Top NFL Draft Prospects to Watch on Championship Weekend

These are the top NFL Draft prospects to watch for the Arizona Cardinals.

Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter (11) celebrates after a defensive stop Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, during the NCAA football game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. Penn State Nittany Lions won 49-10. / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2024 College Football season wrapped up the regular season last weekend and we are on to Conference Championship Games this weekend followed by the final College Football Playoff ranking and subsequent bracket being released on Sunday.

A busy week in college football means a lot of action for football fans to tune into and even more importantly is the amount of content to consume for NFL Draft fans!

Each game is loaded with talent, but the Power Four Conference Title Games (unsurprisingly) contain the greatest number of future stars. All 32 teams will be watching closely including our beloved Arizona Cardinals.

With the 2024 NFL season rounding out now, we have a great picture of the 2025 NFL Draft needs for the Cardinals with most of them being on the defensive side of the football, although offensive line and wide receiver depth is also welcomed.

With all the action starting tonight and running through tomorrow, here is a short guide to players that Cardinals’ fans should be paying attention for tomorrow’s Power Four Conference Games, specifically tailored for AZ’s biggest draft needs.

Enjoy!

Big 12: #16 Iowa State @ #15 Arizona State 

A lot of people are sleeping on the Big 12 Championship Game in Arlington and from a perspective specific to college football it makes no sense. If you’re nuts for the 2025 NFL Draft, then it’s more understandable.

Both the Cyclones and Sun Devils have rosters that are built for future success and don’t have what many would consider “elite” talent. It leaves a lot to be desired from a draft perspective.

The biggest unit to watch here is the Iowa State secondary. The safety combo of Jeremiah Cooper and Beau Freyler is among the best in the nation thanks to Cooper’s ball hawking skills and Freyler’s strong tackling. Cornerback Malik Verdon is garnering some under-the-radar hype as a potential early draft pick.

ASU is built for next season and beyond. Cam Skattebo is obviously the biggest name here, but the Cardinals aren’t dying for a running back. Instead, they should look at the offensive line and specifically center Leif Fautanu, who was just named to the First-Team All-Conference squad.

SEC: #5 Georgia @ #2 Texas

Don’t be surprised when I tell you this, but the SEC Championship Game between Georgia and Texas in Atlanta features the most NFL talent. Stop the presses, right?

In all seriousness, these two programs are loaded, and they have some awesome defenders for the Cards to add to an overachieving unit that is dying for better talent.

The Bulldogs’ defense is stacked with pass rusher Mykel Williams headlining the group. Don’t overlook star safety Malaki Starks. Even with a good safety room in place, Starks is a classic “best player available” kind of selection who would let you get younger and potentially better on the backend. Linebackers Jalon Walker and Smael Mondon Jr are also players to watch, with Walker being a potential prospect to move into a full-time pass rushing role.

The Longhorns possess two terrific defensive backs. Safety Andrew Mukuba is battle tested from his time in Austin and dating back to his days with Clemson. He’s as good and consistent as they get, and he (likely) won’t cost you a first-round pick. The player you should watch the most for Texas is Jahdae Barron. The senior defensive back has safety and corner experience, but he’s broken out as a boundary cover man this season and he’s trending toward a day one pick.

There are offensive linemen to fancy as well. Georgia’s guard Tate Ratledge is among the top interior lineman available. The Texas’ duo at tackle with Kelvin Banks on the left and Cameron Williams on the right will also be worth their weight in gold.

Big Ten: #3 Penn State @ #1 Oregon

The Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis has arguably the largest impact on the way we will see the final College Football Playoff bracket. As you would expect, the top-ranked team in the country is loaded with top-tier prospects, but their opponent has someone you could seriously argue is the best in the entire draft class.

Whatever you need, the Ducks have. Wide receivers Evan Stewart and Tez Johnson are great players you can have on day two or maybe later to continue making this wide receiver room deeper and better. Offensive tackle Josh Conerly is a budding name in draft circles. Defensive lineman Jordan Burch is also getting big time hype. I love cornerback Jabbar Muhammad for the value he will likely be available for with the ability to be your top corner.

Oregon has tons of other players, too, but we can’t spend hundreds of words only talking about Ducks.

Penn State has talent on both sides of the ball, but none of their top players align with the Cardinals biggest needs (although tight end Tyler Warren would be SO much fun with Trey McBride…). However, pass rusher Abdul Carter is the man of the hour.

Carter moved to edge rusher full-time after being a parttime edge rusher and parttime linebacker. Thanks to that move, he’s perhaps the best pass rusher in the 2025 NFL Draft class and may very well be the overall best player entirely. To get him, the Cardinals would absolutely have to trade up… but he may be worth every penny.

ACC: #17 Clemson @ #8 SMU

The ACC Championship Game in Charlotte has the least amount of talent of the four games with similar reasons to the Big 12 Championship and these two team’s strengths not matching needs for the Cardinals.

The best player for either team on either side of the ball for my money is Clemson linebacker Barrett Carter. The senior linebacker has had a wildly productive career and is one of the most accomplished defensive players in the draft class. Carter may be a late round one guy, but snagging the vet on day two would be awesome. Carter is a strong tackler, a good pass rusher, and a good pass defender.

The Tigers also have a damn good offensive tackle with Blake Miller, who should have a relatively easy transition to the next level even if he’s not a day one All-Pro.

SMU is a fun team without tons of “next level” players. Edge rusher Isaiah Smith is there most productive player who fills a need for the Cards and he’s unlikely to cost a premium investment.