Week 5 helmet stickers: Jalen Milroe sees a meteoric rise in 2025 NFL Draft stock

Jalen Milroe is on the rise, but who else after their Week 5 performances?

Sep 28, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Joenel Aguero (8) pursues Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) as he runs for the end zone during the first quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images / William McLelland-Imagn Images

We are now five weeks into the NFL season and are starting to get a great look at what the 2025 NFL Draft landscape will be. And one fast riser at this point is Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, who put on a show in the win over the Georgia Bulldogs.

He is not the only one who has seen his draft stock soar, however. That is the point of these weekly helmet stickers. This was one of my favorite parts of the weekend as a kid when all of the analysts would pull out the helmets and slap their stamp of approval on a standout performer. So why not carry on that tradition?

Here, I have identified eight players who deserve recognition for their performances in Week 5. And yes, we have some repeat performers, but a couple of players have been too dominant not to mention again.

QB Jalen Milroe, Alabama

This one is obvious, right?

Jalen Milroe put his draft stock way in the clouds after throwing for a massive 374 yards and two touchdowns in the win against the Bulldogs. His internal timer was sped up with the Time to Throw of just 2.5 seconds, throwing four big-time throws with zero turnover worthy plays. To make matters even more sparkling, Milroe racked up another 113 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

With blazing speed, Milroe broke angle after angle in the open field. Georgia had no answer for his legs or his arm.

Nearly 500 yards and four touchdowns against your conference foe that many projected to win the National Championship is quite the outing. In a weak quarterback class, Milroe has the tools to continue to rise up boards.

Sep 28, 2024; Boise, Idaho, USA; Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty (2) strikes the Heisman pose during the second half against the Washington State Cougars at Albertsons Stadium. Boise State defeats Washington State 45-24. Mandatory Credit: Brian Losness-Imagn Images / Brian Losness-Imagn Images

RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State

RB1 is not up for debate. Through five weeks the best running back in the country and in the 2025 NFL Draft class can clearly be found in Boise, Idaho.

Through four games this season, Jeanty is already flirting with 1,000 yards (sitting at 845 yards and leading the nation) and has amassed 13 touchdowns for the Broncos. This is not a typo: Jeanty is averaging 10.3 yards per carry. He has done all of this on just 82 carries and against opponents like Oregon and Washington State.

In Boise State's win over the Cougars, Jeanty was undeniable. He rushed for 259 yards on 26 carries for four touchdowns. The Heisman right now is a three-man race, and Jeanty is firmly in the mix.

WRs Dane Key and Barion Brown, Kentucky

Let's be frank, the quarterback play at the University of Kentucky is not excellent. But they do have two excellent receivers in Dane Key and Barion Brown. In fact, Brown might be the fastest player in the entire country. He showed that on the massive 4th and 7 to save the game for the Wildcats in the upset win over No. 6 Ole Miss when he reeled in a deep shot for 63 yards.

He can flat out fly, but the Wildcats have to find more creative ways to get him the football. The top receiver for that team, however, did not disappoint either as Dane Key once again led the way for Kentucky. Key finished the game with eight catches for 105 yards and a touchdown.

Kentucky has proven they are willing to go toe-to-toe in the trenches, and they have the receivers to make plays. If they can get consistent quarterback play from Brock Vandagriff, the Wildcats could make a little run in SEC play and perhaps get back into playoff contention with two losses.

Sep 7, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Bowling Green Falcons tight end Harold Fannin Jr (0) runs with the ball during the second quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

TE Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green

We are getting to the point now where Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr. could actually make more money based on his draft slot than by transferring up to the Power Four level. This was the assumption as it is rare to see underclassmen tight ends declare unless they are to the heights of Brock Bowers. It's even more rare for that player to come from the Mid-American Conference.

While Bowling Green fell short, losing to Old Dominion by a score of 30-27, Fannin Jr. once again went off for the Falcons. He racked up a massive 12 catches on 12 targets for 192 yards and two touchdowns. Through his last three games (two of them being against Power Four opponents), Fannin has now accumulated 474 yards and four touchdowns on 31 catches.

The Bowling Green offense runs through their tight end. And it's going to get him drafted on Day 2 as a result.

EDGE Abdul Carter, Penn State

After a slow start, Abdul Carter finally burst onto the scenes for Penn State when they needed him most in a ranked matchup. Squeaking out a win against Illinois by a score of 21-7, Carter put the team on his back with a massive eight pressures and two sacks.

An athletic freak, Carter is going to test off the charts and likely go in the first round as a result (he's a Penn State athlete, they are all freaks). But the production has not been there for Carter this season as many expected as he transitioned to full-time edge rusher. He entered the game with just one sack against West Virginia, Bowling Green, and Kent State combine.

However, in this one, Carter racked up two tackles for loss and a forced fumble in addition to his two sacks. As the Nittany Lions get into Big Ten play, Carter will need to continue to trend upward.

Cincinnati Bearcats defensive tackle Dontay Corleone (2) reacts after making a stop in the second quarter of the College Football game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Pittsburgh Panthers at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

DT Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati

One of the better stories in college football this season, Cincinnati defensive tackle Dontay Corleone was sidelined with blood clots in his lungs this summer. He has since made his return and has been one of the most dominant interior defensive linemen since doing so. In fact, in just four games this season and only 100 pass-rushing snaps, Corleone is already just one short of his career-high in pressures created from the interior of the Bearcats' defense (according to PFF).

Already sitting with 16 pressures, four of them came in the nailbiting loss to the Texas Tech Red Raiders. He racked up three quarterback hurries and two tackles that resulted in a negative play for the offense. Translation: Corleone entered the season as perhaps the best run defender in the class. He is now also getting after opposing quarterbacks.

Unless his medicals come back glaringly bad, Corleone is not getting out of Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft.

CB/WR Travis Hunter, Colorado

Give him the Heisman Trophy now.

If the purpose of the award is to give it to the best player in all of college football, then that player in Colorado's hybrid player Travis Hunter. And it may not be particularly close. Through five games, Hunter has not only played 317 offensive snaps with 547 yards receiving and six touchdowns, but he has also amassed another 335 snaps defensively.

And he has been a lockdown cornerback since Day 1. In Colorado's win over Central Florida, Hunter gave up just two catches for 25 yards, picked off a pass in incredible fashion by baiting the quarterback over the top before clicking back downhill toward the football, and also added 75 yards and a touchdown on nine catches offensively.

We haven't seen a player like Hunter since the likes of Chris Gamble, Champ Bailey, Charles Woodson, and perhaps an even loftier comparison is to his current head coach Deion Sanders. The only exception is that an NFL team is going to have to find a way to get the ball in this guy's hands offensively.

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