It’s no secret that a lot of the success of this No. 1 Oregon squad can be attributed to the team’s experience. There are 26 seniors or redshirt-seniors playing for the Ducks this season. Of those 26 seniors, 21 of them have been featured on the field in meaningful moments, so the impact of the experience shows.
Unfortunately, now that it is the second half of the football season, many of these athletes will begin to look at the next level. The NFL draft process is well underway, as scouts have been spotted at each of Oregon’s opening nine games this season.
Where will all of the departing Ducks end up?
Derrick Harmon
Harmon transferred in this season from Michigan State and didn’t carry outstanding expectations with him. However, the senior defensive tackle proved his worth and then some in his concluding season in Eugene. Harmon registered 16 solo tackles, 3.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in the season’s nine games so far. This has caused him to receive heavy consideration to be selected in the top two rounds of the draft, and he has been ranked as a first rounder as recently as last week.
According to NFL Mock Draft Database, which is a website that collects data from the latest mock drafts around the country, Harmon is Oregon’s highest-rated player entering the 2025 draft.
Evan Stewart
Although he doesn’t necessarily need to enter the draft after this season, the Ducks’ second highest-ranked prospect Stewart has put on a show throughout his first few months in Eugene. Stewart hauled in 31 catches for 462 yards and four touchdowns in the first nine games.
His speed off the line of scrimmage and incredible catch radius — demonstrated multiple times this past weekend in Michigan — will be valuable in this year’s draft. Stewart appeared in 33.9% of first rounds and averaged 55th throughout all the drafts compiled.
Given that information, there is a high chance Stewart enters his name in the 2025 draft.
Josh Conerly Jr.
Oregon’s true junior tackle follows a similar story as Stewart, as Conerly doesn’t necessarily need to enter the draft in 2025. Especially since all the discussion around the 2026 draft slates him as a definite early first round pick.
Relative to the others mentioned here, Conerly hasn’t been mentioned in as many mock drafts, which is mainly due to his uncertain status as it regards declaring. His highest projection was the 15th pick, but that came preseason.
As a five-star recruit coming out of high school, Conerly always garnered eyes from the top level in the sport, so his decision can definitely go either way this coming offseason.
Jordan Burch
Burch entered this season coming off an injury and also picked up a knock before the Ohio State game which kept him out until this most recent week. Burch’s most recent mock draft appearance was for a fourth-round selection in the upcoming 2025 draft.
Burch added 22 total tackles, 5 sacks, three pass deflections and a fumble recovery to his impressive resume so far this season. The senior edge rusher has been projected as a third or fourth round pick by most websites that do mock drafts.
As his injury sustained last season kept him from declaring this past offseason, another injury would surely derail a promising professional career for Burch. Barring that catastrophe, Burch will be seen on Sundays next year, and will likely be drafted on the second day.
