College Football Conference Championship Weekend: 2025 NFL Draft prospects to watch
By Jack Brentnall
The 2024 college football regular season is over, and we’re now heading into conference championship weekend. There’s a lot for these teams to play for, and the same goes for their draft-eligible players.
With just nine games on offer this week, the spotlight will shine that much brighter, and a big performance against top competition can be a big stock booster.
Here are six players I’ll be watching closely this weekend.
Jalen Catalon - S, UNLV (5-11, 205, Senior)
There’s been little I’ve enjoyed more in the 2024 season than watching Jalen Catalon recapture his early career form with UNLV. The former Arkansas and Texas safety had his career knocked off course with injuries, but he is back playing some of the best football of his career.
I was really excited for Catalon’s NFL potential after a 2020 season that saw him earn First Team All-SEC honours, but he suffered a season-ending injury after just six games in 2021. He suffered another in 2022, before transferring to Texas for one injury-hit season with the Longhorns.
His move to UNLV has not only seen him find fitness – he’s also found form. He has five interceptions this season, the most in the Mountain West. Catalon has also shown his prowess as a run defender, which will be huge this weekend.
UNLV face off against Boise State in the Mountain West title game, and if the Rebels are to come away victorious they will have to do something nobody else has managed to do – stop Ashton Jeanty.
Darien Porter - CB, Iowa State (6-4, 200, rs-Senior)
One of the biggest risers this season has been Iowa State cornerback Darien Porter, who has come out of nowhere to be talked up as a potential top 50 pick.
After spending four years primarily on special teams (where he blocked three punts), Porter finally earned his shot at a starting role in 2024. He’s looked great too, allowing just 71 yards all year and picking off three passes.
Porter began his career as a wide receiver, only switching to cornerback in 2022. At 6’4” and 200 lbs with 33.5” arms he has great size for the position. He is also an excellent athlete, with a track background that saw him set the Iowa Class 4A record in the 400m with a 46.99.
This weekend he’ll have a tough test in trying to contain Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson, who has racked up 540 yards in his last four games. A strong performance in the conference championship game would be big for his stock.
Brashard Smith - RB, SMU (5-10, 196, Senior)
If you are looking for a running back prospect who has the potential to raise his profile significantly over the next few months, look no further than SMU’s Brashard Smith.
Smith is a former four-star wide receiver recruit who earned offers from the likes of Alabama and LSU coming out of high school. He committed to his home state Miami, spending three seasons with the Hurricanes as a wide receiver and return specialist.
He never quite managed to crack the starting lineup, but he did show promise as a returner, with a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in 2023. A transfer to SMU followed, as did a position switch to running back. Smith has taken to his new surroundings like a duck to water.
This season he has amassed 1,154 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. He’s also made his presence felt as a pass catcher, with 30 receptions for 275 yards. Smith ticks the boxes when it comes to his suddenness and fluidity as a runner, and it feels like he’s only just scratching the surface of his potential.
He has a chance to make a big impact this weekend against Clemson. A big game against top competition would no doubt turn the heads of scouts up and down the country.
Mike Green - EDGE, Marshall (6-4, 248, rs-Sophomore)
It feels like there could be a few Group of Five players taken in the first round this season, with one of those players being Marshall edge rusher Mike Green.
Green has been on a tear this season. His 60 pressures are tied for the most in the FBS, and he also leads the country in sacks. As if that wasn’t already impressive enough, he also leads all defensive linemen with 45 defensive stops. Green might not be the biggest edge, but he plays with the physicality and tenacity to be a consistent three-down difference maker.
In addition to the production, Green also has the athletic traits to warrant a first round selection. He has been clocked running a 4.57 in the 40-yard dash, a time that would have been the third fastest of any edge rusher in last year’s class.
This weekend’s clash with Louisiana might not be the most exciting game on offer and it won’t be Green’s toughest test, but this is a great opportunity to watch an edge rusher at the peak of their powers. Don’t miss it.
Drew Allar - QB, Penn State (6-5, 235, Junior)
This weekend will mark Penn State’s first conference championship game in almost a decade and there’s nobody I’m more excited to watch than their quarterback Drew Allar.
It remains to be seen as to whether Allar declares for this year’s draft, but there’s little doubt that he’s helped his stock significantly with his play this year. He’s shown major improvements in his accuracy and he’s been more aggressive in taking shots downfield.
As a prospect, he has prototypical size and a really live arm to make throws to every level of the field. His processing quickness and ability to avoid negative plays is also going to go down well with scouts. Per PFF, Allar has just nine turnover-worthy plays in his college career.
This weekend’s game against Oregon will be a huge test for Allar. I thought he looked good the last time he was tested against top competition in Ohio State, even if the box score wasn’t flattering. Can he have another strong game here to boost his draft stock?
Isaiah Bond - WR, Texas (5-11, 180, Junior)
I was really excited for what Isaiah Bond could do at Texas this season but that potential just has not materialised. He doesn’t seem to have found any chemistry with Quinn Ewers and his game-to-game production has been up and down.
I’m not going to let that distract me from the talent though. Bond is a lightning fast receiver who has the fluidity and explosiveness to be a home run threat whenever he touches the ball. His ability to consistently generate separation is hugely valuable when projecting to the NFL level.
That sort of profile is still earning him buzz as a top 50 draft pick, and he has the potential to boost that stock further with a strong performance in the postseason. That starts with this weekend’s clash with Georgia.
JACK BRENTNALL
HEAD OF NFL DRAFT CONTENT
Previously the founder of The Jet Sweep, Jack joined The Touchdown as head of Draft Content in 2024. A Scouting Academy alumnus, Jack has been Covering the NFL Draft since 2020. Follow him on Twitter @Jack_Brentnall.