After a slate of non-competitive opening round games, the playoff quarterfinals figure to offer some intriguing match-ups between teams loaded with future NFL starters. All quarterfinal games take place at New Year’s Eve / Day bowl games – Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve (Penn State-Boise State), and on New Year’s Day, the Peach Bowl (Texas-Arizona State), Rose Bowl (Ohio State-Oregon), and Sugar Bowl (Notre Dame-Georgia). Let’s take a look at some of the NFL prospects that will be playing this weekend in pursuit of a national championship. These reports are all works in progress as the evaluation process is just getting started with the upcoming playoff games being an important data point in that process.
(6) Penn State v (3) Boise State
Drew Allar (#15) / QB / Penn State
Prototypical height, frame, and mass. Quick release with a clean, over the top delivery. Very good throwing mechanics. Extremely strong arm – throws with desired zip and can throw any pass in the route tree. Throws with very good accuracy, timing, touch, and ball placement – especially when he gets a clean pocket. Very good decision maker – rarely forces the ball into coverage and may be too cautious, fearing making mistakes. Not a true mobile QB but athletic enough to run if the opportunity presents itself – mostly scrambles to buy time for his receivers to get open. Field vision is still developing – tends to bird dog his primary receiver, leading the defender to the ball.
Kaytron Allen (#13) / RB / Penn State
Ideal size and frame. Runs behind his pads and delivers blows on contact. Displays very good vision and lateral agility and a very effective burst. Physical and powerful inside runner with excellent contact balance – seems to relish the physicality of the game. Nice hands out of the backfield. Good pass protector who sinks his hips and anchors effectively. Very good run instincts.
Ashton Jeanty (#2) / RB / Boise State
Average height and frame with solid, well-distributed mass. Excellent vision. Limited wiggle but knows how to get skinny and reduce surface area to be hit. Excellent burst through the hole or to the corner. Incredibly strong with superb contact balance – discards arm tackles easily. Tacklers consistently fall off attempts to tackle his body – almost like he is covered in grease. One of the best inside runners to enter the draft in years. Very good deep speed to run through pursuit angles. Good receiver out of the backfield. A first-round lock in April.
Ahmed Hassanein (#91) / EDGE / Boise State
Average height and length with a good frame and quality mass. Egyptian with limited football experience. Plays with excellent leverage and a wide base. Holds the edge well in the running game. Feisty and competitive hands fighter who sheds blocks well. Uses arms well to create separation from the OT. Efficient pass rusher who has an economy of motion and works off the body of the OT to slide past and get to the QB. Efficient and reliable pass rusher lacking elite agility or closing burst. Flashes a powerful bull rush. Has steadily improved over the course of the season.
(5) Texas v (4) Arizona State
Matthew Golden (#2) / WR / Texas
Transfer from Houston. Average size, mass, and wingspan for an outside WR. Good hands. Understands coverages and how to exploit them. Quality route runner. Good speed after the catch. Good body control and ability to contort his body to make the difficult catch. Excellent sideline and boundary awareness. High football IQ. Clutch, go-to receiver on third down for the Longhorns. Very effective blocker on the perimeter.
Andrew Mukuba (#4) / S / Texas
Transfer from Clemson. Average size and length. Extremely experienced with three-years of starting at Clemson before coming to Austin. Very good ball athlete. Excellent leaper. WR-level concentration on the INT. Excellent range. Very nice closing burst on the ball. Very instinctual with quality read and react skills. Reliable and secure tackler – brings pads on contact and delivers blows.
Cam Skattebo (#4) / RB / Arizona State
Transfer from Sacramento State. Good frame and mass with a thick lower body. Lost weight since the 2023 season and looks much quicker. Runs low to the ground and follows his blocks well – good vision. Not overly elusive but capable of side-stepping defenders. Superb contact balance – churns through tackle attempts. Good burst. Physical and delivers blows on contact. Bring your pads on contact or you are toast as a defender. Very good receiver out of the backfield capable of snagging off-target passes. Good deep speed but can be caught from behind. Special teams stalwart who excels on kick coverage duties.
Clayton Smith (#10) / EDGE / Arizona State
Transfer from Oklahoma. Possesses the desired height and frame but lacking some desired mass for 4-3 DE duties. Very long arms. Converts speed to power well and has an effective bull rush. Good hand use for shedding blocks. Needs to develop additional pass rush moves to aid arsenal – tends to stay blocked for too long. Holds the point well but can be neutralized when run at. Hustle, chases, and pursues hard from the backside – outstanding motor.
(8) Ohio State v (1) Oregon
Will Howard (#18) / QB / Ohio State
Transfer from Kansas State. Very good size – huge frame and excellent mass. Very strong arm. Quick, over the top, release. Displays the ability to go through progressions but still has a tendency to stare down the primary receiver. Forces too many passes into coverage. Developing his ability to read coverages but is still a work in progress. Decision making has noticeably improved but he still makes some head-scratching decisions and forces balls into double coverage far too often. Excellent open field runner with a great combination of speed and power – breaks arm tackles easily. Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl.
Denzel Burke (#10) / CB / Ohio State
Looks the part with good height and frame with extremely long arms and adequate mass. Very physical – both at the LOS where his length is a great asset – and throughout the route (could be prone to PI calls in the NFL.) Possesses the desired fluidity, quickness, and burst to excel in man coverage. Good ball skills. Sometimes caught flat-footed against speed in space and reaches and gets out of position at the break point as a result. Physical tackler and in run support.
Dillon Gabriel (#8) / QB / Oregon
Transfer from Oklahoma (via UCF). Average height, frame, and mass. Left-handed. Quick release without any noticeable hitch. Very strong arm. Well-developed passing skill set – throws with accuracy, timing, and touch consistently. Throws with consistent anticipation and typically throws his receivers open. Highly productive at UCF, Oklahoma, and now Oregon with more than 130 total TDs and over 17K yards of total offense. Relaxed, calm leader who is rarely rattled by pressure. Very good runner with instincts and speed. Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl.
Jordan Burch (#1) / DL / Oregon
Transfer from South Carolina. Rare combination of great size – frame, mass, and very long arms – and athleticism. Size and strength to anchor and hold the edge in the running game. Excellent initial burst to get skinny and slice through the LOS. Impressive lateral agility and ability to evade blockers despite his size. Very good closing burst on the QB. Very good range and pursuit skills – chases and hustles from the backside. Establishes a strong edge and can shut down the outside run lane. Versatile skill set where he can play Edge on run downs and rush from DT on passing downs.
(7) Notre Dame v (2) Georgia
Mitchell Evans (#88) / TE / Notre Dame
Big-framed TE with good mass and great length including a large catch radius. Runs solid routes and displays good technique to gain separation. Reliable hands. Developing his ability to high point the ball and win at the catch point. Average foot speed and quickness. Runs with power after the catch. Developing route runner who needs to improve route precision. Very competitive in-line blocker who plays with good leverage and a wide base. Lines up in-line, as an H-back, and out wide to create mismatches. Excellent football intelligence. Understands coverage concepts and runs appropriate routes based on man or zone coverage. Missed end of 2023 season with a knee injury that continued to bother Evans until mid-season, where his quickness out of his breaks noticeably improved.
Howard Cross (#56) / IDL / Notre Dame
Undersized lacking height, length, and mass. Quick twitch on display at the snap – great first step, fires out low with great pad level and leverage. Explosive burst through the LOS. Very good run and chase player. Very good closing burst on the QB. Lack of length and power exposed when run at. Very disruptive player who requires double teams consistently. Missed last three games of the season with an ankle injury but returned for the playoff game against Indiana. Will fit best in an even man front where he can shoot a gap and create havoc inside.
Trevor Etienne (#1) / RB / Georgia
Transfer from Florida. Decent size – built low to the ground. Very quick and sudden with a very good burst. Very good vision for the cut back lane. Light feet and loose hips aid his lateral agility. Flashes elite stop/start elusiveness. Runs behind his pads and drives legs on contact – falls forward consistently. Hands are inconsistent and is prone to concentration drops. Brother, Travis plays in the NFL (Jaguars). Misses a lot of time with nagging injuries. Suspended for season opener (DUI) – character needs to be checked out. Performance on the field has yet to match his athleticism – intriguing upside to be tapped if he can stay healthy and motivated.
Jalon Walker (#11) / LB-EDGE / Georgia
Possesses the build, length, and athleticism to play off the ball LB on run downs and line up on the edge on passing downs. Used as a versatile match up piece by the coaching staff. Extremely athletic with a freakish combination of speed, quickness, agility, length, and play making ability. Raw as a pass rusher and needs to add some pass rush moves to his arsenal. Reads and reacts quickly. Has a great first step and displays the ability to bend, flatten, and turn the corner. Elite closing burst on the QB or ball carrier. Very disruptive due to burst and speed. Ideal range. Instincts are still developing and can be fooled by play action.
2025 Notable Draft Declarations
Carson Beck / QB / Georgia
Connor Bazelak / QB / Bowling Green (Accepted invitation to Hula Bowl)
Spencer Petras / QB / Utah State (Accepted invitation to Hula Bowl)
Matthew Downing / QB / Elon (Accepted invitation to Hula Bowl)
Cameron Skattebo / RB / Arizona State (Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl)
Brashard Smith / RB-WR / SMU (Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl)
Woody Marks / RB / USC (Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl)
Tahj Brooks / RB / Texas Tech (Accepted invitation to Shrine Game)
Phil Mafah / RB / Clemson (Accepted invitation to Shrine Game)
Peny Boone / RB / UCF (Accepted invitation to Hula Bowl)
Jaylin Lane / WR / Virginia Tech (Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl)
Da’Quan Felton / WR / Virginia Tech (Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl)
Jack Bech / WR / TCU (Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl)
Ja’Corey Brooks / WR / Louisville (Accepted invitation to Shrine Game)
Tre Harris / WR / Ole Miss (Accepted invitation to Shrine Game)
Dont’e Thornton / WR / Tennessee (Accepted invitation to Shrine Game)
Ricky White / WR / UNLV (Accepted invitation to Shrine Game)
Chimera Dike / WR / Florida (Accepted invitation to Hula Bowl)
Xzavier Henderson / WR / Cincinnati (Accepted invitation to Hula Bowl)
Cade McDonald / WR / Miami, Oh (Accepted invitation to Hula Bowl)
CJ Dippre / TE / Alabama (Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl)
Jermaine Terry / TE / Oregon State (Accepted invitation to Hula Bowl)
Harold Fannin / TE / Bowling Green
Ozzy Trapilo / OT / Boston College (Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl)
Jalen Travis / OT / Iowa State (Accepted invitation to Shrine Game)
Trey Wedig / OT / Indiana (Accepted invitation to Shrine Game)
Dalton Cooper / OT / Oklahoma State (Accepted invitation to Hula Bowl)
Seth McLaughlin / IOL / Ohio State (Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl)
Jonah Monheim / IOL / USC (Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl)
Tate Ratledge / IOL / Georgia (Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl)
Jack Conley / IOL / Boston College (Accepted invitation to Shrine Game)
Drew Kendall / IOL / Boston College (Accepted invitation to Shrine Game)
Collin Oliver / EDGE-LB / Oklahoma State (Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl)
Jordan Burch / DL / Oregon (Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl)
Kyle Kennard / DL / South Carolina (Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl)
Elijah Roberts / EDGE / SMU (Accepted invitation to Shrine Game)
Ty Hamilton / IDL / Ohio State (Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl)
Yahya Black / IDL / Iowa (Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl)
Jamaree Caldwell / IDL / Oregon (Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl)
Eric Gregory / IDL / Arkansas (Accepted invitation to Shrine Game)
Kenneth Grant / IDL / Michigan
David Walker / LB / Central Arkansas (Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl)
Kain Medrano / LB / UCLA (Accepted invitation to Shrine Game)
Karene Reid / LB / Utah (Accepted invitation to Hula Bowl)
Da’Rickey Wright / LB / Vanderbilt (Accepted invitation to Shrine Game)
BJ Adams / CB / UCF (Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl)
Tommi Hill / CB / Nebraska (Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl)
Caleb Ransaw / CB / Tulane (Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl)
Jordan Clark / CB / Notre Dame (Accepted invitation to Shrine Game)
Zah Frazier / CB / UTSA (Accepted invitation to Shrine Game)
Corey Thornton / CB / Louisville (Accepted invitation to Shrine Game)
Keionte Scott / CB / Auburn (Accepted invitation to Hula Bowl)
Keondre Jackson / Illinois State (Accepted invitation to Hula Bowl)
Bryce Phillips / CB / SDSU (Accepted invitation to Hula Bowl)
Jordan Clark / CB / Notre Dame
Maxwell Hairston / CB / Kentucky
Dante Trader / S / Maryland (Accepted invitation to Senior Bowl)
Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig / S / Colorado (Accepted invitation to Shrine Game)
Kamren Fabiculanan / S / Washington (Accepted invitation to Hula Bowl)
Andres Borregales / K / Miami, Fl (Accepted invitation to Shrine Game)
Ben Saul / K / Pittsburgh (Accepted invitation to Shrine Game)
Tyler Loop / K / Arizona (Accepted invitation to Hula Bowl)
2025 All-Star Game Dates
Hula Bowl
January 11th
Orlando, Florida
East-West Shrine Game
January, 30th
Arlington, Texas
Senior Bowl
February 1st
Mobile, Alabama
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