NFL Draft watch: ‘The Beast’ early tidbits; 3 prospects to track this weekend

"The Beast" will return this upcoming spring. There will be some exciting changes to the formatting and presentation to make it the best version yet, but more on that later.

My favorite parts of "The Beast" can be found in the details discovered via research and conversations with players, coaches and scouts. Those information bread crumbs help point evaluators in the right direction.

There is still a ton of work required to get this year's version of the draft guide finished, but I wanted to tease a few of the interesting background tidbits:

? Is Travis Hunter worth the No. 1 pick?

• Ole Miss wide receiver Tre Harris is averaging 141.0 receiving yards per game and has put himself in the Day 2 discussion as an NFL prospect. But things could have been very different for the high school quarterback turned receiver. Going into his junior year, Harris walked away from football at Comeaux (La.) High School to focus on basketball. After the varsity squad lost two of its first three games, however, he was lured back to the football field and led the team to the 2018 state playoffs.

Scouts say one of the main reasons he returned was the pestering of Comeaux's star wide receiver at the time: Malik Nabers .

• Georgia safety Malaki Starks , a projected top-10 pick, has been a star athlete all his life. Following in his older sister's path, he picked up track at a young age and became one of the best sprinters in Georgia throughout middle school.

As a junior at Jefferson High School, Starks decided to try the long jump. He didn't have any experience nor a long jump coach or trainer, but he trusted his athleticism — and won the 4A state long jump title in his only season attempting the event, setting a school record (24 feet, 9 inches). He added school records in the 100 meters (10.55 seconds) and 200 meters (21.67).

Starks' football IQ is what stands out the most about his game, but his athletic traits are also high-level.

• Although he doesn't receive a ton of national attention, West Virginia left tackle Wyatt Milum is one of the better offensive linemen in the 2025 NFL Draft class. (Spoiler: He earned a spot in my updated top-50 board that'll be out next week). But his go-to sport for much of his life was baseball, and most around him expected the left-handed pitcher to pursue a future on the diamond.

Milum even committed to Marshall for baseball at one point before switching to football when programs like Alabama and Notre Dame started pursuing him. Being a natural lefty is a helpful quality for a left tackle, although most teams project Milum inside to guard. (Scouts say his arms are closer to 32 inches than 33 inches.)

Three must-see NFL prospects this weekend

If you watched the LSU and South Carolina tapes, Nolen looked like a slam-dunk top-25 pick. He wasn't as dominant the last two weeks against Oklahoma and Arkansas , but the Rebels will need Nolen at his best to upset the Bulldogs. Carson Beck has self-destructed too much this season with panicked decisions, and pressure on the quarterback will be the key for Ole Miss.

A lean, athletic corner, Bryant entered the season with mid-round grades from NFL scouts. He has only helped himself in 2024, including with his three interceptions two weeks ago against Houston. In this matchup, he will face one of the best wide receiver duos in the country ( Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins ), which will give him another chance to make his case as a top-100 pick.

Campbell is considered the top offensive lineman in the 2025 NFL Draft by several scouts, but he is coming off his shakiest performance of the season, last week against Texas A&M. The competition won't get any easier against LT Overton and the Alabama front. Campbell's 2023 performance against the Tide was his most inconsistent of the season, so this will be a key tape for his draft evaluation.

Stats of the Week

• Last season, Jayden Daniels led the FBS with an average of 11.5 yards per pass attempt. This season, only two quarterbacks currently have an average in the double digits: Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart (11.6) and Indiana 's Kurtis Rourke (10.4). Not only have both aggressively pushed the ball downfield, but each QB is above 71 percent completions and has only three interceptions. Dart and Rourke have big stages this month to send a message that they should be drafted higher than previously expected.

• Last year, Boise State 's Ashton Jeanty had five fumbles and North Carolina 's Omarion Hampton had three — higher totals than you'd like to see. But neither has put the ball on the ground in 2024, despite both ranking top five in the nation in carries. Other notable running back prospects without a fumble this season: Iowa's Kaleb Johnson , Oregon's Jordan James and Rutgers' Kyle Monangai .

-favorites in a tight race

• Tennessee edge defender James Pearce Jr. put himself on the NFL map last season as a subpackage rusher who couldn't be blocked. But he averaged only 35.5 defensive snaps per game, so scouts were looking forward to seeing his impact in 2024 with more of a workload, especially against the run. Pearce is actually seeing the field slightly less this season (35.4 snaps per game), though, because of the Volunteers' heavy defensive line rotation.

Most of those snaps are coming in pass-rush situations, and Pearce is again delivering (13.7 percent pressure rate, according to PFF, which ranks No. 1 in the FBS). But the questions remain about his ability to play on the edge full-time and hold up against the run.

Prospect trending up ...

Miami wide receiver Xavier Restrepo was considered a borderline draft pick entering the season, because he won't blow you away with size (5-foot-10, 200 pounds) or speed (he's expected to run a 4.5-second 40-yard dash). But his production has been undeniable. Restrepo leads the ACC this season in receiving yards (856) and touchdown grabs (nine), and he now holds the Hurricanes' all-time records for both receptions (182) and receiving yards (2,573) — impressive accomplishments considering the pass catchers that have gone through Coral Gables.

Despite his lack of elite physical traits, Restrepo's dependability for QB Cam Ward and the Miami offense will help him during the draft process and could raise his projection into the mid-round range.

Prospects trending down ...

Watching Utah 's defense this summer, I was intrigued by the movement skills and potential of linebacker Lander Barton and included him in my preseason top 50. But the Utes' defense has been hard to watch in 2024.

Barton hasn't taken that next step as a prospect and isn't seeing things quickly enough. Cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn has struggled in coverage and is no longer a lock to be drafted. Linebacker Karene Reid should run well, but his tape grade won't be glowing. Defensive tackle Junior Tafuna has had his moments, but he hasn't been quite disruptive enough. Utah has been disappointing this season as a whole, but especially its pro prospects on defense.

Rookie Revisited

The Eagles drafted a pair of defensive backs with their first two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. Quinyon Mitchell has started from Day One and been the most consistent rookie cornerback all season. But Cooper DeJean , while only playing meaningful snaps over the last four games, has quickly announced himself as one of the top-performing rookie defenders in the league as Philadelphia's nickel.

Here is the summary from his scouting report in the 2024 NFL Draft guide :

A two-year starter at Iowa, DeJean was an inside-outside cornerback in defensive coordinator Phil Parker's zone-heavy scheme. He also saw snaps at safety and the Hawkeyes' hybrid "Cash" position. After matching the school-record with three pick sixes in 2022, he was recognized as the Big Ten's Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year and the Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year in 2023 — despite his late-season leg injury. With his natural anticipation in coverage, DeJean is rarely out of position and uses athletic gifts and top-tier ball skills to make plays (allowed only one catch of 15-plus yards in 2023). Though he has a steady process to gather and go, his lack of initial suddenness is something he must continue to mask to limit separation at the top of routes. Overall, DeJean is one of the best tackling defensive backs in the class and shows playmaking skills in coverage, because of his athletic instincts and competitive makeup. Along with an immediate special-teams role (as a returner and gunner), his NFL starter-quality skill set fits interchangeably at cornerback, safety or nickel.

(Top photo of Tre Harris: Justin Ford / )