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It’s the most wonderful time of the year for football fans. As the NFL regular season starts to wind down and gears up for the playoffs, the college football playoffs are in full swing and highlight several players who will go on to become highly touted draft prospects in just a few months. Consider that it was in the quarterfinals one year ago that running back Cam Skattebo became part of college football folklore with his performance against Texas. It was also a large stage for the eventual champions, Ohio State, who would have 14 players drafted, including Pittsburgh rookie Jack Sawyer.
These games won’t fully make or break a prospect’s draft stock, but it’s our last chance to view some of these prospects in live game action. With that in mind, here’s a comprehensive breakdown of the players worth keeping an eye on.
Miami vs. Ohio State, Dec. 31
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It should come as no surprise that this game features a boatload of draft prospects. The Buckeyes are a football factory that practically serves as an NFL minor league team at this point. Miami is no slouch either, even if they aren’t as prolific as they were a few generations ago.
Ohio State offense
The big name to watch for the Buckeyes’ offense will be 6’3 wide receiver Carnell Tate. The junior wideout was an overqualified third option a year ago during Ohio State’s national title run, when he chipped in over 50 catches, but it was easy to forget about him with the other talented wide receivers and two NFL-caliber running backs on the roster. This year, he’s still second fiddle to sophomore mega star Jeremiah Smith, but he’s already set career highs in yards (838) and touchdowns (9), and should eclipse his mark for receptions in this game or the next, should Ohio State advance. Tate finds himself in what is likely a four-man race to be the first wideout taken in April, and he gets the benefit of being the only one to appear in the CFB Playoffs — Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson, USC’s Makai Lemon, and Washington’s Denzel Boston are the others in the running.
Much like his former teammate Emeka Egbuka, Tate isn’t likely to blow anyone away with his testing at the NFL Combine, but he’s a smooth route runner with reliable hands who gets open with smarts and technique.
And it doesn’t hurt that he’s converted 85.7% (12-14) of his contested catch opportunities into receptions this season. Egbuka was selected at pick 19 last April. If there is no path for a quarterback for the Steelers, and Tate is on the board, could the Steelers draft a wide receiver in the first round for the first time since selecting fellow Buckeye Santonio Holmes in 2006? They could certainly do worse than Tate.
Another player to keep an eye on is tight end and redshirt junior Max Klare. Klare has another year of eligibility left and could elect to go back to school, but with the Steelers favoring tight ends and yet likely needing to reevaluate how they are spending on the position, it wouldn’t be all too surprising to see them draft one this spring. Klare might be too spendy, as he is likely a second-round pick in my estimation, but that’s a worry for another day. If Ohio State makes another deep playoff run, you can count on Klare having a few highlights in the process.
Ohio State’s riches don’t end at their skill positions, though. While I don’t expect all of them to declare, the Buckeyes have four offensive linemen who could declare for the draft and get selected if they wished: tackle Austin Siereveld (RS SO, possible NFL guard), and interior linemen Luke Montgomery (JR), Tegra Tshabola (RS JR), and Carson Hinzman (RS JR).
Siereveld is the most intriguing to me if he declares.
Miami offense
The Hurricanes don’t have quite as many eligible draft prospects on offense, but they’re headlined by a player who is likely to be a top-15 pick: tackle Francis Mauigoa. As such, the chances of Mauigoa landing with the Black and Gold are slim. But even still, there’s a non-zero chance he lands with a division rival in need of offensive line help, and I like to familiarize myself with what the rest of the AFC North is up to. Cleveland (No. 3 & Jacksonville’s pick), Cincinnati (No. 9), and Baltimore (No. 14) are all holding picks in the range where the Miami tackle could be selected.
If the Steelers put off drafting a receiver until Day 3 — or wish to double dip at the position — C.J. Daniels has some interesting traits to work with. At 6’2 and 205 pounds, he’s got the size to play X-receiver, and he pairs that with solid hands and a willingness to mix it up as a blocker. A sixth-year senior, thanks to Covid eligibility and a redshirt season in 2022, Daniels started his career at Liberty, transferred to LSU in 2024, and then transferred again to Miami for 2025.
This year, Daniels has 37 receptions for 420 yards and seven touchdowns. He also has a strong argument for catch of the year with this grab from the season opener against Notre Dame.
But my favorite play from Daniels might have come just a week ago in the playoffs against Texas A&M. Watch this play as Miami motions him to block through the B-gap and spring the running back for a big gain.
Additionally, tackle Markel Bell and center James Brockermeyer are two other players likely to hear their names called in April, should they declare. Bell, in particular, is an absolutely mammoth of a man at 6’9 and 340 pounds.
Here, Bell (70) is against one of this class’s top pass rushers in Cashius Howell.
Ohio State defense
As if having a handful of future draft picks on the offensive side of the ball wasn’t enough, the true concentration of NFL talent in Columbus all plays on defense.
Off-ball linebacker and safety are not positions we usually discuss as surefire first-round picks, so the fact that both Arvell Reese and Caleb Downs are talked about as potential top-15 picks should tell you just how special they are as prospects.
Reese is listed as a middle linebacker for Ohio State, but that really only tells part of his story. The Buckeyes move him all over the defense formation, and it’s that usage mixed with his freaky athleticism, size (6’4, 243 pounds), and high football IQ that has him drawing comparisons to Micah Parsons in draft circles. Reese has eight sacks and 25 total pressures this season despite splitting time at the edge and as middle linebacker at a nearly 50-50 rate.
Downs, meanwhile, is a versatile safety capable of playing both safety positions as well as nickelback. Like Reese, Downs has special closing speed, and he’s also an incredibly sound tackler for a safety.
Linebacker Sonny Styles is another name you may have heard generating some first-round buzz. Linebacker is turning out to be one of the deeper positions in the 2026 draft, and the Buckeyes have arguably the two most talented. Styles’ ability to stack and shed in run defense looks like it should translate to the next level, and his fluidity while moving in space in pass coverage will be tantalizing to defensive coordinators.
Reese, Downs, and Styles are the “Big Three” with first-round hopes, but there are four other Buckeyes who are worth keeping an eye on regarding April’s draft:
- Edge Kenyatta Jackson
- Edge Caden Curry
- Corner Davison Igbinoson
- Corner Jermaine Matthews Jr.
Miami defense
Edge Reuben BainJr. is the marquee name that most college football fans know — he does have the recruiting profile and 23 career sacks in three seasons — and he’s been projected as a potential first-rounder for much of this season. Yet as I’ve begun to pore over the Miami tape from this year, I’ve found myself coming away more impressed by sixth-year senior Akheem Mesidor. Bain is a talented player, but he’s reportedly going to measure in with shorter arm length than is typical of successful NFL edge rushers, and he doesn’t have the same elite first step I associate with top-10 picks at the position, even if I do find him to have impressive bend for his size. A kick inside to defensive tackle could be in his future.
Edge isn’t exactly the top need for Pittsburgh, but I’m of the belief that your roster can never have enough pass-rushing talent. Mesidor should drop into the middle rounds because of his age, but he’s a twitchy athlete who could be a value pick to whichever team ends up drafting him.
The Hurricanes also have pass-rushing talent in their interior with senior defensive tackle Ahmad Moten Sr. The 6’3, 324-pound tackle has an impressive success rate as a pass rusher and moves better than you’d expect for someone of his size.
Steelers fans should also keep tabs on nickel cornerback Keionte Scott. The Steelers haven’t invested in the nickel position for quite a while — and no, I don’t count Jalen Ramsey, who has dabbled in nickel this year but has played mostly safety. Scott is electric as a blitzer and when delivering a hit. He’s piqued my interest early in the draft process.
A few more to keep an eye on:
- Linebacker Wesley Bissainthe
- Corner Damari Brown
- Safety Jakobe Thomas
Oregon vs. Texas Tech, Jan. 1
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Unsurprisingly, the rest of our games don’t feature quite as many possible prospects as a game featuring Ohio State. The morning game on New Year’s Day features two teams that have thrived from recent changes to player transfer rules.
Oregon offense
The headliner in this matchup is Ducks quarterback Dante Moore. Featured in my quarterback series this summer, Moore has had a meteoric rise this season. A former top recruit, Moore had a bumpy start to his college career on a dysfunctional UCLA team, then transferred to Oregon and sat a year behind Dillon Gabriel to reset and learn the offense. Now, he’d likely be in the running for first overall pick, or QB2 at worst. Word around his camp for much of the season has been that he intended to return to school, but that stance has seemingly shifted with his offensive coordinator taking a head coaching job elsewhere, and so many of the top quarterback prospects returning to school for the 2026 season.
I won’t spend too much time on Moore, as he has all but priced himself out of what the Steelers could reasonably hope to compete for. Still, he should be one of the stars of these playoffs and could very well be on the Browns’ radar.
The other Duck that should already be on your radar with first-round buzz is tight end Kenyon Sadiq. Sadiq (6’3) is a little shorter than I typically like in a tight end, but that’s far from a prohibitive height, and his freaky athleticism will quickly erase any of those concerns. The junior tight end has been a key part of Oregon’s rushing attack as a blocker, and after a slow start, has become one of the top pass-catching options for a Ducks squad that has dealt with wide receiver injuries. He’s totaled 42 receptions for 509 yards and eight touchdowns thus far.
Next up on the Ducks of note is guard Emmanuel Pregnon. Pregnon is a sixth-year senior who opted out of the 2020 Covid season and then redshirted in 2021. That will make him a slightly older prospect, but despite this, he’s in the running to be the first guard selected in the draft. If we’re to believe his self-reported testing from a year ago, Pregnon weighs 324 pounds and has a 1.68-second, 10-yard split when running the 40, which would match the top time on record for a guard in the NFL Combine’s history. On the field, he’s your classic road grader with a mean streak that should be a plug-and-play in any system.
Other names to note:
- OT Isaiah World
- OT Alex Harkey
- RB Noah Whittington
Texas Tech offense
The Red Raiders finished the regular season with the third-most points scored in the nation, but there aren’t many offensive draft prospects of note. Some of that is due to their young up-and-coming offense, and some of that prolific scoring might also be attributable to their place in the Big 12, a conference that has historically featured high-scoring games.
Senior wide receiver Caleb Douglas leads the Red Raiders in receiving with 53 receptions for 823 yards and seven scores. Listed at 6’4 and 205 pounds, Douglas doesn’t appear to have blazing speed to my eye, so I’ll be curious to see how he tests. Elite speed alone doesn’t make or break a prospect necessarily, and Douglas has some nice reps on tape where he is able to sell his stems and stack the opposing defensive back. Below, Douglas does it to one of the top cornerback prospects in this draft class, Arizona State’s Keith Abney II.
And here Douglas is facing press coverage and executes a nifty jump-step that gets the corner to turn his leverage outside, allowing Douglas to cross him up and get behind him for the long touchdown.
Others to watch:
Oregon defense
Oregon’s defense has seemingly flown under the national radar this year, and a handful of their most intriguing prospects have already announced they’ll be returning for 2026. That’s worth nothing as we go over the next handful of players who have yet to announce their intentions while the Ducks compete in the CFB playoffs.
The Ducks defender that could be drafted highest is defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington. The 6’3 and 330-pound defensive tackle was featured in Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks List” ahead of the season, and it isn’t hard to see why. One of the Ducks’ homegrown talents, the junior has been credited with 22 stops this season by PFF.
Two more homegrown talents, junior edge rushers Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti, both could improve their draft stock with another year in school. However, both have plenty of intriguing traits if they should declare. Uiagalelei stands 6’5 and 272 pounds with great length, and generated 46 pressures with five sacks while also recording 17 stops.
Tuioti, for his part, is built more like a traditional outside linebacker at 6’3 and 263 pounds. He was more likely than Uiagalelei to drop into coverage (39 snaps). His 33 pressures trailed his counterpart too, but he finished more often, generating nine sacks so far. Tuioti is also more stout in run defense, with 33 stops this season.
Others to watch:
- Linebacker Bryce Boettcher
- Safety Dillon Thieneman
- Corner Jadon Canady
Texas Tech defense
The Red Raiders were one of the biggest spenders in the 2025 Transfer Portal, and a healthy portion of that money was used to bolster the defensive line. It’s no surprise then that three of the players on our draft radar come from that group: David Bailey, Romello Height, and Skyler Gill-Howard.
Bailey spent his first three seasons at Stanford and is the most highly touted of the bunch. With 73 pressures on the season, he’s played himself into being a top-10 pick in most most mocks. That could change come draft night if the league views him more as a designated pass rusher, but he could excel in that role. He comes with a whole bag of pass-rush tools. Perhaps deadliest among them is his spin move.
Sixth-year senior Height is more traveled. He started out at Auburn in 2020, transferred to USC in 2022, Georgia Tech in 2024, and finally Texas Tech for the 2025 season. His age and frequent team hopping don’t appear to have hurt his draft stock all that much, as he is projected as a fringe first-round talent in these early stages of draft season.
Meanwhile, Gill-Howard took a step up in competition after transferring from Northern Illinois. He unfortunately required ankle surgery in October and hasn’t played since, but Texas Tech is holding out hope he might be able to return during the playoffs. That isn’t likely to happen until after the game against Oregon, if they can advance, but Gill-Howard has unique agility for his position that felt worth highlighting here.
Lastly, I’ll spotlight a player who’s been a homegrown talent for the Red Raiders: linebacker Jacob Rodriguez. Rodriguez is one of the most talented prospects in what should be a stacked linebacker class, excelling both against the run and defending the pass.
Others to watch:
Alabama vs. Indiana
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Perhaps the most narratively intriguing matchup of the quarterfinals. It hasn’t felt like the national audience has fully respected Indiana or Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza’s accomplishments this season. I’ve seen several comment sections calling Mendoza the weakest Heisman campaign in a long time, a sentiment I can’t get on board with. How fitting it is then that the Hoosiers’ first challenge in these playoffs will come against a school that has spent the better part of the last two decades dominating college football. Alabama hasn’t had the same level of excellence since Nick Saban retired, and they’ve struggled mightily over the last month of the season, but here they are yet again with a chance to make a postseason run.
Alabama offense
It’s unclear yet whether quarterback Ty Simpson plans to return to school or declare. There was a period during the season where he was generating serious Heisman buzz and thus speculation about whether he could be the first quarterback taken in the draft. For his part, Simpson did a good job protecting the ball all season, throwing 27 touchdowns against just four interceptions. Still, the Alabama offense cooled over the final month, including scoring just 20 points in a win against LSU, 21 points in a loss to Oklahoma, and seven points in a dumpster fire of a performance in an SEC championship game loss to Georgia.
But for a first-year starter, Simpson had plenty of flashes and showed more football IQ than you’d expect from someone with his limited experience.
Offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor will be a controversial prospect in draft circles, not too dissimilar from fellow Alabama alum Tyler Booker a year ago. Proctor entered the season with buzz about potentially being the first tackle taken, but reviews of his performance this year are mixed. There’s also heavy speculation that he would best fit at guard in the NFL.
The Alabama prospect that will most intrigue Yinzers is wide receiver Germie Bernard. He doesn’t have the most eye-popping stats — 54 receptions, 740 yards, six touchdowns — but Bernard is a gamer who loves to compete. He profiles out as a solid number two option at the NFL level and should be a Day Two pick in the draft.
Others to watch:
- C Parker Brailsford
- G Jaeden Roberts
- G Kam Dewberry
- TE Josh Cuevas
- RB Jam Miller
Indiana offense
Like Dante Moore, the chances of the Steelers landing Fernanado Mendoza are slim to none, so I won’t waste your time with a long write-up. Instead, sit back and enjoy these dimes from the Heisman winner. Let’s all hope he ends up anywhere but Cleveland.
A quarterback is nothing without his teammates, however, and the Hoosiers have a pair of good ones. Elijah Sarratt had impeccable chemistry with Mendoza has the size, speed, and body control that should translate to Sundays. He finished the regular season with 48 receptions for 650 yards and 11 touchdowns.
“You want a guy who looks good in shorts, or you want a football player?”
– Draft legend Paul “Dr. Z” Zimmerman
Indiana X WR Elijah Sarratt is a football player, quit
6’2, 213
— Clint Goss (@NFLDraftDome) October 13, 2025
Sarratt gets a lot of the attention because of his size and intangibles, but Omar Cooper Jr. is arguably Indiana’s best receiver. He finished with more catches (58), yards (804), and also secured 11 touchdowns. And he also made the clutchest catch of Indiana’s season.
Others to watch:
- RB Roman Hemby
- RB Kaelon Black
- OT Carter Smith
- C Pat Coogan
Alabama defense
The Crimson Tide is used to having defenders picked in the first round, but that likely isn’t the case this year. Alabama still has several players I expect to get drafted this year, but for the sake of this article’s already bloated word count, I will merely call out three of them.
First is defensive lineman LT Overton, who is an edge defender that might shift inside at the pro level.
The others are safeties Keon Sabb and Bray Hubbard.
Others to monitor:
- DT Tim Keenan III
DT James Smith - LB Deontae Lawson
- LB Justin Jefferson
- CB Domani Jackson
Indiana defense
The two Hoosiers defenders that should interest Steelers fans are cornerback D’Angelo Ponds and linebacker Aiden Fisher.
Ponds is an undersized corner that will likely be limited to a nickel role at the NFL level, but he plays with a feistiness that I respect.
Fisher, meanwhile, is a rangy player with great closing speed, and plus coverage skills.
Others to watch:
- Edge Mikail Kamara
- S Amare Ferrell
- S Louis Moore
Ole Miss vs. Georgia
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With apologies to any Georgia and Ole Miss fans, this is the least interesting matchup of the round to me. There’s some intrigue in how the Rebels will do with their makeshift coaching staff after Lane Kiffin’s exodus to LSU — their opening-round blowout of Tulane doesn’t count — but the Rebels don’t really have prospects that rank highly on any big boards this season. The closest they have is quarterback Trindida Chambliss, who has a pending appeal for a sixth year of eligibility. If that is granted, he is likely to transfer to LSU and could make a push to boost his draft stock for 2027. If it isn’t, he isn’t a first-round prospect, which means he has a long uphill battle for NFL relevancy.
These players are the Ole Miss players worth monitoring, but are not expected to be drafted during the first two days at this stage:
- QB Trinidad Chambliss
- TE Dae’Quan Wright
- OT Diego Pounds
- G Patrick Kutas
- DT Zxavian Harris
- S Wydett Williams Jr.
As for Georgia, they aren’t flush with draft picks like they have been in years past. While they remain a highly talented team, and once again won the SEC, this isn’t the same juggernaut that had Howie Roseman drafting half the squad a few seasons back.
Still they have two players worth giving an extended highlight.
On offense, Zachariah Branch is a diminutive (5’10, 180 pounds) jitterbug receiver reminiscent of players like the Ravens’ Zay Flowers. After two years at USC, Branch transferred to Georgia, where he has essentially been the Bulldogs entire passing attack. His 73 receptions are nearly three times the amount of the next closest Bulldog — Dillon Bell is second on the team with 23 — and his 744 yards more than doubles the next closest teammate. Similar to the aforementioned Flowers, Branch doesn’t really make much hay near the end zone, however, with just five touchdowns on the year. His game is far more tailored to create yards after the catch.
Unsurprisingly, Georgia’s best players are on the defense — linebackerC.J. Allen and defensive tackle Christen Miller.
Still just 20 years old, Allen looks to be the next up in a long line of Georgia linebackers to make the leap to NFL stardom. He’s got explosive athleticism, is an excellent blitzer, and has the coverage traits you covet in a modern-day linebacker. He’s right in the mix with the two Ohio State linebackers to be a first-round pick at a position that rarely goes that high anymore.
Miller also follows in the footsteps of giants, but he is no small fry (6’4, 310 pounds). He isn’t quite the same level of talent as guys like Jalen Carter or Jordan Davis, but the redshirt junior is big, he’s strong, and he kicks butt in the SEC. I’m intrigued to see how he tests, should he declare.
Other players to watch:
- WR Noah Thomas
- TE Oscar Delp
- OT Monroe Freeling
- OT Earnest Greene
- LB Raylen Wilson
- CB Daylen Everette
Which of these prospects has you intrigued? Share your thoughts in the comments! And stick with Behind the Steel Curtain all draft season for all the information you need to know about future Steelers!
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