Dec 29, 2023; Memphis, TN, USA; Iowa State Cyclones wide receiver Jaylin Noel (13) and wide receiver Jayden Higgins (9) react after a touchdown during the first half against the Memphis Tigers at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Thursday marks the start of the 2025 NFL Draft. Here’s some intel on what the experts are saying on Iowa State’s potential selections.
I pulled the charts below and numbers surrounding each player from NFLmockdraftdatabase.com – they’ve created somewhat of a composite that puts averages out based on where players are appearing in mock drafts. You’ll notice that for the most part, each of the five former Cyclones featured on the site are rising in the charts, too.
“I think so much of that is a credit to those young men, right,” Campbell said of the late risers. “I mean, we’re really the beneficiaries of young men that have come here with great love for football, and guys that have really risen to some of the best players at their position in the world.”
WR Jaylin Noel
Noel is Iowa State’s biggest riser in the class, jumping up over 60 spots since the college football season ended and is now hovering around the second and third rounds in most mock drafts.
“For Jaylin Noel, what he’s done here in his career has been incredibly impressive,” Campbell said. “And then to watch his maturity, to attack the moments, because when you leave, boy – the Senior Bowl is big. The moment of being ready for the combine’s big and then how you handle each of those meetings is big. I think he’s just knocked it out of the park.”
His combine numbers each ranked in the top 10 for players at the wide receiver position, and his ability to play on special teams as a returner and a gunner will add value, too.
WR Jayden Higgins
Iowa State fans will know that Higgins’ film speaks for itself. The Iowa State wideout impressed over his pair of seasons in Ames and is being floated as a potential first round pick if things go the right way on Thursday.
CBS had Higgins being picked by the Detroit Lions in the first round late in the year and now has him being selected by Green Bay at No. 23.
CB Darien Porter
Porter wowed scouts with his combine speed in the 40-yard dash in late February – hence the big rise in the former Cyclone’s average rank on the boards.
As a utility player as well as a cornerback, Porter will have as much or even more added value than a player like Jaylin Noel, when pairing those combine results with it.
CBS had him as high as No. 14 in its mock draft six weeks ago, and he’s another outside shot at being a pick in the first round. If not, like the pair of wideouts, he could be off the board on Friday night.
OL Jalen Travis
Travis may have benefited the most from the film he put down during Senior Bowl weekend, which really inflated his chances of being selected in the draft.
“It’s no different for Jalen Travis,” Campbell said. “And obviously, we only had him for a year, but I mean, what that guy did in the Senior Bowl, and then what that guy did at the combine, and who that guy is, he certainly made a huge impression.”
He’s jumped over 150 spots since the week before the combine and forecasts as a fifth rounder.
S Malik Verdon
Verdon’s injury history was always going to make it harder for him to be picked, but he’s right on the cusp of possibly being a selection.
Former players will say, too, that it’s better to not be picked when it gets so late in the draft, allowing players to take multiple offers and find the right situation or maximize their value.
“It puts a lot of challenge on this year’s team, but when you look at last year’s team – who made all the plays in the moment? Well, it was all those guys,” Campbell said. “I think J.R. Singleton is going to get himself into a camp and maybe drafted late. I think Jared Hufford is in the same boat – he’s certainly got a chance to be drafted and have a chance to where he’ll definitely be on a team.”
There’s certainly a possibility of both Singleton and Hufford to be signed to undrafted free agent deals, as well as others potentially from the 2025 roster. Those will largely be settled over the weekend if past patterns repeat themselves.
“So, I think all those guys kind of came to fruition of what this program has been trying to build on – man, if you’re willing to stay the course and just keep plugging away, you can reach your full potential now,” Campbell said. “You’ve got to have the talent to do it, and those guys certainly have had it, but it’s certainly a credit to them, and we’re just a beneficiary of their success.”
