2025 NFL Draft Prospects: Nicholas Singleton, Jalen Milroe, DJ Giddens

It’s Week 9 in college football — a day we’ve had circled on our calendars for some time. There are so many great matchups this week that it’s hard to limit this list to just three players. But let’s jump into the three players I’ll be watching closely.

2025 NFL Draft Prospects

DJ Giddens (RB – Kansas State)

It’s rivalry week for quite a few different teams across college football. Adding a player for the Kansas and Kansas State game is fitting for this one. Especially since it’s Kansas State RB DJ Giddens.

Currently, he’s one of the top backs in college football with 127 carries for 843 and four touchdowns. When talking with NFL scouts, Giddens is a player mentioned as a current sleeper at the RB position for current NFL Draft rankings. He’s a North-South runner that makes defenders miss consistently in the short areas of the field. He’ll need to work on his pad level and his long speed will get tested but teams will love his size and toughness.

Last season, he had 223 carries for 1,226 yards and 10 touchdowns. Additionally, he had 29 receptions for 323 yards last season and is up to 11 receptions for 182 yards this season. He’s rushed for over 90+ yards in five games this season.

This week, he has a matchup against Kansas, which bodes well for him. The Jayhawks’ defense allows 148.7 rushing yards per game and over 4.0 yards per carry. Currently, the Wildcats have won 15 straight games over the Jayhawks. If they want to make it 16 straight games, they’ll rely on their best offensive player.

Jalen Milroe (QB – Alabam)

It’s a big week for Jalen Milroe and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Despite getting off to a hot start with four straight wins and a big win against Georgia, they’ve now lost two out of three games. After a tough loss on the road last week at Tennessee, they return home to play Missouri.

This will be a big game for Milroe as he threw two interceptions last week against Tennessee. Overall, Milroe has played well this season. He’s completing 68.4% of his passes and has 13 touchdown passes to six interceptions.

The biggest strength of Milroe’s game is his mobility. He leads the team with 91 carries and 11 rushing touchdowns. As a passer, he has improved on his ball placement, which will need to continue as the Crimson Tide enter the second half of their schedule.

Nicholas Singleton (RB – Penn State)

There’s a heavy debate on who the second-best running back is or will be for the 2025 NFL Draft. Some say Ollie Gordon or Omarion Hampton but there’s some belief Nicholas Singleton from Penn State could be the second-best running back in the country.

Scouts love his explosiveness and his patience. Both stand out and the combination together makes Singleton as dangerous as any running back in the country. Sometimes that patience leads to some hesitation that gets him in trouble. Overall, though, there’s much to be desired with the 6-foot-0, 220-pound back.

He’s averaging 6.9 yards per carry with 63 carries for 434 yards and three touchdowns this season. The Nittany Lions will travel to Wisconsin and play the Badgers on Saturday night. It should be a classic Big Ten tilt. I’d expect Penn State to win. If they do, much of it should be behind what we see from their standout running back.