The third of the four quarterfinal playoff games will feature Alabama taking on top-ranked Indiana in the Rose Bowl at 4:00 p.m. ET on New Year’s Day.
The Cincinnati Bengals have worked hard to field a competent offensive line for Joe Burrow. Not that the bar was high, but this has felt like the best offensive line of his career. However, Orlando Brown Jr. will be entering the final season of his contract.
One player that could fit the mold of the size the Bengals like is Kadyn Proctor of the Crimson Tide. Proctor is listed at 6’7” and 360 pounds. I have some concerns about his foot speed if it sticks at offensive tackle. With that said, he is a three-year starter, a mauler in the run game, and has a 79.8 pass blocking grade in 2025.
Indiana also features a talented player at left tackle, in Carter Smith. Smith doesn’t have anywhere close to the size of Proctor, with many projecting him to kick inside to guard at the next level. Regardless of which spot he ends up at, Smith gave up just five pressures during the regular season, has impressive grip strength, and is a good blocker getting up at the second level of the defense.
The Bengals will be looking to find a replacement at safety for Geno Stone. Both teams have starters at safety who should be playing in the NFL within the next two seasons. For Alabama, they have Bray Hubbard and Keon Sabb. Sabb is the more likely of the two to be in this draft class. Sabb is a really good cover corner with range.
Louis Moore and Amare Ferrell are talented safety prospects for the Hoosiers. Moore is turning 25 years old in January, so he will definitely be in this draft class. He has some of the best ball production for any defensive back in the country, with six interceptions on the year.
Amare Ferrell is probably the better draft prospect of the two, but he does have another year of eligibility if he chooses to use it. If he does declare, his well-rounded skillset should see him drafted on day two this year.
Sticking with the Indiana defensive backfield, D’Angelo Ponds is an undersized cornerback who plays much bigger than his listed size. He is a competitive player, which was evident in how many times he was one-on-one with Jeremiah Smith in the Big 10 Championship game.
At corner for Alabama, they will need a big game from Domani Jackson. Jackson is a speedy outside cornerback with good length who adds extra value on special teams. He could be an intriguing option for Cincinnati on day three.
On the defensive line, Alabama’s LT Overton is a versatile player with good bull-rush power, relentless pursuit, and a 22.7% win rate on true pass sets in 2025.
There is a similarly built player on the defensive line for Indiana, in Mikail Kamara. Kamara has only one sack this year, after recording 10 of them in 2024. However, he is still generating pressure at an elite rate for the Hoosiers. He has 46 pressures on the season.
The last player that I will feature that might interest the Cincinnati Bengals is Deontae Lawson. Lawson is an experienced linebacker and team leader with sideline-to-sideline range as a run defender.
An extended list of draft-eligible prospects of note for Alabama includes Ty Simpson (QB), Jam Miller (RB), Germie Bernard (WR), Josh Cuevas (TE), Parker Brailsford (OC), Jaeden Roberts (OG), Tim Keenan III (DT), and Justin Jefferson (LB).
Extended list of draft-eligible prospects of note for Indiana includes Fernando Mendoza (QB), Roman Hemby (RB), Elijah Sarratt (WR), Omar Cooper Jr. (WR), Pat Coogan (OC), Tyrique Tucker (DT), Aiden Fisher (LB), and Isaiah Jones (LB).
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