Mel Kiper shakes up Big Board Top 25 player rankings for 2025 NFL Draft after Week 12

The weeks continue to tick by as it pertains to the college football regular season, which means fewer and fewer opportunities for top NFL prospects to make their mark.

Regardless, ESPN NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. is watching their every move closely, as he tries to separate the best of the best ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. With a handful of weeks left to play this season, he’s once again updated his Top 25 Big Board.

There’s some interesting movement up and down the list, including a couple of quarterbacks rising throughout his Top 10. With that in mind, check out his full Top 25 Big Board below.

1. CB/WR Travis Hunter, Colorado

There’s been little reason for Hunter to move off the top of the list. And so he hasn’t.

And the two-way Colorado star has played at a top 10 level at not one, but two positions. Should he keep up the high level of play, the hardest decision for NFL teams will be what position he plays at the next level, or both.

2. CB Will Johnson, Michigan

Johnson hasn’t played since Michigan faced Illinois in October but is still likely to be the first or second defensive back off the board. And it’s possible he could be back for the Wolverines’ final couple of games.

In the six contests Johnson has played this season, he still managed to nab a pair of interceptions, both of which he returned for touchdowns.

3. OLB Abdul Carter, Penn State

Carter has moved to the edge in a more full-time role this year and has mostly thrived. He currently leads the Big Ten in tackles for loss and has eight sacks.

He’s also forced a pair of fumbles and batted down a number of passes. He’s the sort of disruptive edge force NFL teams covet.

4. QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado (+3)

Sanders made another big jump in the rankings this week for a player already ranked, climbing further up the Top 10. It makes him Kiper’s highest ranked quarterback, despite another mover climbing into the Top 10, as well.

Where Sanders has shown the most ability is working as an out of structure playmaker, where he’s shown off his next-level arm talent. He’s also done a better job of cutting back on unnecessary negatives — they’re not entirely gone — that hurt his game in 2023.

5. RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State (+5)

Jeanty continues to dazzle with both his production and the highlight reel. He not only puts up gaudy numbers, but has done so while making tacklers bounce off him like ping pong balls.

The only thing that will likely keep Jeanty out of the Top 10 come draft day is positional value. Quarterbacks and edge rushers and tackles will get bumped up, and he’ll potentially slide down. But on pure talent, Kiper has had Jeanty in the Top 10 most of the way.

6. OLB Mykel Williams, Georgia (-2)

Williams has been a force for Georgia on the edge since getting back after an early season ankle injury. He’s racked up the tackles for a loss on the season to go with two sacks and a forced fumble.

He’s also been adept at generating pressures, as has been the case throughout his time in Athens. Williams is also solid as a run defender, and mostly needs to become a consistent disruptor on the edge.

7. DT Mason Graham, Michigan (-2)

Michigan has had a disappointing season, but Graham has not. The junior picked up right where he left off from last year as a premiere interior force in college football.

He’s got good counting stats for a defensive tackle, with 3.5 sacks and a multitude of tackles for loss, as he consistently crushes pockets or careens through the middle. And on top of plus-pass rush ability on the interior, Graham is a stout run defender.

8. DE Nic Scourton, Texas A&M (-1)

Few 2024 transfers have done more for themselves or their new team this year than Scourton. Coming from Purdue, he’s thrived rushing and defending the run off the edge for the Aggies and been a major part of the program looking strong in Year 1 under Mike Elko.

Scourton simply makes it happen on the edge with his powerful, thick frame and length. He’s five sacks and a myriad of pressures on the year. For NFL teams needing a power-rushing defensive end, Scourton is an easy answer.

9. S Malaki Starks, Georgia

Starks has held steady at the back end of Kiper’s Top 10 for most of the season. So long as Starks can affect all areas of the game from his safety position, he’ll remain atop the draft rankings.

With good size — 6-foot-1, 205 pounds — and a long frame, Starks can just as deftly snag an acrobatic interception as he can reach out and bring down a ball carrier in the open field. And that versatility with a knack for the ball is what modern NFL defenses covet on the backend.

10. QB Cam Ward, Miami (+1)

Cam Ward has officially entered the Top 10 in Kiper’s rankings. The Miami quarterback is still chasing Shedeur Sanders, but he’s finally getting some much deserved credit from the NFL Draft guru for his impressive play in 2024.

Miami enjoyed a bye week in Week 12, but they’re back on the horse in Week 13. With the Heisman, College Football Playoff and NFL Draft in his line of sight, Ward will be looking to finish the season strong, beginning with a clash against Wake Forest this coming weekend.

Players Nos. 11 through 25

11. OT Kelvin Banks, Texas (-5)
12. LB Jalon Walker, Georgia (-2)
13. WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
14. Jihaad Campbell, Alabama (+2)
15. Derrick Harmon, Oregon (+2)
16. OT Will Campbell, LSU (+3)
17. DT Kenneth Grant, Michigan (-2)
18. WR Luther Burden, Missouri
19. OLB James Pearce, Tennessee LB (-5)
20. TE Tyler Warren, Penn State (+3)
21. TE Colston Loveland, Michigan (+3)
22. OT Cameron Williams, Texas (NR)
23. CB Shavon Revel, East Carolina (-3)
24. CB Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame (-2)
25. S Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina (NR)

As you can see, Mel Kiper Jr. is changing his rankings to reflect each week’s happenings, and Week 12 brought about some major moves. Time will tell what the NFL Draft guru decides on, but there’s bound to be a ton of movement between now and April.

On3’s Andrew Graham contributed to this article.