Road to the Draft: 4 Group of Five, FCS prospects to know

Apr 22, 2025 at 03:50 PM

Levi Edwards

Digital Team Reporter

Numerous FCS and Group of Five conference players will be hoping to hear their names called at the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.

The Las Vegas Raiders have received good production from several smaller school players, which have included Buffalo's Malcolm Koonce, Western Kentucky's Jordan Meredith and UTSA's Sincere McCormick.

In the past, Pete Carroll hasn't shied away from smaller school prospects, boasting Pro Bowlers Bobby Wagner, Shaquill Griffin and Riq Woolen as Group of Five conference players the Seahawks drafted while he was their head coach. General Manager John Spytek has also found a few gems in FCS and Divison II football with cornerback Zyon McCollum and recent Raiders' free agent signing Alex Cappa, who started 96 career games after being drafted out of Humboldt State.

NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah released his list of top 150 prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft class Monday. Of that list, here's a detailed look at his four highest-ranked prospects outside of Power Five conference programs.

.@HerdFB DL Mike Green's explosiveness and resiliency makes him a very intriguing defensive prospect in this year's Draft 👀

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Mike Green, Edge Rusher, Marshall

Green has the perfect storm of college tape and pre-draft workouts to create buzz around him being a potential top 15 pick in this year's draft.

He spent a season at Virginia before transferring to Marshall, bulking up and switching from 3-4 linebacker to defensive end. He dominated the Sun Belt Conference upon arrival, leading the nation in sacks (17) and his conference in tackles for loss (23) in 2024. After receiving an invite to the Senior Bowl, the All-American also dominated throughout the practice week on a more national stage against some of the best Power Five players in country.

"I think the Sun Belt Conference is the best G5 conference out there," Green said at the Combine. "I know there could be some talk about competition and things like that, but at the same time the Sun Belt is still a great conference to play in."

He had another impressive showing at his pro day, clocking in a 6.85 in the 3-cone drill and a 4.25 20-yard shuttle time. These metrics would've been first in the 3-cone drill and second in the 20-yard shuttle among all defensive linemen and linebackers at the 2025 NFL Combine. The one drill he did participate in at the NFL Combine was bench press, as his 28 reps of 225 pounds tied for second among all defensive linemen and linebackers in attendance.

"In the pass game, he has an excellent get-off and he can convert speed to power," Jeremiah wrote of Green. "He has quick hands and wins with a dip/rip on the edge. He has enjoyed success with spin moves, but he gets a little too reliant on them at times. I love his effort to keep working and refuse to stay blocked. In the run game, he knocks back tight ends at the point of attack and he can pop/separate to free himself for tackles. He is very disruptive on stunts and games. Overall, Green is a very gifted pass rusher and more than holds his own against the run."

Grey Zabel, Offensive Lineman, North Dakota State

North Dakota State has a reputation of developing some of the best offensive linemen in the nation including Cody Mauch, who John Spytek helped draft to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023. Grey Zabel seems to have all of the potential to be the next great offensive linemen to come from the program.

Zabel truly lined up wherever the Bison needed him to be, as he played at least three snaps at all five spots on the offensive line. Nevertheless, he seemed to find his footing at the two tackle positions, with 961 snaps at left tackle in 2024 and 1,064 snaps at right tackle between 2022-2023. His 93.1 pass blocking grade from Pro Football Focus was the highest of any FCS player in 2024. The highest-touted FCS player by Daniel Jeremiah continued to impress at the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine with his 36.5 inch vertical jump being the highest of any offensive lineman that participated.

"In pass pro, he has quick feet, stays square and catches/absorbs rushers," Jeremiah said. "His lack of length shows up on the perimeter. He allows defenders to capture his chest, but he still possesses the core strength and balance to stall their push. He shows the savvy to snatch rushers when they get overextended. I love his ability to fit up and drive defenders in the run game. He has a great feel on combo blocks, and he always looks to finish. He has a nasty playing style, but he doesn't get caught off-balance. He's aced every test this offseason, from the Senior Bowl to the combine. Overall, I see Zabel as a Day 1 starter at guard."

The South Dakota native had the opportunity to transfer to a Power Five school ahead of his senior season, but decided to stay home to play with his younger brother who was an incoming freshman. The move payed off as he notched First-Team FCS All-American honors and his second FCS National Championship.

"Growing up, one of my big dreams was playing in the Big Ten, but the grass isn't always greener on the other side," Zabel said. "The grass is pretty friggin' green on this side of the park. It's hard to leave a place you put so much time and effort into and met so many great guys."

4.96u from Toledo DL Darius Alexander. 😤 @Darius2019

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Darius Alexander, Defensive Tackle, Toledo

Toledo's defense recently produced a high draft selection with cornerback Quinyon Mitchell as the 22nd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft who became a starter for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and was the runner-up for NFL AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. Darius Alexander has the potential to be the Rockets' next first rounder in this year's draft.

The defensive tackle spent five years at Toledo, racking up nine sacks and 23 tackles for loss. While standing at 6-foot-4, 320 pounds, his athletic traits at the line of scrimmage are hard to replicate in this draft class. He also saw a few snaps at defensive end throughout his college career and during practice week at the Senior Bowl.

"We got great coaches, great staff, great people on campus and then throughout the city of Ohio that motivate us to push us to be great," Alexander said at the Senior Bowl. "And we just want to come out here and show them that [Toledo] got players that could come out here and compete with the best."

The athleticism he displayed in college checked out at the NFL Combine, ranking in the top five of all defensive tackles in the 40-yard dash, 10-yard split, 3-cone drill and bench press.

"Alexander has excellent size, length and athleticism for his position," Jeremiah said. "He primarily aligned inside at defensive tackle during his time at Toledo, but he did take some reps on the edge in the games I studied. As a pass rusher, he flashes an explosive shake/bull, with the quickness to redirect and cross the face of blockers. ... Against the run, he uses his length to stack and control blockers. He plays with balance and he's adept at throwing his hip at the double team to hold his ground. He is an older prospect as a sixth-year senior, but I believe he will be a Day 1 impact player on all three downs."

Historic night for Harold Fannin Jr. in the @68VenturesBowl.

🏈 17 receptions (tied TE single-game record & set 68 Ventures Bowl Record)
🏈 Broke FBS TE season record for recptions & receiving yards
🏈 Overtook the nation's lead in receptions & receiving yards

Roll the tape ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/qqixR7DApb
— BGSU Football (@BG_Football) December 28, 2024

Harold Fannin Jr., Tight End, Bowling Green

While Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland and Mason Taylor are widely considered the best tight ends in the draft class, Harold Fannin Jr. is statistically the best.

Fannin smashed several NCAA records in his three seasons with the Bowling Green State Falcons, which included most receiving yards by a tight end in a season (1,555), most receptions by a tight end in a season (117) and most receiving yards in a bowl game by a tight end as he totaled 213 receiving yards in his final collegiate game against in the 2024 68 Ventures Bowl. He was named MAC Most Valuable Player, MAC Offensive Player of the Year and is the first player in school history to be named a consensus All-American.

At the NFL Combine back in February, he tested within the top five of all tight ends in the 10-yard split, 20-yard shuttle, 3-cone drill and bench press. He also ran a 4.7 in the 40-yard dash. Despite being a G5 conference prospect, his performances against Penn State and Texas A&M this past season help his case – combining for 19 receptions, 282 receiving yards and two touchdowns against those nationally ranked opponents.

"Enigmatic prospect featuring record-breaking single-season catch production despite a straight-legged playing style," wrote NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein. "Fannin's lack of functional bend forces him on more linear tracks and cuts his route tree in half, but it doesn't keep him from getting around the field and through the pattern with good speed. Fannin's hands are automatic and he's a competitive runner after the catch, but he needs to prove he can beat tight press-man coverage. He won't block much, but his ability to stretch the field from the slot and make the tough catches give him a shot as a potential TE2 with upside."

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Las Vegas Raiders safety Lonnie Johnson Jr. (32) at Day One of 2025 Veteran Minicamp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.