The new College Football Playoff format is underway and that means a new way to prepare for the 2025 NFL draft.
For many New Orleans Saints fans, the draft is already the first thing on the mind. Watching top prospects battle it out in a high-pressure situation against other top talent will be a new opportunity.
The first game taking place on Saturday is the SMU Mustangs traveling to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions. There are plenty of players to watch in this one at every level of the draft.
When taking a look at the first round talent in the game, one player sticks out. Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter is someone that gets paired with the Saints in a lot of mock drafts.
Carter was an off-ball linebacker before this past season, but moved to the line with great success. He has 10 sacks already this year and could provide a much-needed boost to that spot of the field for New Orleans.
The top Day 2 prospect to watch would be another Penn State defensive end, this time Dani Dennis-Sutton. Sutton is much more of a traditional end, especially for what the Saints usually gravitate towards.
He is much bigger, but might be too limited as a pass rusher to make a lot of sense for New Orleans. He has flashes, though, and a good playoff performance could go a long way in making teams drool over him.
Closing out the list with a Day 3 prospect, Mustangs offensive weapon Brashard Smith could make sense for the Saints next year.
Smith was a wide receiver for the first three seasons to little success. He expanded his role during this campaign for SMU and the results were much better. In the NFL, he could be moved around both spots and has the athletic ceiling to be dangerous if used correctly.
He had 1,573 yards from scrimmage this year with 18 touchdowns.
How to Watch
This matchup is surprisingly not being broadcast by the usual suspects at ESPN. Instead, it will be aired on TNT on TV and will be available to stream from Sling and Max.
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