One 2025 NFL Draft prospect from each playoff team who helped their stock in the Round of 12
These eight players performed under the brightest spotlights
The first round of the College Football Playoffs is behind us, and a flurry of 2025 NFL Draft prospects showcased their talents under the brightest lights this weekend.
So let’s highlight a few of them. Limiting myself to one player per playoff team this weekend, we take a look at a player from each squad who saw their 2025 NFL Draft stock rise the most in the first round of the playoffs.
It was tough and there were gobs more that I could have chosen. However, that would be way too long to read and half of the majority of the article would have been Ohio State and Texas players. So let’s dive in!
Texas OT Cameron Williams
It was a tough choice between Williams and another one of my favorite 2025 NFL Draft prospects, tight end Gunnar Helm. While Helm led the Longhorns in receiving in their win over Clemson, it was Williams who made a louder statement.
The Longhorns won the game because Clemson could not stop the run. And Williams was a primary force in that as he routinely displaced defensive linemen from gaps on the night. His draft stock has increased all season, and that is not going to stop anytime soon.
Williams is going to be a first round pick and he’s going to get drafted higher than you may think. He’s a top-20 player in this draft class and will benefit from every team requiring
an offensive lineman.
Ohio State RB TreVeyon Henderson
Ohio State had a flurry of players that I could have chosen including offensive lineman Donovan Jackson, the pair of EDGE rushers, wideout Emeka Egbuka, and more. However, running back TreVeyon Henderson continues to earn the respect and will not allow himself to be separated from the cream of the crop in a great running back class.
In this Round of 12 game, Henderson ripped off 80 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 carries, splitting with Quinshon Judkins. Nearly two-thirds of those rushing yards came after contact, with a long of 29 on the night.
Henderson then added 54 more yards as a receiver on four catches.
Oh yeah, and he’s the best pass-protecting back in the class too.
Notre Dame S Xavier Watts
Notre Dame’s Xavier Watts may not be the best athlete at the safety position in the 2025 NFL Draft class, but he may just be the smartest, most instinctive one.
His fingerprints were all over this game, just as I stated the may just be on the Daft on Draft Podcast last week. He lined up in the box on 20 snaps, over the top on 33 snaps, and even played in the slot on 14 snaps for the Fighting Irish on Friday night.
Watts finished the game with seven tackles, and three stop tackles, only gave up one yard receiving on one target, and tallied an interception of Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke.
This is a Day 2 player seven days of the week.
Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter
Look, it was a pretty status-quo game from the Nittany Lions. Drew Allar did the bare minimum, Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton took on the bulk of the work, and tight end Tyler Warren did Tyler Warren things.
It’s a default answer, but EDGE rusher Abdul Carter was the menace that everyone expected him to be. Racking up five pressures, four quarterback hurries, one sack, and two stop tackles against the Mustangs, Carter put quarterback Kevin Jennings in a blender all day.
There is a reason he is the No. 2 player on my big board.
Indiana DT CJ West
I fall in love with a Day 3 nose tackle every year, and this year that man is Indiana’s CJ West. A Kent State transfer, it is hard to find a stouter nose tackle against the run in the country. And while Notre Dame Jeremiyah Love ripped apart the Indiana defense, West did his part to keep the second-level clean.
A menace to block upfront, West finished the game with three stop tackles, forcing Notre Dame into negative plays in those situations.
He’s not going to get drafted high, and he will likely have a very pigeon-holed role at the NFL level. However, he is going to be quite stout at the role that he will serve.
Tennessee EDGE James Pearce Jr.
Another default answer here is predominantly because Tennessee was pretty abysmal on both sides of the ball. Future first round EDGE rusher James Pearce Jr., however, racked up three pressures, three tackles, and two stop tackles. He made himself known early in the game.
Otherwise, it was an incredibly forgettable game for the Volunteers.
SMU RB Breshard Smith
SMU was behind the 8-ball early in the game and was never able to crawl out after surrendering two defensive touchdowns on pick-sixes. However, just as he has been most of the season, converted wide receiver to running back Breshard Smith (who also transferred from Miami) did his best to hold the unit together.
He finished with 87 total yards (63 on the ground, 24 as a receiver), forcing three missed tackles with a long of 16 on the day. Unfortunately for Smith, when your team goes down multiple scores early, the script goes out the window. This led to fewer touches than anticipated for the SMU back.
Clemson QB Cade Klubnik
I want to end with Cade Klubnik because he deserves a massive shoutout. No quarterback in college football improved more this season than the former Clemson five-star. He developed from a raw and athletic gunslinger to an actual quarterback in 2023.
And he balled out against the Longhorns. He is the sole reason Clemson stayed in the game. He threw the ball with anticipation and accuracy, put his lethal legs on display, and was dropping the ball in the bucket all night.
While Klubnik likely goes back to school, if he takes another stride like he did this past year then we are talking about a future first rounder.
Honorable Mentions
Ohio State OL Donovan Jackson
Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka
Ohio State EDGEs Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau
Penn State RB Kaytron Allen
Texas TE Gunnar Helm
Texas OL Kelvin Banks Jr.
Texas DB Jahdae Barron
Texas S Andrew Mukuba