2 weeks Ago
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - At long last, the 2025 NFL Draft is finally here. Mock draft and big board season is now behind us, and soon we will find out where the top talents in college football will be heading to start their professional careers.
This year, there is no shortage of Cardinals that are in the draft pool. 20 players from the Louisville football program have either graduated or declared early in hopes of hearing their name called on draft night. Out of that group, three players have separated themselves from the others.
Quarterback Tyler Shough, defensive end Ashton Gillotte and cornerback Quincy Riley are the former Cards who have the highest chance of getting selected. Related: Mock Draft Roundup: Where Louisville's Top Prospects are Projected to Land Of the aforementioned players, Shough is the favorite to come off of the board first. Over the last several weeks and months, he has skyrocketed up draft boards, and many front office executives are enamored with his physical tool set and overall experience.
In fact, he has peaked as high as the first pick of the second round in some mocks, and has generated some late first round buzz. Some are still put off by his age and injury history, which could in theory bump him to day three of the draft. But regardless, it's still a safe bet that the 6-foot-5, 225-pound signal caller will be the first Cardinal drafted.
Related: Tyler Shough 2025 NFL Draft Profile After Shough, there is some debate between Gillotte and Riley as to who will be the next Louisville player to be selected. As it stands right now, Gillotte is slightly ahead of Riley in terms of his average position on draft boards, and routinely gets selected in rounds 3-5 in mock drafts. The 6-foot-3, 275-pound edge rusher's exact role at the next level is to-be-determined due to his "tweener" status, but his raw athleticism, speed-to-power and motor are all traits that NFL teams love.
Related: Ashton Gillotte 2025 NFL Draft Profile However, don't be surprised if Riley is the one who gets picked up after Shough. Like Gillotte, the 6-foot, 195-pound corner has been trending anywhere from round three to round five, with his track speed and top-notch ball skills really standing out to draft pundits. There is some concern about his slightly smaller frame for the NFL level, as well as his step back in efficiency in 2024.
That being said, Riley has done more than enough to justify at least a day two selection in the draft. Related: Quincy Riley 2025 NFL Draft Profile Outside of those three, there are a couple other Cardinals that have been generating some pre-draft buzz. Wide receiver Ja'Corey Brooks has appeared in a couple mocks as a late day three selection, as has defensive tackle Thor Griffith.
Even if Brooks or Griffith are not drafted, expect them - as well as cornerback Tahveon Nicholson - to be among the more sought after priority free agents. They will have the opportunity to sign with any team they choose as an undrafted free agent, or UDFA, following the end of the draft if they go unselected. Other former Cardinals hoping to be drafted or sign as a UDFA are: wide receiver Ahmari Huggins-Bruce, tight ends Duane Martin and Mark Redman, offensive linemen Michael Gonzalez and Jonathan Mendoza; defensive linemen Myles Jernigan, Richard Kinley II, Tramel Logan, Ramon Puryear and Dezmond Tell; linebacker Dan Foster Jr.
, cornerback Corey Thornton, and safeties M.J. Griffin and Tamarion McDonald.
The 2025 NFL Draft will begin with round one on Thursday, Apr. 24 at 8:00 p.m.
EST. Rounds 2-3 will start on Friday, Apr. 25 at 6:00 p.
m. EST, and rounds 4-7 on Saturday, Apr. 26 starting at 12:00 p.
m. EST. The entire draft will be televised on ABC, ESPN and the NFL Network.
(Photo of Tyler Shough: Stephanie Amador Blondet - Imagn Images) You can follow Louisville Cardinals On SI for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram: Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI Twitter/X - @LouisvilleOnSI Instagram - @louisvilleonsi You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter/X and @mattmcgavic.bsky.social on Bluesky.
