- Colston Loveland carried Michigan’s offense in 2024: Three different Wolverines quarterbacks combined for just seven big-time throws and 18 turnover-worthy plays, and yet, Loveland still put together an elite season.
- Nic Scourton’s transfer to Texas A&M left something to be desired: After posting an elite 90.9 PFF pass-rush grade while racking up the second-most pressures in the Big Ten at Purdue, Scourton fell a bit short of expectations in the Aggies’ scheme in 2024.
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Draft Position Rankings
No matter how much film study and evaluation is done on NFL draft prospects, there will always be a certain gravitation toward production. Some players, though, aren’t always put in an ideal situation to produce the greatest statistical output. We’ll highlight a few of the 2025 NFL Draft prospects who were held back a bit by their college situations prior to and through their final college seasons.
TE Colston Loveland, Michigan
Loveland’s 90.8 PFF receiving grade over the past two seasons ranked fourth among FBS tight ends. He also ranked inside the top five in targets, receptions and receiving yards in that span. By all accounts, he is an elite talent who could be selected within the first 20 picks in this year’s draft.
So, what exactly is it that was holding him back? For starters, Loveland played in an offense that ran the ball more than 55% of the time since the start of 2023. If Michigan’s offense didn’t have to throw, it wouldn’t. After the team lost nearly its entire offense aside from Loveland after its 2023 national championship run, the Wolverines’ offensive situation devolved into chaos.
Michigan’s PFF Offensive Grade Ranks, 2024
| Passing Grade | 124th |
| Rushing Grade | 61st |
| Receiving Grade | 102nd |
| Pass Blocking Grade | 83rd |
| Run Blocking Grade | 81st |
Aside from a 50-6 romp of Northwestern late in the season, Michigan had an extremely hard time scoring points in 2024. Three different quarterbacks combined for just seven big-time throws and 18 turnover-worthy plays. The Wolverines struggled to block in the run and pass games. Loveland was their only player with at least 250 receiving yards.
Despite all of those woes around him, plus a nagging shoulder injury that hindered his blocking, Loveland still managed to have an elite final season in Ann Arbor. He ranked third in PFF receiving grade among tight ends, behind Harold Fannin Jr. and Tyler Warren. Michigan’s entire passing game was centered around him, and he would still find ways to get open.
Loveland is a special player who produced despite a lack of help in 2024. With a return to full health and a more functional offense around him, he could quickly become one of the elite tight ends in the NFL.
WR Matthew Golden, Texas
When he was a freshman at Houston in 2022, Golden displayed flashes of his route-running chops with future NFL draft pick Clayton Tune throwing him the ball in the midst of an excellent senior season. Tune graduated, and Golden’s production dipped in tandem with Donovan Smith‘s struggles at quarterback in 2023.
His season ended a few games short due to injury, but for the second consecutive year, Golden finished with fewer than 40 receptions and a sub-70.0 PFF receiving grade. Early in his lone season at Texas, it seemed that Golden’s lack of usage would continue, as he averaged just four targets per game through the team’s first nine games.
The Longhorns figured out what they had in Golden down the stretch, though, and he became the team’s most consistent playmaker on the outside. Golden produced his three highest receiving totals during the team’s final six games, including standout performances in the SEC Championship game and the team’s College Football Playoff victory over Arizona State.
From Week 13 onward, Golden led the nation with 570 receiving yards and posted a solid 79.2 PFF receiving grade. He’s likely to be a first-round pick, but he should certainly be glad that Texas discovered the breadth of his capabilities before it was too late.
EDGE Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
Scourton was one of the best pass rushers in college football while playing at Purdue in 2023. Rushing primarily as a stand-up outside linebacker, he posted an elite 90.9 PFF pass-rush grade while racking up the second-most pressures in the Big Ten during the regular season.
Scourton transferred to Texas A&M in 2024, where his pass-rush production wasn’t quite at the same elite level. He did tally 36 pressures, and his 80.6 PFF pass-rush grade was still a solid mark, but it felt a bit disappointing based on preseason expectations. At least some of that drop-off, though, could be attributed to a difference in alignment in Mike Elko’s defense.
During his breakout 2023 season at Purdue, Scourton played more than 95% of his snaps as a stand-up outside linebacker. This allowed him to pin his ears back and attack the quarterback with his full array of pass-rush moves. This past season at Texas A&M, that figure dropped to roughly 70%, as he was used in a variety of alignments with a greater emphasis on stopping the run.
Perhaps this diversity in alignment helped Scourton become a more well-rounded player. However, if an NFL team wants to get the most out of him as a pass rusher, they could elect to use him exclusively at outside linebacker with the hope of him returning to his 2023 form.
WR Elic Ayomanor, Stanford
After missing his true freshman campaign with a knee injury, Ayomanor spent the past two seasons as Stanford’s only legitimate offensive threat. The fact that he racked up more than 1,800 yards and earned a 78.9 PFF receiving grade since the start of 2023 is impressive when you consider that Stanford quarterbacks posted a poor 58.8 PFF passing grade in that span.
Ayomanor flashed brilliance throughout that time. He racked up a school-record 294 receiving yards, all in the second half, in 2023 against Travis Hunter and Colorado. He turned in a 159-yard performance that season against eventual national runner-up Washington. This past season, he led the Cardinal to a big upset win over Syracuse and posted a career-high 89.3 PFF receiving grade against NC State.
In spite of Ayomanor’s efforts, Stanford recorded just six victories over the past two seasons combined. His traits are that of an NFL starter, and he’ll likely greatly benefit from a more stable situation than Stanford’s.
RB Damien Martinez, Miami (FL)
Martinez is a perfect example of why PFF rushing grades and efficiency are important to note when evaluating a running back prospect. He never garnered even half of his team’s carries in any of his three collegiate seasons, but he averaged more than 6 yards per carry in all three.
During his two years at Oregon State, Martinez handled a defined role as a powerful outside runner behind a very good offensive line. This past season at Miami, he managed to earn the third-best PFF rushing grade in the nation despite ranking 68th in carries.
The Hurricanes also ranked 72nd in the FBS in PFF run-blocking grade and had one of the least creative rushing attacks in the nation. Miami deployed man run schemes on 43% of their attempts, the sixth-highest rate in the FBS, which is a far cry from the scheme Martinez was used to at Oregon State. Regardless, he managed peak efficiency as he bulldozed his way to a second straight 1,000-yard season. That efficiency could see Martinez selected on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft.
WR Jaylin Lane, Virginia Tech
Lane started his college career at Middle Tennessee State, where his production peaked at 940 yards and a 77.6 PFF receiving grade in 2022. He parlayed that performance into a transfer to Virginia Tech, where his talents weren’t always rewarded with similar production.
He earned a solid 75.8 PFF receiving grade during his two years in Blacksburg but generated 79 receptions and just over 1,000 yards during that span. Virginia Tech’s quarterbacks ranked 95th in the FBS in PFF passing grade and 101st in completion percentage, consistently struggling to make accurate throws.
Lane’s explosive speed should’ve been used more optimally. Over the past two seasons, he placed in the 98th percentile in separation percentage and yards after the catch per reception. He also forced 22 missed tackles as a returner in 2024, the seventh most by any player in the nation. That array of traits should earn Lane a Day 3 selection as he aims to overcome a lack of surface-level production.
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