2025 NFL Draft: College Football Game Recaps – Week 1

Former Purdue defensive lineman Nic Scourton was making his debut for the Aggies after transferring to College Station after the 2023 season. Scourton had 10 sacks last year and was one of the better defensive lineman in college football. Against Notre Dame, Scourton flashed his ability.

Midway through the first quarter, Scourton got his first sack of the season using a spin move to the inside to get by the left tackle, and then he chased down Leonard for the sack. However, shortly later, Scourton tripped while chasing Leonard and stumbled awkwardly before going down. He returned to the game and came up with a batted pass to help force a third-and-long. In the fourth quarter, Scourton flew down the line and dodged a pulling blocker to make a tackle for a loss of four yards.

In speaking with some team sources who did some advance work on Scourton during the preseason, they liked what they saw and were eager to see how he would perform in the SEC. Notre Dame is a good opponent that generally has a very good offensive line. Scourton had a solid debut for the Aggies. While he wasn’t dominant, he was respectable.

Last year, there was some media buzz about quarterback Riley Leonard being an early-round pick while playing for Duke. Leonard suffered a season-ending injury and transferred to Notre Dame for the 2024 season. Taking on a tough Texas A&M defense, Leonard battled hard but was harassed all night by the Aggies’ defensive line, who kept Leonard from getting in a rhythm through the air. Leonard showed a strong arm and running ability, but receivers were not getting open or separating fast enough to help their quarterback.

In the third quarter, Leonard got lucky after staring down his receiver and leading the cornerback in jumping the route. Leonard was fortunate the defensive back dropped the ball, as it probably would have been a pick-six with open grass before the end zone. The Aggies’ defense kept everything short, and Leonard had only about 100 yards passing entering the fourth quarter. While Leaonard was stifled through the air, he used his legs and size to pick up some tough yards on the ground. He ran for 63 yards on 12 carries while completing 18-of-30 passes for 158 yards. Overall, this tape won’t help Leonard, but it won’t hurt him either. Hopefully, there will be other games that will illustrate whether Leonard has improved as a pocket passer.

Former Washington State quarterback Cam Ward flirted with entering the 2024 NFL Draft before transferring to Miami. Ward led a point-machine offense with the Cougars, and it was interesting to see if Ward could become a more polished pocket passer with the Hurricanes. Against Florida, Ward pretty much

In the first quarter, Ward used his arm and legs to move the ball down the field before finding a wide-open receiver for an easy touchdown toss. On the next drive, Ward made a horrible throw and decision. Ward rolled to his left and threw the pass back across his body. It was an easy interception for Gators linebacker Shemar James, and that set up their offense deep in Miami territory.

Later in the first half, Ward missed an open receiver downfield for what could have been a long completion, but he came back to find a wide-open target for a gain of 30. Late in the first half Ward found Xavier Restrepo streaking into the end zone down the seam, and Ward fired in a 24-yard scoring strike.

To open the third quarter, Restrepo ran a superb whip route to the inside and then spun back to the sideline after making the catch to explode down the field for a gain of 40 yards. That set up another rushing touchdown for Miami, and on the next drive, Ward lofted in a perfect pass along the far sideline for a critical conversion. A few plays later, Ward scrambled to dodge a sack before finding a receiver wide-open in the back of the end zone. Ward completed 26-of-35 passes for 385 yards with three touchdowns and an interception.

In his debut with Miami, Ward cruised over a weak Gators defense that struggled to prevent separation. As a quarterback, Ward has a quality arm, dangerous running ability, and plays with composure. This was a solid start, but he has room for improvement with ball placement, reading the field, and decision-making. It will be interesting to see if Ward can develop throughout this season.

Restrepo led Miami in receiving with seven receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown. The slot receiver Restrepo is quick, shifty, and an excellent route-runner. While Restrepo (5-10, 198) is small, he has enough size to be a functional slot receiver in the NFL. This tape could help him get consideration as a day-two or mid-rounder next April.

The Florida prospects were disappointing overall. Running back Montrell Johnson Jr. had the lone highlight with a 71-yard touchdown run. Quarterback Graham Mertz struggled and disappointed before getting knocked out of the game after throwing a terrible interception. Johnson could be a mid-rounder that ends up being a good value pick next April.

George quarterback Carson Beck is in the running to be the top quarterback prospect for the 2025 NFL Draft and is also one of the favorites to be the first overall player drafted. Beck got his season off to a solid start against Clemson. While Beck did not dominate, he managed the game well, making good decisions and guiding his team to points.

In the first quarter, the Clemson defense did a good job of getting off the field, and midway through the opening half, Beck started moving the ball with some accurate quick passes in the short part of the field. After leading a field goal drive, Beck made a traditional NFL play that is rare in this age of college football. Beck went under center, used a snap count, and then executed a play-action fake before lofting a pass downfield to an open receiver for a gain of close to 30. After missing an open receiver on a crossing route, Beck settled for another field goal.

On the next drive, Beck made a pretty play rolling out and threw a well-placed pass to a receiver that broke open for a huge gain, but it was called back on a Georgia penalty. To open the third quarter, Beck moved the ball down the field, hitting some precision passes before throwing a perfect back shoulder fade pass for a short touchdown pass. In the fourth quarter, Beck made an excellent play working through his reads before finding London Humphreys on a crossing route, and Humphreys turned down the sideline to explode for a 40-yard touchdown. Beck finished completing 23-of-33 passes for 278 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Overall, Beck played well. He made good decisions, read the defense well, and generally threw the ball accurately. This tape will help Beck with pro evaluators.

As usual, Georgia has defensive backs prospects for the NFL led by star safety Malachi Starks. Starks was quiet for much of the game as the Clemson offense struggled to stay on the field, but he made a superb play in the fourth quarter. Lining up deep downfield, Starks picked up the slot receiver and blanketed him on an out-and-up route. With the ball up for grabs, Starks went up high and snatched the lofted pass for an interception. It was a superb play as Starks timed his jump well, high-pointing the ball and showing strong hands. This was a tremendous play for the NFL as Starks showed man coverage skills on receivers and superb ball skills. This will help Starks to be picked in the first round next April.

Cornerback Daylen Everette has early-round ability. In the first quarter, Everette had tight coverage on a Clemson receiver downfield, but a perfect throw and a superb catch led to a 36-yard gain. Aside from that play, Everette maintained coverage and prevented separation.

Two NFL defensive line prospects had respectable starts to their 2024 season. Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams had some nice rushes for pressures in the first half. In the third quarter, Williams shed a block and took down the quarterback on an option run for a tackle for a loss. However, on the next play, Williams suffered an injured ankle and had to get attention from trainers after taking a hard cut block to the legs. Williams ended up going to the locker room during the fourth quarter.

Clemson defensive tackle DeMonte Capehart showed an excellent motor to go with quickness and athleticism. He did a solid job of battling at the point of attack, but his physical talent was spotted when he got downfield on plays to make some tackles outside of the box. This was a solid debut for Capehart, but he must ramp up his pass rush in the coming weeks.

There was the potential for a good draft matchup in this game with Minnesota left tackle Aireontae Ersery going against North Carolina edge rusher Kaimon Rucker. After a quiet stretch in the early going, the Gophers quarterback scrambled to his left and ran past Ersery. Rucker redirected and chased him down for a sack. That sack was an easy play for Rucker as the quarterback ran right to him, and Ersery is not to blame for that play. Aside from that play, Rucker typically went up against the right tackle. In the fourth quarter Ersery stuffed some rushes from Rucker, and Rucker came close to beating Ersery for a sack on a speed rush during the final two-minute drills.

Ersery is a big-bodied tackle who is physical in the ground game and able to generate a push. While he has some quickness and athleticism, his feet might fit better as a right tackle at the NFL level. That being said, it is far too early to make that call, and it will be interesting to see how Ersery plays this season. This was a respectable tape for Ersery to open the season.

Rucker has some pass-rush ability and is quick to get upfield. However, he could use more functional strength in the NFL to shed blocks.

North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton was one of the most dangerous ball carriers during the 2023 season and he ran well to open the 2024 season. Hampton had a mixed play in pass protetection picking up a blitz, but not sustaining his block to allow a strip-sack. But a penalty on Minnesota bailed him out. Hampton ran well, showing quickness to hit the hole, and he ran with serious power. Hampton powers through contact and is very difficult to get on the ground. With elusiveness and acceleration, Hampton can be a devastating runner. Versus Minnesota, Hampton totaled 129 yards on 30 carries with five receptions for 17 yards. This tape showed that Hampton is an early-rounder and might be a potential second-round pick.

Team sources told me Minnesota cornerback Justin Walley could have been a second-day prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft, but Walley decided to return to the Gophers. In the third quarter, Walley had blanket coverage on a receiver downfield, and Max Johnson’s pass was a little behind the receiver, setting up Walley to snatch his first interception of the season. Walley had a long return to set up a first-and-goal. Walley was not targeted and tested by North Carolina, and this was a good tape for him to start his final season.

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is in the running to be the top quarterback prospect for the 2025 NFL Draft, and he got his season off to a respectable start against North Dakota State. On the first drive, Sanders threw a short comeback route to star cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter, and he dodged a cornerback to explode down the field for a 41-yard touchdown. Shortly later, Sanders was hit as he threw, but he lofted in a pass down the deep middle of the field to a wide-open receiver, and he took off for a 70-yard touchdown. It was an excellent job of Sanders keeping his eyes downfield and not panicking when the pocket was closing around him. Late in the first half, Sanders threw some accurate passes downfield and along the sideline to move the chains and led a pretty two-minute drill to grab a field goal as time expired.

Sanders stayed hot to open the third quarter, including a well-placed deep ball that Hunter reeled in after getting away with a push-off. However, the drive ended with Sanders throwing a bad pass low to an open receiver. It freakily bounced off a defender’s foot, and then a North Dakota State linebacker caught the deflection in the end zone for Sanders’s first interception of the 2024 season.

Colorado bounced back, with Sanders ripping the ball down the field before firing a laser to Hunter in the back of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown. Hunter made a good adjustment, cutting back to the inside of the cornerback to get open for his quarterback. They liked up again for a critical conversion in the early fourth quarter. To cap that drive, Hunter made a highlight reel catch along the sideline, showing his fantastic ball skills. Hunter was being knocked to the ground and was able to hold onto the pass despite his momentum taking him in the other direction. It was a fantastic catch by Hunter and a highlight reel play. Sanders completed 26-of-34 passes for 445 yards with four touchdowns and an interception.

There is no doubt that Sanders can be a starting quarterback as a pro. Sanders has a quality arm, is very accurate, has superb ball placement, is athletic enough to scramble, and can kill teams from the pocket. Sanders shows advanced development for the NFL. Not only does he have an excellent I.Q. and football instincts, but Sanders also has advanced technique. He has the footwork of a pro starter and can operate with a snap count instead of signaling for the ball with a clap. This tape will help Sanders to be a high first-round pick next April.

Colorado cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter is one of the top prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft, and he got his season off to a good start. On defense, Hunter showed his willingness to defend the run coming downhill and making a tackle in the flat to limit the back to a gain of one. He was solid in coverage and did not allow anything of significance through the air. As a wide out, Hunter caught seven passes for 132 yards with three touchdowns. Hunter did serious damage as a receiver, showing the speed to get vertical, route adjustment, strong hands, and excellent ball skills. Hunter’s ball skills are incredible and extremely rare. This tape was that of a first-round pick at cornerback or wide receiver.