With the College Football Playoff kicking off, here are some of the most notable NFL Draft prospects to watch for this weekend.
Alabama vs Oklahoma (Friday) 8:00 p.m. ET
Alabama against Oklahoma is a rematch from earlier this season. Oklahoma pulled out a close victory against the Crimson Tide 23 to 21 in that game. I expect this game to come right down to the wire once again. We have previously discussed some Alabama prospects like Kadyn Proctor, Tim Keenan III, Deontae Lawson, and Keon Sabb. The Cincinnati Bengals could be looking to add a cornerback to replace Cam Taylor-Britt going into next year. Alabama’s Domani Jackson could be a player who intrigues the Bengals. He feels like a player that could go anywhere from rounds three to five during the draft this year. While he hasn’t had the season that many expected, he is still a solid draft prospect. He is expected to run a 4.3 40-yard dash or potentially even lower. Jackson is a great athlete with return ability, an excellent run defender, and rarely misses a tackle. He has an incredible 2.6% missed tackle rate on the 2025 season.
Oklahoma has a plethora of defensive talent that should be of interest to the Bengals. We have mentioned previously R.Mason Thomas, Robert Spears-Jennings, Kip Lewis, and Gracen Halton. Another player on that defense worth mentioning for the 2026 NFL Draft is Damonic Williams. Williams is a day three space eating defensive tackle. Williams is listed at 6’1” and 323 pounds. He does his best work as a run defender in the middle of the Sooners defense. Williams originally spent a couple of seasons playing for TCU.
Texas A&M vs Miami (Saturday) 12:00 p.m. ET
Texas A&M has a lot of talent in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Cashius Howell, Tyler Onyedim, and Albert Regis headline the defensive line. On the offensive line they are loaded with draft-elibile talent like Trey Zuhn III, Dametrious Crownover, Chase Bisontis, and Ar’maj Reed-Adams. If the Bengals decide to not re-sign Dalton Risner, they may look once again toward the draft for a right guard. While that isn’t a guarantee with Jalen Rivers here, it is at least worth mentioning. Reed-Adams is a right guard prospect that could come in and compete to start early. He is a mauling presence on the interior that loves to finish plays, sometimes to his own detriment with penalties. That type of nasty is something this Cincinnati team is missing.
Miami is equally as impressive on both sides of the ball in the trenches. On offense, they have Francis Mauigoa, Markel Bell, Anez Cooper, and James Brockermyer. On the defensive line they have Rueben Bain Jr., Ahmad Moten Sr., and Akheem Mesidor. Mesidor is an older prospect that will be turning 25 years old. We have seen previously with the pick of Demetrius Knight Jr., that age may not scare the Bengals off from taking an older guy on day two. Mesidor has 30 career sacks between his time at West Virginia and Miami. When healthy, he is an explosive pass rusher with a quick first step and a variety of pass rush moves in his arsenal. He has a 29.9% win rate on true pass sets during the 2025 season.
Ole Miss vs Tulane (Saturday) 3:30 p.m. ET
Ole Miss will be entering this game without former head coach Lane Kiffin. Kiffin will not be coaching in the playoffs after taking the LSU job. Ole Miss still has a ton of talented players and should easily handle Tulane this weekend. Zxavian Harris is a big-bodied defensive tackle I have previously discussed. They also have Dae’quan Wright, Harrison Wallace III, and De’Zhaun Stribling as offensive weapons. Another player that continues to intrigue me is Suntarine Perkins. The Bengals have tried to use Demetrius Knight Jr. as a player that can come off the edge at times with limited results. While Knight did put up two sacks this week, it was while playing the role of a spy on Lamar Jackson. If they want a player with real pass rush juice from the linebacker position, Perkins may be there guy. Perkins had 10.5 sacks last season while playing more on the edge. This year, he has just two sacks but has shown that he can play more as an off-ball linebacker, which he needed to do at only 6’1” 210 pounds.
For Tulane, there really isn’t much to talk about for the draft. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff is a transfer from BYU that might get a camp invitation. He is unlikely to be on a roster in the NFL next year. The best prospect for them is defensive tackle/defensive end Santana Hopper, but it sounds like he will be entering the transfer portal and remaining in college football next year.
Oregon vs James Madison (Saturday) 7:30 p.m. ET
Another contest that is likely to be heavily one sided features Oregon taking on James Madison. Oregon has a ton of draft-eligible talent including Dante Moore (QB), Noah Whittington (RB), Kenyon Sadiq (TE), Isaiah World (OT), Alex Harkey (OT), Emmanuel Pregnon (OG), Iapani Laloulu (OC), Matayo Uiagalelei (DE), Bear Alexander (DT), A’Mauri Washington (DT), Bryce Boettcher (LB), Jadon Canady (CB), and Dillon Thieneman (S). Thieneman is the most likely player that could end up a Cincinnati Bengal. The rangy safety prospect has good straight-line speed and has been highly productive for both Purdue and Oregon during his time in college football.
Similar to Tulane, there really isn’t much for James Madison as far as draft prospects for this year. Wayne Knight is probably the best prospect on their team. However, the running back is listed at just 5’7”. He is listed at weighing around 190 pounds and has shown impressive contact balance. Knight has rushed for almost 1300 yards in 2025. He has also added almost 400 more yards as a receiver. Knight will have to play out of his mind against Oregon for James Madison to even keep this one close.
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