The first round of the 2025-26 College Football Playoff will take place on Friday and Saturday with four on-campus games to determine who will advance to the quarterfinals. Of course, this coincides with Week 16 of the NFL season and several teams are already focusing their attention on the offseason after being eliminated from playoff contention.
To no surprise, the 2026 NFL Draft is starting to come into focus and fans of these losing franchises are beginning to scope out who could be walking across the stage to greet NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in April. There are plenty of potential first-round prospects that will be taking the field this weekend and we’ll get you familiar with some names you should be keeping an eye out for as draft season kicks into gear. We’ll use the big boards at both Tankathon and NFL Mock Draft Database for reference.
No. 9 Alabama @ No. 8 Oklahoma, 8 p.m. ET
Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama (Top 10)
Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama (Late First Round)
The Friday night SEC showdown in Norman will feature two first-round prospects on the field, both suiting up for the Crimson Tide offense. Ty Simpson did a nice job commanding the Alabama offense in his lone season as the starter, throwing for over 3,000 yards with 26 touchdowns to just five interceptions. Draft experts have projected him to be the second or third quarterback taken off the board this April and there’s a wide range of opinions over where he’ll land. Some like Pro Football Network’s Ayden Stroupe think that he’ll go as high as No. 4 to the Las Vegas Raiders while others like our own Mark Schofield at SB Nation projects him falling all the way to the Los Angeles Rams at No. 31. Chances are he will be selected by a QB-needy team in the top 10 and a strong performance against a tough Oklahoma defense will go a long way towards impressing scouts.
Protecting Simpson’s blind side at left tackle is Kadyn Proctor, who right now is being tabbed as a late first-rounder in the 20-27 range. He is a massive figure at 6’7”, 366 pounds and the combination of his raw strength, size, and athleticism earned him the SEC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy for this season. Concerns over hand placement, technique, and conditioning are why he isn’t projected to hear his name called until later on Night 1 of the draft, but there is a chance for him to improve his stock between now and then.
Crimson Tide defensive lineman LT Overton is being projected as an early second-round pick that could potentially move up, but has already been ruled out of this game with an undisclosed illness. Across the field, Oklahoma edge rusher R Mason Thomas is expected to suit up after missing the last few weeks of the regular season with a hamstring injury. Like Overton, Thomas is an early second-round projection after a season where he racked up 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and a scoop-n-score touchdown in just nine games.
No. 10 Miami @ No. 7 Texas A&M, 12 p.m. ET
Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami (Top 5)
Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami (Top 15)
Cashius Howell, Edge, Texas A&M (Late First Round)
KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M (Late First Round)
Miami-Texas A&M is the game to watch this weekend if you’re a draft head as both sides have multiple players who could be first-round selections. Rueben Bain Jr. tops the list and depending how the draft order shakes out, he could very well be the No. 1 overall pick in April. Bain was dominant coming off the edge for the Hurricane defense, racking up 37 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble for the year. Those numbers were good enough for him to earn ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors and Pro Football Focus currently has him just a hair behind Texas Tech’s David Bailey as the second-highest graded edge rusher in the country. There are some durability concerns after the calf injury he suffered in 2024, but the combination of explosiveness, power, and pursuit has Bain near the top of every draft board with with CBS Sports’ Blake Brockermeyer even comparing him to Pro Football Hall of Famer Dwight Freeney.
Bain won’t be alone on Night 1 as Francis Mauigoa should be walking across the stage shortly after him as possibly the second offensive tackle taken behind Utah’s Spencer Fano. The 6’6”, 315 pound tackle earned the ACC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy by anchoring an offensive line that has only allowed 11 sacks for the entire season. Mauigoa’s thick frame and incredible speed earned him a spot on Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List” ahead of the season and is why he is being projected as a top o-line prospect heading into draft season.
On the Aggie side of things, Cashius Howell is being slotted as a late first-rounder for the time being and obviously has a chance to rise over the next few months. The former Bowling Green standout has been excellent since transferring to Texas A&M last season and earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors this year with 29 tackles, 14 TFLs, and a conference-leading 11.5 sacks. He’s a tad bit undersized at 6’2”, 248 pounds, but his intelligence and ability to drop back into coverage at times makes him an intriguing prospect that could lend a hand to an already established Super Bowl contender.
KC Concepcion is the other A&M prospect to watch and according to draft experts, he could very well land with a contender at the end of round one. The junior wideout transferred from NC State this season and made an impact in multiple ways for the Aggies. Offensively, he hauled in 57 targets for 886 yards and an SEC-leading nine receiving touchdowns while on special teams, he served as their primary punt returner and housed two returns for scores during the season. That earned him First-Team All-SEC honors for offense, all-purpose, and special teams and one can easily envision him becoming an effective slot/special teams weapon in the NFL.
No. 11 Tulane @ No. 6 Ole Miss, 3:30 p.m. ET
The battle between Tulane and Ole Miss won’t feature any first-round prospects, but there are a few names to keep your eye on. Rebel defensive tackle Zxavian Harris is currently being projected as a possible third-rounder after a senior season where he came away with 43 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, three sacks, and an interception. And while he isn’t considered a prospect for 2026, still pay attention to quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. The former Ferris State star was one of the bigger surprises in the entire sport this year and with ongoing speculation of him following Lane Kiffin to LSU next season, there’s a chance that a strong performance here could kickstart the hype train of him as a possible first-rounder in 2027.
On the Tulane side of things, edge rusher Santana Hopper is expected to enter the transfer portal following the playoff. He has compiled 13 sacks over the last three seasons and similar to the aforementioned Howell, he could build his draft profile for 2027 by putting together a strong season on a bigger stage.
No. 12 James Madison @ No. 5 Oregon, 7:30 p.m. ET
Dante Moore, QB, Oregon (Top 10)
Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon (Mid First Round)
Matayo Uiagalelei, Edge, Oregon (Late First Round)
A’Mauri Washington, DT, Oregon (Late First Round)
Oregon is going to be well represented early in the draft as it could possibly have four players walk across the stage in the first round this April. That list obviously starts with Dante Moore, who could be a top-five pick as the second quarterback taken off the board behind Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. After a mixed-bag year starting as a true freshman for UCLA in 2023, he opted to transfer to Oregon and spent last year sitting behind Dillon Gabriel. That time sitting did him a lot of good as he was effective at running the show for the Ducks this season, completing roughly 73% of his passes for over 2,700 yards with 24 touchdowns to just six picks.
The Detroit product has good size for an NFL QB at 6’3”, 206 pounds and scouts have been impressed with his poise, arm strength, and ball placement while his lack of running ability is somewhat of a concern. If he does lead Oregon on a deep run through the playoff bracket, then we could be talking about him as the potential No. 1 overall pick.
Moore has had plenty of help on offense, especially in the form of projected mid first-round prospect Kenyon Sadiq. The junior from Idaho is the top tight end prospect in this class and earned himself Big Ten Tight End of the Year honors with 40 receptions for 490 yards and eight touchdowns this season. He has the athleticism and route-running ability to fit the mold of a productive pass-catching tight end in the NFL, but there is some concern surrounding his ability as a blocker with his build at 245 pounds.
The Ducks defense boasts a pair of front-seven members that could sneak into the later portions of the first round in edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei and defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington. The younger brother of current Los Angeles Chargers QB D.J. Uiagalelei, Matayo was able to follow up his First-Team All-Big Ten campaign in 2024 with another strong year where he racked up 28 tackles, five sacks, and a forced fumble. Meanwhile, the massive 6’3”, 330-pound Washington has turned heads in his first season as a starter with the combination of his size, power, and athleticism.
James Madison doesn’t have a prospect anywhere close to being considered as a first-round pick, but there are a few names on defense to take note of in this showdown. Senior linebacker Trent Hendrick earned Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year with a season where he compiled 96 tackles, six TFLs, and three sacks. Meanwhile, safety Jacob Thomas was a menace in the Dukes secondary with 65 tackles, seven passes defended, two interceptions, and two sacks for the campaign.
