Edition 3 - Players to Watch in Round 1 of the College Football Playoff
Unfortunately, despite the excitement around the first weekend of the 12-team College Football Playoff, there is not a ton of top talent to keep your eyes on in these Round 1 matchups, especially through the first couple games. However, in the following, we have also tried to delve a bit into some guys maybe a little bit further down the board that it could be worth keeping in mind on days two and three of the Draft, and even in the Undrafted Free Agent (UDFA) market.
High Priority - Certainly watch closely this weekend. This is someone I think the Patriots should have their eye on, whether up or down the board
Mid Priority - Look out. If these guys put up big performances against strong competition, they might be worth giving a second, closer look down the line
Low Priority - Likely a late round draft pick, but take a look to see if they impress
Draft Positions listed throughout this article are per latest information from NFL Mock Draft Database.
Indiana Hoosiers (10) @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7)
It's a real shame that Benjamin Morrison, CB for Notre Dame and projected 1st-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, got injured earlier this season - he would have been the main talent to have an eye on here. Beyond Travis Hunter, I don't see the Patriot's really considering CB in the 1st Round, but were he to slip into the early 2nd Round, he could certainly be a candidate for a selection. According to current Mock Drafts, Morrison is still expected to go in the back half of the 1st Round.
Mikail Kamara (ED, Indiana) - Mid Priority - Projected 135th Overall
Kamara has had a very good 2024, showing significant improvement from his 2023 season. However, Indiana did not have the strongest competition in the Big 10, and even against Ohio State he avoided going against Josh Simmons due to Simmons' season-ending injury. If he were up against better competition, I might think about putting a bit more priority in watching Kamara, but given the weak competition at Left Tackle in Notre Dame's Anthonie Knapp, I'm not sure I would put a ton of stock in it even if he did put together a great performance
Rylie Mills (DI, Notre Dame) - Mid Priority - Projected 139th Overall
I might put some effort into watching Mills play just because he is going against an Offensive Line that has been a consistent strength for Indiana this year. Mills has regressed this year, but a strong performance against a good O-Line and a good QB in Kurtis Rourke could be enough to make me take another look. Maybe he can put together some good performances if Notre Dame can win a couple in the Playoff
C.J. West (DI, Indiana) - Low Priority - Projected 309th Overall
Playing next to teammate Mikail Kamara, I have a little bit of interest in C.J. West. In theory, I would expect him to face off against the deeper interior of Notre Dame's O-Line, including Pat Coogan, who has put together a decent year at Center. I don't expect to see much here, but maybe he can put together a couple interesting plays and make the Patriots consider him at the tail end of the Draft or as a Undrafted Free Agent
Howard Cross III (DI, Notre Dame) - Low Priority - Projected 133rd Overall
While Howard Cross III technically has higher draft stock (per NFL Mock Draft Database) than the other players in this game, I don't have a ton of interest here. Currently in his 6th year of College Football, Cross III has regressed significantly from a great year in 2023, returning to a middling Interior Defender. I'm not sure it's worth even giving him more than a glance, but you never know
SMU Mustangs (11) @ Penn State Nittany Lions (6)
Abdul Carter (ED, Penn State) - Low Priority - Projected 4th Overall
It hurts to say Abdul Carter is low priority to watch, but I am trying to do this from the perspective of the Patriots. The Patriots will not draft Carter with their 1st Round pick, with both Keion White and Anfernee Jennings having impressive years at the position, even with Deatrich Wise entering Free Agency. If they were to draft an Edge, it would likely be towards the latter half of the draft. However, because of his talent, it might be fun to watch Carter wreak havoc on the weak left side of the SMU O-Line
Tyler Warren (TE, Penn State) - Mid Priority - Projected 19th Overall
The Patriots certainly won't be using their 1st Round selection on Warren, but should he slip into the second round he could be an interesting player to keep an eye on. SMU has a little bit of talent in the secondary, so it will be interesting to see how Warren matches up, but my real interest here is his abilities in the run game. He is a receiving Tight End - PFF has him ranked as the 2nd overall TE in the class despite his rank of 296th in Run Blocking - and SMU has some solid players at Edge (particularly Elijah Roberts), so it will be interesting to see how Warren holds up
Elijah Roberts (ED, SMU) - Mid Priority - Projected 444th Overall
Call me crazy, but I actually think Roberts will be a really interesting watch this week. At 6'4'', 295lbs Roberts is prototypical NFL Edge size, and proved his abilities in the ACC Championship. Within the first minute, Roberts broke through a double team and sacked Cade Klubnik. Penn State's Left Tackle is not particularly strong, so if Roberts can put consistent pressure on Drew Allar it could make this matchup just a bit more interesting. I think Penn State will likely win this game, so unfortunately I'm not confident we will get more than one CFP game out of Elijah Roberts this year, but he is certainly someone I would keep an eye on in the later rounds and the UDFA market
Clemson Tigers (12) @ Texas Longhorns (5)
Kelvin Banks Jr. (T, Texas) - High Priority - Projected 9th Overall
Ok, now we're getting to the good stuff. We talked about Kelvin Banks a bit in a previous post, but he is the first legitimate 1st Round option for the Patriots we are discussing today. This should be a great game to watch as well, as Banks will match up against T.J. Parker, the excellent Sophomore Edge out of Clemson (NFL Mock Draft Database currently has him as a 1st Round pick in 2026). In his matchup against Georgia, where he faced Mykel Williams (ED) and Jalon Walker (LB), both early selections in this coming draft, Banks left some to be desired. I'm curious to see how he shows out against another NFL quality talent in T.J. Parker
Cameron Williams (T, Texas) - High Priority - Projected 29th Overall
Admittedly, part of why I'm considering Cam Williams high priority is just because I will already be watching the Texas O-Line closely for Kelvin Banks Jr., so I might as well keep an eye on Williams as well. As was discussed in another post, though, Williams does have incredible potential. As a prospect, he's quite raw and draws a lot of penalties, but has the size and speed to be an NFL-caliber Tackle. Banks will likely draw the tougher matchup against T.J. Parker in this game, but I will be interested to see how Williams performs nonetheless
Jahdae Barron (CB, Texas) - High Priority - Projected 36th Overall
You could say that this is in part my bias against taking Travis Hunter with the Patriots 1st Round pick, but I think Barron represents the time in the draft where I would welcome a gamble at CB to couple with Christian Gonzalez. And as far as gambles go, Jahdae Barron doesn't appear to be much a huge one. Barron is a couple inches shorter than Gonzalez at 5'11'', and appears to do his best work over the middle of the field in short- to mid-depth. Clemson honestly doesn't necessarily seem to have weapons that I would expect to pose a massive threat, but I would think the Patriots will be watching Barron closely and could consider him with a selection at the top of the 2nd Round
Isaiah Bond (WR, Texas) - Mid Priority - Projected 31st Overall
Like the Jahdae Barron pick, Isaiah Bond's relevance to the Patriots depends entirely on their 1st Round selection. If Tetairoa McMillan is a Patriot by the time we get to the 2nd Round, Bond wouldn't be a consideration even if he was on the board. Regardless, I'm not sure how to feel about Bond. I typically have some reservations about skinny, speed-focused WRs like Bond - and I do in this case as well - but watching the Chiefs use Xavier Worthy in gadget plays out of the backfield as well as in the passing game is interesting. However, I'm not sure I put a ton of faith in the Patriots' offensive play-callers to draw up similar concepts. Bond could go up against some decent coverage packages in this game, with Sophomore Corner Avieon Terrell and Sophomore Safety R.J. Mickens in the Clemson secondary, so will be worth keeping an eye on him
Gunnar Helm (TE, Texas) - Low Priority - Projected 83rd Overall
At 6'5'', ~250lbs Helm certainly has NFL size, but I'm just not sold on his NFL skills. For one, he grades out as a horrific run blocker per PFF, and I don't believe that he makes up for that deficiency anywhere else in his game. As Texas' only real big receiver (otherwise, their biggest guy is 6'0'' Matthew Golden), Helm gets a decent amount of targets, but I'm not sold that his skills will translate. Maybe he can do something to change my mind
Alfred Collins (DI, Texas) - Mid Priority - Projected 92nd Overall
Collins could be an interesting player for the Patriots to consider with one of their 3rd Round picks (likely the latter one). I'm not sure there will be a ton of information to glean from this game, primarily because he will be going up against the interior of Clemson's O-Line, which isn't the strongest, but it will still be an interesting watch, and maybe we will see a match-up or two against Blake Miller, Clemson's Tackle. Either way, Collins has developed steadily over the past few years and is certainly worth the watch
Blake Miller (T, Clemson) - Low Priority - Projected 113th Overall
I had to include someone from Clemson... people were going to think I was a Texas fan. Though I haven't gotten to his film yet, Miller is fairly prototypical size for a Tackle at 6'6'', 315lbs. Will be worth watching out of the corner of your eye in case you get wowed
Jake Majors (C, Texas) - Low Priority - Projected 122nd Overall
Not to speak anything into existence, but in a world where David Andrews' rehab doesn't quite go as we hope it does (and even in a world where it goes great), it could be worth taking a little bit of time to think about a Center worth drafting, as it's clear that Ben Brown is not the replacement. Cole Strange is focusing on Center in his return from injury, per recent reports, but might still be worth giving a little bit of thought to a true Center. Majors will face a decent defensive line from Clemson highlighted on the interior by Sophomore Peter Woods. Again, I'm not sure there will be any huge takeaways here, but it's worth thinking about as you watch this game
Ohio State Buckeyes (8) @ Tennessee Volunteers (9)
Another unfortunate injury is Josh Simmons, Tackle out of Ohio State. He looked great early in the year, but suffered an injury that ended his season against Oregon. It's a shame we don't get to see him in the CFP, but he is still projected as a fringe 1st round pick in this year's draft. Obviously, the injury causes a lot of question marks, but if he slips into the second round I would expect the Patriots to consider him as a serious option, assuming they don't go for a tackle with their 1st Round selection
Emeka Egbuka (WR, Ohio State) - Mid Priority - Projected 27th Overall
Egbuka, at least theoretically, should only really become an important draft option if they draft either Travis Hunter or a Tackle with their 1st Round pick, at which point Egbuka would likely be a good selection should he slip into the 2nd Round. Egbuka will have the chance to go up against some good competition in Tennessee's secondary, especially if he gets matched up with Sophomore Cornerback Jermod McCoy (who mostly plays boundary). I'm not sure I totally buy where Egbuka would fit into the current Patriots roster, but he's certainly talented and would be good to see him put up a strong stat line
Tyleik Williams (DI, Ohio State) - Mid Priority - Projected 32nd Overall
Williams could be another interesting consideration with the Patriots' 2nd Round pick. The Tennessee O-Line is not particularly strong, so I may be watching this more to see if any red flags are raised, as I would expect him to perform pretty well. William's has been consistent throughout his collegiate career, and at 6'3'', 327lbs is in the realm of prototypical NFL size
James Pearce Jr. (ED, Tennessee) - Low Priority - Projected 14th Overall
Though he's a great player, there's not a ton of reason to stay super tuned in to James Pearce Jr. during this game - I just don't see a world in which he ends up on the Patriots. He certainly wouldn't be the 1st Round selection, even with a trade back, and I don't see him falling into the 2nd Round. If anything, I'll end up watching him as he'll likely be matched up across from Donovan Jackson (Ohio State Tackle) fairly often
Donovan Jackson (G / T, Ohio State) - High Priority - Projected 49th Overall
I'm not totally sure about Donovan Jackson. This probably should be mid priority, but I'm going to stick with it, out of curiosity more than anything. He's really a Guard, but came in to play Tackle following the injury to Josh Simmons. On one hand, obviously Tackle is a priority for the Patriots, but Guard is also a position of need, and Jackson - having experience at both positions - could be a smart selection for the Patriots. His current draft position in the middle of the 2nd Round doesn't really mesh with where the Patriots picks fall, but if he puts a couple of good performances together at Tackle we certainly could see his stock rise, especially considering he is likely to match up against probable 1st-round pick James Pearce Jr. for much of this game
J.T. Tuimoloau (ED, Ohio State) - Mid Priority - Projected 41st Overall
Tuimoloau will match up against a weak Tennessee O-Line, so would really keep an eye out here for any red flags. He's progressed steadily over his collegiate career, and at 6'5'', 270lbs he's a good size for an Edge. I would consider drafting Tuimoloau at the top of the 2nd Round a little rich for my blood, at least at this point and under the assumption the Patriots are picking within the top 5, but he is someone you might as well keep an eye on
Denzel Burke (CB, Ohio State) - Mid Priority - Projected 69th Overall
Similar to what I mentioned with Jahdae Barron (CB out of Texas), this is once again part of my bias against taking Travis Hunter. Should Denzel Burke make it to the top of the 3rd Round, I think it would certainly be worth considering using a selection on him. Burke has had an up and down season but has also faced some fairly staunch competition. Tennessee isn't particularly strong at Wide Receiver, but should the Buckeyes move on it would be fun to see Denzel Burke match up with Tez Johnson (WR on Oregon). I'm a bit between mid priority and low priority here, but I think Burke is worth keeping up with
Omarr Norman-Lott (DI, Tennessee) - Low Priority - Projected 65th Overall
Norman-Lott is worth mentioning, as he is a strong interior defender, particularly in pass rush, but I certainly won't devote a ton of time this weekend to ensure I have eyes on him. With Christian Barmore, Keion White, and Anfernee Jennings, this isn't the Patriots' biggest need. He'll match up against a fairly unexciting Buckeyes O-Line
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