College football is back! It’s not in full force yet, but there are a few college games in what is deemed Week 0 kicking off.
For those of us in the NFL Draft world, that means it’s time to start scouting the new season of potential 2025 draft prospects. And there will be some in action on Saturday, August 24th.
Most of them will be in Dublin, Ireland for the ACC matchup between the Florida State Seminoles and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Florida State lost a ton of talent to the 2024 NFL Draft, but the Seminoles still have an impressive 16 players who made the Senior Bowl watchlist.
The two most prominent are defensive linemen Darrell Jackson and Patrick Payton. Jackson is especially intriguing because we didn’t get to see him in 2023 after transferring from Miami. The 330ish-pounder had a lot of impressive game tape at Miami and Maryland before that.
Payton toyed with declaring in 2024 but will now hope to succeed first-rounder Jared Verse and get himself into the first-round conversation for 2025. The 6-foot-5 Payton had seven sacks and 14.5 TFLs in 2023.
Well-traveled QB D.J. Uiagalelei takes over at QB for Florida State with hopes that things will click enough for him to become a viable NFL draft prospect. Others to watch include talented CB Fentrell Cypress and speedy slasher Lawrance Toafili at running back. It’s also the first chance to see Marvin Jones Jr. in a Seminoles uniform, as the son of Florida State’s legendary linebacker has transferred in (from Georgia) as a defensive lineman.
Georgia Tech has five players on the Senior Bowl watchlist and all are linemen. Massive DT Zeek Biggers, all 6-foot-6 and 333 pounds of him, patrols the middle nicely and is the most likely Tech player to get drafted, at least from a preseason perspective. He’ll need to finish plays better. Center Weston Franklin allowed just one sack in 2023 and has barrel;-chested strength inside.
In other games:
Montana State vs. New Mexico
The FCS-level Bobcats are favored on the road in New Mexico by two touchdowns, and it’s a reflection of the relative talent level. Montana State EDGE Brody Grebe is one of three Bobcats on the Senior Bowl watchlist, and he’s got some real pass-rush juice at 250 pounds. Right tackle Marcus Wehr is one of the top FCS prospects for the 2025 draft cycle. Brendan Hall also made the list, and he’s MSU’s punter and kicker.
SMU at Nevada
The Mustangs look to run out of the gate with a talented team that features QB Preston Stone. The dual-threat passer needs a little work on his accuracy, but he’s smart and fearless as both a runner and passer. Slot receiver Jake Bailey is very good after the catch and sure-handed, and he could have a big day against the Wolfpack. Stone and Bailey are two of the nine SMU players who made the Senior Bowl watchlist.