College Football Week 10: 2025 NFL Draft prospects to watch
By Jack Brentnall
We are approaching the home straight of the college football regular season, but there is still plenty to play for when it comes to 2025 NFL Draft prospects.
Here are some of the players I’ll be watching closely this weekend.
Emeka Egbuka - WR, Ohio State (6-1, 205, Graduate)
Ohio State-Penn State is the marquee matchup of Week 10 and the first player I’ll be watching in that game is Buckeyes receiver Emeka Egbuka. The latest in a long line of NFL prospects to come out of Columbus, Egbuka is in his third season as a starter and is in the midst of an outstanding season.
Through seven games, Egbuka has 43 receptions for 546 yards and six touchdowns. His 3.21 yards per route run is a career high and ranks 11th amongst draft-eligible receiver prospects.
There is an awful lot to like about Egbuka when projecting to the NFL. He is a silky smooth and smart route runner who already has the technical refinement to succeed at the pro level. He also has noticeably soft hands and is comfortable working around his frame, with just nine drops on 176 career catchable targets.
There will be questions about whether he can play on the boundary in the NFL, but even if he is limited to a slot role he can still be a very effective contributor. Egbuka has the potential to be a hugely important factor in this weekend’s contest against the Nittany Lions.
JT Tuimoloau - EDGE, Ohio State (6-5, 269, Senior)
On the other side of the ball for Ohio State is Tuimoloau. The Buckeyes edge rusher was a consensus five-star prospect coming out of high school and was rated as the No. 4 player in the country in the 2021 recruiting class. He is now in his third season as a starter at Ohio State.
Tuimoloau was being talked up as a possible top 50 draft pick this time last year and many were expecting him to declare after a strong 2023 season that saw him earn First Team All-Big Ten honours. Tuimoloau decided instead to return to school for his senior season.
Through seven games that looks to have been a solid decision. Tuimoloau has 18 pressures, including five sacks and five quarterback hits. He also has 14 defensive stops, and looks like he is on course to exceed his career-best of 22.
Tuimoloau isn’t a high-calibre athlete, but his good size and three-down playmaking ability give him a nice floor as an NFL prospect. The last time he faced Penn State he came away with a career-best seven pressures. He also had two interceptions against the Nittany Lions in 2022. Are we in for another big performance this weekend?
Drew Allar - QB, Penn State (6-5, 235, Junior)
It’s not yet clear if Allar will play this weekend, but if he does make an appearance he’s a player I’ll be watching closely. Recent reports indicate that whilst Allar has been participating in practice, he will be a gametime decision for the Nittany Lions after he suffered a leg injury that forced him to exit last week’s win over Wisconsin.
This battle against Ohio State would be a huge test for Allar, who has shown significant development under new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. Allar is completing 71.3% of his passes and averaging an impressive 10 yards per attempt. His passer rating of 117.4 ranks seventh amongst Power Five quarterbacks.
There’s a lot to like about Allar’s game from an NFL perspective. He has prototypical quarterback size and a noticeably live arm that can 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.
NFL scouts will want to see him perform against top competition, and Ohio State would be comfortably his toughest test of the season so far. The last time the two faced off, Allar had one of the worst games of his career, completing just 41.9% of his passes and averaging 4.4 yards per attempt. A big game this weekend would be huge for his stock in a quarterback class that remains wide open.
Kyle Kennard - EDGE, South Carolina (6-5, 254, rs-Senior)
Every season we see draft prospects come out of nowhere to assert themselves on NFL radars. Kennard feels like one of those guys this year. Having spent the first four years of his career at Georgia Tech, he entered the transfer portal and signed with South Carolina ahead of the 2024 season.
Whilst Kennard had shown some flashes during his time with the Yellow Jackets, he has taken his game to the next level since moving to the SEC. In seven games this season he has already amassed 26 pressures, including six sacks. This includes some really impressive performances against top competition, including LSU’s tackle duo of Will Campbell and Emery Jones.
What stands out about Kennad’s game is the technical refinement in his pass rushing plan and the variety of moves in his arsenal. He knows how to attack opposing linemen in different ways and when to employ counter moves to get into the backfield.
This weekend he goes up against an in-form Texas A&M team who are riding high after a comeback against LSU. Another big performance from Kennard would undoubtedly help to boost his NFL stock even further.
Mikail Kamara - EDGE, Indiana (6-1, 265, rs-Junior)
Sticking with edge rushers, another name I’ll be keeping a close eye on this weekend is Indiana’s Mikail Kamara. Kamara is enjoying a stellar 2024 campaign and is quickly establishing himself as one of the Big Ten’s best pass rushers.
Kamara began his career at James Madison, culminating in a strong 2023 season that saw him rack up 41 pressures and 36 defensive stops. He followed his head coach Curt Cignetti to Indiana this offseason, and that production hasn’t just continued – it has increased.
Through eight games, Kamara has 36 pressures, a figure that leads the Big Ten. His 17 combined sacks and quarterback hits is tied for the most amongst all Power Four defenders.
This weekend the Hoosiers face off against Michigan State and will be hoping to extend their unbeaten start to the season. This feels like a great opportunity for Kamara to continue his impressive production and turn the heads of NFL scouts.
Brashard Smith - RB, SMU (5-10, 196, Senior)
2025 is shaping up to be a very strong running back class and you can add Smith to the list of names you need to know. What sets him apart from most of the other running back prospects is that he’s only just started to play the position this season.
Smith began his career at Miami, spending three seasons with the Hurricanes as a wide receiver. He had some decent production, amassing 68 catches for 763 yards and four touchdowns in three seasons. He also earned a reputation as a talented kick returner and had a 98-yard kickoff return in 2023.
He has shown immediate aptitude for playing running back, with 74 yards and nine touchdowns on 116 carries, averaging 6.4 yards per attempt. He has had a few issues with ball security, but as you would expect for a return specialist he has been incredibly elusive and a big play threat – his 14 carries of 15+ yards ranks second in the ACC.
Last weekend Smith was forced to sit out of the first half of the Mustangs’ game against Stanford for an unspecified violation of team rules, but he will be back in full this weekend against an unbeaten Pitt team. This is a huge matchup for both sides, and a big game from Smith would see his draft stock continue to rise.
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.