A semifinal rematch between Oregon and Indiana takes place on Friday night. Indiana came out victorious during the regular season match-up, by a score of 30-20. This should be another closely contested game between two evenly matched teams. Both teams feature a ton of talented draft-eligible prospects.
A’Mauri Washington is a 6’3”, 338-pound defensive tackle for the Ducks. He is a Feldman Freak List member for his insane athleticism at his size. Washington is still developing as a consistent game-wrecker, but has shown tremendous flashes of the potential he possesses. He has an excellent 83.4 run defense grade on the year. He has also contributed 22 pressures this season.
Indiana’s best draft prospect for this year on the defensive line is probably Mikail Kamara. The sack numbers have decreased from 10 last season to just 2 this year. However, he has still generated pressure at a high rate. He has a 23.1% win rate on true pass sets this season. Kamara’s measurables are not ideal for a defensive end at just 6’1” and 260 pounds. That is the biggest reason he could fall to day three of the draft this year.
At edge for the Ducks is a much larger defensive end prospect. Originally a tight end recruit, Matayo Uiagalelei is a 6’5”, 272-pound high-effort pass rusher for Oregon. He will need to be more consistent against the run, which he has the size to do. Uiagalelei could go somewhere in the late first, but him being on the board when the Bengals pick in the second round wouldn’t be shocking.
Oregon’s Isaiah World has not had the season many expected at left tackle. While it hasn’t been an ideal year, he is still likely a mid-round prospect. With Orlando Brown Jr. entering the final year of his contract next season, the Bengals could look to draft and develop the athletic traits of World behind Zeus for a season.
Carter Smith plays left tackle for the Indiana Hoosiers. It is unclear if he will have the size to ultimately stick at tackle in the NFL, but he has earned the right to give it a shot. Smith has an absurd 93.1 pass blocking grade per PFF in 2025. He also has an 83.4 run blocking grade on the season. He has allowed just 6 total pressures and 0 sacks on the year. Regardless of where he plays at the next level, Smith should be an immediate starter.
Dillon Thieneman is a top 50 overall prospect for the draft this year. The 6’0, 205-pound junior safety has almost 300 career tackles and 8 career interceptions. He is an athletic playmaker with the range to play sideline-to-sideline. He has a 91.0 coverage grade this year, just an 8.4% missed tackle rate, and has been a reliable player in the secondary for the Ducks.
D’Angelo Ponds is listed at just 5’9” and 170 pounds. He plays so much bigger than that. He is one of the most competitive players in this entire draft class. The kid can just flat-out play cornerback. That size would typically mean he has to move into the slot. I am not so sure about Ponds. I think he is talented enough to stick at outside cornerback. If the Bengals drafted him, it wouldn’t be an issue to stick him inside. It would also provide some versatility to interchange him and Dax Hill at times, depending on the opponent.
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