2025 NFL Draft: College Football Game Recaps – Week 9

There was a superb draft matchup in this game, with Texas A&M edge rusher Nic Scourton taking on LSU left tackle Will Campbell and right tackle Emery Jones Jr. All three of them could be first-round picks next April, and this tape will get a lot of views from NFL evaluators in the months to come.

On the first play from scrimmage, Scourton used a speed rush to run around Jones, but Jones was able to push him too deep around the pocket. In the next series, Scourton was blocked well on a rollout pass play by tight end Mason Taylor. Early in the second quarter, Scourton got upfield against Campbell and then shed him with a cut back to the inside to chase the quarterback out of the pocket.

In the second quarter, a vigorous bull rush put Jones on rollerskates going backward before he was knocked to the turf. In the third quarter, Campbell lost on a few plays. One was a bull rush, where he gave up penetration into the pocket. Shortly later, Scourton burned Campbell on a spin move to the inside. With Scourton bearing down on him, the Tigers quarterback fired an ill-advised pass to the flat for an interception. They each had false start penalties as well.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Scourton dipped and ripped underneath Jones to get to the quarterback for a sack. At the end of the fourth, the Aggies sent a two-man blitz at Jones, and after getting some stalling on the most dangerous edge rusher, he eventually ran free of Jones to log a pursuit coverage sack. The quarterback didn’t help Jones by holding the ball long with extra blitzers overwhelming the offensive line. Campbell and Jones also had many good plays where they stood up rushers and had no issues giving their quarterback time to throw.

Overall, this tape was not helpful for Campbell or Jones. It will be more harmful for Jones as he gave up multiple sacks. It was not a meltdown or an embarrassment, but they did give up some plays and showed they need some development with their ability to anchor. Campbell and Jones are not elite prospects like Penei Sewell was coming out of Oregon, and they are not as good of prospects as Joe Alt was last April, but both Campbell and Jones look like future NFL starters.

This tape will help Scourton’s draft grade. Along with the sack, he got some pressures and showed the ability to get upfield against future NFL offensive tackles. Scourton is quick, strong, and can bend with nice body lean to stay low around the edge.

Miami quarterback Cam Ward did not have a prolific game versus their in-state rival, but Ward managed the game well, moving the chains and setting up his offense to score touchdowns on the ground or kick field goals. Ward was frustrated with the Hurricanes struggling to maintain drives after crossing the Seminoles’ 30, but Ward produced enough points for them to cruise over a bad Florida State offense. While Ward did not throw a touchdown, he did catch a touchdown on a trick play. Ward finished completing 22-of-35 passes for 208 yards.

For the NFL, Ward looks like a potential starting quarterback. He has enough arm strength to stretch defenses vertically and can ad-lib his team into big plays. Ward has some running ability to buy time and hurt defenses with his ability to pick up yards on the ground. Like all college players, Ward has some things to work on for the NFL. He needs to get the ball out faster, as he has the habit of holding the ball too long. Ward puts a lot of pressure on his line by holding it for so long. Ward needs to speed up the process of reading defenses. Expanding his knowledge of coverages and fronts will help him to read faster. With the way Ward is playing this season, he has a real shot to be a first-round pick next April.

Florida State defensive end Patrick Payton was quiet to open the season but then heated up in recent weeks and started to ramp up his pass rush production. However, against Miami, Payton reverted to his early season form as he was a ghost. Payton could not get off blocks, looked hesitant off the ball, and was not playing with physicality. Payton was getting tied up by the Hurricanes tackles and was not showing active hands to shed blocks and pursue to the ball. This tape will end up hurting Payton’s draft grade.

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe had a hot start to the season, but in the past three weeks, Milroe had some struggles with the Crimson Tide suffering losses to Tennessee and Vanderbilt. He threw five interceptions in those three contests, and Milroe needed a bounce-back game against a gritty Missouri team.

Milroe was slightly off in the first half, and he only had 100 passing at halftime. Milroe had a few passes that were just slightly off the mark, including a potential deep ball for a long touchdown. Receivers also had to pause their route to make up for some passes thrown too late and short. To open the third quarter, Milroe made some good passes to move the chains and then took off on a 32-yard run to set up a rushing touchdown. Milroe finished completing 16-of-26 passes for 215 yards with zero touchdowns passing, zero interceptions, and one rushing touchdown.

The Alabama passing offense did not get into a groove against Missouri, but Milroe avoided turnovers, had some respectable completions, and used his legs to hurt the Tigers. Milroe needs to improve his accuracy as a passer in the short to intermediate part of the field. He needs to speed up the process, and read defenses faster, and improve his recognition of coverage. Milroe has a first-round skill set, but as a football player, it might be best for his development to go back to Alabama for another season before going pro.

Missouri wide receiver Tyler Burden III has been limited by extra attention, and a week ago, he had a muffed punt that almost helped Auburn pull off an upset. Burden was a non-factor against Alabama, and he had another muffed put. However, he was brushed by an Alabama player, and that interference took away Burden’s fumble. Burden finished with only three catches for three yards against Alabama. This season, Burden has looked more like a pick for the middle or late first round rather than a top-10 pick.

Alabama guard Tyler Booker has been superb this season for the Crimson Tide, and that continued with a dominant tape against Missouri. Booker was stonewalling bull rushes, tying up speed rushers, and getting movement at the point of attack in the ground game. The powerful Booker can get a serious push at the point of attack with brute physicality and power. He is a people mover in the ground game and looks like a plug-and-play starter at guard in the NFL. Booker looks like a first-round pick next April, and this tape will help.

Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart has had a solid season, but a pair of disappointing losses have killed the Rebel’s margin for error, and they need to dominate in the back half of the season to ensure they have a shot at getting a spot in the expanded college football playoff. Dart took on a talented Oklahoma team without his No. 1 receiver as Tre Harris was injured.

Dart started the game slowly in the first half, but he began to heat up after halftime. In the third quarter, He threw a bullet through zone coverage down the seam for a touchdown from about 20 yards out. Shortly later, Dart made a pretty play, rolling to his right and lofting in a beautiful pass to throw his receiver open while getting tackled by a defensive lineman. It was an excellent ad-lib play for a gain of about 30 yards. To cap that drive, Dart beat two defenders, lofting in a perfect 34-yard completion to the one-yard line that set up a short rushing touchdown. Against Oklahoma, Dart completed 22-of-30 passes for 311 yards with a touchdown.

For the NFL, Dart is a rhythm passer with accuracy and can make passes with good ball placement. While Dart is not a dangerous runner, he has some athleticism to move in the pocket and pick up some yardage on the ground when defenses leave it open. From a skill set and style of play perspective, Dart reminds me of Baker Mayfield.

Ole Miss cornerback Trey Amos looks like a future early-round pick, and he was superb against Oklahoma. Amos had blanket coverage all day and prevented separation throughout the game. In the first quarter, Amos had a fantastic read to recognize Oklahoma was trying to loft in a touchdown on a wheel route, and he flew over from his assigned receiver to undercut the Sooner for a leaping interception. Unfortunately, momentum took Amos out of bounds, but it was still a superb play by Amos.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Amos has good length, athleticism, speed, and ball skills. He looks like a potential No. 1 corner in the NFL and has first-round potential for the 2025 NFL Draft. This tape will help him to be an opening night selection.

Ole Miss defensive tackle Walker Nolen has been disappointing this season, and this game has continued that trend. Nolen was quiet in the first half and not making an impact at the point of attack. Just before halftime, Nolen left the game with a lower leg injury. This season, Nolen has been disappointing. Team sources have been giving him backup grades for the 2025 NFL Draft. They feel he has some athletic tools but is not explosive and is just average against the run. Nolen should go back to school to improve before entering the NFL Draft.

Oklahoma has two potential draft picks in linebacker Danny Stutsman and safety Billy Bowman. Stutsman did not have a huge day, but he was active and had some clutch tackles to help his team. In the second quarter, Stutsman worked through some trash and stuffed a run for no gain to force a fourth-and-3 situation. Shortly later, Stutsman helped rally to the ball on a stretch run and finished off a back for a tackle for a loss on a fourth-down play. On the game’s opening drive, Bowman got a little reckless with his hands while making a tackle and was guilty of a facemask. Bowman returned to have close coverage on a third-down pass to help force an incompletion.

Team sources see Stutsman as a future starter and think he has day-two potential for the 2025 NFL Draft. Bowmen is a gamer with a knack for coming up with big plays. He has some skill set limitations, making him more of a mid-round backup candidate.