Two Seminoles make Mel Kiper's Big Board for 2025 NFL Draft
Now that the 2024 college football season officially has come to an end, the attention for many seniors and draft-eligible underclassmen turns now to the NFL Draft.
And one of the early indicators that we’re entering draft season is the release of Mel Kiper’s “Big Board,” where the longtime ESPN analyst lists the top prospects overall and at specific positions.
As of now, two Florida State players are on Kiper’s Big Board for the 2025 NFL Draft, and they were also the best two players statistically for the Seminoles this past season — placekicker Ryan Fitzgerald and punter Alex Mastromanno.
Fitzgerald is listed as the third-best draft prospect among kickers and punters. And when it comes to just placekickers, he ranks second behind Miami’s Andres Borregales.
Fitzgerald, a South Georgia native, went 13-for-13 on field goals in 2024, with a long of 59 yards in the season opener against Georgia Tech. That kick goes down as one of the longest in Florida State history.
Fitzgerald also handled 42 kickoffs this season, with 34 of them going for touchbacks. He averaged 64.3 yards per kick. The former Seminole standout will have a chance to improve his draft stock when he competes at the Senior Bowl next week.
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Former Florida State punter Alex Mastromanno came in at No. 8 on Kiper’s list of kickers and punters. The All-American was the fourth punter listed, behind Florida’s Jeremy Crawshaw, Ray Guy Award winner Eddie Czaplicki of Southern Cal, and Alabama’s James Burnip.
Mastromanno was widely regarded as one of the nation’s best punters for most of his Florida State career. As a senior, he punted 55 times with only two touchbacks. His longest punt went for 65 yards, with an average of 49.27 yards per punt, which ranked No. 1 in the FBS.
Two Seminoles who could work their way onto Kiper’s Big Board soon could be cornerback Azareye’h Thomas and defensive tackle Joshua Farmer. Both declared for the NFL Draft after their junior seasons and both have accepted invitations to next week’s Senior Bowl.
Thomas started all 12 games for FSU this past season with 52 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one interception and four pass breakups. Farmer registered 32 stops with 8.0 TFLs and 4.0 sacks.
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