By Cooper Girolamo
Every year there are players that people are very high on, and others who are very low on players. Players with a very low floor, but a very high ceiling, to the point that teams take big risks with their early picks and draft them. Guys like Corey Davis or Justin Blackmon were drafted in the top 10 as major boom or bust guys and turned out to be big busts. Then there are guys like Josh Allen or Jahmyr Gibbs who were also considered to be big boom or busts players in their respective draft classes and turned out to be great players. They made their general managers look like geniuses. So, who from this year’s draft will make their GMs look like Albert Einstein and who will make them look like the NFL version of Nico Harrison?
WR Tetairoa McMillan
McMillan is a definition of a boom or bust prospect. Some scouts and analysts love him and think he is the next AJ Green, whereas others do not think he is very good at all. People are very divided on him as a player. He has an extremely high ceiling and an extremely low floor. The problems scouts seem to have with McMillan is he doesn’t seem to care that much about football, saying he doesn’t really watch film or football in general. He also was inconsistent in his play. He had more than 300 yards receiving in week one of this past college football season and the next week had 11 total yards receiving. He was very up and down throughout the season which was some reason for concern. Lastly, he lacks elite speed which can make it hard for him to create many explosive plays.
All of that is canceled out by one his 6-foot-5, 200-pound body, making him a massive target for quarterbacks. He also has fantastic hands, rarely dropping a ball. Lastly, he is a fantastic, contested catch receiver, something every team needs. A guy they can throw a 50-50 ball up to and trust he will come down with it more than 50 percent of the time. He is exceptional at making some scouts ooze for the chance to add them to their team.
RB Ashton Jeanty
Jeanty is the most hyped running back prospect since Saquon Barkley is no doubt an incredible talent and not someone opposing defenses want to see in the backfield. He is no doubt a great player, but what makes him so boom or bust is what team he gets drafted by.
Ashton Jeanty 2023 receiving highlights pic.twitter.com/4pBgyfaBOw
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) April 21, 2025
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If he gets drafted to a team with a bad offensive line and little to no other weapons on the offense, it will be very hard for him to succeed. He is a great player but if all of the focus and game planning is to stop him and he is running behind a bad offensive line, there is only so much he can do.
If he goes to a team with a somewhat decent offensive line, good coaching and other weapons, he can be a top 5 running back in the league from day one. This is why running backs are known as a luxury position and why so few are drafted in the first round. For them to be successful they need a lot of help from other positions and the coaching staff. I love Jeanty and hope he gets drafted to a spot that can utilize him in the best way, but if that doesn’t happen, he could turn out to be a very boom or bust draft selection.
DT Walter Nolen
Nolen, like McMillan is a top 15 pick on some people’s draft boards and a mid- to late-second round pick for others.
.@OleMissFB @WalterNolen4 is ready for duty. Build your defense strong up the middle with men like Nolen. #nfldraft #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/uGE4YSJJgo
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) April 15, 2025
The defensive tackle out of Ole Miss was a stalwart in the Rebels defense. He has exceptional speed and explosiveness for his 6-foot-4, 300-pound frame, running a 40-yard dash in 4.95 seconds, which is extremely fast for a defensive lineman. The concern with Nolen is that he had some off-the-field issues during his time in college and some scouts are worried that his pass-rush technique needs a lot of refinement. With the right coaching I think he can be a great player in a year or two if given the opportunity, but if the team’s patience with him runs out quickly, he could be looking at a relatively short and unsuccessful NFL career.
These players, who might me drafted in round one are big risk reward players in which their future coaches, GMs and fan bases hope it’s the big reward they will be reaping for many years to come.
