As has seemingly become the new standard, don’t expect many players to be on stage at the NFL Draft.
The NFL unveiled which players will be in attendance for the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, Apr. 24. Once upon a time there were scores of players in the green room waiting for their name to be called, but now it’s dwindled to 17 invitees for this year.
2025 NFL Draft attendees
- Tyler Booker, G, Alabama
- Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
- Will Campbell, OL, LSU
- Abdul Carter, DE, Penn State
- Jaxson Dart, QB, Mississippi
- Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
- Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
- Travis Hunter, DB/WR, Colorado
- Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
- Will Johnson, DB, Michigan
- Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
- Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama
- Josh Simmons, T, Ohio State
- Malaki Starks, DB, Georgia
- Shemar Stewart, DE, Texas A&M
- Cameron Ward, QB, Miami (Fla.)
- Mykel Williams, DE, Georgia
Almost all of these players are first-round locks, although Dart and Milroe are a little more questionable. You never know if you’ll have a faller like Will Levis in 2023. There’s been a shift toward staying at home with friends and family to celebrate these momentous, life-changing occasions.
From Front Office Sports last year:
Even highly touted Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy, for example, who was drafted at No. 10 by the Vikings, declined the league’s invite this year. The falling number of green room invitees has more to do with prospects’ wishes than the league’s, according to Charlie Yook, executive producer of NFL Media.
“I don’t think it’s a de-emphasis on our end. But it may be a de-emphasis on the players’ end. That’s up to the player themselves,” Yook tells Front Office Sports.
So I wouldn’t read too much into who is and isn’t at the draft. Shedeur Sanders won’t be in Green Bay but that doesn’t mean he’s destined to drop out of the first round completely. Neither is Missouri tackle Armand Membou, whose outstanding NFL Scouting Combine showing has made him a virtual lock.
Last season the Seattle Seahawks drafted Byron Murphy II, who was at home when John Schneider made the call. When they had a pair of first-rounders in 2023, both Devon Witherspoon and Jaxon Smith-Njigba were in Kansas City for selection. Will Seattle take any of these 17 players with its first-round pick? If we strike out Ward, Carter, Hunter, Jeanty, and Johnson, it’s not unthinkable.