Round 2 of the expanded College Football Playoffs resumes
Bowl games return today, and we’re starting with a game that could be of particular importance to the New York Giants.
11th-ranked Alabama will take on Michigan in the RellaQuest Bowl. Most of Michigan’s draft-eligible players have opted out of the game, but Alabama’s Jalen Milroe will play. We’ve learned that the Giants have had “high-ranking” executives scout Milroe in person this year, and he could be in consideration if he declares for the draft.
Later, the College Football Playoffs will resume, with Boise State hosting Penn State in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.
RellaQuest Bowl – Michigan vs. (11) Alabama
ESPN – noon
We have to start the discussion of this game by talking about Milroe.
The Giants have scouted each of the top quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft, and that includes Milroe. But whether or not Milroe will enter the upcoming draft remains to be seen, as the Alabama quarterback has yet to declare whether or not he’ll be entering the draft (at least as of this writing).
Milroe has incredible physical talent, and combines the strongest arm in the draft with (reportedly) 4.3 speed. And where players like Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray are fast, Milroe is fast and powerful as a runner. He’s also a smart runner who’s willing to step out of bounds rather than take unnecessary hits. Milroe is also one of the best deep-ball passers in college football and shows the ability to reach far down the field with good accuracy and placement. The combined threat of his running and deep passing makes him a tough player to defend.
He’s shown plenty of improvement over the last two years, but is still raw as a quarterback. Milroe’s footwork needs work, and that can impact his passing. He has enough arm talent that he can make impressive throws off platform, but he’ll need to improve his mechanics to be a consistent passer in the pocket. Milroe is his own person, but he has similarities to Jalen Hurts at Alabama in terms of development.
Tyler Booker (iOL)
If we’re going to concentrate on Milroe, it makes sense to look at one of the guys blocking for him. Tyler Booker is a massive young man who’s listed at 6-foot-5, 325 pounds and looks every inch and pound of it. He’s started the last two years at left guard for the Crimson Tide and won’t turn 21 until April 12th — just 12 days before the draft.
Booker has great play strength and a ton of power in his hands, making him a force in Alabama’s interior run game. He also boasts long arms and good-enough feet to deal with interior rushers in pass protection. The Giants have an answer (for now) at left guard in Jon Runyan Jr., but Booker could conceivably move to right guard if the Giants are interested in adding an interior lineman early in the draft.
CFP Quarterfinals: (3) Boise State vs. (6) Penn State
At the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
ESPN – 7:30 p.m.
The expanded 2024 College Football Playoffs resume today with Boise State hosting Penn State. Penn State took care of business against Indiana in the first round of the playoffs, while Boise State got a bye week for winning their conference.
Boise State
Ashton Jeanty (RB) – Jeanty’s season has been nothing less than historic, and lead FBS with 2,497 yards on the ground, averaging 7.3 yards per attempt, 192.1 yards per game, and notched 29 rushing touchdowns. Jeanty was so dominant this year that he had more yards after contact than the next most productive running back had in total.
While Jeanty didn’t win the Heisman trophy, there’s a very good argument that he’s been the best player in the country this year. He’s also probably the best player in the draft, though the fact that he’s a running back might move him down draft boards. It will be interesting to see how the NFL values a running back with the proliferation of Cover 4 defenses.
Jeanty himself has a compact build at 5-foot-9, 215 pounds with great speed and agility. He also has truly elite vision and contact balance, allowing him to turn even poorly blocked plays into positive gains. There are instances where Jeanty appears to be playing in fast-forward while everyone else is in slow motion.
Penn State
Abdul Carter (EDGE) – Carter has emerged as the top edge defender in the nation since transitioning from off-ball linebacker.
Carter has a versatile frame at 6-foot-3, 259 pounds, and has impressive burst and bend off the edge. He’s been a great pass rusher since his freshman campaign while also having the athleticism to play in space. NFL teams could look at Carter as a slightly bigger (and slightly less athletic) version of Micah Parsons, thanks to his athleticism, production, and background at both linebacker and edge.
Despite the fact that he still needs coaching on the finer points of playing the edge, Carter won’t fall out of the top 10.
