Eight Georgia Tech Players Who Could Be Drafted In the 2025 NFL Draft
Georgia Tech returns the bulk of their starters from last year's 7-6 team, but they had some players in this past weekend's NFL Draft. The Yellow Jackets were one of a few power four programs that did not have a player drafted. Looking ahead, that is going to change for the Yellow Jackets, as they have several players that will be eligible for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Now it should be noted that just because a player is eligible, does not mean that they will enter the draft. They will make that decision after the upcoming season, but they could decide to come back.
With that in mind, which eight draft-eligible players for Georgia Tech could be drafted next year (listed in no particular order)?
QB Haynes King
This year's draft saw six quarterbacks go in the top 12 picks and looking ahead to 2025, there does not seem to be a consensus top quarterback at this point in time.
I am not here to say Haynes King will be a first-round pick, but if he has another season like he just did, there is a good chance that he goes at some point in next year's draft.
King was one of only two players in the nation with at least 2,700 passing yards, 600 rushing yards, 25 touchdown passes, and five touchdown runs this season (joining LSU’s Jayden Daniels), and one of only six ACC players to achieve those numbers in a regular season since 2000. He led the ACC in touchdown passes and was fourth in passing yards.
According to PFF (Pro Football Focus), King will be the fourth-highest-graded returning quarterback in the ACC, behind SMU's Preston Stone (91.3 Overall Grade), Florida State's DJ Uiagalelei (82.0), and Miami's Cam Ward (80.7).
There is one big area that Haynes King needs to improve upon in 2024 and that is decision making and cutting down turnovers. King led the ACC with 16 interceptions last season and he needs to cut that number in half. A lot of his turnovers came in a handful of games. King threw 11 interceptions in four games (Bowling Green, Miami, Clemson, and Boston College) and Georgia Tech was 1-3 in those games. If he cuts down on the turnovers and makes better decisions, King should have another special season.
RB Jamal Haynes
I think that Haynes is in for a huge season and that could lead to him being drafted next April. The running back position has been de-valued over the years and there was not a first round running back this year, so that is something that Haynes will have to fight.
Haynes led Georgia Tech with 1,059 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns, and six yards per carry ranked second on the team. Those numbers ranked fifth in the ACC in rushing yards and he was tied for sixth in the conference with seven rushing touchdowns and his 6.0 yards per carry ranked third in the league.
Haynes had a strong bowl performance against UCF rushing for a game-high 128 yards on 18 carries. He also had a good outing against the Georgia Bulldogs rushing for 81 yards. Haynes was the second highest-rated player on the Yellow Jackets per Pro Football Focus with a 76.9 score and looks primed for another big season in 2024.
WR Malik Rutherford
Georgia Tech has a lot of weapons on offense that could end up being drafted at some point and if Rutherford has a nice season and gets a combine invite, he is someone that I think would test well at the NFL Combine. Rutherford is blazing fast and would be a guy that NFL teams would love to add for that reason. Rutherford was the second-leading receiver on Georgia Tech. He caught 46 passes for 502 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 10. 5 yards per catch. His biggest performance came in Georgia Tech's big win over North Carolina. Rutherford caught six passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns. He was a reliable player and can stretch the field with his speed and is also a player who can get the ball in a variety of ways. I don't think he is an early-round player right now, but he has a chance to be drafted next year.
WR Christian Leary
You can almost copy and paste my comments about Leary to right here.
Leary could have a bigger role this year and has game breaking speed. If he gets a combine invite, then he should test well and put himself in a position to get drafted.
Leary was the fourth-leading receiver for Georgia Tech this season, catching 25 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns, while also returning kickoffs. He was also responsible for the biggest play of the season for Georgia Tech:
GEORGIA TECH STUNS MIAMI.
— College Football Alerts (@CFBAlerts_) October 8, 2023
The craziest ending to a game this season. pic.twitter.com/bZqQoRAxss
OL Jordan Willams
Georgia Tech saw a huge jump in improvement from their offensive line last year and they bring back most of their snaps from that unit. One of those players is Jordan Williams, who has played both guard and tackle for the Yellow Jackets. Williams plays his best when he is at right tackle, but that kind of versatility could make him a draftable player.
Our own Rohan Roman broke down Williams 2023 season:
"Although Williams started the season at right guard, he slid over to right tackle to accommodate Scaglione as the right guard. He graded out about the same at both guard and tackle - an overall average pass blocker (68.6) and solid run-blocker (60.3). He did allow a team-high 3 sacks, but only eight pressures. It's likely those numbers would have looked better if not for struggles against North Carolina. Considering the rest of the regular starters gave up 18-20 pressures, Williams was highly serviceable at the right tackle spot. His season could have been even stronger if not for an injury during the Wake Forest game that kept him sidelined for three weeks. He made an impressive return in the Boston College game, posting a season 80+ pass-blocking grade against the Eagles and holding on to the spot until the end of the season. For 2024, he could factor into the right guard competition as a replacement for Scaglione. Ultimately, though, his performance should warrant him to continue as the Jackets' starting right tackle in 2024."
OL Weston Franklin
Franklin might be the best offensive lineman that Georgia Tech has and is one of the leaders of the group up front. He made probably the biggest jump in improvement last season and will look to lead the offensive line to bigger things in 2024. Franklin is a good center and should get picked at some point next year.
Roman had his breakdown of Franklin's 2023 season:
"Franklin showed growth both on and off the field following an up-and-down 2022 season. Across his twelve starts and 817 snaps in 2023, he accrued solid grades in both pass and run blocking, with 71.5 and 62.4 respectively. His leadership also played a key role in the line's cohesiveness. In the offseason, he mentioned that he was looking to be a source of veteran leadership:
"It is more of a mentality change for me. I knew going into this year that I would still be a young guy, but still a vet at the same time so I know those guys look up to me at the same time so I am stepping into that role and trying to be the best leader of the team."
His role in reducing miscommunication as the starting center definitely showed up throughout the year. His performance against North Carolina was especially impressive - he sprung two critical blocks that cleared the way for a 70-yard touchdown run from Dontae Smith and a 52-yard scramble from Haynes King that helped seal the win over UNC. While he struggled against Boston College (season-low 44.8 overall grade), the rest of his games proved that he should be considered the starter at center in 2024."
Safety LaMiles Brooks
Brooks is going to be one of the leaders of the Yellow Jackets season in 2024 and he has the talent to be drafted next season. He had 67 tackles and on interception last season and in 2022, he had 52 tackles and three interceptions.
Earlier this spring, Brooks talked about what motivated him to come back for another season in Atlanta:
"Absolutely you know last year it was more of a down season, a few more injuries occurred than I would have liked, production wasn't where I would have liked it as well so you know kind of motivated for sure but embracing what happened last year, kind of accepting it for what it was or what it is, and then coming in and making this season strictly about this season, kind of not trying to look back or compare anything to last season"
Brooks has a really high ceiling and it could result in him being drafted next year.
Safety Clayton Powell-Lee
Georgia Tech has the potential to have a really solid secondary and safety duo with Brooks and Powell-Lee.
Powell-Lee has been on the field since he was a freshman for Georgia Tech and he saw a leap in production last year. He finished the season with 70 tackles, two pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and one interception.
Powell-Lee is going to be one of the leaders on Georgia Tech's defense this season and he talked about learning the new defense this spring:
"It's honestly been a lot of fun, you know. whole new coaching staff, it's been a lot of fun. They challenge us 'cause they know we're smart kids. They challenge us to really take, to really understand why we run the scheme, why we do those little things in each coverage. So it's been a challenge, but it's a fun challenge, I would say. It's a fun challenge for me and my group, especially 'cause we gotta do a lot of thinking on the back end. So it's been real fun, real fun, I'll say."
If he has an even better season in 2024, Powell-Lee has a chance to be drafted next April.
DT Zeek Biggers
Biggers was an All-ACC honorable mention last season and he will be one of the leaders of the defense for Georgia Tech next season. The 6-foot-6, 333-pound Biggers stuffed the stat sheet with 35 tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack, three pass breakups, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick from his defensive tackle position. If Georgia Tech's run defense makes a big leap, Biggers is certainly going to be a reason why.
There are other players to watch this season who could make a case to be drafted. Ahmari Harvey had a solid season at cornerback last year and could put himself in a position to be drafted. Wide receivers Chase Lane and Abdul Janneh are going to be seniors on this team and have a chance to make an impact. Georgia Tech did not have a player drafted in this year's draft, but they have some guys who could change that in 2025.
JACKSON CAUDELL
Jackson Caudell covers Georgia Tech Athletics and the Atlanta Hawks for FanNation