Beginning this weekend and through the next few weeks, 12 of this season’s best college football teams will be competing for the National Championship. Those important games will offer fans a glimpse at some NFL stars of tomorrow.
It is worth noting that Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison and Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons were excluded from this list because they will not be playing as a result of injuries sustained earlier in the season. Morrison had been the No. 3 cornerback and the No. 17 prospect overall. Simmons is the No. 3 offensive tackle and the No. 19 prospect overall.
Here is a look at the 10 best NFL Draft prospects still vying for the National Championship:
1. EDGE James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
CBSSports.com prospect ranking: No. 1 EDGE, No. 5 overall
Pearce was one of the first players off the board in essentially every mock draft leading up to the season. He is a fast, flexible edge rusher that registered 9.5 sacks as a sophomore in 2023. A lack of ideal play strength had always been one of the concerns with him. The narrative around him this season has actually been that he has underperformed and yet he leads all college football edge rushers with at least 200 pass rush snaps in pressure rate (24.4%), according to TruMedia.
2. EDGE Abdul Carter, Penn State
CBSSports.com prospect ranking: No. 2 EDGE, No. 8 overall
Penn State made the decision to move Carter from off-ball linebacker to full-time edge rusher during the offseason. He took to that transition like a duck to water. Carter bends well at the high side of his rush and has good first step quickness. His wingspan and overall length is one aspect that teams will want to learn about him through the pre-draft process. Among edge rushers with at least 200 pass rush snaps last season, Carter finished 9th in pressure rate (18.4%), according to TruMedia.
3. OT Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas
CBSSports.com prospect ranking: No. 1 OT, No. 9 overall
The competition with LSU’s Will Campbell to be OT1 is going to carry on through the NFL Combine. Neither has ran away with the title. Banks is credited with having allowed just one sack and six pressures on 404 pass blocking snaps this season, according to TruMedia. There are multiple teams looking for a left tackle this offseason and Banks is among the best available.
4. EDGE Mykel Williams, Georgia
CBSSports.com prospect ranking: No. 3 EDGE, No. 11 overall
Williams is raw, but, at 6-foot-5-inches and 265 pounds, there are not many pass rushers with his combination of size and athleticism. Back in 2022, the Jaguars took a similarly raw, uniquely built pass rusher by the name of Travon Walker No. 1 overall. Walker has shown improvement, but has not been as effective as Aidan Hutchinson, who was taken one pick later in that draft. The 2025 NFL Draft is not expected to be flush with blue-chip talent, so that could lead to a team taking him higher than maybe the productions suggest he should. According to TruMedia, he generated pressure on 11.1% of his pass rush snaps this season.
5. RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
CBSSports.com prospect ranking: No. 1 RB, No. 13 overall
Jeanty is a well-rounded running back prospect. He averaged 7.3 yards per carry this season and finished with 29 rushing touchdowns. The passing volume will not impress but, reflecting upon the 2023 campaign, he caught 43 passes for 569 yards and 5 touchdowns without dropping a pass, according to TruMedia. Add in that the Doak Walker award winner and Heisman Trophy finalist is more than willing to contribute in pass protection and the byproduct is a running back prospect worthy of first-round consideration.
6. S Malaki Starks, Georgia
CBSSports.com prospect ranking: No. 1 S, No. 14 overall
Starks was making big-time plays in big games for the Bulldogs dating back to his true freshman season. Over the course of his career, he has amassed six interceptions and ball production often translates to the next level. Safety is often devalued in draft conversations and teams are fighting contributors at that spot into Day 3, but Starks is the type of talent that warrants early attention. For a team looking to create more accountability in the secondary, Starks is going to be high on their list.
7. LB Jalon Walker, Georgia
CBSSports.com prospect ranking: No. 1 LB, No. 22 overall
Walker has been a rotational piece for that Georgia defense through his career. His size predicates that he will have to play off-ball linebacker at the next level, but his expertise has been rushing the passer. He was responsible for pressure on 18.1% of 160 pass rush snaps last season, according to TruMedia. Learning the off-ball assignments full time will be a learning curve, but one team is going to take a chance on that level of talent in an otherwise weak linebacker class.
8. WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
CBSSports.com prospect ranking: No. 3 WR, No. 24 overall
Egbuka is not going to step onto a team and be the guy. He is a complimentary piece that has spent 71.8% of his snaps in the slot this season, according to TruMedia. The Washington native dropped just 3.7% of his targets this season. He is a stable outlet who runs good routes and has a knack for settling into the soft spots of zone coverage.
9. EDGE Jack Sawyer, Ohio State
CBSSports.com prospect ranking: No. 6 EDGE, No. 27 overall
Sawyer had a 19.0% pressure rate this season, according to TruMedia; one of the best in the nation. He is an instinctual player that does a good job of peeling off and getting his hands in pass lanes when the rush does not get home. The Ohio native has not been one to take over a game but would be best served in a situation where he is rushing opposite an established pass rusher.
10. OG Donovan Jackson, Ohio State
CBSSports.com prospect ranking: No. 2 IOL, No. 28 overall
Injury created opportunity for Jackson this season as he displayed his versatility filling in at left tackle for the aforementioned Simmons. At 6-foot-4, 320 pounds, Jackson is ideally built to be an NFL interior offensive lineman and should be one of the first such off the board. His background includes a decorated career throwing shot put and discus as well.
The 2025 NFL Draft is to take place from April 24-26 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. More draft coverage can be found at CBSSports.com, including the weekly mock drafts and a regularly available look at the eligible prospects.
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Author: Josh Edwards
December 20, 2024 | 11:15 am
