NFL Analysis
10/4/24
8 min read
2025 NFL Draft: Prospects To Watch in College Football Week 6
For the second year, our Reese’s Senior Bowl scouting team will be on more than 10 college campuses nationwide every week during the 2024 CFB season.
Follow @JimNagy_SB on Twitter all day Saturday to see up-close field-level videos on the following players (and many more!):
>> READ MORE: Latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft
Michigan State at Oregon — 9 pm ET, FOX (Friday)
Josh Conerly, LT, Oregon
Measurements: (6044e, 305e - not official)
The true junior and former consensus five-star recruit hasn’t played up to where we had him graded in the summer, but the good news for Ducks fans is that our staff felt like he played his best game of the season last week against UCLA.
Right now, Conerly is further along in pass protection than in the run game, where he struggles to consistently move people and sustain blocks, but NFL evaluators will weigh the pass-pro stuff more heavily.
Based on his body of work, if Conerly comes out in this year’s draft, he’ll have a good chance of being a Day 2 pick. That said, with Oregon’s vast NIL resources, we could easily see him returning in 2025 for another year of development.
Missouri at Texas A&M — Noon ET, ABC
Shemar Turner, DT, Texas A&M
Measurements: (6030v, 289v, 33 ¼ arm, 10 ¼ hand)
This is a big SEC matchup, and Texas A&M's key will be its ability to pressure Missouri QB Brady Cook. The Aggies have three D-line prospects—Shemar Turner, Shemar Stewart, and Nic Scourton—who all possess NFL starter talent.
Turner, a true senior and two-year starter, is used primarily as a 0-tech (head-up the center) and 2-tech (head-up over guards) in the Aggies scheme, but he projects more as an upfield 3-tech at the next level. He has the explosiveness to come out of his hips, lockout, and snatch blockers, but he’s not a true two-gapper.
Turner, who finished with 6.0 sacks as a junior last season, has already made enough high-end flash plays to warrant Day 2 grades.
Michigan at Washington —7:30 pm ET, Peacock
Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
Measurements: (6020e, 194e - not official)
There won’t be too many prospects in this year’s draft cleaner from an evaluation standpoint than Michigan true junior Will Johnson. Johnson, U-of-M’s highest-rated defensive recruit in a long time, has more than lived up to his five-star billing out of high school.
Johnson, who already has nine interceptions and three pick-sixes in two-plus years, has the tools to play any type of coverage at the next level, and scouts will love that he's shown a playmaking knack on the biggest stages (MVP of the 2023 National Championship game).
The Michigan staff has already named Johnson as their defensive player-of-week in three of the four games he's played this season, and he’s expected back this week after sitting out a week ago vs. Minnesota. We spent a few days in Ann Arbor during fall camp, and the staff absolutely raves about Johnson’s overall character (personal and football).
He’s the type of prospect who should spend as much time around NFL decision-makers as possible once the season is over.
Colorado State at Oregon State — 1 pm ET, CW
Tory Horton, WR, Colorado State
Measurements: (6016v, 192v, 31 arm, 8 ½ hand)
The former Nevada transfer and first-team All-MWC receiver has missed the past two games because of a groin strain, but he’s expected back this week against Oregon State, and his return will be pivotal for CSU’s offense.
Horton set numerous program records last year (96 catches, 1,136 yards, 8 TDs) but only has 10 receptions for 120 yards in three games this season. Still, he is one of the fastest receivers in this year’s draft class. The speed is obvious on tape, but our data partners at Telemetry Sports clocked his top in-game max speed at 22.5 mph, which easily translates to a 4.3 40-yard dash time based on historical comps.
One thing that will separate Horton from a still up-in-the-air receiver group is his ability as a punt returner (career 17.1 average and 3 TDs). The Rams’ staff compares Horton favorably to another player they coached at Nevada, former Senior Bowler and current Green Bay Packers playmaker Romeo Doubs.
It’s also worth noting that Horton received an invite to last year’s Reese’s Senior Bowl before opting to return for a fifth college season.
Texas Tech at Arizona — 11 pm ET, FOX
Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
Measurements: (6044e, 210e - not official)
McMillan came to Arizona as the highest-rated recruit in school history, and he hasn’t disappointed since stepping foot in Tucson. The former consensus five-star and California state player of the year broke onto the scene last year with 1,402 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, and he’s off to another fast start this season, averaging the sixth-most receiving yards per game in the country (125.8).
McMillan is arguably the most well-rounded receiver in this year’s draft class because he can win at all three levels of the defense. His combination of size and strength makes it hard for him to handle short-to-intermediate situations, and he’s got better deep gear than most guys his size.
We had McMillan’s former teammate, San Francisco 49ers fourth-rounder Jacob Cowing, in last year’s Senior Bowl. If McMillian declares, which the NFL expects, we’re certain the former prep basketball and volleyball standout would make himself a bunch of money in Mobile.
Clemson at Florida State — 7 pm ET, ESPN
Barrett Carter, LB, Clemson
Measurements: (5117v, 234v, 32 ¾ arm, 9 ¼ hand)
Our Senior Bowl staff will see Carter for a second straight week, albeit this time by a different scout. We thought Carter’s performance last week vs. Stanford (10 tackles, 3.5 TFL) was his best of the season because he was more decisive in triggering on plays.
When Carter trusts his eyes, he can get to the ball in a hurry. While he’s best suited for a scheme that protects him and lets him run free to the ball, our scouts have noted that Carter is doing a better job working through traffic this year.
Regarding player comps, he’s a better version of another undersized Clemson WILL linebacker prospect, former Senior Bowler, and 2018 Kansas City Chiefs third-rounder Dorian O’Daniel. The biggest separator for Carter, who most NFL teams have mid-Day 2 to early Day 3 grades on right now, during the pre-draft process will be proving he can stay on the field all three downs.
Unlike many bigger downhill linebackers in this year’s class, we think Carter could boost his draft stock during 1-on-1 coverage drills in Mobile. The staff raves about Carter’s makeup, so he’s another guy who will benefit from as much NFL interview time as possible.
Tennessee at Arkansas — 7:30 pm ET, ABC
James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee
Measurements: (6050e, 242e - not official)
While it hasn’t translated into much individual production for him yet, our staff thinks Pearce has been a catalyst for Tennessee’s surprising defense. Pearce, a true junior who had 10 sacks a year ago, only has half a sack through four games.
However, he’s constantly drawing extra attention, which has opened things up for his teammates. While his pass rush win rate has dipped from 20.9 percent a year ago to 15.6 percent this season, Pearce is seeing way more slide protection and chip blocks than he did as a sophomore.
The former five-star out of Charlotte will be one of the most athletic defensive players in this year’s draft. Regardless of what kind of numbers he finishes with this season, he could solidify himself as a first-round pick with a strong week in Mobile, just as former Tennessee OL Darnell Wright did two years ago.