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2025 NFL draft: Prospects with first-round grades, plus comps

Tight end Tyler Warren has caught a touchdown, ran for a touchdown and thrown a touchdown pass this season for Penn State. Matthew O'Haren/Imagn Images

How many first-round prospects are there in the 2025 NFL draft class?

You might think the answer is 32 because there will be 32 selections in Round 1 on April 24 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. But we aren't talking about how many players will ultimately be drafted in Round 1; we're talking about how many carry a true Round 1 grade.

The average draft class has roughly 15 players who are deemed "first-round talents," though the number varies by team and scouting department. These sacred evaluations are reserved for prospects who would be Day 1 selections regardless of year, and my own guideline is whether a player would have been a first-rounder in each of the past five classes.

My first look at the 2025 class has the lowest number of true first-round grades I've ever awarded. The final list in 2024 had 18 names on it, and the 2023 list had 20. This year, we're at ... 12. There is still time for things to change and that number to grow, but here are the players who deserve a first-round grade on my board right now. (Players' overall rankings are in parentheses after their names.)

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QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | IOL
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