Each week, Yardbarker is monitoring the 2025 NFL Draft, scheduled for April 24-26 in Green Bay.
From quarterbacks in a highly anticipated matchup to running backs making a name for themselves, here are five players we are tracking this weekend:
Georgia QB Carson Beck could showcase his skills in a Southeastern Conference showdown
Ahead of Alabama's home game with Georgia on Saturday, Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Kane Wommack praised Beck (6-foot-4, 220 pounds).
"As good as it comes in college football right now," Wommack told the media Monday. "Just so impressed by him the more I watch — and I've probably watched every game from the last couple of years here."
Some talent evaluators would agree with Wommack's assessment. In his annual analytics survey, a team's staff member told ESPN's Seth Walder, "[Beck is] the No. 1 guy [in the 2025 class] to me right now."
Last season, Georgia lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, knocking it out of the College Football Playoff. If Beck helps the No. 2 Bulldogs (3-0) get payback against the No. 4 Crimson Tide (3-0), his stock should keep surging.
Alabama QB Jalen Milroe is drawing comparisons to a two-time Pro Bowler
Milroe (6-foot-2, 225 pounds) reminds some scouts of former Alabama and Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts (6-foot-1, 223 pounds), now with the Philadelphia Eagles.
"If he keeps winning and getting better, he'll keep rising," an AFC area scout told The Athletic's Dane Brugler in his Thursday column. "He needs to keep working on some things. But watch Hurts on Sundays — why can't Milroe do that?"
Like Hurts, Milroe is a dual-threat QB. Through three starts this season, he has 14 touchdowns (eight passing and six rushing) and 746 yards (590 passing and 156 rushing).
Brugler does note that Milroe's accuracy in the intermediate passing game must improve, but the redshirt junior is showing why he could be the top QB in the draft. Outplaying Beck on Saturday could certainly help his case.
Michigan RB Kalel Mullings' position switch seems to be paying dividends
In his second season as a running back, Mullings ranks 12th in the FBS in rushing yards (429 on 53 carries) through four games. Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkemanoted the fifth-year senior started his career as a linebacker.
"Due to his experience at linebacker, he has a good feel for blocking and cut back lanes while blending that vision with a bruising, determined run style," wrote Sikkema.
In Week 4 against No. 13 Southern Cal, Mullings rushed for two touchdowns, including a go-ahead two-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-goal with 0:37 remaining in the fourth quarter which sealed a 27-24 Wolverines' victory. Additionally, he logged career highs in rushing yards (159) and carries (17).
MULLINGS POWERS THROUGH. MICHIGAN ON TOP! pic.twitter.com/JCYbvul3Ab
— CBS Sports College Football (@CBSSportsCFB) September 21, 2024
Mullings (6-foot-2, 233 pounds) lifting No. 12 Michigan (3-1) to another home win over Minnesota (2-2) on Saturday may make more teams take notice.Tankathon's mock draft projects the Minnesota Vikings to take him with pick No. 97.
QB Drew Allar must step up in Penn State's Big Ten opener
Allar has posted the FBS' fifth-bestQBR (90.3)through three starts, but he faced three unranked opponents to open the season (Kent State, Bowling Green and West Virginia). If he aces his first test against No. 19 Illinois (4-0) in a home game on Saturday, that should bolster his résumé.
"Saturday in State College has the potential to be a defining moment for his draft stock," wrote The Draft Network's Ryan Fowler. "A strong performance against a ranked Illinois team, especially if he can handle its exotic pressures while pushing the ball on high-leverage downs, could help solidify his standing as one of the premier draft-eligible signal-callers in April."
Allar (6-foot-5, 238 pounds) went 1-3 against ranked opponents last season. However, his downfield passing seems to be improving, which could help him deliver in big games for No. 9 Penn State (3-0). Per Pro Football Focus, his average target depth is 12.4 yards, a career high.
Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson has looked almost unstoppable
According to Brugler, Iowa hasn't turned out a draft pick at RB in 15 years. Perhaps Johnson (6-foot, 225 pounds) will snap the streak.
Through his first four games, Johnson leads the FBS in rushing yards (685 on 82 carries). In a 31-14 Week 4 road win over Minnesota, Johnson ran for a season-high 206 yards on 21 carries.
"The best compliment for running backs is when everyone in the stadium knows he's getting the ball, but the defense still can't stop it," wrote Brugler in his Tuesday column. "That's how it felt watching Johnson vs. the Gophers."
Johnson could be flying under the radar. Surprisingly, Tankathon's big board doesn't list him within its top-100 prospects for next spring's draft. If he keeps carrying the Hawkeyes (3-1), the 21-year-old should generate more buzz.
