Under Maintenance
We deeply apologize for interrupting your reading but Vendetta is currently undergoing some important maintenance! You may experience some layout shifts, slow loading times and dififculties in navigating.
Sports Media
2025 NFL Draft Stock Report: Week 8
2025 NFL Draft Stock Report: Week 8
What a week it was. Week 8 had it all. Top-tier SEC matchups on display and everything else you would want in between. If you want apple picking this weekend, I pity the fool. Luckily for you, if you’re looking for 2025 NFL Draft notes, you came to the right place.
For those who question my acumen when it comes to this stuff… I’d like to enter exhibit A into evidence…
My eyes work. I ask you the fan to evaluate the evaluator. You will not find better NFL Draft notes on the internet. With that said, let’s get to the slate!
The slate for Week 8 includes – Oregon vs. Purdue, Oklahoma State vs. BYU, Miami vs. Louisville, Nebraska vs. Indiana, Alabama vs. Tennessee, Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech, Colorado vs. Arizona, LSU vs. Arkansas, Georgia vs. Texas, and UCF vs. Iowa State.
Oregon
This was a walk in the park game for Oregon. Purdue stinks and there’s no doubt about it. The Boilermakers are now 1-6 after getting shut out 35-0. Just not sure how much we really learned here about the Ducks. Then again, maybe that’s the wrong take given that they’re coming off the Ohio State game and traveling a ton of miles to play another game Friday.
Dillon Gabriel was good again for the most part. Brutal pick before the half but it never was close to mattering. Was efficient again (21/25 for 290 passing yards and two touchdowns). Physically looked the same as he’s been. Runs better than you think. Not a rocket arm but completes those splash plays down the field. He looks like a shorter Baker Mayfield with less arm power but more raw athleticism. I don’t know how others feel but to say he can’t play is wrong.
Just 10 carries for Jordan James but the game was out of hand. Looked good again scoring two touchdowns while averaging 5.0 yards per carry. That wasn’t really the storyline. Backup Noah Whittington might be something too. He’s been in the mix getting some reps but this one he showed a bit more. Nine carries for 42 yards but had four receptions in the passing game including this impressive touchdown. Wouldn’t say he looks anywhere close to as good as Bucky Irving or James but it may be time to move him onto the radar.
Same thing goes for the receiving game. Evan Stewart and Tez Johnson were rockstars again. Stewart went for four and 96. Johnson went for seven and 66 with a score. Blah, blah, blah. Who cares it’s Purdue? Ferguson the tight end was hurt and missed the game. Did anybody see underclassman Kenyon Sadiq running around out there? I don’t know what that was but I can’t believe that thing is a tight end… in a good way.
Purdue
Purdue has another Karlaftis on the team for anyone who cares. Yanni is a linebacker and led his team in tackles in this one. He looks alright and probably will just go back to school next year. I don’t really know how else to compliment this team after that garbage game.
Oklahoma State
This was by far the best game of the year for Ollie Gordon. He was averaging 3.8 yards per carry prior to the BYU contest. Against BYU, he averaged 6.7 yards per carry and looked like the guy we saw last year. Had three scores including a long 50 yards house call and a nice score through the air.
This game was also a bit of a mess on the injury front. Gordon clearly got nicked up in this one. Had to check out of the game several times. Alan Bowman got benched but new starter Garret Rangal got hurt so he had to get reinserted into the lineup. Both teams kept trading turns on who could throw the most horrific interceptions.
I was impressed with Gordon. I saw shades of Derrick Henry. Woah, woah, woah… he’s not Derrick Henry. I’m not saying there. He’s not close to as freaky. But he has some of those elements. Better when he can build up a full head of steam. More athletic and runs faster than you think for his size (6-foot-2, 225). Has a nice stiff arm move and isn’t fun to tackle. He’s definitely eased some of my concerns. He should be better than Chuba Hubbard. Just not sure by how much yet.
BYU
Good for BYU. I don’t think this team is any good yet remain undefeated. I guess Caleb Etienne was happy to get his revenge game in. He just might be a draftable offensive lineman. How many NFL dudes does this team really have? Maybe a few on defense but that’s about it.
Miami
Cam Ward keeps confirming everything you have seen all year. He’s the most talented thrower of the football in the country. Yeah, I said it. He keeps showing the same thing. Eye-level down the field. Constantly on the balls of his feet and moving around looking to make the second play off script. Off-platform, multiple arm angles, and plenty of swag. He gets too risky sometimes by rolling right and rolling left he’s in control the whole time.
How else do you even describe it? You blink and look away from the TV for a half second and they’re already halfway down the field. Guy is a total playmaker and picks up chunk plays constantly. The thing I’ll say on Ward is that guy is in shotgun the whole time. Can he do this in a pro-style setting under center? Maybe a stupid question but we don’t really ever get to see it.
I know what you’re thinking. Who cares if they drop a 50 burger? It’s Lousiville! Louisville is a legitimate team that beat Notre Dame last year. No, it’s no SEC caliber but they’re legitimate. This isn’t just a cupcake game and Miami would have lost the game if Ward didn’t carry them.
He did what he’s done all year. 319 passing yards averaging 10 yards per pass. 4 TD to 0 INT ratio in this one. Picked up key first downs with his legs too. He’s just in total command and out of anyone in college football, I trust him to lead a game winning drive over anyone else. What Ward continues to thrive at is making the second play in chaos. He’s better at it than everyone else given what he can do off-platform with odd arm angles. If I’m picking first, I’m turning the card in here.
Xavier Restrepo keeps growing on me. Just oozes dependability. No, he’s not a burner. But he’s gritty, tough, and you trust him to catch the ball. This long ball in the third quarter, you can just see the suddenness to him. Again, he’s not going to kill the 40 but this is a good football player in every sense of the word. A few weeks ago I saw him as this year’s Ricky Pearsall. The more I see, the more I think Restrepo is just going to be even better than that. He’s not going to run as fast as Ladd McConkey but I think he just might be able to carve out that same type of role at the NFL level being a high-functioning slot guy. Seven grabs for 101 yards and a score in this one. Mr. Reliable.
Samuel Brown has been up and down all year. I’m sure you can easily find notes from this year where I don’t have kind things to say. Well, Brown was great in this one. Three catches for 125 yards and a score. Guy made big plays. Maybe this isn’t accurate but he just feels so inconsistent to me and he’s an older guy that’s been around forever.
This is how I would rank the Miami targets: Restrepo, Arroyo the tight end, Horton, George, Brown.
I think we have a good idea of who Damien Martinez is now. By the way, Mark Fletcher is the starter now. But It’s not all bad news here. He’s a complimentary power back. It is what it is but he’s really good at that thing. This run in the third quarter just carrying guys between the tackles on a power run is the epitome of what Martinez can bring to the table. The Steven Jackson comp that I thought was the case before is just wrong though.
Speaking of Fletcher, he had a costly fumble in this game. For the most part he played well. It also unleashed Martinez into giving us the best version of himself. This is a one-two punch that can work long term. With Martinez sticking to that power role, he looked incredible.
But also, the best running back in this game is probably the freshy Isaac Brown for the other team. With the maybe Chinese Farmer exception of soon-to-be Chris Johnson?
Louisville
Ja’Corey Brooks, the transfer from Bama, just hasn’t shown he has that alpha in him. Too many mental errors. Brutal drop in the first quarter to stall a drive. I’m not sure how good he is. There is some height, weight, speed, elements to him but that lightbulb moment where he puts it all together… I don’t see that yet. This might be stupid to say but he reminds me of Frederick Hawkins, this made up player I recruited for the ECU series I’m doing (please go support that). Big physical target with some upside but does he ever take over the game? Is there ever a moment where you’re like… wow this is a WR1. For me it’s a no. Is he draftable? That’s a different question and that answer is probably yes. Was fairly impressive in this points galore game (Six receptions for 107 yards and two scores).
Tyler Shough has talent. He always has had talent. Staying healthy has been a huge problem for him. By the way, has arm talent. Made a couple throws to the opposite sideline with more than enough juice on the ball. Has size on his side. He sort of looks like Justin Herbert except broken in the lower half so he will never be as good. We saw what happened. He played great but got into a shootout with the Heisman favorite and eventually ran out of gas and the limited mobility didn’t help. He looks like a better version of Carson Strong but probably won’t make it for the same reasons Strong didn’t. Worth a flier as a backup though.
Nebraska
They got smoked sheesh. What do you even say in a game like this? This wasn’t a one or two player issue. This was a whooping in every sense of the word. There really isn’t much I can say when you get beat this bad.
Players I’m still in on with this team (Isaiah Neyor, Tommi Hill, Ty Robinson). All three should still be on your radar.
Indiana
Umm… what about Kurtis Rourke? That was something, wasn’t it? Rourke is a player we have been tracking since he was playing for Ohio. He got hurt right out of the gates last year but looks back in a big way with his new home. Before we even dive into things, it’s worth noting that this Nebraska defense is legit. Shedeur Sanders had his worst game of the year against this unit.
It also looked like Rourke nicked up his thumb and he still balled out. Again, this is a Big 10 game. These games are defensive minded all the time in this conference (or used to be without the added west coast teams). Not overly mobile but he’s big and can make the throws needed to move the chains.
We have to also talk about the coaching job being done here. Coach Cig might be the next Kalen DeBoer. To do what he’s doing in year one of the job is truly remarkable. When people tell you who they are, believe them. We’ve seen the track record of Matt Rhule. His program has a defined timeline how long it takes to rebuild and what he does tends to work if you’re patient. Temple and Baylor both would take the Rhule era over what they have going right now. Coach Cig made James Madison legit. He’s got a QB background but he’s built a program. With Rourke perspective in mind, it’s hard to know much he’s truly helping. You don’t win – because one quarterback is way better than the other. Dylan Raioloa is young but I’m not buying there’s a significant gap because one is older.
By the way, Indiana might have two quarterbacks. Rourke came out of the game with that hand injury in the third quarter with the game well in hand. He’s going to be out an extended period of time. Tennessee transfer Tayven Jackson replaced him and looked damn good when his number was called. Will be a good chance to see what he’s made of when taking over this undefeated team.
Elijah Sarratt had three receptions for 65 yards and a score. The last name should give PTSD to some and Trey was on the money the last time this conversation came up. From what I gather, he’s not related to those other bums. Sarratt was with Coach Cig at James Madison. One of those big body guys that may be worth digging into. Probably nothing but better be safe than sorry so we’ll dig in more the coming weeks.
Alabama
For as unique and talented as Jalen Milroe is, the guy is such a mess. Had another brutal pick that was a terrible decision at the start of the game in the red area. His pure accuracy still stinks. Blew another drive in the second where they were in field goal range. Delay of game and intentional grounding followed.
Forget everything for a second. There is one big question with Milroe and we got our answer. Drop back pass game. I need you to lead the team through the air to make a comeback. Can you do it?
The answer has always been no with Lamar Jackson. It also looks like a no for Milroe. The last four drives of the game, Bama had three total yards. That’s while trailing and needing Milroe to step up in the passing game to make a comeback. That’s while playing for Kalen DeBoer, who fixed a trashy Michael Penix Jr. This Tennessee defense is good but it also represents the most accurate portrayal of what the NFL will be like, except at an even higher level. What’s also clear is that even from a prospect talent level, he was the second best QB on the field.
The eye level just isn’t good enough. Ask him to throw 45 times and you get 5.3 yards per attempt. First read isn’t there he’s looking to take off and run. I’m not trying to kill the guy but we need to be realistic about the range we’re looking at. His decision making and intermediate passing game has never been good enough. Yes, he can get better but right now he’s far from a finished product. The problem is that’s what people said about Anthony Richardson. Sometimes the freaky guys just don’t turn the corner. Still waiting for Travon Walker to do that with the Jaguars. The problem is he’s not nearly as big as Richardson either and both are a mess.
Alabama doesn’t run the ball enough but Jam Miller is still far off from those past guys who have been drafted. It’s just more meh over and over. 12 carries for 42 yards. Justice Haynes is more talented but he hasn’t looked much better. If Bama actually got the ground game going, it would spark Milroe more, which only epitomizes what I’ve been trying to talk about. Better do what the Ravens did signing Derrick Henry for Lamar. Milroe did have 14 carries but he only had 11 rushing yards. They keyed in on that area well.
Keon Sabb is clearly hurt. Started the season off like a fire cracker. Hasn’t been nearly as impactful in recent weeks. Maybe we know why. Looks like he’s gutting it out when on the field. Just something to note.
Deontae Lawson just keeps being the MVP of this group. Bama has been gashed in three straight weeks but he continues to be the grown up in the room with Jihaad Campbell as a nice Bowser Jr. Lawson led the team in tackles again and had a sack and TFL along with it.
Tennessee
Can we get floor is lava to spend time with Tua this offseason. If he gets the Tua put the ball in a spot accuracy stuff to his game, that’s a franchise guy. I’m done talking about him now because that’s a years away convo.
Dylan Sampson lost his first career fumble during the first drive of the game for the Vols. He’s been good all year and it’s his first one ever so I don’t want to kill the guy for it. He’s the reason why Tennessee won the game. Sampson did what the Bama backs didn’t. 26 carries for 139 yards and two scores. At some point, it’s not a fluke. He leads the SEC in rushing and looks like a complete back. It’s time to take him very seriously and the debate of Jaylen Wright is way dead.
Would be a shame if Squirrel White is just one of these small receivers that turns into nothing. Jalin Hyatt was interesting once upon a time. Should have had a deep ball in the third quarterback that was right in his hands but couldn’t convert. Goes down on the same play injuring his shoulder.
Bru McCoy just looks like Cedric Tillman. Tennessee has some crazy depth at WR and all of whom look more explosive. Maybe less dependable. McCoy has a Lazard feel to him where if it’s in a spot he can make the play but we’re clearly looking at late round depth piece here.
James Pearce is a yes from me. I wasn’t positive the hype was real before the season. I am now. I’ve seen plenty. Dude is long and wrecks the game. Think he can do multiple things do. Not sure about this part yet but think he’s a 3-4 outside linebacker. Just pops off the screen. The gap between good and great is often the hardest to know but it’s obvious that he’s a dude. No questions about that.
Notre Dame
Riley Leonard is vomit-worthy. He can’t move the ball unless the running back does for him or he turns into a literal running back. I think the Daniel Jones thing is real minus the fact that Jones is a better passer. Maybe he’s a better runner but it’s crazy how it’s the only way he can gain yardage as a QB.
Two rushing touchdowns for Leonard. Zero passing touchdowns and an interception. It’s who he is. I just don’t know how we can take him seriously if this is going to be the continued formula, and there are no signs it’s going to change.
Notre Dame lost Benjamin Morrison, but thank god they have Xavier Watts. The rate at which this guy continues to make plays on the ball is staggering. Watts remains a huge favorite of mine, which has been the case since he picked off Caleb Williams 60 times in that one game in college.
Georgia Tech
Haynes King got ruled out late in this one and it was the only thing I could think about. Think the game is way more competitive if King plays in the game. Georgia Tech just got to a point where they ran out of gas and couldn’t move the ball anymore. Once that happened, Notre Dame took over. It is what it is.
Colorado
Shedeur is damn good and once again it’s another Colorado game where the QB play on the opposition is staggeringly worse. Haters can say whatever they want but you can’t deny it. Shedeur had a 81.2 QBR. Fifita had a 30.9 QBR. I’d argue Arizona is the more talented team too. They certainly have the best overall receiver in the game and a more complete offensive line. QB play wins the game again for Colorado.
Travis Hunter clearly wasn’t 100 percent, but we don’t need to see anything else at this point. We know what Ohtani can do.
Dallan Hayden has clearly been passed on the depth chart but Isaiah Augustave. It’s such a shame as I had high hopes for the Ohio State transfer. I promise I’ll leave it alone now unless I’m given a reason not to.
Maybe just maybe we have been underrating the rest of the WR room at Colorado. We sure this LaJohntay Wester isn’t something? 8 receptions for 127 yards and a score. He’s only 167 but if everyone wants to blow Tank Dell, why can’t he be something similar? He saved the game against Baylor and balled out in this one too.
Arizona
I admitted was flipping back and forth and kinda tuned this game out once it was clear Colorado was going to win. It was pretty clear five minutes in the Buffs had this game. Fifita is just not it. Not it at all. What really should be dug into is what happened with Tetairoa McMillan. It never looked like Colorado purely shadowed Travis Hunter over him. Five receptions for 38 yards in what was his quietest game of the season. If Deion Sanders is going to be smart in any area, it’s as a secondary guy. My opinion on McMillan hasn’t changed. He’s WR1 but this is a game you may want to examine closely for why he was so held in check. He’s too big and too quick to not make it. His QB play holds him back too.
LSU
This was such a measuring stick game for LSU. Fresh off a clutch win over Ole Miss. Arkansas was fresh and ready to go too coming off a bye. Don’t think Garrett Nussmeier was necessarily great in this one but made enough plays to win. There was a stark difference in the ground game, which I’ll get to in a bit.
This right here is really what I want to talk about for LSU. Umm… what if they play better defense without Harold Perkins? It sure looks like that, doesn’t it? They look a hell of a lot more organized. It’s also something I talked about when Perkins was on the field. Enough of this nonsense of moving him around and convincing yourself he’s a stand up linebacker. Instead of trying to make Perkins good, LSU has decided they’re going to make the defense good. 10 points allowed to Arkansas and an easy win on the road speaks volumes. Now we’re going to find out how real that is if this keeps up the rest of the season.
Arkansas
Ja’Quinden Jackson has nothing left to give. Dude has been a hammer all year long and cleary his body is breaking down. Five carries for 26 yards and left the game early. His numbers have been trending down since the hot start and it’s obvious that he’s taken too many hits. If the Hammer is done, the Hogs are probably done.
Xavian Sorey continues to get the thumbs up emoji. He can play for me.
Georgia
Is Carson Beck just a Mac Jones impersonator? I’m not comparing the two because they are two totally different players. Beck can run better and he throws a much better ball. It’s more of relying on the team to carry you rather than being an air craft carrier player. That was Mac Jones at Alabama. It’s starting to look like Beck at Georgia.
I’m not quitting my Beck stock. I’m still very much a believer. We also can’t ignore what’s happening. 4.3 yards per attempt, 175 yards, three picks. The run game and the Georgia front won this game. Not Beck.
It wasn’t all bad. Beck still has elements that you love. Big, can make big throws, and has an innate sense of converting third downs.
The bad… I just can’t stop thinking about Brock Bowers. They clearly miss him. Oscar Delp hasn’t come close to replacing him. They’ve tried multiple tight ends and even the trio hasn’t come close to replacing him. Beck has eight picks now and only had six last year. Why is that? Bowers and McConkey bail out specials aren’t on the menu anymore. Makes life harder.
This play ^ right here sums it up best. This ball is off-target and Beck was off-target plenty in this one. Last year, Bowers just makes this play. This year his guy can’t make the play and it’s a turnover the other way. That’s the truth.
Daylen Everette with a horrible pass interference covering freshy Wingo. He gets beat frequently. Played early in his career but just seemed like he’s the picked on guy when other guys were ahead of him on the depth chart. Supposed to be the number one but doesn’t have the feel like their past top corners. As soon as I type all of that out, here comes the explosion.
Strip sack fumble on a great corner blitz call by Kirby. Later comes up with a pick. It was a sexy zone drop where he makes the play on the ball. He’s always been intriguing based on his measurables but this one the lightbulb moment came out. He’s a huge winner in this one and emerged as the number one corner this team needs to rally behind.
Trevor Etienne was a big reason why the Dawgs won this game. The run game was a huge difference in this game. Texas has suffered multiple running back injuries and they just didn’t have a back that did what Etienne provided. Texas had 27 carries for 29 yards. That’s a real stat.
Etienne had 19 carries for 87 yards and three scores. Don’t care what anybody says. He’s way better than Travis. Thicker body with the same elusiveness and more effective as a pure runner. Harder to bring down and sharp cuts. Genuinely thought he played great and got the job done on those short-yardage pound it runs.
Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams were the other primary story that needs to be talked about. Williams was viewed as a monster before the season. It may be time to include Walker in that conversation. I’ve been trying to hint this was the case in the previous weeks, but we’re seeing more and more of it.
Walker is a menace. 6-foot-2, 245, and can be lined up everywhere. We saw him drop into coverage. We saw him run and chase. Excellent rushing the passer. Three sacks in this one. Led the tack in tackles. Looks physically strong and holds up in the run game. As a nickel rusher, this dude will be a problem.
Kelvin Banks is the best left tackle in the draft. Mykel Williams ate him for lunch. Two sacks and really won the matchup. 6-foot-5, 265, and going to be the perfect three tech for any defense. This is just one where you can sleep at night well turning the card in here. Is anyone doubting this player at this point? Stud and easy to see.
Texas
As I said in the Georgia section, the Texas ground game needs work. Jaydon Blue is now a passing down back. They’ve given up trying to even run him between the tackles. Zero carries / seven receptions. How much value does he have if that’s the case? By the way, looks good in his role but how excited are we about it?
Quinn Ewers… same thing as the Beck conversation but a bit different. Clearly he wasn’t the entire problem. Arch Manning got a chance to see what he could do and he averaged 3.2 yards per attempt and couldn’t move the ball either. With Ewers, his lower half remains the biggest concern. But I think there is an add on here we have to now factor in.
Arm talent is obvious. He can make throws. No question. Still wasn’t a good performance with 4.9 yards per attempt, two touchdowns, one pick. I’m more worried about how skittish he looks. He’s been hurt a lot and it looks like it’s in his head. When he doesn’t set the feet, he just doesn’t perform the same. In this one, he was all over the place. Now it’s also starting to look like he’s losing some juice as a runner and couldn’t make any plays in that area. I wouldn’t sell my stock here but the skittishness and the ball security (add in the fumbles) is alarming. Playing Georgia is hard so let’s not kill the guy. Still very much a legitimate QB prospect, but we need better and fast.
Gunnar Helm keeps making these high point crazy catches. 6-foot-5 tight end and moves well. Starting to make a name for himself. Converted three receptions for 77 yards in this one.
Bit disappointed Isaiah Bond didn’t have a better showing. Just 11 yards but did score. That dude is Xavier Worthy fast. That might be a tad of a stretch but he hasn’t been nearly as impactful as a former Bama transfer. Freshy Wingo looks like the best target. Matthew Golden might be something too and had a nice kick return.
I could nit pick at this defense. I think it’s a good defense. How many NFL guys? I’d say a good handful and maybe more. Anthony Hill for 2026 is a YES. Andrew Mukuba has been a huge help and had a pick in this one.
Quick Hitters:
UCF
Stick a fork in KJ Jefferson. It’s the Jaccuri Brown show now (who played like trash but that’s a story for another day). Another heroic effort from RJ Harvey that went to waste (25 carries for 196 yards and two scores). The fact that Jefferson is now riding the pine for Brown… stick a fork in that clown.
Iowa State
Rocco Becht has balls of steel. He did the same thing against Iowa. This is a guy who could have transferred out for a better situation. Nope… he’s doing things like this. It can’t be ignored. Balls of steel!
Trey Daubert
View Posts from this author
Subscribe
Login
0 Comments
Most Voted
Popular Past Stories
recommended stories
Paul Goldschmidt signs one-year deal with Yankees
Paul Goldschmidt signs one-year deal with Yankees Free agent first baseman Paul Goldschmidt has signed a one-year, $12.5 million deal…
USC DL Bear Alexander Transfers To Oregon
USC DL Bear Alexander Transfers To Oregon How anyone would willingly go out and try and recruit defensive lineman Bear…
2025 NFL Draft Stock Report: Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
2025 NFL Draft Stock Report: Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl Hi. Trey here. I hope you have been enjoying the…
Report: Teams are ‘hesitant’ to give Pete Alonso long-term deal
Report: Teams are ‘hesitant’ to give Pete Alonso long-term deal As we enter the penultimate weekend in December, one of…