All NFL Draft and College Football fans are celebrating today, digging deep into the release of the 2024 Feldman’s Freak List . Every year, Bruce Feldman of the Athletic releases a massive list of college football players, doing deep research into the backgrounds and testing numbers this offseason.
Of those 101 players that were highlighted, there are a long list of 2025 NFL Draft prospects to know. On the offensive side of the football, that includes several players who need a lot more notoriety. It’s an impressive list of freaky athletes, and darn good football players.
A frequent inclusion in my first round mock drafts so far, there aren’t many better offensive lineman in college football than Arizona star Jonah Savaiinaea. Even with Green Bay Packers 2024 first round draft pick Jordan Morgan as the bookend for the Wildcats last season, there is a strong argument that Savaiinaea was the best player up front. A big part of that is his impressive athleticism for a player his size.
An unheralded recruit from Hawaii who quickly emerged as an NFL prospect in Tucson. Savaiinaea allowed just two sacks on 889 snaps as a sophomore last year. At 6-4 and 334 pounds, Savaiinaea is surprisingly lean, with 21 percent body fat. This offseason, he ran faster than 19 mph, bench pressed 406 pounds, power cleaned 355 and squatted 532.
The overall athleticism and explosiveness for a player as big as Savaiinaea is extremely impressive. Without much bad weight on his frame, he is extremely light on his feet. His power profile was a little up-and-down a year ago, but there is a lot of upside there as well.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Feldman also included a small school player to know in William & Mary offensive tackle Charles Grant. He’s a player I’ve mentioned several times this offseason. It’s nice to see someone like Feldman mention Grant, who is going to be a major sleeper for the 2025 NFL Draft class.
42. Charles Grant , William & Mary, offensive tackle
Get to know this name; you will hear it a lot more leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft. Grant was voted an FCS first-team All-American in 2023 and has allowed just one sack in the last two years. A former standout wrestler, he had two offers out of high school: William & Mary and UVA Wise. He arrived weighing 240 pounds but has blossomed within the Tribe’s program, now at 6-4 1/2 and 301 pounds having hit 21 mph on the GPS and vertical-jumped 32 inches. Scouts have measured his arms at 35 inches. Tribe strength coach Kenny O’Mary said Grant has clocked a fully automatic timed 1.44 10-yard split, which is remarkably fast for any football player, let alone an offensive lineman.
On film, it’s easy to see the building blocks that Grant possesses. Long, quick and flexible, Grant is a really impressive mover on the field. The biggest question about Grant was going to be his weight after weighing in the 280s last season. Seeing him over 300 is fantastic.
Not much of a sleeper, but more a reminder of just how good Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty is. On the field, there is little that Jeanty can’t do. During the 2023 season, he exploded for 1,916 touchdowns and 19 touchdowns, averaging a staggering 7.3 yards per touch average. Jeanty is one of, if not the best running back returning to college football in 2024.
The 20-year-old star running back, a 5-9, 215-pound Texan, was the Mountain West offensive player of the year in 2023. He led the nation with 159.67 yards from scrimmage per game, which included 569 receiving yards — most among all backs in college football.
Jeanty’s 106 missed tackles forced lead the FBS, and he was the first FBS player since 2019 to amass 1,000 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards. Jeanty repeatedly has topped 22 mph in games and squatted more than 605 pounds before BSU strength coaches wouldn’t allow him to go any heavier. He power cleaned 340 pounds. The strength coaches calculated that he has a strength-to-bodyweight ratio of 6.23.
“ Ashton Jeanty is pound-for-pound the strongest player I’ve ever coached in terms of his strength-to-bodyweight ratio,” said Boise State director of sports performance Benjamin Hilgart, who has spent more than 20 years in the business.
While Jeanty is explosive on the field, there are some questions about his long speed. Seeing some of the GPS data is important. If Jeanty can answer that question, there isn’t much he’s missing. Jeanty is a dynamic football player, and a menace with the football in his hands.
Related: Slept on 2025 NFL Draft defenders included on 2024 Feldman's Freak List
Jeanty wasn’t the only talented runner included on the list. Feldman also listed Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter, who is one of the more underrated playmakers in college football. He is coming off of 2023 season where he rushed for 909 yards and seven touchdowns, a nice campaign despite playing behind a below average Auburn offensive line.
One of the SEC’s top backs, Hunter has rushed for 2,172 career rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in three seasons. The 5-10, 209-pounder from rural Mississippi, who in high school lifted wearing cowboy boots, has squatted 635 pounds and could’ve done more, but the Tigers’ staff stopped him. He’s topped out at more than 22 mph and been clocked at 4.45 in the 40.
That GPS data and forty-yard dash time verifies what you see on film from Hunter. The kid is fast and explosive, possessing the third gear to create big plays. Hunter is one of the top senior running backs in the 2025 NFL Draft class potentially.
One player that I have been leading the bandwagon for is Virginia offensive lineman Brian Stevens , who was also included on the Freaks list. A compact center who began his career at Dayton, Stevens is on the short list to be one of the best centers in college football in 2024. A big reason for that ascension is the athleticism he possesses for the position.
You don’t see too many former high school punters (39.5 yard average) who become first-team all-conference O-linemen. He began his college career at Dayton, blossomed and then transferred to UVA last year, where he produced the fourth-highest PFF grade (77.3) for centers in the country and was the ACC’s top-graded run-blocking center. Stevens only allowed one sack last season. The 6-2 1/2, 300-pounder power cleaned 385 pounds this offseason and ran a laser-timed 1.56 10-yard sprint. He had a max speed velocity of 18.7 mph.
While slightly undersized, Stevens being in the 300-pound range is big. He was also flexible, athletic, and coordinated. Having the full baseline of physical upside is impressive. Keep an eye out for Stevens as more people begin getting eyes on him.
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