Insider notes on Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest: Draft grades on top prospects ft. Jayden Thomas, Kyron Drones, and more

Both major college football programs from the state of Virginia have been in a tailspin recently, struggling to find any consistent progress on the field. Meanwhile, Wake Forest is a basketball school that occasionally strings together a few winning seasons on the football field. On paper, it looks as though all three schools will struggle in 2025.

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Virginia

The Cavaliers have never had more than a single player selected in the draft since 2021, and next April they could get shut out.

Opinions in the scouting community are mixed on offensive tackle McKale Boley, as he’s graded anywhere from a third-round prospect to an undrafted free agent. The son of former NFL linebacker Michael Boley is an athletic blocker who easily moves about the field or adjusts to the blitz. Yet Boley shows little to no playing strength and rarely finishes blocks, even when battling opponents 100 pounds lighter than him. He’s athletic with an upside, which could get him drafted late.

Jahmal Edrine is a nice-sized possession receiver who is now at his third college. He possesses decent speed for a wideout who measures 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds and catches the ball well, when he’s involved in the action. What Edrine lacks is production, as he combined for just 63 receptions at Florida Atlantic and Purdue the past three seasons.

Virginia Prospects
Grade	Rnd	Pos	Full Name	Yr	#
3.29	7th	T	McKale Boley	4Sr	52
3.24	FA	WR	Jahmal Edrine	5Sr	7
3.04	FA	WR	Jayden Thomas	4Jr	83
3.02	FA	DT	Jahmeer Carter	6Sr	90
3.01	FA	QB	Chandler Morris	6Sr	4
2.95	FA	WR	Trell Harris	4Sr	11

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Virginia Tech

The Hokies had a history of competing for the national title and placing players into the first round of the NFL Draft. Yet since Frank Beamer retired, the program has struggled and lost more than it won. Couple that with the fact that Virginia Tech’s best talent left via the transfer portal, some of which was top 10 NFL Draft talent, and 2025 could be the final season with Brent Pry as head coach.

Quarterback Kyron Drones is a physically gifted passer with a high upside, yet he’s a passer who needs to be properly coached to reach his maximum. Drones is athletic with a big arm and beats defenses throwing the ball or running with it. He makes a lot of difficult throws, yet at the same time, he makes some poor decisions and bad reads. If he pulls it together, Drones could march up draft boards.

Junior linebacker Caleb Woodson is small but explosive, covers a tremendous amount of area on the field and makes plays in pursuit. He comes with limited growth potential, but he could do well in a one-gap scheme and play on special teams.

Tight end Benji Gosnell is a terrific pass-catching tight end who needs to improve his blocking. Scouts knock his athleticism and speed, yet Gosnell’s brother Stephen tore up the predraft process in March and has turned heads in the Buffalo Bills’ camp with his playmaking ability at receiver.

Donavon Greene is a physically gifted receiver who displayed a lot of ability at Wake Forest when he was healthy. He’s a nice-sized receiver with reliable hands and decent speed, yet durability is a major issue for Greene.

Virginia Tech Prospects
Grade	Rnd	Pos	Full Name	Yr	#
3.43	5th	QB	Kyron Drones	5Sr	1
3.39	6th	OLB	Caleb Woodson	3Jr	20
3.34	6th	TE	Benji Gosnell	4Jr	82
3.32	6th	RB	Terion Stewart	6Sr	4
3.31	6th	WR	Donavon Greene	7Sr	3
3.25	FA	CB	Dante Lovett	3Jr	1
3.24	FA	RB	Braydon Bennett	6Sr	24
3.11	FA	G	Tomas Rimac	5Sr	55
3.09	FA	DT	Kody Huisman	4Sr	98

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Wake Forest

The Deamon Deacons are under new management after Dave Clawson, who had a successful 11-year run with the school, chose to retire. They could end up placing a pair of players into the second day of the draft, which hasn’t happened since 2009.

Demond Claiborne receives a lot of love inside the scouting community, and with good reason. The running back is skilled in all areas of his position: as a ball carrier, pass catcher and blocker. He’s tough as well as quick and is an asset every time he steps on the field. He has the tools necessary to be a productive third-down back/situational runner on Sundays.

Fa'alili Fa'amoe transfers from Washington State, where he started most of the past two seasons at right tackle. Fa'amoe is strong, fundamentally sounds and very productive. He’s also athletic and has an upside, yet injuries held him back last season. While I have Fa'amoe on my tackle board, some teams will surely project him to guard on Sundays.

Wake Forest Prospects
Grade	Rnd	Pos	Full Name	Yr	#
3.72	3rd	RB	Demond Claiborne	4Sr	1
3.63	3rd	T	Fa'alili Fa'amoe	6Sr	79
3.02	FA	C	Devin Kylany	6Sr	70