The second week of college football is in the books, which means it’s time to take a look at which 2025 draft prospects made the biggest movement in their draft stock. As usual, we’ll take a look at two quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends who have raised their draft stock and two at each position who may have dropped their stock. Also, in case you are wondering why I didn’t include players like Cam Ward or Ashton Jeanty, I usually try to avoid using the same player in consecutive weeks to keep some variety.
If you play dynasty and want personalized team advice, click the link below and shoot me a message on Discord. Anyone in that channel will also be given access to my top 2024 48 RB/WR rankings and top 24 QB/TE rankings each week. So, with that out of the way, let’s see how players did this week!
Stock Up
Quinn Ewers
QB - Texas Longhorns
Quinn Ewers was one of the players I was most interested in watching this weekend due to a big-time matchup at Michigan and wanting to see how his 2024 self would perform in a tough environment. It’s probably clear from his stat line and the final score, but he passed the test with flying colors, completing 24 of his 36 passes for three touchdowns. Ewers’ arm talent was on display all game, and the most exciting development was the great plays he made out of structure and on the move. It’s too early to jump to conclusions, but his Michigan tape gives him a really great argument to be considered the top quarterback of this class.
Miller Moss
QB - USC Trojans
Miller Moss didn’t have the most impressive game, but the rest of the quarterbacks either were so bad that they didn’t deserve a spot here or didn’t face good competition, which lets him get this spotlight by default! In all seriousness, Moss gets this spot in part due to his strong play last week against LSU as well as following it up with a solid performance against Utah State, completing 21 of his 30 passes for 229 yards and one touchdown, but could have had two if his receiver didn’t drop the ball early in the game. His ball placement was great, and he showed great timing and anticipation throughout the game. There’s typically one big riser at quarterback in each draft class, and it seems that Moss may be making himself into that riser this year.
DJ Giddens
RB - Kansas State Wildcats
I didn’t have DJ Giddens on this list last week since he put up good numbers against a weak UT Martin team. While Tulane isn’t a powerhouse program, I have to give Giddens credit for another good performance, including putting up 177 total yards on the ground and being the most consistent part of the team’s offense on Saturday.
Giddens continues to show that he is a do-it-all back, so I’m hoping he can keep this production up against better competition later in the season. If he plays with good pad level and continues to play with improved contact balance throughout the season, he could get some hype leading up to the draft and get similar comps to a player like Rachaad White.
Desmond Reid
RB - Pittsburgh Panthers
I won’t lie; Desmond Reid was not a player I was familiar with leading up to this weekend but finishing with 148 yards on 19 carries and 106 yards and one touchdown on six receptions in the receiving game will get my attention. I became a fan of Reid after seeing him combine his electric speed with a great center of balance and good pad level, which allows him to play bigger than his listed 5’8” 175-pound size. As his size indicates, it’s hard to see that size translating to the NFL. However, if he can find a way to put some weight on, he could become one of my favorite sleeper prospects who goes late in the draft and could get Tarik Cohen comps.
Ricky White
WR - UNLV Rebels
For this list, I usually try to focus on players who played against strong competition, as that is more translatable to the NFL than beating up weaker opponents. However, when a receiver puts up three touchdowns in the first quarter and finishes with five receptions for 111 yards, I feel obligated to include them on this list. Ricky White benefited from playing an undisciplined defense and being a better athlete than most of the defenders at Utah Tech. So, I want to see White keep this momentum going forward in their matchups against better competition.
Tai Felton
WR - Maryland Terrapins
Like Desmond Reid, Tai Felton is another player I wasn’t overly familiar with, but caught my eye last week after finishing with seven receptions, 178 yards, and two touchdowns and then followed it up this week against Michigan State with 11 receptions, 152 yards, and one touchdown. While I was more familiar with Felton’s teammate Kaden Prather, who is a good player in his own right, Felton has really impressed me with his athleticism, YAC ability, and strong hands. I’ll be interested to see if Felton can keep it up for the whole season, but the early returns are really encouraging for a player who is definitely rising.
Tyler Warren
TE - Penn State
While Bowling Green isn’t a tough opponent, they gave Penn State everything they had and forced them to fight for a win at home. While Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen could have earned a spot in the running back spots, I wanted to highlight Tyler Warren for his eight receptions and 146-yard performance for being nearly the entirety of the team’s passing game, finishing with a 71.6% of the team’s receiving yards. Eventually, Bowling Green knew where the ball was going and still couldn’t stop Warren with his combination of route running and athleticism. If Warren can continue to be the focal point of the offense and continue to minimize drops, he will be a big-time riser at tight end.
Oronde Gadsden II
TE - Syracuse Orange
Oronde Gadsden II is becoming one of the most interesting players I have watched throughout this season. I had significant concerns about his conversion to tight end with his summer-listed playing weight at just 223 pounds and very little experience playing in-line. However, this season, he seems to have put weight on and is now listed at 236 pounds, is playing about a third of his snaps in line, and seems to be making steady improvements as a blocker.
With Gadsden’s receiving ability still very good from his experience at wide receiver and on display this Saturday, finishing with six receptions, 93 yards, and two touchdowns against the #23 ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets; he’s making a case for his outlook at tight end being a more sustainable one in the NFL.
Stock Down
Riley Leonard
QB - Notre Dame Fighting Irish
While there was some hope Riley Leonard could build on his average-at-best performance against Texas A&M from last week, he really disappointed this Saturday against Northern Illinois, completing just 20 of his 32 passes for 163 yards, two interceptions, and only managed to put up 16 yards and a touchdown on the ground. It was a really rough game for Leonard, which Notre Dame still nearly won in spite of his performance. However, his accuracy, footwork, and pocket presence were too poor for the Fighting Irish to overcome. Leonard has looked like an exciting project these past few years at times, but he needs to start to consistently deliver in games if he wants to be taken seriously as an NFL prospect.
Preston Stone
QB - SMU Mustangs
As I mentioned earlier, there were a lot of bad quarterback performances this weekend, and a number of players could have gotten this last spot. For this final spot, I wanted to go with the player who may have had the most disastrous week for both this last weekend that could impact the rest of his season, Preston Stone. While Stone didn’t have the hype of some of the top quarterback prospects, there was still a fair amount of excitement from some as a possible sleeper prospect.
However, at this point, he may not even be a starter for the rest of the season after a poor outing against BYU, which led to him being benched early in the game after going two for four for four yards while taking three sacks. The offensive line for SMU wasn’t giving Stone any breaks, but Kevin Jennings came in and had an average performance, which likely makes the starter job a competition for the coming week and potentially for the rest of the season.
Ollie Gordon
RB -Oklahoma State Cowboys
While Ollie Gordon didn’t have a terrible game, it wasn’t a great game by his standards, finishing with just 49 yards rushing and a touchdown on 17 carries and just two receptions for 20 yards in the receiving game. It’s also important to point out that this stat line came after playing in a double overtime game, with a lot of the production coming in the fourth quarter and the overtimes. I still view Gordon as a very good player, but I’m not as big of a fan as many, and performances like last Saturday’s, where he was benefiting more from volume than efficiency, make me a bit concerned. As I mentioned, though, he’s still a good player, and it wasn’t a terrible performance but just a situation where I hope he bounces back like the top prospect he is.
Roman Hemby
RB - Maryland Terrapins
Speaking of being inefficient, it hasn’t been a great start for Roman Hemby, and he had a really rough afternoon against Michigan State, finishing with 12 carries for just 35 yards and one reception for one yard. Hemby’s vision and contact balance weren’t a strength of his last season, and both looked really rough against Michigan State. Right now, he just still looks too raw, and I find it hard to see an NFL team taking him too early in the 2025 draft unless he has an incredible combine. So, as it stands now, he will need to make some big-time improvements or likely would need to return to school for the 2025 season for the best interest of his NFL career.
Luther Burden III
WR - Missouri Tigers
Like Ollie Gordon, Luther Burden III hasn’t had a terrible start to the season but a rather underwhelming one, including finishing with three receptions for 15 yards and getting two carries for 21 yards and a touchdown. Defenses have been making it more of a focus to take Burden away, which recently led to teammate Theo Wease Jr. finishing with a career-high 13 receptions for 149 yards (which could have gotten him a spot in the risers). However, it still would be nice for Burden to show why he was at the top of a lot of receiver rankings leading up to this season. The team hasn’t needed him much with easy matchups, so I’ll be interested to see how the team leans on him when they face tougher opponents later in the year.
Tez Johnson
WR - Oregon Ducks
There weren’t too many poor performances this past weekend in college football, which, again, was part of what caused Luther Burden III to appear in this section. However, I think Tez Johnson does have a fitting place on this list this week. While Johnson’s teammate Evan Stewart was in this section last week, Stewart had a strong performance, finishing with five receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown, while Johnson only managed three receptions for -1 yards.
One of my main critiques of Johnson was his lack of ability to create for himself as a route runner, and there hasn’t been a lot he’s shown this season that has encouraged me in this area. With an ADOT of just 0.5 throughout the first two games this season, Johnson will need to show more versatility to prove he isn’t just a gadget player and a product of Oregon’s offense.
Amari Niblack
TE - Texas Longhorns
After transferring from Alabama to Texas with the hopes of taking his game to the next level with Quinn Ewers, Amari Niblack looks like he may be getting passed on the depth chart again as fellow tight end Gunnar Helm played ahead of him and put up a career day finishing with seven receptions, 98 yards, and a touchdown.
After playing just seven snaps against Michigan compared to Helm’s 57, it will be interesting to monitor if Niblack continues to get limited opportunities this season. Niblack has always had more potential than production since being at Alabama. However, if teams continue to lean towards other tight ends, it might be telling of what the coaching staff thinks of his actual ability.
Luke Lachey
TE - Iowa Hawkeyes
Life comes fast, as Luke Lachey was a riser last week but now finds himself as a faller after failing to secure a single catch and having a drop to make matters worse. While Iowa’s passing game, particularly Cade McNamara, was a major reason for Lachey’s lack of production, Lachey’s difficulty separating also made things more difficult for McNamara.
While Lachey’s hands are typically fantastic, he continues to seem to lack the burst to create early separation that is crucial for bigger body targets like himself. Hopefully, Lachey’s separation gets better throughout the season as he has more time from his ankle injury last season because otherwise it’s concerning what his ceiling may actually look like.
