It was a wild, upset-filled first September Saturday of the college football season, and several 2025 NFL Draft prospects put up big performances.
Who caught the eyes of The Athletic draft experts Dane Brugler and Nick Baumgardner in Week 2?
Ole Miss hasn’t been tested yet, but Dart is off to a ridiculous start. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound senior broke Ole Miss and SEC single-game records with 24 straight completions during Saturday’s dominant win over Middle Tennessee State, finishing the day 25-of-27 passing for 377 yards and a touchdown.
Through two weeks (and two wins over MTSU and Furman), Dart is now a combined 47 of 54 for 795 yards and six touchdowns. Someone’s been playing too much NCAA ’25.
Not unlike Miami’s Cam Ward, Dart would have had a shot to be drafted last season if he’d gone pro, after putting together an incredibly accurate and efficient year under Lane Kiffin. He’s perfect for the Rebels’ offense, which is not an NFL system — a talking point that figures to come up during Dart’s draft evaluations. But he throws a very accurate ball, and he’s an excellent athlete and big-time competitor. Don’t sleep on him. — Nick Baumgardner
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Warren (6-6, 261) and Fannin (6-4, 230), both legit 2025 NFL Draft prospects, put up huge numbers during the Nittany Lions’ 34-27 win.
Warren, who shared time with current New York Giants TE Theo Johnson last season, easily recorded his best college game as a receiver (eight catches for 146 yards). An explosive athlete with perfect size and enough strength to be a difference-maker in the run game, Warren adding this type of high-level pass production to his resume will do a lot to help his already solid draft stock.
The best part about Warren’s game is his ability to do anything. He’s a great athlete who can split wide, line up on the line, move in motion or run down a seam.
#PennState TE Tyler Warren (6056v, 255v) is viewed as a top-100 prospect by some teams, just outside (4th round) by others.
Regardless, he has a useful skill-set that will keep him on an NFL roster for a long time. https://t.co/Cdb2K8PfjR
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) September 7, 2024
Fannin, meantime, was one of my favorite non-Power 4 prospects entering the season. He posted a career-high 11 catches for 137 yards and a score Saturday. A great all-around athlete who was a star defensive back in high school, Fannin has wide receiver skills and the right mindset to mix it up in the run game when he can. He plays with terrific balance and body control and, despite his size, he finds a way to get the job done often. — Baumgardner
Ewers has proven himself on the road and on the big stage. It likely won’t be the last time either, because Texas will be in several more high-profile games later this season and into the playoffs. Though there are a few areas in which he needs to continue getting better, Ewers is still just 21 years old, and his gradual improvements across each season he’s been in college will give teams plenty of optimism that his best is still ahead of him. — Dane Brugler
We saw why Ewers can climb the QB board throughout large stretches of Texas’ dominant 31-12 win at Michigan. When Ewers is right, there isn’t a QB in this class with more in their toolbox. So long as Ewers keeps some of his cowboy tendencies under control, it’s really hard to pick at his game. Saturday, he completed 24 of 36 passes for 246 yards and three TDs. — Baumgardner
Read more on Ewers’ impressive performance here.
Rutgers has yet to face a formidable defense this season, but Monangai still deserves the spotlight as a running back with the talent to start in the NFL a year from now. After rushing for 165 yards against Howard in the opener, he posted 208 rushing yards (7.7 average) and three touchdowns on Saturday vs. Akron.
Monangai runs with terrific patience and quickness between the tackles and consistently finishes forward to pick up more yards than most backs can.
The Monangai long run ⬇️
📺 @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/iut07rtguT
— Rutgers Football (@RFootball) September 7, 2024
In my summer positional previews, he was my No. 2 senior running back prospect, but there wasn’t much of a gap between him and Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson for the No. 1 spot. The 2025 NFL Draft class will be stocked with talented running backs worthy of a top-100 pick, and Monangai is absolutely part of that mix. — Brugler
One of the freakiest underclassmen in the country, Emmanwori, capped off another productive day in a dominant win over Kentucky with an athletic pick six on a poor throw over the middle.
That’s six 😤🤙 pic.twitter.com/U47MJ2gXqO
— Gamecock Football (@GamecockFB) September 7, 2024
A 6-3, 227-pound junior, Emmanwori — who has a 42-inch vertical leap and reportedly has gotten close to 23 miles per hour on the GPS — is still a young prospect. He has every tool a safety could need and more, though. — Baumgardner
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(Top photo of Jaxson Dart: Justin Ford / Getty Images)
