NFL Draft
1/3/25
6 min read
2025 NFL Draft: Most Underrated Prospect From Each CFP Semifinal Team
The College Football Playoff semifinal field is set. And, as you may expect, the final four are a showcase of some of the most talented teams in the country.
Their contributions to the 2025 NFL Draft will be significant, and all four teams boast talent that should hear their name called on the first night of the draft in April. With the matchups set, piecing together who may be in line for a showcase game on the biggest stage offers plenty of intrigue and a vital final exclamation point for the resumes of some of the draft’s talents.
But what about the unsung heroes? In both matchups between Notre Dame & Penn State and Texas & Ohio State, there are not only talents to populate the first 32 or 50 picks in the NFL Draft but also intriguing players that will be found later on Day 2 and Day 3.
Who are some of the most underrated talents who can use the CFB Playoff semi-final matchups to help boost their stock?
Underrated CFP Prospects for 2025 NFL Draft
Cotton Bowl: Texas (13-2) vs. Ohio State (12-2)
UT SAF Andrew Mukuba (#4) pic.twitter.com/FQ5mAXuTmG
— GrindingTheTape (@GrindingTheTape) January 2, 2025
Underrated Longhorn: SAF Andrew Mukuba 
Andrew Mukuba has been on the draft radar for quite some time, thanks to his recruiting profile and a freshman season to remember with Brent Venables at Clemson.
However, since then, Mukuba's play has been modest and not up to his early standard. That’s changed this season in Texas, and Mukuba suddenly has the look of a top-50 talent once again. He’s confident, he’s finding the football, and he’s been optimized by being charged with playing less in the slot and playing more frequently from depth.
This is a high-end athlete whose instincts are once again being given opportunities to shine. And while Mukuba is a popular late Day 2 choice for mock drafts at this stage, it should not surprise anyone to see his stock continue to surge, even amid a talented safety class.
Making impact plays against Ohio State’s high-powered passing attack could be a tipping point for some to reassess their priors on Mukuba and his valuation.
Underrated Buckeye: QB Will Howard
In a bleak quarterback class, it is probably time to start embracing the potential of Will Howard being one of the more attractive Day 3 options. Howard, a 5th-year senior who played his first four seasons at Kansas State, has been on a big-time heater thus far in the playoff.
The Buckeyes torched Tennessee and promptly dropped 34 points on the Ducks in the first half on Wednesday. Howard is thriving while throwing to NFL talent like Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith — but he was also a passer who flashed some gifts before he arrived in Columbus. He can throw with touch and excels both vertically and in the intermediate areas of the field, so long as he’s kept clean from pressure.
Howard's ceiling is something of a question, and it is fair to point out that his receivers are doing some of the heavy lifting amid his breakout this season. Still, with other Tier 2 and Tier 3 quarterbacks in this class consisting of names like Jaxson Dart, Kurtis Rourke, Dillon Gabriel, Kyle McCord, and potentially names like Riley Leonard? Howard’s quality of play should not be overlooked.
And a starring role vs. the Texas defense would be the biggest feather in his cap yet, perhaps setting the stage for him being the “hot name” among passers outside the first-round consideration.
Orange Bowl: Penn State (13-2) vs. Notre Dame (13-1)
PSU RB Kaytron Allen (#13) pic.twitter.com/favsPfYWT3
— GrindingTheTape (@GrindingTheTape) January 2, 2025
Underrated Nittany Lion: RB Kaytron Allen
Penn State is the team that had the most potential selections for this exercise. Their program is generally perceived to be on a different tier than Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Texas — and the perception of prospects not named Abdul Carter Jr. is a testament to that.
However, against a physical Notre Dame defense, powerful RB Kaytron Allen likely has the best opportunity as an underrated prospect to move the needle for his resume.
Allen has been a constant fixture splitting the backfield with Nick Singleton during the last three seasons, but Singleton has some more flash to his game thanks to his home run-hitting ability. Allen has nearly 600 career touches, averages nearly 5.5 yards per touch from scrimmage, and has posted 28 career touchdowns in three seasons.
He’s been productive and is an absolute jackhammer of a runner. He’s creating more chunk runs in the biggest moments, too. Allen has broken seven runs of 15+ yards in the last three games going back to the Big Ten Championship Game against Oregon.
If he can create added yardage against Notre Dame after the way they attacked Georgia, he may find his stock on the rise.
Notre Dame TE Mitchell Evans (#88) pic.twitter.com/9UZwGP7rgY
— GrindingTheTape (@GrindingTheTape) January 3, 2025
Underrated Irish: TE Mitchell Evans
The 2025 tight end class is a crowded room. Between do-it-all talents like Tyler Warren, receiving weapons like Harold Fannin Jr. (Bowling Green), Colston Loveland (Michigan), Mason Taylor (LSU), and others, and blocking talents like Gunnar Helm and Jackson Hawes?
There's no shortage of available talent at the position, depending on what you're shopping for.
Mitchell Evans is a traditional in-line player. His prototypical build offers him a margin for error as a blocker at the point of attack, and he'll bust zones underneath with his frame to box out the catch point and confident hands.
This isn't the kind of mismatch athlete that will garner a ton of buzz in the pre-draft process, nor is he likely to command many targets in the NFL. But he's exactly the kind of role player that every tight end room in the NFL can use — the kind who doesn't always need the ball to make an impact.
Against Penn State, Evans will have the chance to negate the Nittany Lions' pass rushers while creating some movement against Abdul Carter and company in the run game.
But don't sleep on his ability in the passing game. Evans was a productive player in 2023 on a similar target share to the one he had in 2024. If he can put that on display against Penn State, then perhaps you'll see his stock start to heat up a bit.
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