College Football Week 5: 2025 NFL Draft prospects to watch
By Jack Brentnall
Conference play begins this weekend and there are some great matchups on offer.
With the contest between Alabama and Georgia already getting plenty of attention, I wanted to focus on some of the other names to watch. Here are five names I will be keeping an eye on.
Logan Brown - OT, Kansas (6-6, 315, rs-Senior)
While the Jayhawks have had a disappointing start to the season, right tackle Logan Brown has been a bright spot. Brown is a former five-star prospect who was ranked as the top tackle in the 2019 recruiting class by 247Sports, ahead of current NFL starters like Charles Cross and Darnell Wright.
He signed with Wisconsin, but his time with the Badgers was disrupted by injuries and he never quite cracked the starting lineup. He was eventually dismissed from the program after an undisclosed incident in training and signed with Kansas ahead of the 2023 season.
Injuries limited him again in 2023, but he now seems to have found his groove and has been able to start all four games so far this season. He’s looked good too, generating plenty of movement in the run game and allowing just one pressure on 105 pass blocking snaps.
This weekend’s matchup against TCU is a must-win for the Jayhawks. Brown’s performance will be crucial to their success, and a strong showing could help him gain recognition from NFL scouts.
Jaxson Dart - QB, Ole Miss (6-2, 225, Senior)
Ole Miss have been absolutely dominant so far this season, and Dart has been at the centre of it all. He is masterfully commanding Lane Kiffin’s high-octane offense and putting up some video game numbers in the process.
Through four games, Dart has racked up 1,554 yards along with 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He is leading the SEC with a scarcely believable 13 yards per attempt and a 79.2% completion rate.
It is worth noting that only one of those games has come against Power Four competition in Wake Forest. This weekend will mark their first SEC game of the season as they prepare to face off against Kentucky.
Questions remain as to the translatability of Dart’s performance to the NFL level given Kiffin’s famously quarterback-friendly scheme. Dart has a true dropback rate (no screens, RPOs, or play action) of just 23.9%. For context, that would be the third lowest total of any quarterback since 2013.
Nevertheless, if Dart can continue to perform at this level against higher quality opponents he will undoubtedly earn increased interest from NFL scouts.
Tai Felton - WR, Maryland (6-2, 186, Senior)
If you are looking for a wide receiver prospect who is rising up draft boards, look no further than Maryland’s Tai Felton. The senior wide receiver has been the focal point of an explosive Terps offense, racking up 600 yards and five touchdowns in four games.
Felton is one of just two receivers in the country to have over 100 receiving yards in each of the last four games and he is the only player to hit that mark whilst scoring a touchdown in every game.
He has ipmressed with his combination of quickness, reliable hands, and YAC ability, leading all Power Four receivers with 13 forced missed tackles. He should feature early and often this weekend against Indiana and scouts will be keen to see if he can keep up his current level of play.
Abdul Carter - EDGE, Penn State (6-3, 252, Junior)
Entering the season, Carter was earning plenty of hype as an NFL prospect. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had him ranked as his top edge rusher and the No. 2 player in the entire class. This came despite Carter having previously played as an off-ball linebacker and only transitioning to an edge role for the 2024 season.
Through three games, Carter has been fairly quiet. He has contributed just four pressures, including a sack against Kent State in Week 4. In his only game against Power Four competition (West Virginia in Week 1) he was limited to a single pressure and did not have a tackle.
There was always a degree of projection involved with Carter making this kind of positional switch, but even with that in mind it has been slower going than many expected. Scouts will want to see Carter take on a more prominent role if he to live up the first round hype he earned in the summer.
This weekend the Nittany Lions have their first ranked matchup of the season as they face off against Illinois. The Fighting Illini’s tackle duo of JC Davis and Melvin Priestly have not allowed a single sack yet this season. Can Carter make his presence felt and end that run?
Quincy Riley - CB, Louisville (6-0, 185, rs-Senior)
2025 looks to be a talented cornerback class and one of the names you should know is Louisville’s Quincy Riley. The sixth-year senior began his career at Middle Tennessee, before transferring to the Cardinals in 2022. He has plenty of experience under his belt with over 2,000 career snaps, and is well known for his ball hawking talent with 14 career interceptions.
He has shown off his talent already this season. Riley had an interception against Jacksonville State in Week 2 and his deflection of a lateral attempt from Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King in Week 4 helped the Cardinals defense score a crucial touchdown en route to their third straight victory.
This weekend Louisville have their first ranked matchup of the season against Notre Dame. Though the Fighting Irish have struggled through the air, they boast a formidable running game. One of the question marks surrounding Riley has been his ability to hold up in run defense, so scouts will be eager to see how he fares in this one.
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.