USC football’s top 2025 NFL Draft prospects

The USC football team is coming off strong results on the field early in the 2024 college football season. What about USC’s players and their NFL Draft grades that point to potential spots on the draft board next April? If USC’s improved defense is any indication, many defensive players who weren’t heavily considered NFL Draft prospects will get a fresh look from scouts and evaluators this offseason heading into the Senior Bowl and scouting combine next winter. An NFL-caliber player development operation led by D’Anton Lynn and ably assisted by Eric Henderson, Matt Entz, Doug Belk, Taylor Mays and the rest of the staff could see many USC players’ names called on draft day next year. That’s an intriguing and exciting prospect for the Trojans and their fans. If the 2025 NFL draft is significant for USC, we could see significant transfer portal acquisitions next May and in the middle of the year before the 2025 college football season begins. We could start to see a real domino effect at USC, which is exactly the kind of scenario that would elevate the football program to national championship status.

With all that in mind, let’s take a look at the top prospects for USC football in the 2025 NFL Draft, keeping in mind that the 2024 season is still young and could see some fresh changes to this list as it progresses:

1. OL, Jonah Monheim (senior)

Jonah Monheim is expected to be selected in the first or second day of the 2025 draft. Monheim allowed just two sacks in the past two seasons at USC and now starts at center for the Trojans.

He has 42 career appearances and 36 starts at USC. Those starts came in 18 games as a right quarterback, 12 as a left quarterback, four as a right guard and two as a center.

Ryan Fowler of Draft Network had this to say about Monheim:

“Whether he plays point guard, guard or center, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Jonah Monheim has delivered wherever he goes,” Fowler wrote.

His 89.1 2022-23 grade, according to Pro Football Focus, ranks first among all Power Four players returning to school in the fall.

2. QB, Miller Moss (Junior)

In Lincoln Riley’s eight years as a college head coach, his quarterbacks included Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts, Spencer Rattler and Caleb Williams. All five quarterbacks were drafted in the NFL Draft, with Mayfield, Murray and Williams all being selected first overall and winning the Heisman Trophy.

In a 2025 draft that will feature a number of potential quarterbacks in the first round, USC Trojans quarterback Miller Moss proved early in the season that he deserves to be in the conversation.

Moss is also just a redshirt junior, so he has plenty of time to impress scouts. He’s now an early Day 3 or late Day 2 prospect, and he’s seen in the second tier of top quarterbacks behind Shedeur Sanders, Carson Beck, Quinn Ewers and Cam Ward.

3. RB, Woody Marks (senior)

Woody Marks is a transfer from Mississippi State. In four seasons with the Bulldogs, Marks rushed for 1,883 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also caught 214 passes for 1,225 yards and five scores.

His USC career, where he replaced MarShawn Lloyd, got off to a fast start. Marks has three touchdowns on 29 carries for 171 yards.

ESPN’s Matt Miller is a big fan:

“His speed and agility in space are ideal for early use in the NFL as a third-down quarterback.

“When you make your practice warrior lists, Marks should be on them,” the AFC’s director of scouting said. “He could be the fastest running back in the class.”

4. LB, Eric Gentry (senior)

Eric Gentry, a 6-foot-6, 215-pound linebacker, is one of the more intriguing prospects in the Big Ten this season. Gentry has 14 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a pass breakup through two games.

In one year at Arizona State and two seasons at USC, Gentry totaled 162 tackles, including 13 for loss (four for sacks), 10 intercepted passes, three quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles, two interceptions and one blocked kick, while appearing in 34 games.

Gentry, given his rare size at the position, is likely to be selected early or mid-day three in the draft, in the fourth or fifth round.

5. LB, Easton Mascarenas-Arnold (senior)

Easton Mascarenas-Arnold is a veteran linebacker who transferred to USC from Oregon State in the spring of 2024. Over his three-year career at Oregon State (2021-23), he has collected 159 tackles, 13 for a loss of 53 yards (with 4 sacks for minus 36 yards), 3 INTs, 3 QB hurries and 3 pass breakups while appearing in 37 games.

Mascarenas-Arnold was a key contributor for the Trojans as a senior in the first two games of the season, tallying 13 tackles and one interception.

The linebacker is projected as a late Day 3 pick due to his lack of size and top-tier athleticism. He will likely be a reserve or special-needs player in the NFL.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football’s top 2025 NFL Draft prospects