Projecting Oregon’s Offensive Players’ Chances in the 2025 NFL Draft

Oregon Football’s offense returns a plethora of NFL-capable talent for the 2024 season. That, plus the transfer portal addition of one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Dillon Gabriel, puts the Ducks in a place for another big NFL Draft in 2025.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel throws during warmups ahead of the Oregon Ducks’ Spring Game. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA

EUGENE - The Oregon Ducks put their fair share of players in the 2024 NFL Draft but that won’t stop fans from looking ahead to next year already. With one of the deepest and most talented offensive rosters in college football, the Ducks figure to have another strong showing in the draft in 2025.

Oregon’s offensive line features two players who could easily be first-round picks in the NFL Draft. Junior left tackle Josh Conerly Jr. has been considered a high-level NFL prospect essentially since he signed with Oregon and he’s done nothing to dissuade the optimism through two seasons as a starter, earning an All-Pac-12 honorable mention as a sophomore in 2023.

Right tackle Ajani Cornelius made his way to Eugene via Rhode Island in the transfer portal for the 2023 season and is the third-highest-graded returning offensive tackle in college football, per Pro Football Focus. This puts him squarely in the first round conversation and a season in the Big Ten Conference will give him the chance to boost his profile even further.

At the quarterback position, Oklahoma transfer Dillon Gabriel is regarded as one of the premier players at his position heading into 2024. Despite his relative lack of size, Gabriel has shown an impressive blend of leadership, accuracy, decision-making, and mobility that NFL scouts will have a hard time overlooking.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel throws during warmups ahead of the Oregon Ducks’ Spring Game. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA

The Ducks have ample NFL talent at receiver as well, with Texas A&M transfer Evan Stewart garnering a lot of attention from scouts thus far. Despite not having had a true breakout season yet, being one of the top two receivers for Oregon will give him a great chance to demonstrate the ability he’s flashed in his first two seasons of college football.

Tez Johnson is tricky to evaluate as he’s one of the best returning wide receivers in college football, coming off of a 1,182-yard season with 10 touchdowns. The issue for Johnson is his size, checking in at 5-10 and a concerning 160 pounds.

It’s possible he has put on weight since this measurement as it was taken prior to the 2023 season, but his physical frame is not in the same ballpark as most high-level NFL receivers. With all this being said, size didn't stop the New York Giants from grabbing 5-8 Wan'Dale Robinson out of Kentucky a couple of years ago, so another elite season in 2024 should be enough to at least get Johnson a shot in the pros.

Other offensive Ducks garnering NFL attention include tight end Terrance Ferguson who was highly efficient in 2023 and has prototype size for the position. Running backs Jordan James and Noah Whittington have also both played extremely well for Oregon so far and strong seasons from either would go a long way to getting them looks at the next level.

The NFL Draft is one of the most unpredictable events in sports, and projecting a player’s fit at the next level this far away from draft time is inexact to say the least. What we know for sure is that this Oregon offense is loaded at every position and should contribute a number of quality professionals to the NFL.