The 2025 NFL draft is complete. Eight FCS players were selected in this year’s draft, led by North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel, who went 18th overall in the first round. Here’s a breakdown of who was selected.
8 FCS players selected in the 2025 NFL draft
See every FCS player selected below:
| Player | Position | School | NFL TEAM | Round (Pick) | Overall Pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grey Zabel | Offensive line | North Dakota State | Seattle Seahawks | 1 (18) | 18 |
| Charles Grant | Offensive line | William & Mary | Las Vegas Raiders | 3 (35) | 99 |
| David Walker | Edge | Central Arkansas | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4 (19) | 121 |
| Carson Vinson | Offensive line | Alabama A&M | Baltimore Ravens | 5 (3) | 141 |
| Jackson Slater | Offensive line | Sacramento State | Tennessee Titans | 5 (31) | 167 |
| Tommy Mellott | Quarterback/Wide Receiver | Montana State | Oakland Raiders | 6 (37) | 213 |
| Cam Miller | Quarterback | North Dakota State | Oakland Raiders | 6 (39) | 215 |
| Junior Bergen | Wide Receiver | Montana | San Francisco 49ers | 7 (36) | 252 |
| NFL draft year | FCS players drafted |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 8 |
| 2024 | 11 |
| 2023 | 10 |
| 2022 | 20 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2020 | 6 |
| 2019 | 13 |
| 2018 | 19 |
| 2017 | 15 |
| 2016 | 20 |
| 2015 | 1 |
| 2014 | 19 |
| 2013 | 19 |
| 2012 | 15 |
| 2011 | 21 |
| 2010 | 19 |
PAST FCS NFL DRAFT PICKS: 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020
2025 NFL draft breakdown
In total there were…
19 Group of 5 players picked (w/ Washington State)
8 FCS players
0 International Players
0 DII Players
1 HBCU player2024 for comparison
19 Group of 5 players picked
11 FCS players
3 International Players
1 DII Player
0 HBCU…— Stan Becton (@stan_becton) April 26, 2025
Breakdown by conference
Here’s the complete breakdown of FCS selections by conference
| Conference | # of Players Selected |
|---|---|
| Big Sky | 3 |
| MVFC | 2 |
| CAA | 1 |
| SWAC | 1 |
| UAC | 1 |
Breakdown by position
| Position | # of Players Selected |
|---|---|
| OL | 4 |
| QB* | 2 |
| WR | 2 |
| Edge | 1 |
*Tommy Mellott is counted twice at quarterback and wide receiver
Notables
- The fifth and sixth rounds saw the most FCS players selected with two in each round.
- The Oakland Raiders were the only NFL team to select multiple FCS players, selecting three. That matches the Indianapolis Colts in 2022 for the most FCS players selected by a single team in an NFL draft this decade.
- North Dakota State was the only FCS team with multiple players drafted.
- North Dakota State has had a player drafted in six of the last seven seasons, dating back to 2019. 2024 was the lone year the Bison didn’t have a draft pick.
- North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel is the 24th FCS player drafted in the first round. He’s the first FCS player picked in the first round since 2022. His No. 18 selection marks the highest FCS selection since 2021.
- Charles Grant is the second William & Mary offensive lineman selected in three years, joining Colby Sorsdal, a fifth round pick in 2023.
- David Walker won the Buck Buchanan Award in 2024 as the top defensive player in the FCS.
- Walker is the first Buck Buchanan Award winner selected in the NFL draft since North Dakota State’s Kyle Emanuel went in the fifth round in 2015.
- Carson Vinson is Alabama A&M’s first draft pick since 2011.
- Jackson Slater didn’t allow a sack or quarterback hit during his senior season.
- Tommy Mellott was drafted as a wide receiver by the Oakland Raiders after running a 4.3 at his pro day. Mellott won the Walter Payton Award in 2024 playing quarterback.
- Mellott is the first Walter Payton Award winner drafted since Trey Lance.
- Cam Miller is North Dakota State’s 16th player drafted since becoming an FCS program in 2004.
- Miller’s selection makes it four straight North Dakota State starting quarterbacks to be drafted, dating back to 2013. The starting signal-caller lineage goes: Carson Wentz (2013-15), Easton Stick (2016-18), Trey Lance (2019-21) and Cam Miller (2021-24).
- Junior Bergen is the first Montana player selected since Tyron Holmes in 2016.
| Consecutive Years with a Draft Pick | FCS School | Years of Streak |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Jackson State | 1979-1994 |
| 10 | Grambling State | 1986-1995 |
| 7 | Northeast Louisiana | 1982-1988 |
| 6 | Southern | 1987-1992 |
| 6 | Alabama State | 1980-1985 |
| 6 | South Carolina State | 1980-1985 |
| 6 | Grambling State | 1979-1984 |
| 5 | Florida A&M | 1994-1998 |
| 5 | Tennessee State | 1992-1996 |
| 5 | James Madison | 1986-1990 |
| 5 | North Dakota State | 2019-2023 |
MORE: These are the highest FCS first-round NFL draft picks ever
1 HBCU football player selected in the 2025 NFL draft
Alabama A&M offensive lineman Carson Vinson was the lone HBCU player selected in this year’s NFL draft. He joins Jackson State cornerback Isaiah Bolden (New England Patriots, 2023) as the only HBCU football players drafted in the last three years.
| NFL draft year | HBCU players drafted | FCS HBCU Players Drafted |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 |
| 2022 | 4 | 3 |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 |
| 2019 | 4 | 4 |
| 2018 | 3 | 2 |
| 2017 | 4 | 3 |
| 2016 | 3 | 3 |
| 2015 | 4 | 4 |
| 2014 | 2 | 2 |
| 2013 | 2 | 2 |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 |
| 2011 | 4 | 4 |
| 2010 | 2 | 1 |
While the NFL draft has concluded, expect several FCS and HBCU players to find NFL homes as undrafted free agents.
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