Ready for the Draft Podcast

Episode 12 takes a look at the draft-eligible prospects of the four teams that lost in the 1st Round of the CFP - Tennessee, SMU, Indiana and Clemson.  SMU struggled to handle Penn State, but Brashard Smith and Elijah Roberts stood out.  Indiana's Kurtis Rourke struggled with Notre Dame.  Clemson's defense showcased Barrett Carter and RJ Mickens.  And was Dylan Sampson able to make an impact against Ohio State? 

After battling being sick since the holidays, I'm finally back to preview the CFP National Championship and talk about which draft-eligible prospects will make an impact.  When Ohio State has the ball, RBs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins could be the difference with their physicality between the tackles and their ability to make an impact in the passing game.  While Jeremiah Smith looks like a future top-5 pick, keep an eye on Emeka Egbuka to do damage from the slot, attacking the middle of the field and outside the numbers putting on a show with his route running prowess.  Donovan Jackson may be a OG at the next level, but his move to OT shows off his athleticism and he's primed to be a Day 2 pick.  He'll be matched up against RJ Oben who should finally be healthy and could be a problem off the edge while DT Howard Cross III has to show he's gained the step he lost from his injury to provide disruption along the interior.  Xavier Watts is a problem over the top with his ball skills and instincts as a former WR to read what is unfolding and drive quickly on the football.  He came back to South Bend to work on his tackling and Watts is finally a complete safety.  Will Howard must take care of the football against this disciplined defense.  He also needs to know where Jack Kiser is on the field as he can present problems in throwing lanes and as a blitzer.  When the Irish have the football, Riley Leonard will be a factor on the ground.  Despite his build (6'4", 212lbs), Leonard is a tremendous runner with deceptive speed.  He and his trio of RBs will try to keep the potent OSU offense off the field.  Leonard should also key on TE Mitchell Evans who has proven to be a weapon up the seam, over the middle and down the sideline on back shoulder throws.  For the Buckeyes defensively, expect JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer to collapse the pocket off the edge against OTs Tosh Baker and Aamil Wagner while DT Tyleik Williams may be the X factor up front as he's both stout against the run and shows surprising agility on stunts rushing the passer.  Expect LBs Cody Simon and Sonny Styles to be spying Leonard while Lathan Ransom will be looking to come down and play the run from depth.  That could open for shots down the field behind them, meaning Davidson Igbinosun needs to keep his hands to himself and allow his technique to take over.  The difference could very well be Caleb Downs, who is a sure-fire lock as a top-10 pick in next year's draft.  

The first ever 12-team College Football Playoff kicks off and the 1st Round matchups are intriguing.  # 7 Notre Dame takes on # 10 Indiana on Friday December 20th.  Riley Leonard vs. Kurtis Rourke.  Can Indiana play from ahead?  Or will the disciplined Irish wear down the Hoosiers?  We'll then see # 6 Penn State take on # 11 SMU.  Will 1st Round hopeful Tyler Warren be the difference maker on offense for the Nittany Lions?  Can SMU edge rusher Elijah Roberts put pressure on Drew Allar?  Can Mustangs QB Kevin Jennings Jr. make enough plays?  Brashard Smith is intriguing as well with his versatility.  But will PSU's defense, led by probable top-five pick Abdul Carter, prove to be too much?  # 12 Clemson travels to Austin to take on # 5 Texas.  Quinn Ewers needs to be consistent, but will that OL dominate up front?  Expect a good matchup between Kelvin Banks Jr. and Cameron Williams vs. TJ Parker and Peter Woods up front.  Can Clemson make enough plays to take down the Longhorns?  Finally, # 9 Tennessee heads to Columbus to take on # 8 Ohio State.  Will the two-headed monster of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson or the dynamic Dylan Sampson lead the way on the ground?  And will it be JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer or James Pearce Jr. make the bigger impact in the opposition's backfield?

Following an exciting 2024 College Football regular season + the conference championships, we finally have our top four seeds for the College Football Playoff.  Oregon, the lone undefeated team, is led by Heisman finalist Dillon Gabriel, who has a shot at being a Day 2 pick. Tez Johnson and Terrance Ferguson are his top weapons while Josh Conerly Jr. and Ajani Cornelius should expect to hear their names called during the first half of the draft.  Defensively, expect 1st Round hopeful Derrick Harmon to wreak havoc up front.  After an up-and-down season, Georgia is your SEC Champoin and the No. 2 seed.  Carson Beck was once seen as the top QB prospect but his stock has taken a big hit.  Trevor Etienne and Jared Wilson should play a big part offensively.  On defense, Mykel Williams, Malaki Starks and Jalon Walker should all hear their names called in the top 20.  Boise State is your 3 seed, led by Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty.  Jeanty is a complete back and could be a top-10 pick.  Will Dallas call his name in Round 1?  Kenny Dillingham has Arizona State into the 4 spot riding the back of Cam Skattebo, whose physical play is so much fun to watch.

Week 5 saw Bama jump out to a big lead on Georgia then fight to hang on for the win.  Penn State, Oregon, Notre Dame and USC all put up wins as well.  Week 6 brought home the fireworks with a number of upsets as Vandy took down Alabama, Arkansas beat Tennessee and Michigan went down to UW.  I break down who stood out during the past two weeks in College Football.

Week 3 saw the rivalries renewed between Oregon-Oregon State, Washington-Washington State and Colorado-Colorado State.  Georgia slipped past Kentucky by one and LSU came back to take out South Carolina.  Then in Week 4, Clemson took down NC State, LSU continues winning ways over UCLA, Tahj Brooks takes Texas Tech to a win over Cam Skattebo and Arizona State while Michigan came back to upset USC in the Big House.  Who made their mark from this year's draft class?

Plenty to talk about during Week 2 of the College Football season.  Which draft-eligible prospects stood out?

College football is in full swing and I take a look at how draft-eligible prospects fared during Week 1 of the College Football season.

After previewing my top 10 QBs, RBs, and WRs, we kick off Episode 4 talking TEs.  While there isn't a Brock Bowers in this year's draft class, Colston Loveland is expected to garner serious consideration in Round 1.  However, he's not the only TE to be excited about as this is a deep crop of TEs.  We also take a look at Week 0 of the college football season.  Florida State takes on Georgia Tech in Dublin, SMU's first ACC game is at Nevada, while New Mexico faces FCS power Montana State and Hawaii takes on Delaware State.  Which draft prospects should you watch out for in these matchups?  I got you covered!

The 2025 WR class doesn't have a sure-fire top 10 pick like Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze, but expect Luther Burden III, Tetairoa McMillan and Emeka Egbuka to hear their names called in Round 1 in April.  Who's next in line after this trio?  I got it covered here.