Week 2- Players to Watch

Draft Nation is ready for Saturday’s games and wants to make sure you are as well. Each week, we will go through the games and the players to watch, on our way to the draft in April 2025.

Here is our preview for - Week 2:

#3 Texas (1-0) at. # 10 Michigan (1-0) Saturday- NOON, FOX

Line- Texas (-7.5)

Draft Nation Prediction - Texas 31 Michigan 21

The Michigan Wolverines get their first major test in the Sherrone Moore era against a tough Texas Longhorns team. Michigan beat Fresno State in week one 30-10, but the offense did not look fluid. Texas on the other hand beat Colorado State 52-0 and their defense looked as tough as advertised. They held the Rams to 74 yards passing, in an offense that has one of the nations best receivers in Tory Horton. Michigan will need to play a perfect game on both sides of the ball and hope that the Big House brings the energy this Saturday. 

Texas- Quarterback- Quinn Ewers

Quinn Ewers is hoping to lead an offensive attack against a Michigan defense that has not lost since the 2022 Fiesta Bowl against TCU. Ewers is now in his third season with the Longhorns since transferring from Ohio State. He has continually improved his draft stock and a strong effort against a very good Michigan defense will help keep the momentum going. Ewers is being talked about as a first round talent and has the arm strength and mobility that scouts want in their signal caller. He also has been improving his mechanics which were his biggest weakness when he first took over in Austin.

Michigan-Running Back- Donovan Edwards

Michigan’s former walk-on Davis Warren struggled in his first collegiate start last week against Fresno State. Running back Donovan Edwards will need a big game to help balance out the offense and take some pressure off the inexperienced Warren. Edwards is the RB1 after playing behind superstar Blake Corum, and he has had some of his biggest games against the toughest opponents (see Ohio State).

Texas- Wide Receiver- Isaiah Bond

The Michigan Wolverines are loaded in the secondary with Will Johnson and Makari Paige. Michigan’s run defense is also going to be hard to establish the ground game against. For Quinn Ewers to be successful he is going to need a big game from wideout Isaiah Bond. Bond caught five passes for 61 yards and a touchdown last week, and will need to have another stellar performance. Bond is an explosive reciever who will be on the short list of receivers who could go in round one. The matchup between him and Johnson will be worth the price of admission.

Michigan- Cornerback- Will Johnson

The 6-foot-2 cornerback will have his hands full against one of the best receivers in the country. Johnson is considered one of the top shutdown cornerbacks and should go top-10 in 2025. Isaiah Bond has elite speed and may be the toughest receiver that Johnson has to cover all year. If Johnson can take Bond out of the game, the Wolverines may have a fighting chance.

Others to Watch

Texas- G- Kelvin Banks Jr.

Texas- CB- Jahdae Barron

Texas- OLB- Trey Moore

Michigan- DT- Mason Graham

Michigan- ILB- Jaishawn Barham

Michigan- TE- Colston Loveland

#14 Tennessee (1-0) at. #24 N.C. State (1-0) Saturday- 7:30pm , ABC

Line- Tennessee (-7.5)   

Draft Nation Prediction - Tennessee- 45 N.C. State- 24

Tennessee has a new quarterback in Nico Iamaleava, but the redshirt freshman has shown the ability to lead the same high octane offense as Joe Milton II did the last couple of seasons. The Volunteers put up 69 last weekend against Chattanooga and will face an N.C. State team who are coming off a 38-21 win over West Carolina with their transfer quarterback Grayson McCall.

Tennessee- Quarterback- Nico Iamaleava

Redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava burst onto the scene in last year’s Cheez-it Citrus Bowl, when he completed 12/19 passes for 151 yards and one touchdown in a 35-0 victory over Iowa. He picked up where he left off in week one against Chattanooga and looked fluid and comfortable leading the Tennessee offense. Although Iamaleava is a couple of seasons away from draft discussion, he is worth keeping an eye on.

N.C. State- Tackle- Anthony Belton

A lot is said about the Volunteers explosive offense, but the truth is, Tennessee may have the most explosive pass rusher in college football in James Pearce Jr. For N.C. State quarterback Grayson McCall to have a chance against Tennessee, tackle Anthony Belton will need to step up and have one of his best outings of his career. Belton is a physical offensive tackle who can get to his anchor position quickly. This matchup will be one to watch and one that will go a long way to deciding the outcome of the game.

Tennessee- Edge Rush- James Pearce Jr.

James Pearce Jr is a 6-foot-5 explosive pass rusher who could hear his name called first in the 2025 NFL draft. He has the ability to change the way other teams block and he will definitely be a part of several double teams on Saturday night. If Pearce has one of his big games, N.C. State quarterback Grayson McCall will have a hard time producing for the Wolfpack.

N.C. State- Quarterback- Grayson McCall

Quarterback Grayson McCall will have to play an error free game for the Wolfpack to have a chance to pull off the upset. He showed the ability to stay in the pocket in week one and threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns. However, that was against West Carolina and he will need to be quicker with his reads on Saturday night. 

McCall is considered a late round/UDFA pick in 2025. If he can show the ability to move the N.C. State offense up the field, he could be on the way to improving his draft stock. He needs to prove to scouts that he can play football for a power-5 school after transferring from Coastal Carolina.

Others to Watch

Tennessee- RB- Dylan Sampson

Tennessee- WR- Bru McCoy

Tennessee- C- Cooper Mays

N.C. State- C- Zeke Correll

N.C. State- S- Sean Brown

N.C. State- RB- Jordan Waters

Boise State (1-0) at. #7 Oregon (1-0) Saturday- 10:00 pm, Peacock

Line- Oregon (-19.5)

Draft Nation Prediction - Oregon 38 Boise State 17

The Oregon Ducks won in week one and dropped from No. 3 to No. 7. 

Why? 

The Ducks were favored by 49.5 over FCS Idaho, but only won 24-14. While they completely dominated the boxscore, including 380 passing yards by Dillon Gabriel, they missed field goal, lost a fumble and had a couple of missed fourth down attempts that kept the game close. This week they welcome Boise State who are coming off a 56-45 shootout against Georgia Southern. Broncos superstar running back Ashton Jeanty set a school record with 267 yards and six touchdowns, so this will be not easy task for Oregon. 

Oregon- Quarterback- Dillon Gabriel

Dillon Gabriel is in his sixth collegiate season and is playing for his third school. He is an exceptional college quarterback, but at only 5-foot-11, he will struggle to hear his name called at all during the draft. Gabriel is athletic and is a competitor who will do whatever it takes to make plays. His arm strength and size will hinder him at the next level. He will be a priority UDFA signing.

Boise State- Running Back- Ashton Jeanty

Ashton Jeanty is one of the best running backs in the county, and he showed why in week one. If the Broncos can get him going again, they may be able to eat into the time of possession against Oregon, keeping the game close. Jeanty has the perfect mix of vision, balance and cutting ability to be an early day two pick in this year’s draft.

Oregon- Wide Receiver- Tez Johnson

Johnson has electric speed and will look to help spark the Ducks offense on Saturday night. He puts instant pressure on defensive backs and is blessed with strong hands and smooth route running. He is only 160 lbs so that will be a knock that keeps him as a second day selection. 

Boise State- Edge Rush- Ahmed Hassanein

Ahmed Hassanein is coming off a huge season in 2023 where he collected 12.5 sacks and put his name on some teams draft boards. He is still on the raw side and will need to prove that last season was not a fluke. He is 6-foot-3 and 270 lbs and has the ability to put pressure on the quarterback. If he can get to Dillon Gabriel it may keep the sixth-year quarterback from getting comfortable in the pocket.

Others to Watch 

Oregon- DE- Jordan Burch

Oregon- RB- Jordan James

Oregon- DT- Jamaree Caldwell

Boise State- QB- Maddux Madsen

Boise State- CB- A’Marion McCoy