With the NFL preseason entering Week 2, some selections from the 2025 NFL Draft class are starting to shine, including some picks taken in round 3-6.
While top picks like Cam Ward and Travis Hunter are garnering all the attention in the AFC South, there are some mid-round gems who will find their own shine in the 2025 NFL season. NFL Mocks exposes each team’s mid-round rookie who will be in position to shine brightly in their first season in the NFL.
Not so hidden talents from the 2025 Draft in the AFC South:
Houston Texans – Jaylin Noel, WR
The Texans double dipped at wide receiver in the 2025 NFL Draft selecting a pair of Iowa State playmakers in Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. It’s a good bet Higgins will be a impactful player in Texans offense in 2025 but watch out for Noel as well who is a burner that is already making noise in training camp and the preseason.
Selected with the No. 79 overall pick in the draft, Noel enters the league following a season at Iowa State in which he totaled 1,194 receiving yards. While Higgins represents the big receiver, Noel is the stretch-the-field threat C.J. Stroud hopes to find consistently. Noel will have to battle Xavier Hutchinson and John Metchie III on the depth chart, but if that speed and chemistry with Stroud starts to shine, the Texans will have quite a receiver group when Tank Dell comes back fully health.
Indianapolis Colts – DJ Giddens, RB:
If not for a season-ending injury, third-round pick Justin Walley would’ve had high consideration, but NFL Mocks is going with running back DJ Giddens as a mid-round pick who can play a big role for the Indianapolis Colts in 2025.
Already drawing praise from coaches and teammates, Giddens is coming off a season at Kansas State in which he averaged 6.6 yards per carry. His speed, patience and vision make him a great backup to Jonathan Taylor especially with his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. With the Colts’ quarterback situation up in the air, having two good to great backs will help the Colts’ offense at least be adequate until either Anthony Richardson or Daniel Jones takes command of the offense.
In his NFL preseason debut, Giddens had6 carries for 17 yards but he’ll showcase his talent by the time the preseason is over and will be in the mix once the 2025 NFL season is underway.
Jacksonville Jaguars– Bhayshul Tuten, G
The Jaguars are one team that may be depending on their mid-round picks to shine. With Travis Hunter leading the way, the Jags are hoping their 2025 NFL Draft class helps get the team back to competing for the AFC South. One draft pick to watch is running back Bhayshul Tuten who displayed his speed at the NFL Combine and has showcased his complete skillset so far in camp and through the preseason.
Selected in the fourth round of the NFL draft out of Virginia Tech, Tuten not only has blazing speed, but is a powerful running back who runs the ball with touchiness and punishes defenders on the point of attach. That combination of speed and power will remind Jaguars fans of Maurice Jones-Drew, but the hope is he makes a name for himself in a Jaguars’ offense that is looking for more balance in their attack.
As far as his first preseason action, Tuten carried the ball six times for 24 yards, but a powerful touchdown run had Jaguars head coach Liam Coen praising the rookie.
"I thought he ran it pretty well, actually," Coen said on Monday. "From a physicality standpoint, if you're going to take the positive from the other night, was on both sides of the ball was physical. We stopped the run and we ran it okay, but we ran it when we kind of needed to--it became a little bit more of a throw game. But I thought he did some nice things. He was able to make some guys miss in the hole. He ran hard, he had good ball security, so I was pleased with Tuten."
Tennessee Titans– Gunnar Helm, TE
The Titans have a few mid-round picks who could shine in Year 1, but there’s something about Gunnar Helm and at the tight end position that forecasts that is going to make some plays in the Titans’ offense as a second TE option.
A big target who caught 60 passes for 786 yards and seven touchdowns during his final season at Texas, Helm has the tools to be one of the top tight ends selected in the draft when all is said and done. His route running ability and ability to go up and get the ball at its highest point will just make top pick Cam Ward that much more effective as a passer. Helm showcased that ability in the team’s second preseason battle against the Atlanta Falcons.
In the Titans’ 23-20 victory, Helm hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass between two defenders that impressed everyone, especially Ward who didn’t deliver the pass.
That's TUFF @gunnar_helm 💪
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) August 16, 2025
📺: #TENvsATL on @WKRN & NFL+ pic.twitter.com/DyA4JpiSQ1
“Gunnar Helm is a dog,” Ward said of the highlight play.
There will be more of those plays once that duo show off their chemistry in 2025.