2025 NFL Draft Watch: Top college football players from Week 9

Here are some NFL Draft takeaways from week eight of college football.

Garrett Nussmeier, son of Eagles quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier, might’ve had his worst game of the season against Texas A&M, but I’m coming around on him as an NFL prospect. The fourth year junior has his issues: Not overly big or athletic and his arm is only fine. He has thrown nine interceptions through eight games which is also a red flag. That being said, he is a first year starter with some really impressive flashes. He throws a beautiful ball with great accuracy and anticipation. He moves well in the pocket and isn’t daunted by pressure. There is some serious charm to his game and Saturday’s match with Alabama is a real chance for him to win over some more hearts and minds.
Sign me up for Tez Johnson. A decade ago, I don’t think NFL teams would be interested in a 165 pound wide receiver. Hell, it is still a long shot even after Xavier Worthy was a first round pick last spring. But Tez Johnson rocks and size has yet to hold him back his last two seasons at Oregon. After another 100 yard game against a tough Illinois team, Johnson has 638 yards on the season and eight scores. With 63 receptions through eight games, Johnson has been a focal point of the Ducks passing game. He is agile, with great long speed, and a surprising toughness at his size. Assuming he stays healthy through the end of the season, I expect Johnson to be a coveted NFL prospect for teams looking for a complementary pass catcher.

Tetairoa McMillan has over half of his yardage in two games. Through eight games this season, Arizona star receiver Tetairoa McMillan has an eye popping 982 yards through the air, which is 14 yards shy of leading the country. The weird thing is over 500 of those yards have come in two games. McMillan is coming off a 10 catch, 200 yard performance against WVU last weekend and he started the season with a 10 catch, 300 yard game against UNM. Also, all five of his touchdowns came in those two games. For the other six games, McMillan has caught 37 passes for 476 yards (12.9 yard average) and 0 scores. McMillan is an undoubtedly talented player and receiver production relies on quarterback play in a way that makes the position harder to evaluate. But these are weird splits that will draw attention in spring if he can’t have a strong end to the year.

Player of the Week

Travis Hunter, Wide Receiver/Cornerback, Colorado:. We don’t need two players here for offensive and defensive player of the week after Travis Hunter’s performance. Defensively, Hunter was his brilliant self. He was smooth in coverage and made some big tackles. Offensively, Hunter caught nine passes for 153 yards and two fantastic touchdowns. He was uncoverable. I went on record recently to say Travis Hunter would be better served going into the NFL as a cornerback prospect. I still believe that, but his 60 minute showing against Cincinnati this week was unreal.

On the season, Travis Hunter has set career highs with 60 catches, 757 yards and eight touchdowns. It’s very possible that Hunter hits the 1,000 yard receiving mark while also being such a high impact player on defense. Pretty hard to fathom. Health is the number one factor for Hunter’s draft stock at this point. His playing time means a lot of tread on those tires. Hopefully he can stay healthy and finish the brilliant season he is having.