You probably don’t know these prospects, but NFL scouts sure do
The fourth stop on the road to the 2025 NFL Draft brings us to Fort Worth, Texas, where the College Gridiron Showcase entered its 11th year in existence. Normally, all-star games all follow the same format: week of practice and then a game at the end. But not the College Gridiron Showcase. What makes this event unique is that it maximizes efficiency for the scouts by focusing the first two days of work on position-specific drills and competitive periods before culminating with a controlled scrimmage. There is no game at the end of the week; just two full days of meetings, player access and physical practices.
What also makes this event unique — and why its leaders Jose Jefferson, Craig Redd, Mike Rittlemann, and their wonderful staff do such a great job — is because of the sheer amount of prospects they bring to the event. This year, 217 prospects participated in front of all 32 NFL teams, nine CFL teams and eight UFL teams, as well as teams from both the European League of Football and Arena/Indoor football leagues.
It is a great opportunity for players who hail from smaller schools and who were some hidden gems from FBS programs to “showcase” their pro potential in front of a bevy of scouts from across the football landscape.
Quarterbacks
- Height: 6-foot-4
- Weight: 213 pounds
- School: Wilfrid Laurier
One of the top, if not the top CFL QB prospect in the 2025 class, Elgersma without question had the best performance this week at the position. The level of velocity in which he threw the ball was next level. Scouts consistently commented on his arm strength and ability to drive the football. I got the chance to see him compete back in May at the USports East-West Bowl in Waterloo, Ontario, and he stood out there as well, so it was great to see how he would measure up against NCAA competition. He’s going to have a lot of interest come draft time, both here and north of the border.
Other standouts
- Tyler Huff, Jacksonville State
Running backs
Full disclosure, this was such an impressive group of running backs that each one had fantastic moments during the two days. I’ve never seen anything like that before at an all-star game/event. So, while we’ll spotlight a couple, in the “other standouts” portion are the rest of the backs who participated at CGS.
- Height: 6-foot-1
- Weight: 228 pounds
- School: Appalachian State
Marshall checked multiple boxes during the Saturday practice. He met all of the size, speed and requisite skill parts that scouts covet. What really stood out to me was how consistent he was as a receiver, showing both comfort and potential as a threat in the downfield passing game.
- Height: 5-foot-11
- Weight: 198 pounds
- School: CSU-Pueblo
Russell was someone whose explosiveness and acceleration instantly stood out during both days. He’s a quick-twitch athlete who has the type of burst to turn a pro corner. Given the fact that he also caught the ball well, it wouldn’t shock me to see him be a stellar third-down back at the professional level.
Other standouts
- Anthony Watkins, Tulsa
- Quali Conley, Arizona
- KeAundre McCullough, William Jewell
- Lawrance Toafili, Florida State
- Sam Hicks, Abilene Christian
- David Afari, Northern Colorado
- Brandon Cade, Berry
Wide receivers
- Height: 6-foot-1
- Weight: 188 pounds
- School: Illinois
Franklin operated at a different speed and smoothness in my opinion. The seamless transitions in and out of his cuts were on full display during 1-on-1s. We’ve seen draft picks from this event before, especially at this position (2023 seventh-round pick Colton Dowell from UT-Martin), so it wouldn’t surprise me if Franklin gets his name called in April.
- Height: 5-foot-10
- Weight: 180 pounds
- School: Ohio
Owen had arguably the most consistent day of the receivers. From his route-running to his ability to make the difficult catch, he excelled. It’s no surprise he racked up more than 1,200 receiving yards this season for the Bobcats; he gets open.
Other standouts
- Jalen Thomas, Tiffin
- CJ Wiggins, Missouri S&T
- Jordan Bingham, Moravian
- Jack Studer, UW-La Crosse
- Noah Coyne, Case Western Reserve
- Max McLeod, Colorado School of Mines
- Kenneth Womack, Western Michigan
- Sean Atkins, South Florida
- Bryson Green, Wisconsin
Tight ends
- Height: 6-foot-4
- Weight: 237 pounds
- School: St. Norbert
Fluidity is what came to mind during Van Vooren’s week of practice. He’s such a fluid athlete with confident hands. It’s events like this where a Division III kid in Van Vooren can show how he measures up against his FBS counterparts, giving scouts a good idea and more realistic look at his pro projection moving forward.
Other standouts
- Mark Mahoney, Brown
- Sam Pitz, Minnesota-Duluth
- Josiah Miamen, Florida International
Offensive line
- Height: 6-foot-6
- Weight: 296 pounds
- School: North Dakota State
Miller was able to show his anchoring ability during 1-on-1s. He was a really good get for the CGS, as he’s an obvious excellent player who is fresh off of a national championship a week ago, yet still found a way to attend and compete. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him get a call up to another game.
- Height: 6-foot-4
- Weight: 317 pounds
- School: Mississippi State
I was impressed with the footwork and overall athleticism of Martinez. I thought it was a big reason why he had the consistency he had over the two days.
- Height: 6-foot-5
- Weight: 306 pounds
- School: Iowa
Elsbury is one of those guys who hails from a major program and hasn’t been a multi-year starter or consistent starter, yet has pro-level ability. His situation reminds me a lot of running back Khalil Herbert at Kansas when he was behind Pooka Williams. The difference here is that Elsbury didn’t transfer; he just stayed at Iowa and logged over 400 snaps. This was a big week for him, and he impressed many scouts in attendance.
Other standouts
- OT Alec Rasmussen, St. Thomas
- OT Blaise Sparks, Delaware
- OT Brandon Casey, Montana
- OG Sam Carson, UL-Monroe
- OG Connor Klassen, Regina
- OG Ozzie Hutchinson, UAlbany
- OC Bardhyl Gashi, Colgate
- OC Dre Doiron, Kansas
- OC Jamal Hines, Howard
Defensive line
- Height: 6-foot-2
- Weight: 244 pounds
- School: Miami (OH)
Ugwu’s twitch and explosiveness off the ball was definitely identifiable right out of the gate. During 1-on-1s is where he kept raising eyebrows. I thought he played a lot bigger than his size this week.
- Height: 6-foot
- Weight: 270 pounds
- School: Tulane
As an undersized defensive tackle, it’s important to be able to win with savvy and quickness, both attributes Huntington displayed this week. I believe he’s got the fluid athleticism to play multiple techniques up front. He’s definitely a player to track during the process, as it seems as though the Green Wave have a factory of undersized defensive linemen who can play.
Other standouts
- DE Joe Anderson, Purdue
- DE Leonard Henry IV, Saginaw Valley State
- DE Hayden Harris, Montana
- DE Matt Jaworski, Fordham
- DE Phillip Webb, Jackson State
- DE Charlie Looes, Rice
- EDGE Jeremiah Ojo, Montreal
- EDGE Jahfari Harvey, SMU
- DT Brandon Davies-Lyons, York
- DT Anthonie Lattony, Wofford
- DT Demond Taylor, Northern Illinois
- DT Malcolm Ray, Rutgers
- DT Kori Roberson, SMU
Linebackers
- Height: 5-foot-11
- Weight: 220 pounds
- School: Robert Morris
Freeman’s athleticism showed up in pass coverage, as this was where he was most comfortable as opposed to other backers. Being able to stay with backs in a drill that’s heavily tilted toward the offensive side of the ball was impressive.
- Height: 6-foot-1
- Weight: 236 pounds
- School: Windsor
Another Canadian prospect I got a chance to see back in the spring was Veresuk. He’s got very good athleticism and more than held his own in coverage against tight ends. Also during 9-on-7s, he was able to fit the run well, making plays at or behind the line of scrimmage.
Other standouts
- ILB Joseph Vaughn, UCLA
- ILB Bo Spearman, Austin Peay
- ILB Jaylon Sharpe, UT-Martin
- ILB Josiah Cotton, Stephen F. Austin
- OLB Allen Walker, Jackson State
- OLB Alfred Dailey Jr., Saginaw Valley State
- OLB Jalan Gaines, Illinois State
Defensive backs
CB Cam Sims
- Height: 6-foot-1
- Weight: 185 pounds
- School: East Tennessee State
I thought Sims competed really well during 1-on-1s. His ability to play with length and technique kept him in the hip pocket of receivers. He’s very physical at the catch point, and if a receiver caught a ball, it was an amazing throw by the QB, as Sims gave them zero room to operate.
S Kenny Gallop
- Height: 5-foot-10
- Weight: 219 pounds
- School: Howard
Gallop is built like a tank and enforces like one as well. Studying his film prior to coming into this event, you saw his consistency in the run game. At CGS, he was listed as a corner, so seeing him work outside in space was a new piece of the evaluation puzzle. There could be a home for him as a slot defender in the pros, a la Brian Branch of the Detroit Lions. I thought his week in Fort Worth truly elevated his draft stock.
Other standouts
- CB Andrew Volmar, Bethune-Cookman
- CB Rueben Lowery III, Chattanooga
- CB Paul Lewis III, Akron
- CB Gio Waller, East Central
- CB Jesse Johnson, Austin Peay
- CB Eric Cumberbatch, Ottawa (CN)
- CB Jordan Polk, Texas State
- S Nate Capers, Bloomsburg
- S Shiloh Means, Penn
- S Michael “Flip” Dixon, Rutgers
- S Jonathan McGill, SMU
