NFL Draft

2024 Bowl Game Preview (Playoff Games): Complete 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Guide

By Jonathan Heitritter

Posted on December 20, 2024 at 8:15 am

Heading into the college bowl season, we will be highlighting several of the top prospects who project to be sought after in the 2025 NFL Draft. In this edition, we will be highlighting several prospects you need to watch for in the College Football Playoff.

INDIANA EDGE MIKAIL KAMARA & NOTRE DAME CB BENJAMIN MORRSION (DEC. 20)

For the Hoosiers in this battle for the state of Indiana, be sure to keep an eye on EDGE No. 6 Mikail Kamara. The 6-1, 265-pounder is a short but dynamic pass rusher who does a great job whipping opposing offensive tackles on his way to the quarterback. He has 10 sacks and two forced fumbles on the year.

Other prospects to watch for Indiana include QB No. 9 Kurtis Rourke, DL No. 8 C.J. West, LB No. 2 Jailin Walker, and WR No. 13 Elijah Sarratt.

For the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, be sure to watch CB No. 2 Benjamin Morrison, who lit up college football as soon as he stepped foot onto the field as a true freshman, logging six interceptions (one returned for a touchdown). Morrison has no picks so far in 2024, but the 6-0, 190-pound junior is a physical coverage defender that competes at the catch point and brings the right mentality as a run defender and is considered a fringe Day 1 prospect.

Other names to watch for Notre Dame include DL No. 99 Rylie Mills who fits what the Pittsburgh Steelers look for in a 3-4 defensive lineman, S No. 0 Xavier Watts who is a ballhawk on the backend, DL No. 56 Howard Cross III, QB No. 13 Riley Leonard, TE No. 88 Mitchell Evans, and OL No. 78 Pat Coogan.

PENN STATE EDGE ABDUL CARTER AND TE TYLER WARREN (DEC. 21)

The Penn State Nittany Lions face off against the SMU Mustangs, but when you look at both rosters, Penn State far outweighs SMU when it comes to NFL talent. The top prospect for the Nittany Lions is EDGE No. 11 Abdul Carter, who has racked up 60 total tackles, 10 sacks, two forced fumbles, and three pass deflections on the year. The 6-3, 259-pound junior is considered the top pass rusher in this class and is following in the footsteps of Micah Parsons to be a top 10 pick.

TE No. 44 Tyler Warren has put together a strong breakout season as the 6-6, 257-pound senior has caught 88 passes for 1,062 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for 191 yards on 23 carries with four rushing scores. Warren is a great athlete who can win over the middle of the field and in the red zone. He can even take direct snaps and operate as a wildcat quarterback. He is primed to be the top tight end off the board come April.

Other prospects to watch for Penn State include S No. 2 Kevin Winston Jr., RB No. 10 Nick Singleton, EDGE No. 33 Dani Dennis-Sutton, OL No. 66 Drew Shelton, and S No. 1 Jaylen Reed.

For the SMU Mustangs, the top guy to watch is RB No. 1 Brashard Smith, who is the top weapon in the Mustangs’ offensive attack. The 5-10, 196-pound senior is a big play threat with the ball in his hands, having toted the rock 217 times for 1,270 yards (5.9 YPC) and 14 touchdowns this season while also catching 35 passes for 303 yards and four scores. Smith has a receiving background and will split out wide as a traditional receiver against defensive backs. He has good vision and burst as a runner too, making him a legit threat in all phases of the game and a target for NFL scouts to watch.

Other prospects for SMU include EDGE No. 5 Elijah Roberts and TE No. 82 RJ Maryland.

TEXAS DB JAHDEE BARRON AND CLEMSON LB BARRETT CARTER (DEC 21)

For Texas, you need to watch CB No. 7 Jahdee Barron. The former safety moved to cornerback this season, and the move has proven to be fruitful for Barron, who has 47 total tackles, a sack, a fumble recovery, nine pass deflections, and five interceptions on the year. The 5-11, 200-pound redshirt senior has been around the football all season for the Longhorns, using his instincts and movement skills in coverage to deflect passes and make splash plays.

Other prospects to watch for Texas include OT No. 78 Kelvin Banks Jr. who is considered the top tackle prospect by many in the scouting community, OT No. 56 Cameron Williams, WR No. 7 Isaiah Bond, QB No. 3 Quinn Ewers, TE No. 85 Gunnar Helm, DL No. 95 Alfred Collins, IOL No. 65 Jake Majors, and S No. 4 Andrew Mukuba.

For the Clemson Tigers, the guy you need to watch is LB No. 0 Barrett Carter. The 6-1, 230-pound senior is a phenomenal athlete at off-ball linebacker, having the pure speed to chase down ball carriers in pursuit, as well as drop into coverage and operate as a true three-down linebacker. Carter has posted 76 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, a fumble recovery, and seven pass deflections on the season.

Other prospects to watch for the Tigers include DL No. 19 DeMonte Capehart, OT No. 78 Blake Miller, TE No. 9 Jake Briningstool, RB No. 7 Phil Mafah, and QB No. 2 Cade Klubnik.

OHIO STATE WR EMEKA EGBUKA AND TENNESSEE EDGE JAMES PEARCE JR. (DEC. 21)

The Ohio State Buckeyes and Tennessee Volunteers are set to face off in the final Round 1 CFP game Saturday night. For the Buckeyes, be sure to watch WR No. 2 Emeka Egbuka who is vying to be one of the top wide receivers drafted this coming spring. The 6-1, 205-pound senior has been fairly productive this season, posting 60 receptions for 743 yards and nine touchdowns. He is a strong pass catcher who can be physical after the catch and is one of the most proven blocking wide receivers in this draft class.

Ohio State is loaded with prospects, as is usually the case, and other names that you should watch include DL No. 91 Tyleik Williams EDGE No. 44 J.T. Tuimoloau, EDGE No. 33 Jack Sawyer, OL No. 74 Donovan Jackson, RB No. 1 Quinshon Judkins, CB No. 10 Denzel Burke, RB No. 32 TreVeyon Henderson, CB No. 1 Davison Igbinosun, S No. 8 Lathan Ransom, and DL No. 58 Ty Hamilton.

For the Volunteers, EDGE No. 27 James Pearce Jr. is the guy to watch as he is considered to be one of the top pass rush prospects in this draft class. The 6-5, 243-pound junior has 35 total tackles, 7.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a pass deflection on the season. He’s a freak athlete who can convert speed to power as a bull rusher, win with speed/finesse off the edge and even drop into coverage.

Other prospects to watch for Tennessee include DL No. 55 Omarr-Norman-Lott, RB No. 6 Dylan Sampson, WR No. 5 Bru McCoy, WR No. 1 Dont’e Thornton, and WR No. 17 Chris Brazzell II.

BOISE STATE RB ASHTON JEANTY (FEISTA BOWL DEC. 31)

The Boise State Broncos will face the winner of Penn State and SMU and RB No. 2 Ashton Jeanty is the name you need to watch. The 5-9, 215-pound junior has had a phenomenal season, carrying the ball 344 times for a whopping 2,497 yards (7.3 YPC) and 29 touchdowns while also chipping in 20 receptions for 116 yards and a score through the air. He’s been a complete workhorse back, having the size and strength to pick up the tough yards in-between the tackles, but also the speed and acceleration to rip off the long runs once he gets into open space. Jeanty has played himself well into the first round and very well go in the top 15 in this year’s draft.

ARIZONA STATE RB CAMERON SKATTEBO (PEACH BOWL JAN. 1)

The Arizona State Sun Devils are set to face the winner of Texas and Clemson on New Year’s Day and RB No. 4 Cameron Skattebo is the guy you need to watch. Skattebo has flown under the radar to many this season, but he’s had one of the best seasons in college football at his position (he’d agree with that too). The former Sacramento State transfer has posted 263 carries for 1,568 yard and 19 touchdowns in his second season with Arizona State while throwing in another 37 receptions for 506 yards and three scores, showing he can be a well-rounded back who can grind between the tackles as well as break big plays in the open field.

Other prospects to watch for Arizona State include CB No. 7 Shamari Simmons, DL No. 10 Clayton Smith, and WR No. 0 Jordyn Tyson.

OREGON DL DERRICK HARMON (ROSE BOWL JAN. 1)

The Oregon Ducks will play the winner of Ohio State and Tennessee in the Rose Bowl and DL No. 55 Derrick Harmon. The 6-5 310-pound redshirt junior has the ideal size, length, and frame you look for in an NFL-caliber interior defensive lineman. His play backs it up this year, having amassed 42 total tackles, five sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and two pass deflections. Harmon is a great athlete for his size, having the speed and quickness to blow pass guards and center while also having the strength and power to anchor against the run and generate a bull rush in the pocket.

Oregon is loaded with NFL talent, and other names that you should watch include WR No. 7 Evan Stewart, WR No. 15 Tez Johnson, OT No. 76 Josh Conerly Jr., DL No. 1 Jordan Burch DB No. 7 Jabbar Muhammad, OL No. 65 Ajani Cornelius, LB No. 2 Jeffery Bassa, QB No. 8 Dillon Gabriel, TE No. 3 Terrance Ferguson, RB No. 20 Jordan James, and WR No. 1 Traeshon Holden.

GEORGIA DB MALAKI STARKS (SUGAR BOWL JAN. 1)

The Georgia Bulldogs will face the winner of Notre Dame and Indiana in the Sugar Bowl and DB No. 24 Malaki Starks is the name to have circled in this game. Starks is considered one of the best defensive backs in this year’s draft class and has primarily played at safety but has also seen some time at nickel corner and occasionally on the outside. Starks has had a relatively quiet season on the stat sheet (one interception and one pass deflection), but he’s an athletic defensive back who can cover tight ends and receivers as well as come downhill in run support.

The Bulldogs are stacked full of NFL talent on an annual basis, and other names to watch that will likely be playing on Sundays next year include EDGE No. 13 Mykel Williams, LB No. 11 Jalon Walker, QB No. 15 Carson Beck, IOL No. 69 Tate Rutledge, OL No. 71 Earnest Greene III, CB No. 6 Daylen Everette, OL No. 53 Dylan Fairchild, LB No. 2 Smael Mondon Jr., IOL No. 55 Jared Wilson, DL No. 78 Nazir Stackhouse, and RB No. 1 Trevor Etienne.