2025 NFL Draft: College Football Game Recaps – Week 14

Sources around the NFL agree that Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers has good passing talent. He has a quality arm, is accurate, and throws well with timing and anticipation. However, they are concerned about Ewers’s poise and inclination to get rattled when under pressure. Ewers needs to perform well in high-pressure games to help change that impression in his final collegiate contests.

In the first quarter, Ewers got Texas moving with an uncharacteristic scramble and a surprising 26-yard run. Ewers was fortunate not to throw an interception a little later as his receiver snatched the pass right before a closing safety. Shortly later, though, Ewers made a beautiful touch throw to the back corner of the end zone for a seven-yard scoring strike. Throughout the first half, Ewers threw a number of precision passes in the short to intermediate part of the field. He led the Longhorns on a few drives to put up a commanding lead.

After halftime, Ewers kept ripping the ball through the A&M secondary and also used his legs to run for a dozen and a first down despite an injured ankle. Midway through the third quarter, Ewers breathed some life into the Aggies. While under pressure, Ewers forced a pass to a blanketed receiver, and it was picked off at the six-yard line and returned 94 yards for a touchdown. Ewers should have thrown the ball away, but he panicked with a blitzer firing through the middle of the line.

On the next drive, Ewers got the Longhorns inside the Aggie’s 10-yard line, but on a perimeter run, Ewers was stripped of the ball, and the Aggies recovered Ewers’s fumble. Ewers returned to extend some drives and eat up some clock to help Texas clinch a hard-fought road win. Versus the Aggies, Ewers completed 17-of-28 passes for 218 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

For the NFL, Ewers has starting ability with next-level passing talent. Ewers is an accurate passer that throws a very catchable ball. He has a quick release, throws with anticipation, and does a good job of getting the ball out without holding it too long. Ewers was rattled in the Georgia game, so it will be important for him to show that was an anomaly when he takes on Georgia next week and tougher opponents in the college football playoff.

This game had the potential for a good draft matchup, with Texas left tackle Kelvin Banks taking on Aggies defensive linemen Nic Scourton and Shemar Turner. However, Banks suffered a leg injury in the first half and left the game. In the second half he had a walking boot on the left leg and was in street clothes on the sideline. In the third quarter, Turner was hurt and had the trainers seeing him off the field. He returned later. Before and after the injury, Turner did not have an impact presence, and Scourton was also very quiet. This tape made them look more like second-rounders rather than first-round picks.

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe has had some feast-or-famine performances this season, which were encapsulated in his Iron Bowl performance. On his own, he was blowing Auburn out and then keeping them in the game. It was a unique game showing how Milroe is a great talent but needs a ton of development for the NFL.

Midway through the first quarter, Milroe scrambled ahead on a pass play and needed better ball security. A defender smacked the ball out while tackling Milroe, and he was lucky a Crimson Tide offensive lineman dove on the loose ball. Milroe came back shortly later to run the ball in from 20 yards out for his 18th rushing touchdown of the season. On the next drive, Milroe laid out a deep ball perfectly, but freshman Ryan Williams dropped the ball on the five-yard line. It was an incredible throw with arm strength and placement and should have been a 55-yard touchdown. A few plays later, Milroe threw a well-placed strike to the sideline for a chunk gain. However, to end the drive, Milroe threw flat-footed into a crowd in the middle of the field with one receiver and three defenders. The ball sailed over his receiver to the deep safety for an interception. After that mistake, Milroe led a drive that ended with him diving behind guard Tyler Booker for a one-yard rushing score. Late in the first half, Milroe was blind-side strip-sacked and fumbled the ball away.

Early in the third quarter, Milroe ran off the left tackle and darted into end zone from about 15 yards out. At the start of the fourth quarter, Milroe took a run along the sideline and was tackled from behind, with the ball getting punched out. Auburn recovered the loose ball for Milroe’s third turnover. He finished completing 18-of-24 passes for 256 yards with an interception. He ran for 104 yards on 17 carries with three touchdowns.

For the NFL, Milroe is a dynamic talent with dangerous running ability and a strong arm capable of making all the throws. Right now, the deep ball is what he throws best, as he can lay out some pretty passes downfield with nice placement. However, Milroe has accuracy issues in the short to intermediate part of the field. He also needs a lot of development with his field vision, reading defenses, working through progressions, and understanding of defensive schemes. Milroe also must improve his ball security as he has issues with interceptions and fumbles.

Milroe needs a lot of development, and the NFL team that drafts him is going to need to cater their offense to him. Milroe could go in the first round if he enters the 2025 NFL Draft, but as a football player, he could be better off spending another year in college to develop as a passer before going pro.

Alabama guard Tyler Booker has been superb this season for the Crimson Tide, and that continued with a dominant tape against Auburn. The Crimson Tide had a lot of success running behind him, and Booker routinely pushed the Tiger defenders back. 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 late first-round pick next April, and this tape will help.

One Auburn player who has helped himself this season is senior running back Jarquez Hunter. Hunter is a tough downhill runner who has the power to break tackles and pick up yards after contact. He ran hard against Alabama, but the Tigers lane were incapable of giving him any running lanes. Hunter totaled 56 yards on 13 carries and scored a two-point conversion. Hunter (5-10, 209) has a strong build with good body lean to run behind his pads. With his technique and running style, Hunter is hard to get a hold of for defenders, and he will bounce off a lot of tackles. Hunter has been one of the better backs in the nation this year, and he is helping his draft grade.

This game had a ton of NFL defensive line talent that all looked impressive. Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant, Wolverines tackle Mason Graham, and edge rusher Josaiah Stewart all made clutch plays to keep the high-powered Buckeyes offense in check. Including the Ohio State defensive line prospects, Grant was the most impressive defender and the best talent on the field among the 2025 NFL draft-eligible players, including the Ohio State defensive line prospects.

Early in the game, Grant had some good run stuffs and was clogging up interior running lanes. In the third quarter, Grant had a phenomenal third-down rush, pushing off the center and right guard before racing down the middle of the pocket. Grant’s pressure forced an incompletion and a near interception for his defense. On other pass rushes Grant was getting a push in the pocket and preventing Will Howard from having the space to step up in the pocket.

While Grant did not have a big game statistically, he showed next-level ability with how tough to block he is at the point of attack. Grant has a great skill set as he is big and very strong. Grant has top-notch ability with a surprising ability to bend his bog body. He can play strong when he wants or needs to, and Grant is fast with the ability to run plays down. Grant has a ton of upside, and he is not as dominant as he can be. He could end up being a better pro than college player, and Grant looks like a top half of the first-round talent for the 2025 NFL Draft.

Mason Graham is not as physically talented as Grant, but Graham is a future starter in the NFL as well. In the second quarter, Graham burst into the backfield to join a teammate for a tackle for a loss. Late in the third quarter, Graham swam off the right guard and then took down a running back for a loss of one on a third down carry. Graham is strong at the point of attack to push off blocks and has a burst to close. With a great motor, Graham is a relentless defender that doesn’t take plays off. This was a respectable tape, and Graham looks like a potential top-20 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams had some clutch plays in the game’s early going. In the first quarter, Williams had a good run stuff, and shortly later, Williams held his ground on a fourth-and-1 to help stuff a Wolverines run for no gain inside the Buckeyes 10-yard line. Williams is strong, quick, and athletic at the point of attack. He looks like a first- or second-rounder next April.

Buckeye defensive ends Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau were quiet in this game save for one play. In the fourth quarter, Sawyer dropped into pass coverage near the goal line and sat in a throwing lane to make an interception in front of the end zone. It was a huge play to keep Ohio State tied. Aside from that play, Sawyer did not have a presence, and Tuimoloau was a ghost. This tape may help Sawyer, but it will negatively affect Tuimoloau.

Ohio State running back Quinshown Judkins and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka flashed against Michigan. Judkins had a number of chunk runs, showing quickness to hit the hole and the power to push through defenders. In the third quarter, Judkins showed his burst to explode through the middle and then power through a few defenders for an extra five on a 17-yard gain. Judkins had 46 yards on 12 carries. For the NFL, Judkins looks like a three-down starter. He is big, fast, explosive, and has good instincts. Judkins is also a functional receiver and can run over defenders. Judkins has the talent to go in the back half of the first round, and he should not wait long if he makes it to round two.

Egbuka had four catches for 51 yards. He was dangerous running dig routes in the middle of the field, showing an ability to get open. Egbuka is a polished receiver with quality size and quickness to be a No. 2 or 3 receiver in the NFL. While he is not overly fast or big, Egbuka could be a solid contributor to a pro offense. As a second-day pick, he could be a reasonably safe selection to not be a bust.