2025 NFL Draft Prospects Preview: Cameron Ward, Oronde Gadsden II, Jonah Monheim

We’re a few weeks into the 2024 College Football season, meaning we now have new data to consider when analyzing 2025 NFL Draft prospects!

We’ll kick off our prospects preview featuring USC center Jonah Monheim, Miami FL quarterback Cameron Ward and Syracuse tight end Oronde Gadsden II.

Let’s dive in!

2025 NFL Draft Prospects Preview

Jonah Monheim (C – USC)

I know that scouting offensive and defensive linemen isn’t for everyone, but I just can’t help myself. I love watching football in the trenches, and if you’re like me, you’ll like Monheim’s tape.

Listed at 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds, Monheim is a versatile offensive lineman who has found his way to the middle of the Trojans’ offensive line. Throughout his 40+ game career, he’s made 34 career starts. With that, 18 starts were at right tackle, 12 starts at left tackle and four starts at right guard. Returning this season as a captain, he’s already played over 100 snaps and hasn’t given up a sack.

On tape, he really stands out due to his lower body fluidity and lateral movement skills. Best suited to play on the interior, I’d expect teams to view Monheim as a center or a guard in the NFL. He only gave up two sacks last season, and prior to 2024, he played over 1800 snaps. Teams will value the versatility and experience that he will provide an offense. Already playing a team such as LSU, Monheim and the USC offense have another tough task this weekend by playing Michigan. We’ll see how he fares against first-round picks such as the Wolverines’ Mason Graham.

Cameron Ward (QB – Miami FL)

There may not be a quarterback doing more for their draft stock right now than the Hurricanes’ Ward. Transferring from Washington State after 25 starts (13-13 record), there were always flashes from Ward on tape. Without question, his biggest strength was his mobility and how easily he was able to extend plays beyond the pocket. However, scouts wanted to see more from him as a passer.

Through three games, he has made incredible improvements as a passer. He has completed 73% of his passes (65-for-89) for 1,035 yards with 11 touchdowns and one interception thrown this season. Looking at his performance against Florida and Ball State, he’s very accurate and looks to be quite comfortable in the Hurricanes’ offense. He’s thrown from a variety of arm angles and is taking calculated shots downfield while being able to eat defenses alive with the quick pass game.

In Week 4, Ward and the Hurricanes will travel to South Florida. While this may not be the toughest opponent, it’s still a road game, and it’s important for Ward to stay consistent. He may not have entered the first-round conversation of the 2025 NFL Draft, but he’s certainly worth watching on a weekly basis from here on out this season.

Oronde Gadsden II (TE – Syracuse)

Coming from NFL bloodlines, it shouldn’t be surprising to see Gadsden II having success as a pass-catcher. His father, Oronde Gadsden, played for the Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins. As for Gadsden II, he moved to tight end in 2022 and that may have been the best move for his career. He’s bouncing back from a season-ending lisfranc injury last season but it doesn’t look like he’s missed a step.

Off to a hot start this season, he’s already the leading reception and yardage leader for the Syracuse offense. Last week against Georgia Tech, we saw Gadsden put up six receptions for 93 yards and two touchdowns. He’ll look to stay hot this week against Stanford.

On tape, the size of Gadsden really stands out at 6-foot-5 and 236 pounds. His big catch radius really stands out and whether he’s aligned at the ‘X’, in the slot or in-line, positive things appear to happen when you throw the ball his way. He’s fluid after the catch, but his pad level will need some adjusting in the NFL, as he sometimes runs a bit too high. Overall, his skill set has much to be desired, and he gets another opportunity to show off what he can do against Stanford this week.