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2025 Draft Prospects

Lucky said:
Zabel got a big jump after his very good Senior Bowl. The way I see these guys is Jackson was an OG that proved he could handle OT. Zabel was an OT that has yet to prove he can handle IOL. I would flip these rankings and feel pretty good about it.
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Meh, from what I have read about him, he played all over the line including center.
Apparently he played each position at a high level.
This is a nice profile of him

www.nfldraftbuzz.com

Grey Zabel Offensive Tackle North Dakota State | NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Rating: 87.2 Rank: #5 Forty: 5.30 Zabel's calling card jumps off the screen - he's a technician who brings controlled violence to every snap. The footwork, hip drive, and natural leverage h...
www.nfldraftbuzz.com www.nfldraftbuzz.com
 
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Texansphan said:
Meh, from what I have read about him, he played all over the line including center.
Apparently he played each position at a high level.
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He played C and OG. Zabel looked good in "The Pit", going one on one with the defensive linemen. During the game, Zabel had problems allowing penetration to LSU DL Sai'vion Jones.
 
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Lucky said:
He played C and OG. Zabel looked good in "The Pit", going one on one with the defensive linemen. During the game, Zabel had problems allowing penetration to LSU DL Sai'vion Jones.
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I added a link in my post.
I think you will find that every Olineman in this draft (and likely any draft) had a problem in any particular game to whomever.
You're rarely if ever going to find a perfect collegiate career and if you do, he's probably going #1 overall.
That's why we have professional coaching in the NFL and better players around them
 
Texansphan said:
I added a link in my post.
I think you will find that every Olineman in this draft (and likely any draft) had a problem in any particular game to whomever.
You're rarely if ever going to find a perfect collegiate career and if you do, he's probably going #1 overall.
That's why we have professional coaching in the NFL and better players around them
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Right. But with Zabel, that was his one game against top level defensive linemen. No other data points at this level. Doesn't mean he is not going to be able to excel at the next level. Just that he is likely behind other players in experience and not as pro ready.
 
Lucky said:
Right. But with Zabel, that was his one game against top level defensive linemen. No other data points at this level. Doesn't mean he is not going to be able to excel at the next level. Just that he is likely behind other players in experience and not as pro ready.
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I'm not trying to be argumentive here, but Zabel is the highest ranked G in this draft and I see quite a few big school guys ranked behind him.
Surely all these experts have some sort of idea of what they're talking about about eh?
 
Lucky said:
Right. But with Zabel, that was his one game against top level defensive linemen. No other data points at this level. Doesn't mean he is not going to be able to excel at the next level. Just that he is likely behind other players in experience and not as pro ready.
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And he needs to add "10 to 15 lbs of functional mass". And time off season in the weight room. I like Zabel, but not at 25.

One thing of note, he's the only OLman that the Texans have met with 3 times.
 
leebigeztx said:
That trick is explosive though. The draft in which the chose Metchie over Pickens and Pierce was a mistake to me. I wanted them to get Williamson, but Lions got him a pick before. Everyone on this board tried to convince me Metchie, with no special traits was a better player than his teammate who was 20 ypc and double digit tds or crazy ass Pickens. Even Pierce, who again is was 20ypc in college was worth the pick before Metchie because he is big and fast. Can he run the route tree? Nope, but he can run 3 or 4 that makes him way more dangerous than even a healthy Metchie. Ebuka is more refined than Thornton of the Vols, but he can take the top off. So you run fly routes, daggers, and comebacks. That's what the Steelers did with the guy from ole miss who eventually went to the dolphins. When you got that heat opposite of Nico along with Kirk, defenses play you differently.
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Thornton is just to raw for me to pick before the 5th rd. However I would rather pick him than a Metchie/Hutch type WR.
 
leebigeztx said:
That's not his thing. He's more of a receiving te, but he looks willing. His feet and hands don't match, but he tries
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Disagree. Is he Hawes as a blocker? No. But if Jim Harbaugh thinks you are a good enough blocker to run behind, then I'm going with he is at worst an above average blocker.

Or to put it another way, the play calling of his college coaches show no hesitation to run behind his blocks.
 
Errant Hothy said:
Disagree. Is he Hawes as a blocker? No. But if Jim Harbaugh thinks you are a good enough blocker to run behind, then I'm going with he is at worst an above average blocker.

Or to put it another way, the play calling of his college coaches show no hesitation to run behind his blocks.
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Loveland?

I totally agree with you.
 
Texansphan said:
I'm not trying to be argumentive here, but Zabel is the highest ranked G in this draft
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Not the highest rated OG by everyone. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com has Zabel rated the 47th rated prospect, behind Jackson & Booker.
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The Athletic's Dane Brugler has Zabel ranked #32, behind Booker
www.nytimes.com

The Top 100 prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft - The Beast - The Athletic

NFL Draft 2025 prospect rankings for the top 100 players, ranked by Dane Brugler.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com
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NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah has Zabel ranked 24th, behind Booker.
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So while Zabel is a highly rated prospect, the "highest rated" at OG is up for debate. And I'm pretty sure there's not a consensus across the 32 NFL draft boards.
 
Lucky said:
Not the highest rated OG by everyone. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com has Zabel rated the 47th rated prospect, behind Jackson & Booker.

The Athletic's Dane Brugler has Zabel ranked #32, behind Booker

NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah has Zabel ranked 24th, behind Booker.


So while Zabel is a highly rated prospect, the "highest rated" at OG is up for debate. And I'm pretty sure there's not a consensus across the 32 NFL draft boards.
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I'm going by the 2025 consensus Big Board.
 
Lucky said:
Maybe not at 1.25. But Zabel might be in the cluster of players considered if the Texans move down out of that spot.
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If Zabel is the Texans favored OG, this is the range where I seen many mock drafts have the Olman going. A couple actually had him before this spot. If the Texans are convicted on Zabel, I don't think I would be messing around and send the pick at 1.25
 
Lucky said:
True. Those that have Zabel as a C have him #1. But that's still a projection.
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The draft is all about projection and the amount of risk teams are willing to take on a prospect That's why I like the draft as much as NFL games.

Example: Shemar Stewart has the ability to be the best player in this draft. He's got the tape of a solid 3rd rd pick. Who takes the risk and when do they take the risk? Detroit and Philly are the teams that have profited greatly off of this type of stuff over the last 3-4 yrs. I bet Campbell talks Holmes into taking the risk on the former Aggie alum.
 
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Number19 said:
One thing of note, he's the only OLman that the Texans have met with 3 times.
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Nick has said in the past that the visits are to clear up certain questions about a prospect. There have been prospects that have taken many visits with the team and been drafted for sure (Tank) but also ones who were not drafted.

Tank’s visits I assume were more questions about his size transferring to the NFL. Maybe they worked him out, had him watch film with the coaches, etc.

Zabel’s moreso getting a feel for what he can do in the NFL coming from a non power 5 school.

Then there are prospects they draft with one or zero visits. The team already knows where that player stands with them. More known commodity or they trust their source on the player from other avenues enough to not research any further. They are or are not a fit for whatever reason.

TLDR: The number or type of visits does not guarantee a player will be picked by the Texans. It does show they are considering it though.
 
You know other NFL franchises, competing for Super Bowl year in year out, have identities where they lean into that culture, seemingly have luxury of doing a better job scheme/need fit. Oh, that edge is a Raven fit or WR that’s a Mahomes weapon or Philly another big nasty offensive linemen.

What is the Texans? LB/DT/secondary?
 
beerlover said:
You know other NFL franchises, competing for Super Bowl year in year out, have identities where they lean into that culture, seemingly have luxury of doing a better job scheme/need fit. Oh, that edge is a Raven fit or WR that’s a Mahomes weapon or Philly another big nasty offensive linemen.

What is the Texans? LB/secondary?
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Defensive head coach = easier to find those players for the defense.

Slowik came from the Shanahan tree so you could assume the fit from his background. But still have to coach/develop the players.

With Caley it’s more of an unknown because he’s got a background under Belichik and Mcvay. Will have a sample size to work with after this draft!
 
TheRealJoker V2 said:
Defensive head coach = easier to find those players for the defense.

Slowik came from the Shanahan tree so you could assume the fit from his background. But still have to coach/develop the players.

With Caley it’s more of an unknown because he’s got a background under Belichik and Mcvay. Will have a sample size to work with after this draft!
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Lean into DeMeco or Caley #25?
 
beerlover said:
Lean into DeMeco or Caley #25?
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Would be hard to bypass Nolen or Harmon at 25 if there. DeMeco could make them all pros.

But offense needs to score points. Put Caley and Stroud in position to succeed will be the best use of the pick.

An awesome DT that is more than likely BPA on what is arguably league’s best defense on paper will probably not be as big ROI as adding a piece to an offense in transition.

But percentage of hitting the defensive pick is higher too with DeMeco’s track record so there is that….
 
TheRealJoker V2 said:
Would be hard to bypass Nolen or Harmon at 25 if there. DeMeco could make them all pros.

But offense needs to score points. Put Caley and Stroud in position to succeed will be the best use of the pick.

An awesome DT that is more than likely BPA on what is arguably league’s best defense on paper will probably not be as big ROI as adding a piece to an offense in transition.

But percentage of hitting the defensive pick is higher too with DeMeco’s track record so there is that….
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Agree 100%
 
John Harris is a big fan of Tyler Booker. He has him ranked 25 in the Harris 100 and compares him to Rams OG Kevin Dotson.

One interesting thing he said: “He has the ability to roll hips through his defender for more displacement than any other interior OL in this draft class”
 
JB said:
A quick search on Google pulls up a half dozen or so. A long with the one Arlington posted above (mock database), The Athletic has one, Yahoo has one, NY Times has one, Reddit has one... one has Zabel as the 67th ranked player (CBS has him at 104)
View attachment 15424
link
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I would be very happy drafting Zabel at C and Ratledge at RG for the next 5 yrs those positions would be very solid, possibly even more.
 
Texansphan said:
Meh, from what I have read about him, he played all over the line including center.
Apparently he played each position at a high level.
This is a nice profile of him

www.nfldraftbuzz.com

Grey Zabel Offensive Tackle North Dakota State | NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Rating: 87.2 Rank: #5 Forty: 5.30 Zabel's calling card jumps off the screen - he's a technician who brings controlled violence to every snap. The footwork, hip drive, and natural leverage h...
www.nfldraftbuzz.com www.nfldraftbuzz.com
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Yes but profile doesn't say he played center in college. In fact there are conflicting sources. Here's one that said he did

And he didn’t
www.espn.com

The NFL draft's biggest risers: Seven players who have boosted their stock since last summer

Kyle Williams and Darien Porter are among the 2025 prospects who have improved their draft status this year.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 
TheRealJoker V2 said:
Would be hard to bypass Nolen or Harmon at 25 if there. DeMeco could make them all pros.

But offense needs to score points. Put Caley and Stroud in position to succeed will be the best use of the pick.

An awesome DT that is more than likely BPA on what is arguably league’s best defense on paper will probably not be as big ROI as adding a piece to an offense in transition.

But percentage of hitting the defensive pick is higher too with DeMeco’s track record so there is that….
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Alfred Collins Longhorn is hovering around 58. He is 6'5 and a half and 330 lb
 
badboy said:
Yes he did and I like him. However some here have told me that casario will not draft small school such as Charles Grant but will take label at 25 from North Dakota State university?
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Caserio's draft history is what is. The smallest school he's drafted from is a tie between pre-BigXII U of H (3rd round) and Pittsburgh (7th round).

Is Caserio's preference for prospects from power 5 schools set in stone? None of us know but going by his history; Zabel isn't on the board at 25 and Grant might not be on the board at all. (And I say that as a huge fan of Zabel and what he could mean for the Oline)

But then again who knows? Those of us outside the room can only go on what they've done.
 
Zabel could remind us of a DT from Boston University that displayed same aggression named Ruth. I hope the small school schedule does not show it’s ugly face.
 
TheRealJoker V2 said:
Would be hard to bypass Nolen or Harmon at 25 if there. DeMeco could make them all pros.

But offense needs to score points. Put Caley and Stroud in position to succeed will be the best use of the pick.

An awesome DT that is more than likely BPA on what is arguably league’s best defense on paper will probably not be as big ROI as adding a piece to an offense in transition.

But percentage of hitting the defensive pick is higher too with DeMeco’s track record so there is that….
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Which is why I prefer to take offense with the first pick at least.
JB said:
A quick search on Google pulls up a half dozen or so. A long with the one Arlington posted above (mock database), The Athletic has one, Yahoo has one, NY Times has one, Reddit has one... one has Zabel as the 67th ranked player (CBS has him at 104)
View attachment 15424
link
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www.nflmockdraftdatabase.com

2025 Consensus Big Board | NFL Mock Draft Database

The 2025 Consensus NFL Big Board from NFL Mock Draft Database. We've compiled all featured big boards into a single board.
www.nflmockdraftdatabase.com www.nflmockdraftdatabase.com
Whelp this one has him right where I was telling you. It was compiled using 161 big boards, 1251 first round mock drafts and 1393 team boards.
Pretty comprehensive, wouldn't you say?
 
Texansphan said:
Whelp this one has him right where I was telling you. It was compiled using 161 big boards, 1251 first round mock drafts and 1393 team boards.
Pretty comprehensive, wouldn't you say?
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I guess it comes down to how many of those 161 big boards, 1251 first round mock drafts and 1393 team boards you deem credible. I probably look at fewer than 10. Along with trusting my eyes.
 
Lucky said:
I guess it comes down to how many of those 161 big boards, 1251 first round mock drafts and 1393 team boards you deem credible. I probably look at fewer than 10. Along with trusting my eyes.
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Trusting your eyes is much more reliable than reading a PFF rating system
 
Nico Iamaleava officially enters transfer portal
Published April 16, 2025 09:59 AM

The spring transfer portal for college football opens today. And former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava, as expected, has officially entered it.

Via Max Olson of ESPN.com, Iamaleava’s portal excursion comes with a “do not contact” tag. Which means he already knows where he’s going.

Unless, of course, the do-not-contact tag is aimed at creating a sense of scarcity and goosing demand as he tries to get the NIL money that he, by all appearances, will not.

Since leaving Tennessee after making a $4 million power play that fizzled out, Iamaleava has found no takers. Initially, North Carolina, Tulane, and UCLA were in. Now, UNC and Tulane are reportedly out.

It remains to be seen where he goes, and what he gets. But it appears that, so far, he made a major mistake by giving up the $2.4 million bird in the hand at Tennessee.
 
Lucky said:
I guess it comes down to how many of those 161 big boards, 1251 first round mock drafts and 1393 team boards you deem credible. I probably look at fewer than 10. Along with trusting my eyes.
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I look at it this way - which ones are guaranteed to be accurate? On any website?
There is a lot of guesswork when trying to project a collegiate player into the NFL.
Plus the idea of having so many boards input into that consensus board, you would have to think it will even out.
Makes eminent sense to me.
 
TheRealJoker V2 said:
John Harris is a big fan of Tyler Booker. He has him ranked 25 in the Harris 100 and compares him to Rams OG Kevin Dotson.

One interesting thing he said: “He has the ability to roll hips through his defender for more displacement than any other interior OL in this draft class”
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Why do I feel Harris is the REAL TEXAN CHEERLEADER? Who’s trying to soften us up for the big dance next Thursday :inneganned:
 
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