With the NFL and CFB season having already kicked off, teams will be beginning to form preliminary NFL draft boards long before the draft gets underway. That being said, there are certain matchups that will be watched over and over come draft season due to the high volume of talent that is on show. Today, I will try and highlight one match from each CFB week left that will be home to a vast plethora of NFL Draft talent.
(Please note that teams such as Alabama might be repeated due to the sheer amount of talent on their roster!)
CFB Games With The Most NFL Draft Talent
Week 3 – Georgia vs South Carolina
Starting next week, a matchup that appears to be quite one-sided on paper: particularly when it comes to potential NFL Draft talent. While South Carolina is home to Cam Smith, Spencer Rattler, and Jaheim Bell, three players that could potentially be high draft picks, they are nothing when compared to the players that Georgia trots out on a weekly basis. Jalen Carter, Kelee Ringo, and Broderick Jones are just three names to look out for next weekend.
Week 4 – Clemson vs Wake Forest
Both sides in this matchup are notably stronger on one side of the ball rather than the other. For Wake Forest, offense is their strong point, whereas Clemson’s defense is the true strength. This should make for an entertaining matchup whenever Wake Forest’s offense, starring Sam Hartman and A.T. Perry, takes the field against Clemson’s star-studded defense, home to Myles Murphy, Bryan Bresee, and Trenton Simpson.
Week 5 – Oklahoma vs TCU
One of the weaker matchups on this list, a strong TCU lineup faces off against an Oklahoma team that is in phase one of their rebuild following the loss of their head coach and their starting QB to USC last summer. TCU boasts the likes of Quentin Johnston (one of the more underrated players in CFB at the moment), Noah Daniels, and Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson. While Oklahoma still has some strong players in Dillon Gabriel, Marvin Mims, and Anton Harrison.
Week 6 – Alabama vs Texas A&M
Alabama’s first mention on the list comes in a matchup where A&M managed to snatch a victory last season despite Alabama being the heavy favorites. This season, however, Alabama seems to have reloaded nicely to face the Aggies, with their roster being host to Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr, the two Heisman favorites at the moment. Their team also has talent in other places, such as Jahmyr Gibbs, Jordan Battle, and Brian Branch. However, this Texas A&M team is no pushover, with Antonio Johnson, Devon Achane, and Ainias Smith leading the charge against the Crimson Tide.
Week 7 – USC vs Utah
This is a game that could potentially decide who wins the Pac-12 while simultaneously deciding if any Pac-12 teams make it to the CFP this season. The Utes have another season with a strong lineup as they aim to take the Pac-12 crown for the second season running; some of their standout players include Cam Rising, Clark Phillips III, and Mohamoud Diabate. However, the Trojans, under the guidance of Lincoln Riley, look to cruise to a CFP berth in his first season in California with the likes of Jordan Addison, Andrew Vorhees, and Travis Dye leading the way.
Week 8 – Ohio State vs Iowa
The Buckeyes’ first mention, so far, comes in the form of a divisional matchup against Iowa. Ohio State is host to a wide range of talent, however none more apparent as CJ Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who make up one of the most fearsome duos in all of college football. However, they also have Paris Johnson Jr and Zach Harrison. Iowa is also home to Sam LaPorta and Jack Campbell but does not have nearly the same amount of talent that Ohio State has.
Week 9 – Florida vs Georgia
While Georgia has already been mentioned, it is impossible not to mention Florida and their star quarterback Anthony Richardson. While the Gators are only home to one other real NFL draft-eligible talent in Gervon Dexter, the entertainment value that Richardson brings should be enough to watch this matchup.
Week 10 – Clemson vs Notre Dame, Ohio State vs Northwestern, AND Baylor vs Oklahoma
While Clemson, Ohio State, and Oklahoma have all been covered already. Notre Dame, Northwestern, and Baylor are all home to some high-level talent as well. Notre Dame boasts Michael Mayer, Brandon Joseph, and Isaiah Foskey who could all be day one picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. Northwestern is not home to much draft-eligible talent, but they do have star offensive lineman Peter Skoronski. Finally, Baylor is home to Siaki Ika, who is one of “my guys” in this upcoming class.
Week 11 – Baylor vs Kansas State, Texas vs TCU
Again, Baylor and TCU have already been covered thus far. However, it would be an injustice to not mention Kansas State and Texas with the amount of talent on show at the two programs. Kansas State has the likes of Felix Anudike-Uzomah and Deuce Vaughn on their roster. While Texas is home to star running back Bijan Robinson who could be a top-ten pick despite the position he plays.
Week 12 – Oregon vs Utah AND Georgia vs Kentucky
Once again, it would be a shame to exclude Kentucky and Oregon from this list. Kentucky’s main star is quarterback Will Levis, but they also have Chris Rodriguez who also is draft-eligible. Oregon, despite their shaky start to the season, has some good players on their roster, namely Noah Sewell, Justin Flowe, and Christian Gonzalez. They are also home to Bo Nix, who had a shocking week one performance but could be a high-round draft pick if he recovers.
Week 13 – Texas A&M vs LSU
In the final week of the regular season of CFB, we have already looked at almost all the major programs barring LSU. So it felt right to honor the Tigers and include them on this list. Despite many changes in Louisiana, LSU still has some good talent in Jayden Daniels, Kayshon Boutte, Jaquelin Roy, and BJ Ojulari who are all draft-eligible talents.
Week 14 – TBD
Week 15 – Army vs Navy
The sole game in week fifteen, there is one major draft prospect who will play in this match (barring injury). Andre Carter II will look to become the first player from either Army or Navy to be selected in the first round since 1947, and with his physical tools, it seems quite likely that he will be one of the first 32 picks come draft day.
Overall, there are a plethora of matchups to look forward to throughout the season which may end up having a huge bearing on who the best players in this class end up being.
