The 2025 NFL draft has come and gone, forever changing the lives of the 257 young men that were selected. The first round of the draft saw only one player from a G5 school be selected, which, to nobody’s surprise, was Ashton Jeanty. 17 more players from G5 teams were selected after him – these are the three that will make the biggest impact in their rookie season.
Harold Fannin Jr. (Bowling Green) TE Browns
Fannin Jr., who was born in Canton, OH and went to school in state at Bowling Green, has all the makings of a hometown hero. The only player on this list who attended the same school for his entire college career, Fannin Jr. is a multi-level receiving threat at the tight end position whose versatility to line up in the backfield, as a traditional tight end, or in the slot will create mismatches. He is sure handed, having dropped only 2 of 171 balls thrown his way at BGSU, and is difficult to bring down once he gets the ball in his hands. He also had the best season ever statically for a TE in the FBS, breaking records forreceiving yards by a Tight End in a season (1,555) and most receptions by a Tight End in a season (117). Although I enjoyed watching him toy with MAC defenses on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, he also had huge outings against Texas A&M and Penn State, the latter of which had four defensive players taken in this year’s draft. His arrival gives Cleveland extra offensive weapon in and will provide depth behind starter David Njoku. Given Njoku’s history with injuries, we may even see Fannin Jr. make a few starts in 2025.
Jalen Royals (Utah State) WR Chiefs
This past fall, I had the privilege of watching Jalen play in person when Utah State came to Philly to play a game against my Temple Owls. Royals had 110 yards on 10 catches in the contest, one of which was a 26-yard touchdown on a wide receiver screen in which Royals flashed his 4.42 40 speed. A big play threat, he had 7 touchdowns of 50 yards or more in 2023and scored 15 Touchdowns total that season. Although limited a bit by injuries in 2024, he still netted over 800 receiving yards.Royals joins a receiving core that includes veteran Juju Smith-Schuster, Rashee Rice, Hollywood Brown, and Xavier Worthy. If he can stay healthy, look for Royals add another dimension toa Chiefs offense that was tied for 2nd to last in passing plays of over 40+ yards in 2024.
Shavon Revel (East Carolina) CB Cowboys
As an Eagles fan, it is not often I find myself cheering for anyone who has a star on their helmet. Shavon Revel is an exception. Revel went from playing JUCO ball to working at an Amazon warehouse where, in 2021 after an overnight shift, he attended an ECU prospect camp and ran a 4.4 40-yard dash. He was offered a scholarship to play for the Pirates on the spot.Physically, he compares with Richard Sherman, as they are similar in height, weight, and arm length. Revel plays a physical style of football – he isn’t afraid to stick his nose in the action when the ball is kept on the ground, and he disrupts the timing of receiver’s routes by using his length and physicality to jam receivers. Despite tearing his ACL in September 2024, Revel is expected to be fully healthy by week 1, and with Trevon Diggs expected to be sidelined for the first few weeks of the season, Revel will be a front runner for one of the starting CB spots.
Group of five til' I die 