Every week leading up to the slate of college football games, we will be highlighting several college football prospects in each matchup who project to be sought after in the 2025 NFL Draft. Specifically, we’ll examine how they may be viewed by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
No. 10 Florida State vs. Georgia Tech 1 p.m. EST on ESPN (Neutral site game in Dublin, Ireland)
College football kicks off this weekend over the pond with Florida State and Georgia Tech facing off in an ACC matchup. Despite losing plenty of guys to the NFL from last year’s roster, Florida State easily has more NFL talent coming off an impressive 2023 season, still returning some intriguing draft prospects for the 2025 class.
Their top prospect at this point in the process is DE #11 Patrick Payton, who is coming off a strong 2023 season where he notched 41 total stops, 7 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and a whopping 10 pass deflections. Payton started his career out at Georgia before transferring to Florida State, playing opposite of Jared Verse last season. In 2024, the 6-5, 250-pound edge rusher figures to be the top rusher on the team, having that unique blend of size, burst and length to defeat blockers on his path to the quarterback. He’s only a junior, but Payton could declare early with another strong campaign in 2024.
FSU’s other high-profile prospect is entering his first season with the team as QB #4 D.J. Uiagalelei transferred from Oregon State this spring to take his talents back to the ACC. Uiagalelei started his college career at Clemson where he was touted to be the next big college prospect, standing 6-4, 252 pounds with a cannon for an arm. However, after flashing in his true freshman season in 2020 as a backup to Trevor Lawrence, Uiagalelei struggled mightily when named the starter in 2021, showing various inconsistencies at quarterback like reading the field, accuracy and decision making under pressure.
He ended up transferring from Clemson to Oregon State last season and saw some success with the Beavers, but has still underwhelmed given his expectations from his first college experience. He has the size and arm talent you like to see at the position, and should he show progression in 2024 with Florida State, Uiagalelei could position himself into a middle-round pick with upside.
For the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, keep an eye out for RB #3 Trey Cooley. The 5-10, 205-pound senior out of Raleigh, NC has never carried the load for Georgia Tech’s offense, reaching just 64 carries for 274 yards and 3 touchdowns last season. Still, he figures to be a focal point in a Yellow Jackets offense that wants to prioritize establishing the run, having Colley who possesses a compact frame and good contact balance to run between the tackles. Look for Georgia Tech to try and get Cooley going early to put the pressure of Florida State’s defense as Cooley looks to kickstart a breakout 2024 campaign.
