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The Best NCAA Division 2 NFL Draft Prospects In The 2025 Class

The Best NCAA Division 2 NFL Draft Prospects In The 2025 Class

Here are five big-time D2 football prospects to watch out for as the road to the 2025 NFL Draft continues.

Apr 16, 2025 by Briar Napier
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Love watching the blazing quickness of Tyreek Hill? Enjoy Austin Ekeler being a dynamic threat in the backfield?

Here’s what those players, along with many others currently in the NFL, have in common — they first shined on the Division II stage.

For all the big-name talent in this year’s 2025 NFL Draft, like Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, and Shedeur Sanders, plenty of small-school talent (and not limited to the D-I level, either) will be inking deals with NFL teams later this month as prospects with a point to prove, too. 

Many organizations find steals in the late rounds and/or undrafted free agent pool from the D-II level, and some of those players even turn into superstars that change the fortunes of teams overnight. The best general managers in football are experts in finding those diamonds in the rough, and the best of the best from the D-II level in this year’s draft class are certainly gems.

The players listed below could even make your favorite team a force to be reckoned with.

Here are five big-time D2 football prospects to watch out for as the road to the 2025 NFL Draft continues:

Tanner Volk, DB, Central Washington

Being the first junior ever to be a Cliff Harris Award winner (given to the best defensive player in D-II) on top of being a finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy — which hasn’t been given to a defensive player in 30 years — will get you plenty of attention from pro scouts, regardless of the level you played at in college. 

A multiple-time All-American and a two-time Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Volk was D-II’s best ball hawk at CWU as he snagged a total of 24 interceptions across his career, 13 of which came in his Cliff Harris-winning season in 2023 when he also racked up a D-II-best 124 total tackles as he was the anchor in the secondary amid a Wildcats run to the national quarterfinals. 


With LSC teams clearly aware of his reputation during his senior season last fall, opposing quarterbacks threw far less to Volk in 2024, but he still had six picks (including three in a single game against Midwestern State) and 64 total tackles this past season, putting him at over 300 total tackles in his career. 

A good Pro Day, in which he had the second-best 20-yard shuttle and third-best three-cone drill compared to NFL Scouting Combine invitees, will help his chances of being signed and sticking to an NFL roster, especially in a league loaded with elite-level quarterbacks who constantly find ways to beat pass defenses.

Melvin Smith, DB, Southern Arkansas

The only D-II invitee to the Reese’s Senior Bowl, where he tested his skills against some of the best receivers in college football, Smith’s skillset as a do-it-all option in the secondary and special teams — with plenty of additional athletic ability — has NFL teams talking. 

Smith exploded onto the scene thanks to his play over the past two seasons as SAU, where he was the Muleriders’ rock in the secondary as they had a combined 19 wins in the 2023 and 2024 campaigns, the program’s most victories in a two-year stretch in over 70 years. 

He had 168 total tackles, 37 pass breakups, and nine interceptions (three returned for touchdowns) across 45 career college games, adding in a kick-return touchdown against Southwestern Oklahoma State this past season for good measure. 

It’s his game-breaking speed and athleticism, however, that may get him an extended stay with an NFL team; Smith went off on his Pro Day with a 4.39 40-yard dash and 38.5-inch vertical jump, making it no surprise that teams like the Kansas City Chiefs (well-known for using “gadget”-type players who are explosive) have reached out to meet with him, as reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler last month. Looking to be the next Mulerider star to stand out in the pros like current Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tanner Hudson and former eight-year NFL safety Jordan Babineaux, Smith has the tools to do it — and possibly the team fit to match.

Aiden Williams, OL, Minnesota Duluth

Only 16 players from Alaska have ever suited up in a NFL game, but Williams might be the best prospect to call The Last Frontier home since former Pro Bowl O-lineman (and current analyst) Mark Schlereth was winning Super Bowls with the then-Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos in the 1990s. 

An all-state tight end, defensive end, and long snapper during his high school days in Anchorage, Williams’ remote location meant that recruiting interest was few and far between, but UMD snapped him up under the radar as the program’s first-ever Alaskan player for the Class of 2019. Six years later, a legitimate NFL talent has emerged that few can ignore. 

The Bulldogs had top-20 rushing offenses nationally in each of Williams’ three full seasons when he was a starter, and the 6-foot-6, 315-pound tank in the trenches earned an East-West Shrine Bowl invite thanks to his talent and accolades that included a first-team Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference selection and a nomination for the Gene Upshaw Division II Offensive Lineman of the Year award. His Pro Day in particular turned heads, however, as he moved (5.17 40-yard dash) and jumped (30-inch vertical) very well for his size while putting up a solid 27 reps on the bench press to notch numbers that put him right with some of the guards in the draft class, regardless of level. 

The Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, and defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles are among the teams who’ve reportedly spoken to Williams, setting him up for what could be a rookie season filled with opportunities to shine.

Micah Cretsinger, LB, Saginaw Valley State

Standout D-II linebackers routinely get plenty of looks from NFL teams, and some (like former Grand Valley State standout Matthew Judon, a four-time Pro Bowl selection) even go on to start and excel at the pro level. Cretsinger, who comes from the same league (the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) that Judon was molded in, fits that archetype well. 

Already possessing NFL-ready size at 6-2 and 240 pounds, Cretsinger was a multi-time All-American, two-time First Team All-GLIAC nominee and a GLIAC Defensive Back of the Year (an award which also included linebackers) with the Cardinals as a tackling machine, tallying 271 total in his career and 32.5 of them for loss, including 7.5 sacks. 


He broke the 100-tackle mark during a standout junior season in 2023, which also featured a strong sense of the pass game that pro scouts should love; he tied the D-II record that year with four pick-sixes, part of the 10 interceptions in all that he tallied throughout his career. He added 82 stops this past fall en route to being named a Cliff Harris Award finalist, closing out his college career strong with back-to-back 12-tackle games, and when you throw in some of his eye-popping Pro Day numbers — 29 bench press reps, a 4.6 40-yard dash and a 4.37 20-yard shuttle — Cretsinger should be a coveted option for teams looking for value from the small-school level.

Zach Zebrowski, QB, Central Missouri

Looking to be the next Harlon Hill Trophy winner as D-II’s most outstanding player to be a long-term difference-maker on an NFL roster (see: Danny Woodhead, Joique Bell, Tyson Bagent, etc;), Zebrowski’s jump-off-the-page numbers across two awesome years at Central Missouri should be enough on their own to convince some pro scouts to give him a look. 

The Minnesota native went to the D-II level prior to the 2023 season after just 11 pass attempts in four seasons at FCS Southern Illinois, and he only went out and turned into one of the most electrifying signal-callers that D-II has ever seen. 

Zebrowski made an impact right away in his first season with the Mules, winning his first Harlon Hill Trophy after setting single-season D-II records in total yards (5,690, 5,157 passing and 533 rushing) and passing touchdowns (61) — being just the sixth college quarterback ever at any level to hit the 60-passing touchdowns mark — and throwing for eight touchdowns in a single game twice. His elite production dipped a bit in 2024, but he still led D-II in both passing yardage (4,724) and touchdowns (40) again as he became the first back-to-back Harlon Hill winner since Ferris State’s Jason Vander Laan from 2014-15. 

Playing quarterback in the NFL is arguably the toughest job in sports, but Zebrowski’s absurd stats mixed with strong efficiency (68% completion percentage, 17 interceptions in two seasons) should at least land him an undrafted free agent deal in similar style to Bagent, also a quarterback and ex-Harlon Hill winner who has been with the Chicago Bears since 2023.


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