NFL Draft
12/25/24
12 min read
2025 NFL Draft: Ranking Top Players To Watch In Bowl Games This Year
The college football bowl season brings one last chance to see 2025 NFL Draft prospects before the offseason craziness begins. While all-star games and the NFL Scouting Combine are the final pieces of a prospect's puzzle before April's draft, these competitive on-field contests are still the best way to see what an individual can do.
Some of the best 2025 NFL Draft prospects will opt-out from playing in bowl games outside of the College Football Playoff. The risk of injury is real. However, there are still a ton of seniors and top underclassmen who have the chance to help themselves before making the jump.
We've evaluated the matchups within each bowl game to find 10 prospects who can give their stock one more jolt of upward energy before the end of the season. This is not a ranking of the top-10 talents playing in all bowl games, but rather a list of 10 prospects with the most to gain with solid performances.
Ranking Prospects to Watch in Bowl Games
This play perfectly encapsulates the athleticism and block recognition skills of South Carolina DT TJ Sanders (6-4, 290) pic.twitter.com/b3ThBoMZDo
— Jack Brentnall (@Jack_Brentnall) December 16, 2024
10. T.J. Sanders, DT, South Carolina 
The combination of Dylan Stewart and Kyle Kennard is as nasty as pass-rushers get in the country, but the South Carolina defensive front is the best in the nation because they have two interior disruptors next to them. T.J. Sanders is one of the premier penetrators in the 2025 NFL Draft, totaling 32 pressures, five sacks, and 24 run stops next to those two monsters. Sanders would surely be even more productive if he wasn't competing for finishes with elite talents.
Still, Sanders is well-known in evaluating circles. The 6-foot-4, 290-pounder put up similar numbers in 2023, but this year has been more consistent. His strength and awareness have improved to the point where he should be starting on an NFL defense in 2025.
Entering his matchup with Illinois as a top-50 talent, one more disruptive performance could put him into the end of the first round. Illinois won't be a pushover, but they're also woefully undermanned in the trenches to deal with the Gamecocks' quartet of disruptors.
Interior linemen Josh Kreutz, Josh Gesky, and Brandon Henderson have graded as average or worse blockers throughout the year for PFF, so we might see Sanders have a career day on this final big stage.
9. DJ Giddens, RB, Kansas State
Posting back-to-back seasons with at least 1,226 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, DJ Giddens has been a smashing success as Deuce Vaughn's replacement. He upped his game with Avery Johnson taking over at quarterback this year, reaching 1,343 rushing yards and 258 receiving yards. The powerful 6-foot-1, 212-pounder now has an interesting decision to make about his future.
With 518 career carries, Giddens has little left to prove. He's not overly fast, but he's efficient and can easily find more green space after getting hit. A whopping 1,925 of his 3,088 yards came after contact, averaging 3.72 yards after contact per carry over three seasons.
I expect Giddens to run in the high 4.5s at the scouting combine, so it's not a huge deal that he's not a speedster. Instead, the NFL has seen more upright backs like Giddens find production despite being non-traditional because they're consistently getting to their spot within the rhythm of the offense and then manipulating pursuit angles in order to shed tackles. Giddens fits as a change-of-pace-back.
Rutgers is about the middle of the pack as a run defense, allowing almost 150 yards a game. However, they allow five yards a carry, tied for 103rd in the nation. Giddens should thrive in this matchup, and one more big outing against an out-of-conference foe would be the right momentum needed to push him closer to the early Day 3 range.
DJ Giddens' Full Scouting Report, Pro Comp
I am absolutely in on Rutgers RB Kyle Monangai pic.twitter.com/v6Qtdwy2Xq
— Connor Rogers (@ConnorJRogers) June 10, 2024
8. Kyle Monangai, RB, Rutgers
Giddens should have the advantage against Rutgers, but the same can't be said for Kyle Monangai against the Kansas State defense. The Wildcats have an elite run defense, getting major help from their secondary in support. This is a tough unit to crack, and Monangai has had trouble creating on his own when his team is outmatched.
While Giddens is almost surely pigeonholed to be a power-based backup in the NFL, Monangai has enough fans to think he could emerge as a starter somewhere. The 5-foot-9, 209-pounder has been the rock of the offense for the last two years, breaking the 1,200-yard mark in each season and 21 touchdowns over that span.
Quick and powerful with his low center of gravity, Monangai's advanced numbers and usage are almost identical over these two years. He leaves little meat on the bone with the ball in his hands, often overcoming an outmanned offensive line to get the job done. But does he have the higher gear to be a standout NFL starter?
His matchup with Kansas State will help answer that question.
7. Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Bowling Green 
Already the most productive tight end in FBS history, totaling 100 receptions for 1,342 yards and nine touchdowns, Harold Fannin Jr. has little else to prove against Arkansas State. We wish he'd be playing a higher-end competition for the last game of his 2024 campaign and, possibly, the last game of his collegiate career. The junior has one more year of eligibility.
It's still important for Fannin to show out, though. His usage has been like Jaheim Bell's on steroids, and Bell was a seventh-round pick last year. Fannin has balanced being a high-volume target, explosive receiver, and rushing threat. But his NFL projection isn't clear because he's 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds.
A creative NFL attack could put Fannin in the slot as an inline tight end, out wide, or even in the backfield. Most NFL teams never fully embrace Swiss Army knives, so Fannin has to dominate every chance he gets to prove he's worthy of high investment and inclusion into a weekly game plan.
Harold Fannin Jr.'s Full Scouting Report, Pro Comp
NOAH THOMAS. 73 YARDS TO THE HOUSE.#GigEm pic.twitter.com/ClTwD4ruzw
— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) November 24, 2024
6. Noah Thomas, WR, Texas A&M
Noah Thomas stands out in this class as the only playmaker with his impressive 6-foot-6 stature, making his combination of size and agility particularly captivating. Similar to former Florida State and current Philadelphia Eagles receiver Johnny Wilson, Thomas is likely to find a role in the NFL as a powerful slot receiver or a hybrid tight end. Teams are always eager to take a chance on someone with such a rare physical profile.
While Thomas does have some limitations, he is viewed as a superior athlete compared to Wilson, and his history of fewer drops is notable. In the past three years, he has recorded only four drops on 108 targets, indicating a stronger projection than Wilson. Some scouts have placed him in the middle of the Day 2 draft range.
The concern for Thomas is his lack of consistent involvement and production.
Thomas has only three games with more than three receptions on the season and two showings with more than 65 yards. Only a junior, Thomas has to build on his breakout performance against Auburn in Week 13 to justify jumping to the next level. Otherwise, a return to Texas A&M has to be in consideration.
5. Jaylin Noel, WR, Iowa State
Iowa State's stellar wide receiver duo of Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins have done just about all they can to become top-100 picks next spring. Each broke the 1,000-yard mark, proving to be one of the elite pairings in college football. Despite this, we've barely heard evaluators talk about Noel in particular.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pound slot receiver certainly looks like someone who could handle a high volume of NFL targets. Quicker than fast, Noel races into open space and thrives against zone coverages. What makes him more intriguing is his play, where most smaller receivers fail.
Noel has dropped only 5.3 percent of targets this season, with four of his 109 passes hitting the ground. He's also caught 17 of 36 contested catches throughout his career, proving to be much tougher at the catch point than a sub-6-foot-2 playmaker. His profile isn't far off what Jarvis Landry was at LSU.
Playing Miami in the Pop-Tarts Bowl is an ideal challenge for Noel to show his athleticism against one of the more physically gifted teams in the nation. The Hurricanes' secondary has struggled mightily with discipline, but they have the length and speed needed to be better than what we've seen. Noel needs to take advantage.
If we know anything about NFL teams that utilize video games..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 22, 2024
Quinshon Judkins is gonna be playing for the New York Jets #PMSCFP pic.twitter.com/jfQ5GPatIP
4. Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State
TreVeyon Henderson has been the better back in Ohio State's terrific tandem, leaving Quinshon Judkins to do much of the dirty work between the tackles and in the red zone. While Judkins has been solid, still notching 839 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 5.4 yards per carry, he's failed to overcome a slew of injuries across his offensive line. Judkins has only two games with more than 46 yards since Week 6.
The advanced numbers don't show 2024 as being an abnormally bad year for Judkins, as he's still close to his career averages in yards after contact per attempt (3.24), forced missed tackles, and breakaway rate (39.8%). He's just getting hit right away and there's next to no space for him to create.
Playing Oregon next isn't likely to solve all of those issues. Judkins was battling a hand injury in their previous matchup, contributing to his lone fumble of the season. With the Buckeyes changing up its offensive line once again, it's possible Judkins will get enough lanes to put his season-worst showing far in the rearview.
If he can't, then Judkins' place within this running back class will continue to be cloudy. Undoubtedly a talented rusher with the skill set needed to be a quality starter in the NFL, Judkins' cold streak since the middle of the season has created enough doubt to wonder whether he could fall out on Day 2 in the 2025 NFL Draft.
3. Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia
If Mykel Williams' breakout performance against Texas in the SEC Championship Game was any indicator of what we'll see from him moving forward, then the hype around this uber-athletic edge rusher is justified. Clearly, the best athlete on the field in almost every game he's been in, Williams has the tools to be a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. But tools aren't everything.
An ankle injury derailed Williams' first half of the season, and it took him several weeks to find his stride after returning to the field. Quiet outings against Ole Miss and Georgia Tech were concerning as to whether his motor would consistently run hot or if his profile had too many red flags to ignore. Williams dropped in mock drafts this season despite everyone knowing he could become a star.
Producing 10 pressures and two sacks across two games against Texas, the lanky pass-rusher can now parlay his big-game success into a moment that leads to being a top-10 lock. Arizona State will use its powerful running game to keep Williams off-tilt, but it might not be enough.
2. Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama
Hopes were high that Jalen Milroe would flourish to new heights with first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer, but the pairing failed to spark anything lasting. Instead of using Milroe as a key component of a stellar scheme, DeBoer had Milroe be the unit's engine, often asking too much of the athlete to create with his legs and arm. Milroe responded with a good but not great campaign.
Still inconsistent with his throwing motion, accuracy, decision-making, and playmaking, Milroe remains a highly gifted athlete who happens to play quarterback more than a slam-dunk quarterback prospect. He'll need the right staff, supporting cast, and time to develop in the NFL. While Milroe is expected to enter the 2025 NFL Draft class, he's planning on playing against Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
This final chance, barring a return, for Milroe is a good test to see if he's taken to any coaching or adjustments against a talented team coming off a huge upset win. Milroe is viewed as the third-best quarterback in the class right now, but maybe he can win enough fans over against Miami and move up in the offseason drills.
#OleMiss QB Jaxson Dart (6-2, 220)
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) May 20, 2024
Loose, explosive throwing motion. Has lots of success when throwing schemed isolation routes. pic.twitter.com/vdgcoenKLN
1. Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss
Analytic-heavy front offices will love Jaxson Dart's profile. With tremendous production, efficiency, and consistency across the last three seasons, Dart projects to be a high-end game manager in the NFL. But should sights be set higher for someone with an NFL skill set and comfort executing a scheme at a high level?
We may be too low on the Ole Miss star, even if his turnovers are scowl-inducing and ugly. Getting to 77 passing touchdowns to only 27 interceptions while averaging almost 11 yards an attempt is reflective of a rhythmic passer with a good arm, but the hype hasn't reflected his production.
Would a big performance against Duke in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl change any minds? Dart is slated to play, and the senior could carve the Blue Devils up and hope to sway any doubters that he can be a franchise guy.
Jaxson Dart's Full Scouting Report, Pro Comp
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