The 2025 NFL Draft is less than two weeks away, and teams across the league are finalizing their draft evaluations. Every year, there are hundreds of players taken during the draft. Although some guys end up proving their high draft picks early on in their NFL careers, not every player drafted pans out.
It's nearly impossible to pick and choose which guys will have an impact and which will end up being busts, but there are various common factors why guys don't, including character and off-field issues, size concerns, injury history, scheme fit, and several others.
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No one likes to doubt the abilities of these talented prospects, but just like every year in the draft, there are guys who have question marks surrounding their respective stocks.
Let's take a look at the biggest boom-or-bust candidates in the 2025 NFL draft, from quarterbacks to receivers to defensive linemen.
MORE 2025 NFL DRAFT: SN's 7-round mock | Top 250 big board | Expert mock draft roundup
Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders
Shedeur Sanders — the son of "Primetime" Deion Sanders — is expected to be one of the top quarterbacks taken in this year's draft. Over two seasons with Colorado, Sanders threw for 7,364 yards with 64 touchdowns and just 13 interceptions.
Before playing for the Buffs, he played at HBCU Jackson State where he threw for 6,983 yards and 70 touchdowns with just 14 interceptions while finishing 23-3 as a starter. The big question surrounding Sanders isn't solely about his skill set, though.
For starters, this will be the first time in several years that he's learning from a coach not named Dad. That will take some adjusting, as will the normal course of adjusting from college to the pros as a rookie quarterback.
It will also be interesting to see how Sanders will do without having his go-to target, Travis Hunter, to throw to. For the first time since both JSU and Colorado, Sanders won't be able to throw to a generational talent like Hunter.
In the days leading up to the draft, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported that he's spoken with several NFL scouts who do not see Sanders as having first-round talent:
"I'm having a really hard time finding coaches or scouts who believe Sanders is a first-round talent," Albert Breer wrote. "This, by the way, is separate from any issue anyone has with his personality. Those questions exist, but lots of teams have made exceptions in that department in the past to take on guys with special talents. The problem seems to be that too many folks ... think Sanders [lacks] those types of gifts."
He added that he doesn't expect Sanders to get picked inside the top 10.
Lastly, where Sanders ends up is a big part of this calculation, as well. If Sanders does end up in Cleveland, will he be able to handle the weather concerns and lack of receiving talent? Speaking of franchises with revolving-door quarterbacks, there's also a chance Sanders ends up somewhere like the New York Giants. There hasn't been a consistent signal-caller there since Eli Manning retired in 2020.
Sanders is a very talented quarterback, perhaps worthy of being a top-five pick. The question is if he can overcome the adversity he'll face in a new system, with a new coach, and perhaps a franchise that doesn't have the greatest history of developing successful quarterbacks.
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- Ranking the top 10 tight ends, from Tyler Warren to Mitchell Evans
- Ranking the top 10 edge rushers, from Abdul Carter to JT Tuimoloau
QB Jalen Milroe, Alabama
One of the few quarterbacks who didn't transfer during his career in his year's draft class is Jalen Milroe. From 2021-24, he was with the Crimson Tide.
During his first two seasons in Tuscaloosa, he backed up future first-rounder Bryce Young and was named the starter in 2023. He threw for 2,834 yards with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions that season while leading the Tide to an SEC Championship and a playoff berth. He KAI rushed for 531 yards and 12 touchdowns that season.
His 2024 numbers were similar in the air, throwing for 2,844 yards, but HE had just 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season. He did have a career-high 726 yards rushing with 20 touchdowns, THOUGH.
There's no question that Milroe's combination of speed, size, and athleticism makes him an intriguing option at quarterback in this year's draft class, But it's no secret that the majority of Milroe's success came on the ground. He had just six games last season with over 200 yards passing. Todd McShay also called Milroe's performance in short to intermediate throws early at the Senior Bowl "concerning."
Milroe might be a good fit at a place like Pittsburgh. There, he would undoubtedly elevate a run game that is looking to replace Najee Harris while being able to make some throws on the run. But if Milroe gets drafted to a franchise that doesn't want to build an offense around his leg — which Alabama did a lot of — it WIll be a steeper learning curve.
QB Tyler Shough, Louisville
One guy who's been getting plenty of momentum ahead of this year's draft is Louisville's Tyler Shough. The Athletic's Dianna Russini said she had been hearing his name being discussed in NFL circles more than any other name in the days leading up to the draft. One NFL head coach even said he'd even take Shough over presumed No. 1 pick, Miami's Cam Ward.
But the buzz surrounding Shough this late in the process is a bit surprising for a few reasons. One of the biggest question marks surrounding Shough is his durability.
Throughout the course of his collegiate career, he had two broken collarbones in two separate seasons and a broken fibula he suffered in 2023. As a result, he applied for and earned two medical redshirts from the NCAA. While he was at Texas Tech from 2021-23, he didn't have a single season where he was fully healthy, playing in just 15 total games over three seasons.
Shough actually started his career at Oregon, playing behind Justin Herbert for the Ducks in 2019. After Shough's injury in 2023, Texas Tech turned to quarterback Behren Morton, and the Red Raiders won back-to-back bowl games for the first time since 2012 and 2013.
The quarterback then transferred to Louisville, where he played for his 2024 season. Shough's numbers were pretty solid, throwing for 3,195 yards with 23 touchdowns and just six interceptions. The Cardinals finished 8-4 in the regular season, but with losses to Notre Dame, SMU, Miami, and Stanford, Louisville fell off the national radar.
Shough has been in college for seven seasons, which obviously raises both question marks and eyebrows. At 25, Shough is the oldest prospect in this year's draft class. He'd also be the oldest quarterback drafted in the modern era since Brandon Weeden, who was 28 when the Browns took him in 2012.
The big question is obviously where Shough will land. Given how up-and-down his career has been, he sounds like he'd be a perfect developmental prospect. But as the draft nears, Shough is garnering late first-round buzz, which seems crazy given his long college journey.
Texas WR Isaiah Bond
Former Alabama and Texas receiver Isaiah Bond is a big name in this year's receiver class. Over three seasons at Alabama and Texas, he accounted for 99 receptions for 1,428 yards and 10 touchdowns. He averaged over 12 yards per reception in all three seasons and ran the ninth-fastest 40 at the NFL Combine among all receivers with a 4.39.
But just two weeks before the draft, Bond turned himself into police in Texas for an arrest warrant stemming from an alleged sexual assault. He posted bond and was released.
WFAA-TV in North Texas obtained the affidavit, which alleges Bond met a woman online while he was in training in the area. The two parties then engaged in a consensual sexual encounter. Here's more, via the Dallas-Fort Worth ABC affiliate:
During their interaction, the affidavit says, Bond brought up the notion of the act they'd previously discussed in their text exchanges. Per the affidavit, the woman told Bond in that moment that she was not comfortable with trying it.
According to the affidavit, Bond began engaging in that act anyway. The document says that the woman asked that Bond stop while physically pushing him away from her and telling him she was in pain, but that Bond continued the act while using his body weight against her and covering her mouth.
The station adds that the affidavit states Bond asked the woman to sign a non-disclosure agreement and then offered her money via text message.
Bond released a statement on the matter:
A statement from Isaiah Bond:
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 10, 2025
“Regarding the accusation made against me, I would appreciate the time and opportunity to defend myself and prove the claims made, patently false. I am in full cooperation with the authorities and will remain a willing and active participant in the… https://t.co/aGgFhuop9o
Obviously ,the allegations surrounding Bond are quite disturbing, especially in an era where the NFL has received criticism about how it has handled players who have dealt with allegations of sexual or domestic violence in the past.
No one has a crystal ball, so it's unsure where Bond will be drafted at this time, but don't be surprised if Bond falls significantly after the recent allegations. On top of that, his disappointing 40 time based on his own boasting has some wondering if he's going to pan out at the NFL level.
Tennessee EDGE James Pearce Jr.
James Pearce Jr. made a name for himself over three seasons with the Tennessee Volunteers. He finished his career with 71 total tackles, 19.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles.
In 2023, he was tied for first in the SEC with 10 sacks. He also ran a 4.47 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, which is massively impressive for someone who checks in at 6-5, 245 pounds.
But in the months leading up to the draft, there have been some rumors of off-field issues surrounding Pearce. One scout told Walter Football about significant character concerns.
"He’s in danger of getting dropped off our board,” the director of player personnel for an AFC playoff team told the outlet. “Granted, we are a strict team in terms of character, but we have a lot of concerns, and I think he probably isn’t a fit for us.”
Pearce is ranked No. 13 overall on Vinnie Iyer's big board of top 100 players, but it will be interesting to see if the character concerns cause him to fall out of the first round.
Marshall EDGE rusher Mike Green
Peter Casey-Imagn Images
Mike Green is another big name in this year's draft class. Green started his career at Virginia in 2021 before transferring to Marshall, where he spent the last two seasons.
Green left Virginia over allegations of sexual assault, which he revealed at the NFL Combine in late February. He also revealed that he was accused of sexual assault a second time while he was in high school.
"There's accusations out there," Green said at the NFL Combine. "I've never been questioned. I've never been asked. You know what I'm saying? Like, nobody ever asked me a question about what happened before I departed from Virginia. It was just accusations that caused me to leave from there."
The reasons behind Green's departure from Virginia were previously unknown, as UVA head coach Tony Elliott stated in September 2022 that Green was "no longer active" with the team. He entered the transfer portal in Dec. 2022, before heading to Marshall.
Over the past two seasons with the Thundering Herd, he accounted for 127 total tackles, including 21.5 sacks. Last year, he led the nation in sacks, getting a total of 17. Green is this year's No. 10 overall prospect in the draft, per Iyer.
If Green falls in the draft or has more off-field issues in the NFL, the "bust" label might fit him well.