Unveiling the 2025 FCS Football NFL Draft Picks: Which Underdogs Shocked the Pros?

Ever wonder what makes an FCS football player catch the NFL’s eye amid a sea of talent? Well, the 2025 NFL Draft just handed us some answers — starting with North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel, the highest-drafted offensive lineman in FCS history, snagged 18th overall by the Seahawks. It’s not every day you see such a feat, especially when offensive linemen have quietly dominated the FCS draft pie this decade, making up nearly a third of all selections. Beyond Zabel, the draft was a mosaic of seasoned All-Americans and dynamic playmakers, weaving a story that’s part grit, part promise. From the Big Sky’s surge to the intriguing twists around Jerry Rice Award winners, the draft picked up a fascinating rhythm. So, whether you’re a draft junkie or just curious why the FCS torchbearers are lighting up NFL headlines, this review dives deep into every pick that turned heads this year. Ready to unravel the stories behind the names?

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From first-round pick Grey Zabel on down, we’re looking at the FCS football selections and storylines in the 2025 NFL Draft.

If you wanted an early sense of the 2025 FCS NFL Draft class, the Stats Perform FCS All-America Team back in December provided it.

Seven first-team All-Americans and eight overall – with four of them offensive linemen – were draft selections from Thursday to Saturday nights.

Of course, the big men have been the big story with the FCS this decade as 23 of the 74 selections (31.1%) across the six drafts have been O-linemen.

We’re reviewing all of the 15 FCS NFL Draft picks.

Five FCS Football Storylines

1. North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel became the highest-drafted offensive lineman in FCS history, going 18th overall to the Seattle Seahawks as the Division I subdivision’s first first-round pick since 2022 and the 24th all-time.

2. The Las Vegas Raiders selected Montana State’s Tommy Mellott, the 2024 Walter Payton Award recipient, and NDSU’s Payton runner-up Cam Miller two picks apart late in the sixth round – pairing the starting quarterbacks in the 2021 and ’24 FCS national championship games as teammates.

3. David Walker, the 2024 Buck Buchanan Award recipient, added another footnote to being the most decorated player in Central Arkansas history. His fourth-round selection at No. 121 was their highest ever out of 14 all-time draft picks.

4. As expected, the Big Sky enjoyed a strong draft with an FCS conference-high five selections, including two former all-conference players, Teddye Buchanan (Cal Poly) and Marcus Harris (Idaho), who played their final season at Cal.

5. The Jerry Rice Award (FCS national freshman player of the year) added fifth and sixth draft selections in its 15-year history (and only 12 draft classes), but they came in much different fashion. Miami (FL) quarterback Cam Ward (2020 Rice recipient at UIW) was the No. 1 overall pick of the Tennessee Titans, while Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2021 Rice recipient at Jackson State) – long viewed for a high first-round selection – plummeted to the fifth round, going 144th overall to the Cleveland Browns.

FCS NFL Draft Picks

Seattle Seahawks: Grey Zabel, C/OG, North Dakota State

• Round: 1; Overall Pick: 18
• Height: 6-6; Weight: 312
• Notable: NDSU’s sixth offensive lineman to be drafted since 2014 and the Bison’s 13th overall pick in that time. (NDSU all-time draft picks)

Las Vegas Raiders: Charles Grant, OT, William & Mary

• Round: 3; Overall Pick: 99
• Height: 6-5; Weight: 311
• Notable: The only offensive lineman to be a 2024 Walter Payton Award finalist has 34 3/8-inch arms to keep defensive linemen at bay.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: David Walker, Edge, Central Arkansas

• Round: 4; Overall Pick: 121
• Height: 6-1; Weight: 267
• Notable: In addition to receiving the 2024 Buck Buchanan Award, Walker was a rare three-time first-team Stats Perform FCS All-American.

Indianapolis Colts: Jalen Travis, OT, Princeton/Iowa State

• Round: 4; Overall Pick: 127
• Height: 6-8; Weight: 341
• Notable: The two-time All-Ivy League second-team selection (2022 and ’23) was one of the largest players in the draft class.

Baltimore Ravens: Teddye Buchanan, LB, UC Davis/Cal

• Round: 4; Overall Pick: 129
• Height: 6-2; Weight: 233
• Notable: Good size and testing results added to statistical results that only seemed to get better with each season.

Baltimore Ravens: Carson Vinson, OT, Alabama A&M

• Round: 5; Overall Pick: 141
• Height: 6-7; Weight: 314
• Notable: Started all 48 games of his A&M career, allowing just one sack as a senior (against Auburn).

Tennessee Titans: Jackson Slater, OG, Sacramento State

• Round: 5; Overall Pick: 167
• Height: 6-3; Weight: 311
• Notable: Sac State’s fifth draft pick during its FCS era (since 1993) tied for the second-most bench press reps (31) among O-linemen at the NFL Combine.

Buffalo Bills: Jackson Hawes, TE, Yale/Georgia Tech

• Round: 5; Overall Pick: 173
• Height: 6-4; Weight: 253
• Notable: Known for his physical blocking, Hawes earned second-team All-Ivy League honors in both 2022 and ’23.

Tennessee Titans: Marcus Harris, CB, Idaho/Cal

• Round: 5; Overall Pick: 183
• Height: 5-11; Weight: 190
• Notable: Set the Vandals career record for passes defended (36, including six interceptions) over the 2020-23 seasons.

Chicago Bears – Luke Newman, OG, Holy Cross/Michigan State

• Round: 6; Overall Pick: 195
• Height: 6-3; Weight: 312
• Notable: Made the switch inside to guard at Michigan State, making 12 starts and leading the Spartans with 739 offensive snaps.

Las Vegas Raiders – Tommy Mellott, QB, Montana State

• Round 6; Pick: 213
• Height: 6-0; Weight: 208
• Notable: Led the FCS in total touchdowns (46) while earning the 2024 Walter Payton Award. Passed for 55 TDs and scored 44 more in his career.

Las Vegas Raiders – Cam Miller, QB, North Dakota State

• Round: 6; Overall Pick: 215
• Height: 6-1; Weight: 217
• Notable: Set NDSU career records for total offensive yards (11,998), passing yards (9,721), completions (759) and completion percentage (69.4).

Green Bay Packers – Micah Robinson, DB, Furman/Tulane

• Round: 7; Overall Pick: 237
• Height: 5-11; Weight: 184
• Notable: Totaled five interceptions and 16 pass breakups during 2022 and ’23 seasons at Furman.

New England Patriots – Julian Ashby, LS, Furman/Vanderbilt

• Round: 7; Overall Pick: 251
• Height: 6-1; Weight: 231
• Notable: Four-year long snapper at Furman from 2020-23 who helped the Paladins to top levels within the Southern Conference.

San Francisco 49ers: Junior Bergen, WR/RS, Montana

• Round: 7; Overall Pick: 252
• Height: 5-10; Weight: 185
• Notable: Finished career with 4,468 all-purpose yards and tied the FCS record for career punt return TDs with eight. (Montana all-time draft picks)

Undrafted Free Agents

Some of the key FCS players who were available to teams as undrafted free agents following the 2025 NFL Draft:

• Chandler Brayboy, Elon, WR/KR (6-0, 205)
• Max Brosmer, New Hampshire/Minnesota, QB (6-2, 217)
• Efton Chism III, Eastern Washington, WR (5-10, 193)
• Darius Cooper, Tarleton State, WR (5-11, 210)
• JJ Galbreath, South Dakota, TE (6-3, 231)
• Kenny Gallop Jr., Howard, SS (5-11, 212)
• Thor Griffith, Harvard/Louisville, DT (6-2, 320)
• Brendan Hall, Montana State, P (6-7, 235)
• Tyron Herring, Dartmouth/Delaware, CB (6-1, 202)
• Keondre Jackson, Illinois State, SS (6-1, 211)
• Nick Kubitz, North Dakota State, ILB (6-2, 224)
• Lan Larison, UC Davis, RB (6-0, 215)
• Robert McDaniel, Alcorn State/Jackson State, SS (6-1, 212)
• Dymere Miller, Monmouth/Rutgers, WR (5-11, 181)
• TJ Moore, Mercer, CB (6-0, 187)
• Sone Ntoh, Harvard/Monmouth, FB (5-11, 220)
• Wande Owens, Yale, New Hampshire, SS (5-11, 205)
• Jared Penning, Northern Iowa, OT (6-5, 319)
• Elijah Ponder, Cal Poly, Edge (6-3, 251)
• ShunDerrick Powell, Central Arkansas, RB (5-7, 183)
• Ja’seem Reed, San Diego, WR (6-0, 190)
• Carter Runyon, Towson, TE (6-4, 234)
• Torricelli Simpkins, North Carolina Central/South Carolina, OT (6-5, 319)
• Aaron Smith, South Carolina State, ILB (6-0, 234)
• Mike Smith Jr., Eastern Kentucky, SS (6-0, 213)
• Isas Waxter, Villanova, CB (6-1, 209)
• Phillip Webb, Jackson State, Edge (6-5, 265)
• Marcus Wehr, Montana State, OG (6-2, 300)
• Elijah Williams, Morgan State, Edge (6-3, 270)
• TaMuarion Wilson, Central Arkansas, OLB/S (6-1, 215)
• Marcus Yarns, Delaware, RB (5-11, 189)

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