At least from an NFL Draft perspective, it will be difficult to match last season’s play, but there are still some notable prospects who will have a chance to improve their draft values ​​against a strong field of competition in the expanded playoffs.

One of the most intriguing players is Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty. A Heisman Trophy candidate and college football’s all-time leader in rush yards, all-purpose yards and touchdowns, Jeanty is one of the most exciting RB candidates in recent years.

Jeanty’s Broncos secured a first-round bye with their win over UNLV in the Mountain West title game on Friday night. They await the winner of the 6:11 game between SMU and Penn State. If the Nittany Lions win, Jeanty will face his toughest test yet. PSU’s defense features several standout talents, with edge rusher Abdul Carter leading the way.

There are talented quarterbacks in the playoff field, but how many of them end up in the 2025 draft class — and how many are truly highly regarded prospects — remains to be seen. Georgia’s Carson Beck didn’t have his best season, suffering what coach Kirby Smart called an “upper extremity injury” in Saturday’s SEC championship game against Texas. He left the contest after sustaining the injury on the final play of the first half, before returning to hand the ball away on the game-winning final play of overtime. His status for the quarterfinal game against Notre Dame or Indiana is uncertain at this time.

Texas’ Quinn Ewers and Penn State’s Drew Allar are two highly talented but polarizing QB prospects who will be in action in Round 1. Both can help their future draft values ​​with strong performances and longer playoff runs.

Indiana, the darling of college football this season, has an Aidan O’Connell-like prospect in Kurtis Rourke, who will duel Notre Dame and QB Riley Leonard in the opening game in South Bend, Indiana.

Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel lacks prototypical size for the position, but perhaps a run to the national tide could change his perspective as a candidate.