverage with good agility and fluidity."
"Hairston ran the fastest 40-yard dash (4.28) regardless of position at the combine and his 1.5-second 10-yard split was outstanding. That burst and speed shows up on his tape. He closes in a flash and jumps routes breaking on passes. He recovers well when caught out of phase. Hairston is undersized for a press corner, but he can turn and run with receivers. And he stops and starts quickly."
Watch the 2025 NFL Draft April 24-26 on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network.
Take a look at Daniel Jeremiah's latest top 50 NFL Draft Prospects. Watch the 2025 NFL Draft April 24-26 on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network.
No. 1: DE Abdul Carter, Penn State
No. 2: WR/CB Travis Hunter, Colorado
No. 3: RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
No. 4: DT Mason Graham, Michigan
No. 5: EDGE Jalon Walker, Georgia
No. 6: TE Tyler Warren, Penn State
No. 7: TE Colston Loveland, Michigan
No. 8: QB Cam Ward, Miami
No. 9: LB Jihaad Campbell, Alabama
No. 10: OT Will Campbell, LSU
No. 11: CB Jahdae Barron, Texas
No. 12: OT Armand Membou, Missouri
No. 13: RB Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
No. 14: CB Will Johnson, Michigan
No. 15: S Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina
No. 16: WR Matthew Golden, Texas
No. 17: WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
No. 18: WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
No. 19: QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
No. 20: IOL Tyler Booker, Alabama
No. 21: EDGE Mike Green, Marshall
No. 23: EDGE Mykel Williams, Georgia
No. 23: DT Derrick Harmon, Oregon
No. 24: IOL Grey Zabel, North Dakota State
No. 25: EDGE Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College
No. 26: EDGE James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
No. 27: EDGE Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
No. 28: DT Walter Nolen, Mississippi
No. 29: S Malaki Starks, Georgia
No. 30: DT Kenneth Grant, Michigan
No. 31: OT Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas
No. 32: TE Mason Taylor, LSU
No. 33: WR Luther Burden III, Missouri
No. 34: RB TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
No. 35: CB Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky
No. 36: QB Jaxson Dart, Mississippi
No. 37: OT Josh Simmons, Ohio State
No. 38: RB Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State
No. 39: OT Josh Conerly Jr., Oregon
No. 40: CB Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
No. 41: IOL Donovan Jackson, Ohio State
No. 42: CB Trey Amos, Mississippi
No. 43: TE Elijah Arroyo, Miami
No. 44: LB Carson Schwesinger, UCLA
No. 45: RB Kaleb Johnson, Iowa
No. 46: EDGE Landon Jackson, Arkansas
No. 47: DT Darius Alexander, Toledo
No. 48: OT Marcus Mbow, Purdue
No. 49: EDGE Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
No. 50: CB Azareye'h Thomas, Florida State
