Mel Kiper Jr. evaluates NFL Draft stock of Florida LB Shemar James

The Senior Bowl is now in the rearview mirror. With that, NFL Draft season is in full swing and players from around the country beginning to step up and stand out from the crowd. That, notably, includes Florida Gators linebacker Shemar James.

One person who is incredibly high on Shemar James is ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. He went on First Draft with Field Yates. There, he explained that James has stood out to him throughout his time at Florida.

“The guy who everybody wanted coming out of the prep ranks was Shemar James,” Kiper said. “All these SEC schools, a five-star recruit, a great athlete in high school in a variety of sports. This kid had an injury in 2023 but this year he was outstanding. Second in tackles. LSU game he was all over the field, making plays. This is a kid, in that game, he had 11 tackles, two sacks, a couple pass breakups, and a forced fumble.”

Shemar James finished the 2024 season with 64 total tackles, four tackles for a loss, and 2.0 sacks. On top of that, he had an interception and three passes defended on the season. It was by far the most productive season he had in three years with the Gators.

“This kid for three years when he was at his best looked like a guy who was just out there seeing things before everybody else did,” Kiper said. “Super instinctive, super aware, and he can do anything you want an off-ball linebacker to do. I mean, this guy can cover, he can go sideline-to-sideline, and he’s moving faster than everybody else because he sees it quicker. I think that’s what I always note. Shemar James always popped in games. Okay? He always did. I go back to 2022, I’m looking at notes I had because I was checking players off if they were younger. Just circle and check them. He had multiple checks as a young linebacker at Florida.”

In his first 2025 mock draft, Kiper did not have Shemar James going in the first round despite the amount of praise he heaped on him. Instead, he has five other linebackers going in the first round. So, there could be a team on Day 2 or later who gets a steal out of Florida.

“So, this is a guy after he was healthy, coming back from that injury in 2023, put together a heck of a season,” Kiper said. “He was doing it in Mobile, Louis Riddick was pointing it out during the course of the games down there that Shemar James is a guy who diagnosis, diagnostic ability for a guy off-ball is going to be so key. He’s about 6-1 and a half, 230 [lbs]. Shemar James, hoo-hoo, this guy is gonna be a starting off-ball linebacker and he’s going to be I think a Pro Bowl-caliber linebacker in the NFL.”

Of course, the 2025 NFL Draft is a long way off, with the first round not scheduled until April 24th. So, in the meantime, there’s plenty of time for things to change for a player like Shemar James.