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2025 NFL Draft Stock Report: College Football Playoff First Round
2025 NFL Draft Stock Report: College Football Playoff First Round
The first round of the college football playoff was trash. Except I’ve been trying to tell you this was coming for weeks. If you read last week, you know I led right off with this awful format. The people who constructed this playoff truly have no clue what’s going on and it’s so damn sad. Of course, Indiana and SMU never belonged in. The only reason to watch the first round is for the 2025 NFL Draft and the fantasy implications that come along with it.
By the way, I may sprinkle in some underclassmen stuff (as I did for the Florida Bowl game win) even though it’s a 2025 NFL Draft post. Mostly because it’s that time of the year where the freshman are no longer freshman. We should have seen some growth by now and these guys contributing in Bowl season are vital pieces for the following season.
The 2025 NFL Draft Stock Report slate for the first round of the College Football playoff includes – Indiana vs. Notre Dame, SMU vs. Penn State, Clemson vs. Texas, and Tennessee vs. Ohio State. Enjoy the 2025 NFL Draft notes because it’s about the only valuable thing that came away from this stupid format.
Indiana
Is Kurtis Rourke the real deal? This is a real defense so this is a huge test. Throws a beautiful ball to Elijah Sarratt. Immediately comes back with an overthrown and a pick to Xavier Watts. He’s definitely a pure pocket passer so he needs to hit all of his throws all of the time.
Didn’t think he was accurate at all. The crowd noise impacted the game. All of his stats came in garbage time so even sharing them would be deceiving to you the viewer. The score was 27-3 in the middle of the 4th quarter and Indiana scored twice including recovering an onside kick with the game already over.
He’s rushed for -25 yards this season coming into the game. They tried a zone read with him and it was a total waste of time. No idea why they even attempted it. His lack of mobility really hamers his potential. That part can’t be ignored. He’s Aidan O’Connell level not good in terms of mobility.
More than anything, what this Indiana team predictably proved is that a team flooded with players from James Madison should have never been allowed to compete in this spot. We got the game I anticipated so what did we really learn?
D’Angelo Ponds <3.
Mikail Kamara with a bad missed tackle on the 98-yard rushing touchdown by Love. This team was number one at stopping the run all season. They got torched in this one. Guys like Kamara lost the battle against this Notre Dame offensive line. Older guy James Carpenter made the most impact along their front.
Elijah Sarratt might not totally suck. I can’t imagine how bad the passing attack would have been without him.
Oh, and Coach Cig really needs to shut his mouth. Guy runs his mouth like this and gives us this along with the conservative-ass punt to seal the L? Stop it. Can’t wait to see his team next year when the schedule changes.
Notre Dame
We got to see poor man’s Daniel Jones again. I can’t imagine what the score of this game would have been if Riley Leonard could actually execute a real passing attack. It would have been Notre Dame by 30+. His two minute drill in the first half was comical. Has no ability to push the ball down the field. 6.3 yards per attempt with one touchdown and one pick. He looks like faster Sam Ehlinger. I just don’t know how you project a future here?
How do you ignore what Xavier Watts is doing? Guys comes away with a turnover literally every single time I watch him. It’s remarkable. This isn’t just luck. That guy is good, good. This guy is everywhere. Tackles. Plays all over the field including close to the line of scrimmage. If he gets his hands on it, he’s catching it. Tackles. Yes, Tackles. Something to be said for constantly being around the ball.
Let me just say this. There are just guys I gotta have on my team. The more I watch, the more I gotta have him. He’s an easy turn the card in for. Complete safety with plus balls skills.
Indiana has been good at stopping the run against the cruddy teams they have played against. Jeremiyah Love torched them. House call on his first carry with a 98-yard run. Pleasant surprise actually because I knew he could run. Had a track background. But he’s really starting to come alive. Speed, power, he’s got it. Had a sick stiff arm too.
He’s gotten bigger and stronger since being there. Catches the ball too. Had his workload cut because of a lingering knee issue and still played like a monster. Finished the game with 108 yards on eight carries and this score. This time next year, he’s going to be regarded as one of the best backs in the 2026 class.
Mitchell Evans is not good. Horrible fumble in the first quarter. Luckily, his own teammate recovered. He’s not a natural pass catcher. No way. Gets hit with a stupid penalty later in the drive. Two catches for 17 yards. He looks worse than Kmet and Mayer, and I didn’t like either of those two coming out. I wouldn’t pick Evans if he was sitting there in the 7th round.
Beaux Collins was supposed to be a thing after coming over from Clemson. He was supposed to be the big Chase Claypool for Notre Dame this year. He’s bad. Even worse than Claypool was in college. Can’t get open. Even when he does hands aren’t good enough.
The lacrosse guy is better than him. Had a nice kick return too. Can do some things once the ball is in his hands. Hands don’t look bad either. Jordan Faison led the team with seven receptions for 89 yards. Without him, this passing attack would have looked broken.
Rylie Mills, their leader in sacks coming into the game (older guy), got hurt in this one grabbing his knee. Team captain and was damn good in the game up until that point. They couldn’t really block him. Had a sack and TFL in this one. Unfortunately, we’ve seen the last of him as a knee injury has ruled him out for the rest of the tournament. It remains unclear what’s wrong with him but hopefully that means he can still workout when that time comes in March.
This freshman number 30 holy hell. You just keep watching and saying who the hell is number 30 in a good way. This Bryce Young is going to be something special in the coming years. Keep his name stored for another day.
SMU
Kevin Jennings is legit. Don’t forget I was screaming this in Week 0 but nobody wanted to listen. It’s about the growth he’s going to take next year. When I say legit, he has real NFL starting upside. This Penn State defense was legit and you can tell it hit him like a truck. Which is understandable because he hasn’t faced this level of comp all year. The pick six he threw in the first quarter was awful. The second pick six was just as bad. There was a third pick right by the end zone too.
You the viewer have to understand what you’re watching. Jennings might be better than Allar. His supporting roster is just a shell of what Penn State has. The speed of the game was too fast for him. Bodies start coming at him, eye level comes down, bad things happen. That’s what’s going on. His roster was outgunned and he couldn’t adjust to the speed of the game. Being on the road in that cold weather was a death sentence too. We’ll see how he rebounds next year.
Penn State
The biggest problem with Drew Allar remains the fact that he’s instinctively slow. Starts right away on the first third down of the game. I’m screaming at the TV. Can’t make a decision. Can run for the first down. Can check it down for a first down. Does neither panics and dirts a ball. By the way, that’s the biggest problem DJ U had. Sometimes that light bulb never comes alive. Had a 4th down opportunity that was asanine and should have been a FG attempt. Looks totally lost and checks it down with no prayer to convert. He lacks touch too. Isn’t adding nuance to throws and throwing guys open.
13/22 for 127 yards just isn’t good enough. If you swapped quarterbacks, the score would have been about the same. Penn State didn’t win this game because of Allar. His YPC stuff on his QB runs is awful too. His best game was the Oregon game. This game he reverted back to looking like the Monstars zapped his power. It’s already been announced he’s going back to school. It’s the right call but at some point, he’s gotta start taking strides forward.
AJ Harris > Jalen Kimber. Kimber got hit with a bad PI right away. Doesn’t look like nearly as good of an athlete as Harris.
Might want to keep an eye on this other tight end Khalil Dinkins. Redshirt junior is a bit of an unsung hero. Guy blocks his tail off and lets Tyler Warren do what he does. Appeared more in the passing game in this one. When Warren leaves for the draft, they have someone capable behind him.
Nick Singleton is a stud. The run game sealed the win here. 14 carries for 90 yards and a score. for Singelton. Kayton Allen went for 70 yards on 11 carries scoring two touchdowns. Not sure we learned a ton that I haven’t already talked about in the past. Both averaged 6.4 yards per carry.
It’s a matter of if Singleton is going to be what Barkley is an the NFL level. Allen will be a plus power back for someone. I can’t imagine Singleton is rated lower than third on my RB list.
They couldn’t block Abdul Carter. Guy is a problem, which we knew already. Had a sack and TFL in this one. He’s a top 10 pick and it’s not disuputable. I don’t want to go crazy with the comps but he really does look like a Micah Parsons clone. It’s crazy how similar they look. He wasn’t alone on this Penn State defense. Thought Kobe King and Dani Dennis-Sutton had good games too.
Clemson
Cade Klubnik is starting to take steps forward. He’s from Austin so you had a feeling he would come up firing in a homecoming of sorts. He played against Quinn Ewers in high school so you knew he had something to prove here if you pay attention.
26/43 for 336 yards, three touchdowns, and a pick against this defense is a quality performance. He’s taken strides as a passer. Underrated foot speed too, which we seen plenty of over the last few weeks. Arm strength is more than fine. 6-foot-2, no worries about the size. He’s starting to play himself into conversations for next year. We’ll leave it at that.
SMU should send Phil Mafah a gift basket because he stinks. We do realize that SMU is in the playoff because Mafah stinks, right? Mafah couldn’t close the game in the ACC Title game and let the ponies back into it. That’s why that clown team made the final 12. Mafah leaves the game right away because he’s a bum. Immediately gets exposed because a wide receiver playing out of position looks way better right away. Two carries for nine yards and it was to the point where wide receivers were outplaying him. Guy should be sent in a cannon and fired into the sun for being a bum and total waste of time.
I love this Peter Woods. He’s an absolute tank in the middle of the front. Screw whatever the stats say. Peter Woods was wrecking the game. TJ Parker was in witness protection.
Two things can be true. Avieon Terrell looks better than his brother but is also incredibly flawed. Had two nice pass breakups but was picked on a bunch.
RJ Mickens was a standout. Had an interceptions, TFL, and pass breakup in this one. He stood out in a big way.
Texas
Thought Greg McElroy said the smartest thing he ever said. Stop trying to make fetch happen. Quinn Ewers is not the problem with Texas. In the intermediate part of the field, Ewers connects and makes things happen. The pick on Ewers in the first half was not on him. Horrible drop bounced right into the Clemson DB.
Finished the game with an 87.4 QBR. 8.4 yards per attempt and a touchdown. A lot of the hate is irrational and misguided. The guy can play. Did everything necessary to win the game. Not sure how much we learned here. Was in cruise control the whole game.
Quintrevion Wisner has leapfrogged Jaydon Blue. Just a way better pure runner. Way more power. Blue doesn’t suck. You get him in the open field and he can go make plays. Just a nickel runner. His touchdown around the corner was nice to see. Big time fumble problems this year but I think we know what he is at this point.
Both had big games that sealed the win. Blue went for 14 carries for 146 yards and two scores. Wisner had 110 yards and two scores on 15 carries. Blue might have him beat in the pure speed category. The 77 yard home run ball, he scooted around that corner pretty fast. Both guys are draftable in the late round category. Just know what you’re signing up for. When I say that, you better recognize how good this O Line group is for Texas. Not just going to be one or two picked from that group. It might be seven.
Freshy Wingo will be a player to watch in the coming years. He’s talented, can run, and hard to bring down.
Ethan Burke is a damn good player. No idea why he doesn’t get more love. Had a sack and 1.5 TFLs in. this one. Sure feels like a piece on the D Line every team should want.
This Colin Simmons is a freak. Just a freshman but holy hell. Another guy where you’re constantly like, who the hell is that? Pops off the screen in an undeniable way. Coming away with this sick pick. Not draft eligible but he’s going to be a blue chip player along the D line. Him and Anthony Hill are no doubter NFL guys who every team will want when that time comes.
This Gunnar Helm keeps taking strides forward. Is more and more of a passing game threat every time you see him. Always been long and lanky but now he’s getting better and consistently making plays. Big touchdown right before the half. Big body with long catch radius. He’s a real threat at tight end. It’s not a matter of if he’s going to be picked. It’s now a matter of for the 2025 NFL Draft, how many are going ahead of him? I’m not sure he’s too far off from Ja’Tavion Sanders from last year the way this puppy is trending.
By the way, Isaiah Bond didn’t play in this one. Did anybody even notice? In terms of the 2025 NFL Draft, I literally don’t care. Screw that guy. You can have him. Silas Bolden is better than him. Stop pretending you’re taking this guy in the first round. It’s laughable.
Tennessee
This James Pearce has some freaky qualities to him. No question athletically he belongs. In terms of run and chase, he’s what you want. Can line this guy up all over the field. Super high pressure rate all year. He belongs. No problems with his skillset.
Two major injuries for Tennessee in this one. Hard to overcome. Dylan Sampson basically didn’t play and he was the leading rusher in the SEC. Hard to win when you don’t have the most functional piece of the offense you have relied on all year. Squirrel White left the game too injuring his knee on a nice reception he had. The Tennessee tackles are much better in run block compared to pass block too and it showed.
I was underwhelmed by Chris Brazzell too. They funneled him a bunch of looks. Couldn’t get anything going. I’m not totally sure what his problem is yet. One catch for eight yards. Was a total non-factor. It looks like he can run but he has zero polish. 6-foot-5 lump of clay who has some zip in the lower half that needs to keep getting better.
Jermod McCoy is the best corner the Vols have. The only problem is they don’t have much behind him. This is what really lost them the game. Couldn’t have anybody cover the horses Ohio State has at receiver. One of the many turning points in this game.
Floor is Lava has lots of work to do in terms of improving as a passer. He’s certainly got a chance to be historically great. It’s on him now to put in the work to take the strides necessary. Not eligible for the 2025 NFL Draft. Need to see major strides if he wants to be in the 2026 class too.
Ohio State
Just on the whole, thought Ohio State looked fresh and ready to go. This was an A game we got to see.
Will Howard has one 300 yard passing season all year. The guy is a fraud. Now he has two because he did what he’s needed to do all season long in this one. His guys were wide open and he finally just executed simple throws. Jermemiah Smith is a big problem and couldn’t get covered. Emeka Egbuka did a great job in the underneath game. Ohio State is the best team in the country. When Howard simply executes, this team is going to win the National Title. The guy we saw against Michigan, he doesn’t belong to start for a high school team.
This Tennessee front is real and the Ohio State offensive line is really beat up. Should tell you a lot because these running backs showed up in a big way.
We use the term juice a lot when it comes to running backs. TreVeyon Henderson just has it. You can’t totally describe it. It’s that extra step of wow when he hits his stride. That dude isn’t just an NFL player. It’s a matter of if he’s the best back in the class. This dude is special. Seems to raise his level of play in these type of games too. Shook like three dudes out of their shoes on one of his receptions too. Never has had issues catching the ball.
10 carries for 80 yards and two touchdowns. Also added 54 yards in the passing game. It’s like watching JK Dobbins except with more speed and more passing down ability. Really special player. It’s a matter of if he’s the best back in the draft and the answer to that might be a resounding yes.
Quinshon Judkins also had two touchdowns. 3.4 yards per carry of meh but he did enough to punch home the touchdowns. I’ve been leaning this way for a while but it’s time to declare it now. It’s Henderson > Judkins. Not that the gap is crazy but it’s a gap when it comes to the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Ohio State edge guys wrecked the game. They looked fresh too from that time off. Something I’ve stated in the past. If you really watched them, those guys were playing too many snaps. Looked fresh and ready to go. JTT and Sawyer. Both very good players. JTT more on the explosive side but I got no problem turning the card in for either.
Tuimoloau wrecked the game. May have been his best game of the year. Two sacks, forced a fumble, 2.5 TFLS, and a pass break up. Sawyer was right behind him as a great tag team partner. When I say wreck the game, I mean wreck the game. We saw superstar level stuff in this one. If you don’t get JTT after this one, you’re never going to see the light.
This play didn’t count because of a BS roughing the passer call but Davison Igbinosun totally humiliated Bru McCoy on a 50-50 ball. He’s been handsy all year but he can make plays and intercept passes. McCoy just doesn’t create enough separation. He can cover guys like that no problem. The Ohio State secondary won the matchup over these Tennessee wide outs.
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Trey Daubert
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