The Triple Take crew of Dale Lolley, Matt Williamson and Mike Prisuta take a look at the top prospects in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft, which will be held in April. Today, they give us their top-10 defensive players.
The opinions expressed here are their own and not those of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Dale's Top 10
1. Travis Hunter, CB, Colorado
2. Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State
3. Mike Green, Edge, Marshall
4. Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan
5. Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon
6. Walter Nolen, DT, Mississippi
7. Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
8. Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
9. Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
10. Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia
Dale's Take: This is how I would rank the players from a Steelers' perspective. Hunter would be very valuable as a CB and should be atop the board. Carter and Green are explosive edges that would be too good to pass up. … Kenneth Grant vs. Derrick Harmon at DT was tough for me. Grant is the best nose tackle in this draft and has the explosiveness to play in the nickel and dime as a pass rusher, as well. But it's a deep nose tackle class. Harmon, meanwhile, is the prototypical 3-4 defensive end. He's also a good pass rusher. … Nolen is just behind those two for me, while Michigan's Mason Graham is a very good player and will probably be drafted ahead of the aforementioned defensive tackles. But he doesn't truly fit into a 3-4 scheme because of his lack of overall bulk and shorter arms. He could be of use, but would largely be a situational pass rusher in the nickel and dime. I would have a hard time taking him in the first round for the Steelers. … Johnson and Barron are better in zone schemes, but are both excellent cornerback prospects. … I have Jalon Walker as an off-ball linebacker in my rankings, but he's an off-ball linebacker who also can play edge rusher. … This draft is extremely deep in defensive players, especially at defensive tackle and edge rusher. Coming up with a top 10 from this group was no simple task.
Matt's Top 10
1. Travis Hunter, WR, Colorado
2. Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State
3. Walter Nolen, DT, Mississippi
4. Mike Green EDGE, Marshall
5. Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
6. Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
7. Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia
8. Jalon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
9. Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon
10. Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan
Matt's Take: As mentioned in the top 10 offensive players, Hunter is my top ranked wide receiver. He is also far and away the best cornerback prospect in this draft and if he concentrates on that side of the ball, Hunter could quickly become an All-Pro corner. … Carter is also a great prospect, but just not to the level of guys like Myles Garrett and the Bosa brothers were at the top of recent drafts. Still, Carter is a nightmare to play against. … It wasn't easy to pick the third player on this list, but I went with Nolen because of his massive upside. His tape shows an up and down player, but a prospect with simply rare tools. It isn't hard to see why he was the top recruit in the country coming out of high school. … Green was immensely productive for Marshall and has a game that should translate well off the edge at the next level. … As for Graham, he isn't physically overwhelming at all, but he consistently impacted games at Michigan. His biggest impact could be rushing the passer from his interior position on passing downs in the NFL. … It is easy to spot Campbell on film with his size and explosive movement skills. Campbell might take a little time to learn the nuances of off the ball linebacker (as almost all rookies at that position do), but Campbell also could make a quick impact as a pure pass-rusher. … Walker is listed as an edge player here, but his game really isn't all that much different than Campbell's with his blend of pass-rush prowess and ability to play on the second level…But Walker's teammate, Williams, got the nod over Walker on this list because he is much more of a prototypical line of scrimmage defender. It should be noted that Williams played much of this past season with an injury. … Harmon was very disruptive this year with the Ducks. He has the size, first step, and length NFL teams covet to go along with an excellent motor…As for Grant, Graham's partner at defensive tackle at Michigan, he is just exactly what teams are now looking for at the nose tackle position. Because of his great movement traits for such a massive human being, Grant has upside as a pass-rusher and can possibly align in several spots other than on the nose. In the meantime, Grant will make an immediate impact on his new defense as a run stuffer.
Mike's Top 10
1. Travis Hunter, CB, Colorado
2. Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State
3. Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia
4. Mike Green, Edge, Marshall
5. Walter Nolan, DT, Mississippi
6. Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon
7. Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
8. Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
9. Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
10. Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan
Mike's Take: Hunter has to be viewed as a two-way player. Not necessarily an every-down, two-way player but one who can be impactful on both sides of the ball in more than just a gadget capacity. It might be a while before another such player is available … Carter is the best of an intriguing Edge class and can do more than just rush from the edge. The same goes for Walker; you can debate where he best fits but you want him on the field … Green didn't play in the Big Ten or the SEC but scouts will tell you the ability to get the quarterback on the ground translates … Nolan was No. 2 at defensive tackle during my most recent assessment there but as the exhaustive, pre-draft process at long last comes to a close he's being promoted. So is Harmon and so is Grant, all of whom are now ahead of Mason Graham, who is regarded as the top defensive tackle available seemingly everywhere but here. So be it, check back in five years … Emmanwori did things at the NFL Scouting Combine a player of his size (6-31/8, 220 lbs.) shouldn't be able to do. Those included becoming the second player since 2003 to check in at 6-3 or taller and run a sub-4.4 40-yard dash (4.38), register a vertical leap of 40-plus inches (43) and uncork a broad jump of 11-plus feet (11-6). The other was DK Metcalf in 2019. Keeping such company should land Emmanwori on just about any Top 10 list imaginable … Walker and Starks are the latest in a wave of Georgia defenders that have invaded the NFL in recent seasons. Among the things these players have in common are a lot of experience playing winning defense on the biggest of stages and a pedigree that exceeds their production. When you need a defensive stop who you gonna call? One of the Bulldogs … Grant (6-3 5/8, 331 lbs.) has grown on me in part because he's bigger than Graham (6-3 1/2, 296). Graham was more consistent at Michigan but Grant was splashier, and the splash got the attention of NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah, who compared Grant to Dexter Lawrence and Haloti Ngata. "People kinda dinged them, where's the consistency and the play-making?" Jeremiah maintained. "You just gotta grade the flashes when you're that big and that rangy and that athletic. You might require a little bit of patience but there are only so many people on God's green Earth that are that big and can move like that guy." Grant moved well enough and had the motor running high enough in 2023 to track down Penn State running back Kaytron Allen from behind at the end of 33-yard gain. Sold.
