Conerly Jr. is arguably Oregon's most sought-after prospect in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft. With a program record 12 Ducks invited to the NFL Combine, and more with a chance to get selected in the later rounds, Conerly may have the most upside. The former 5-star from Washington only needed three years of collegiate football to become one of the top offensive line prospects in the class.
He appeared in all 13 games as a true freshman in '22 and took over as the starting left tackle the following two seasons. With his personal and team success very obvious on film and on the stat sheet, he decided to forego his final year of eligibility in a near no-brainer type of decision.
With most mock drafts having Conerly land somewhere in between the middle and late areas of the first round, staying another season wouldn't have done a whole lot for his draft stock. While the offensive line pool in this class is extremely talented, there are a lot of teams around the league who need help in the trenches.
I have Conerly going to the Ravens at pick 27 simply because he fits a huge need. The Ravens will most likely be losing All-Pro tackle Ronnie Stanley in free agency, meaning getting a cheaper, younger option in Conerly would make the most sense. Conerly may be a tad undersized to continue playing the tackle position at the professional level, but his elite skill set and IQ could help him fit in wherever he's asked to play.
If I were to give an award for the most impactful transfer for the Oregon Ducks last season, I may honestly say Derrick Harmon. Yes, I know Dillon Gabriel was a Heisman finalist and helped Oregon to its first undefeated regular season since 2010. No credit is being taken away here, but the way Harmon transformed the defensive line was astonishing.
The big body coming from Michigan State was an essential piece to the overall defensive success last year and made it difficult for Lanning to have to sub him off. His size makes him NFL-ready undoubtedly. He stands at 6-foot-5 weighing around 310 pounds, and can move surprisingly well for an interior defender.
His lone season in Eugene was a memorable one. A career-high in nearly every statistical category, including 5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles, helped him pave the way into first-round discussions already despite having another year of eligibility. His real presence was felt in the run game, helping clog up any holes in the middle, none being more crucial than the strip tackle for loss in the Ohio State game where he straight stole the ball away from the Buckeye running back.
I see the Commanders grabbing him with the 29th pick in order to help out what cost them all season: stopping the run. Washington ranked second to last in terms of rushing yards allowed last season and despite that, nearly made a trip to the Super Bowl.
The Commanders have a solid young secondary already and didn't have as much of an issue getting quarterback pressures. Bringing in a young Harmon to help solidify the defensive front could be a huge part of taking that big leap next year.
Burch has been NFL-ready for over a year now. I was a bit surprised when he announced he was returning to Oregon for his remaining year of eligibility last offseason. Although he missed a couple of games, his return was a huge reason why Oregon's defense played as well as they did.
If you were to ask me what my ideal size and frame for an NFL pass rusher would be, I would probably just list off Burch's measurables to you. 6-foot-6, 295 pounds, and still somehow relatively lean. With size being nearly perfect, it is simply some skill and technique work that sets him back from being a day-1 selection.
His collegiate career began a bit slow over at South Carolina. Three seasons with a total of 4.5 sacks isn't quite the production most would expect out of a former 5-star. His two years at Oregon, however, are closer to what you would think.
Three sacks in '23 before popping off with 8.5 this past year. The pairing of Burch on one side, and Uiagalelei on the other made opposing quarterbacks tremble when facing the Ducks. Burch can set the edge with the best of them and has plenty of moves to hit you with in order to get to the quarterback.
With the Lions' injury woes messing up a historic season, they will clearly be looking to get some more reinforcements in the draft. The biggest injury hit last year was Aidan Hutchinson, who was on pace to lead the league in sacks before going down mid-season. Adding another big, athletic pass rusher to go along with Hutchinson and others seems like the best bet for Detroit, and if Burch is still there when they are on the board, he would be the perfect fit.
Johnson came to Oregon two seasons ago, known obviously for his relationship with then-quarterback Bo Nix. He immediately shined alongside Troy Franklin to become the best one-two-punch combination Oregon has ever had at the receiver position. His connection with Nix was evident as the two torched opposing secondaries.
When Nix entered the league, Johnson came back for his senior season and shined yet again with Dillon Gabriel now under center. He put up 10 touchdowns in each of his two years in Eugene and leaves as one of the greatest in Oregon history despite not less than two full seasons.
Reports of him lighting it up at Senior Bowl practices didn't surprise me, for if he was maybe a couple of inches taller and 20 pounds heavier, he could be 1st round potential. Size is one of the only things holding Johnson back in this draft, meaning just about any team could land him.
I picked the Seahawks for this one due to the aging Tyler Lockett's future in Seattle being up in the air. Going younger at the slot position would better fit the timeline, joining the likes of D.K. Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Johnson may start out as a backup in the league to begin his career, but I see him making waves as soon as he gets an opportunity.
This one was the hardest for me to decide. I've seen mock drafts have Gabriel go just about all over the place. His lone season at Oregon was one to remember. Heisman Finalist, undefeated regular season, all-time NCAA touchdown record, etc.
He is the only Heisman Finalist not being looked at as a top-5, top-10, or even 1st-round selection. Hunter, Jeanty, and Ward all will hear their names called on day 1, and respectively so. Gabriel, however, is looking more likely to be getting his call on day 3 at the latest.
Gabriel has the same knockback that Nix had last year. He's too old for a lot of NFL GMs to want to pull the trigger early on. His performance, or lack of in the Rose Bowl didn't help his stock much either.
He won't start immediately in the league, but then again some 1st round quarterbacks don't either. He will need to fine-tune some things while sitting as a backup for a season or two, and for that reason, I don't see him going to a team that is in desperate need of a quarterback.
I chose Dallas due to them being relatively set, with Dak Prescott in line to return from injury. If Gabriel can go to a place like that, where he isn't expected to fight for the starting role right away, he could succeed.
Prescott's contract runs through 2028, so he likely isn't going anywhere anytime soon. However, injuries unfortunately are a part of the game. Since 2020 Prescott has had two season ending injuries, so having a reliable backup like Gabriel would be nice to have just in case.