NFL Analysis
10/7/24
7 min read
2025 NFL Draft Stock Report: Drew Allar Enters First-Round Discussion
So much for Week 6 being a weak slate. Between top-15 upsets and Miami barely surviving the Calgorithm in the early hours of Sunday morning, college football never disappoints. Some stars improved their 2025 NFL Draft stock during the action, while others fell short of their expected level of play.
We have the stats to go with film takeaways from Week 6, and the time is now for players to reach their peak performance. October forces the cream to rise, and we're continuing to track the nation's top 300 or so players.
Let's examine the three athletes who pushed their 2025 NFL Draft stock up and those who fell.
CFB Week 6 Stock Up Players
This week was so loaded that we needed to name a couple of other risers who dominated the competition. Here are three more players who caught our eyes in Week 6.
Honorable Mentions
- Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt
- Jayden Higgins, WR, Iowa State
- Jack Sawyer, EDGE, Ohio State
📈 Drew Allar, QB, Penn State
Stats: 17/24, 237 yards, 1 touchdown
The 2025 quarterback class continues to evolve, and the most mercurial passer of the bunch is Drew Allar. Some evaluators will love his traditional archetype, standing 6-foot-5, 238 pounds, and possessing a cannon on his right shoulder. But accuracy and consistency haven't been his friend until this fall.
Allar has continued to avoid turnovers well, boasting a career touchdown-to-interception ratio of 38-to-3. The biggest difference in 2024 so far has been reflected in his completion rate, which has jumped from 59.9 percent to 70.8 percent this season. Week 6 was the best example of Allar's improvement.
Drew Allar is doing more translatable things at the QB position than a lot of your favorite 2025 prospects.
— Christian Williams (@CWilliamsNFL) October 2, 2024
Really good player who should absolutely be in QB1 conversations in an iffy class. pic.twitter.com/88oS24MsH3
The ball is coming out quicker and on the money more often than we've seen in previous years. With his arm strength, which will rank among the NFL's best as soon as he's in the league, putting the football into the chest of his receiver can produce a top-10 offense.
The best part is that Allar logged a season-high three big-time throws while setting a season-best 2.57 average time-to-throw rate. That balance between quickly processing the field and delivering impact throws is difficult, and if it continues, Allar can be a first-round quarterback.
📈 Ricky White, WR, UNLV
Stats: 10 receptions, 135 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 blocked punt
Friday night's tussle between Syracuse and UNLV was terrific and highlighted several future NFL playmakers. UNLV senior WR Ricky White III almost dragged the Rebels to an overtime win, catching 10 passes for the second straight week. He set a new season-high with 135 yards, including a 53-yarder.
UNLV RETAKES THE LEAD!!! 😎 @unlvfootball pic.twitter.com/LhmtKZTwsb
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 5, 2024
White's profile is perfect for the NFL. At 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, he can play inside or out and win on a variety of sharp-breaking routes. His touchdown came on a slant where he cooked the cornerback off the line of scrimmage and waltzed into the endzone with room to spare.
He also blocked a punt, showing off the type of impact and playmaking that will guarantee his roster spot at the next level. With plenty of room to rise into Day 2, White can continue climbing our receiver rankings.
📈 Anthony Belton, OT, NC State
Stats: 76 snaps, 52 pass-blocking snaps, 0 pressures allowed
The 2025 offensive tackle class is good but unsettled. With NFL offenses struggling to overcome defensive adjustments that force teams to march down the field without big plays, there's more focus on consistency along the offensive line. Not having a solid tackle can tank an entire offense.
NC State's Anthony Belton has been one of the best pass-blockers in the country. Outside of one poor showing against Clemson, the 6-foot-6, 336-pounder has shown more than capable of playing early in his career and continuing to develop. This week was his best outing yet.
Belton played a whopping 76 snaps and graded as PFF's second-best pass-blocker this week. It's the second straight game he has not allowed a quarterback pressure, and he has seemingly learned how to deal with speed rush attempts better after Clemson found success getting into his massive frame.
Day 2 is looking much more realistic for Belton as the season continues.
CFB Week 6 Stock Down Players
📉 Noah Fifita, QB, Arizona
Stats: 28/49, 301 yards, 2 interceptions, 2 sacks taken
The explosive offense that made Arizona so fun in 2023 has not found its footing under new head coach Brent Brennan. Wildcats QB Noah Fifita has had less time to throw without 2024 first-round tackle Jordan Morgan, and the unit hasn't found the same rhythm that defined it in their breakout season.
Noah Fifita: “I feel like every time we got something going, I would make a mistake or two that stalled the drive. So, I take full responsibility.” @AllSportsTucson pic.twitter.com/j0NEne3p9J
— Kevin Murphy (@KevinMurfee) October 6, 2024
Fifita, once viewed as a possible first-round pick despite his short 5-foot-10 stature, now looks nowhere near ready for the NFL. Instead of being a quick-game expert, Fifita has seen his time to throw swell from 2.55 to 3.18. This has led to more turnover-worthy throws, a lower completion rate, more pressures allowed, and vastly fewer sustained drives.
It's possible that this season will prove to be a stepping stone for Fifita's development in the future, but his performance against Texas Tech ended all discussion about whether he's ready for the 2025 class. It was his worst outing yet as he held the ball, uncertain about what he saw and where he was supposed to go.
📉 Cobee Bryant, CB, Kansas
Stats: 29 snaps, 3 penalties, 1 tackle, 2 missed tackles
It was surprising to see Kansas CB Cobee Bryant return to school for his senior season after a solid 2023 campaign. The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder likely expected this season to go much differently than it has for the program, as the Jayhawks are 1-5 despite starting as a top-25 team. Bryant's play, at least in Week 6, has followed suit with the rest of the team.
Arizona State attacked Bryant, drawing three penalties and benefitting from two missed tackles. It was an uncharacteristically sloppy game for the off-man corner, who had just one penalty and zero missed tackles entering the evening. On the season, teams have only completed 10-of-20 attempts for 181 yards his way.
The 2025 cornerback class is far from defined after its top five, and Bryant should compete for a Day 2 selection. However, repeating this type of panicked performance will instill fear into teams that his play might not be reliable enough to invest in.
📉 Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford
Stats: 9 targets, 3 receptions, 33 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 drop
A gifted vertical target who caught 63 receptions for 1,022 yards and six scores last year, Elic Ayomanor is best known for torching Travis Hunter in their 2023 matchup. While Stanford is far from a powerhouse passing program, Ayomanor has not recaptured any of that dominance this year. He's caught 48 percent of targets for only 317 yards and three scores.
His outing against Virginia Tech was a good chance to see how he'd look against an athletic defense, and Ayomanor barely stood out. He's seen his snaps in the slot go down against better competition, so hopes of him being a power slot in the NFL appear gone. His yards after the catch have also dipped, so Ayomanor's best value appears to be at the catch point.
The good news is he's still valuable in that role. However, the market for 6-foot-2, 210-pounders without blazing speed and versatility is usually limited to Day 3, and often don't have a ton of success in the NFL.
