Falcon Report

Future Falcons: Who to Watch College Football Week11

Want to get an early look at who the Atlanta Falcons could take in the 2025 NFL Draft? We've got you covered for Week 11.

Clint Goss

Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. is a player the Atlanta Falcons could keep a close eye on.
Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. is a player the Atlanta Falcons could keep a close eye on. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
In this story:

We've turned the calendar to November which means we're another month closer to the 2025 NFL Draft. Want to get an early look at potential-future Atlanta Falcons? We've got you covered.

WR Jimmy Horn Jr., Colorado

#20 Colorado vs. Texas Tech, 4 p.m. EST on FOX

  • 5’10, 170
  • Senior, Turned 22 in September
  • My Draft Board: WR22, Mid Day 3

It would be tough for a movie star to get shine and airtime nowadays between head coach Deion Sanders, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, and potential No. 1 overall pick Travis Hunter. Jimmy is not related to Joe either, by the way. He can wrack up some yards and fly (4.34 40-yard dash) though.

Career Stats: 2 years at USF, 2nd year at Colorado currently

  • 158 catches, 1960 yards (12.4), 11 TD
  • 17 carries, 128 yards (7.5), 1 TD
  • 14 punt returns, 90 yards (6.4)
  • 28 kickoff returns, 624 yards (22.3), 1 TD

Drake London and Darnell Mooney are balling with the best wide receiver duos in the NFL and are under contract together for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. Ray-Ray McCloud is successfully on pace for 60 catches, 576 yards, and 2 touchdowns.

McCloud is 28 years old on a contract expiring after 2025 and with no more production than seen from rookie 6th rounder Casey Washington, Horn Jr. can be the aligning slot wide receiver to add competition. With a 4th and two 7th Round picks, general manager Terry Fontenot has proven he’ll move around if needed.

Edge James Pearce Jr., Tennessee 

Mississippi State vs. #7 Tennessee, 7 p.m. EST on ESPN

  • 6’5, 243
  • Junior, Turned 21 in October
  • My Draft Board: #10 overall/Edge 2

Hear me out. 

The 2025 edge rusher class is so deep, there’s unhistorical market potential pushing edge rushers at the top down a bit. The list starts with the cluster (including Pearce) of Penn State’s Abdul Carter, Georgia’s Mykel Williams & Jalon Walker, and Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton.

We can even keep going with perceived first round “hopefuls” and contending Top 50 players such as Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart (a personal favorite), Alabama’s LT Overton, Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer, Ole Miss’s Princely Umanmielen, Arkansas’s Landon Jackson (6’7, 281 Calais Campbell kind of sized human), etc. the list goes. 

The 2023 1st Team All-SEC Pearce’s body habitus is comparatively the upgrade to Falcons' Lorenzo Carter. 100% of Pearce’s play experience through 27 games is outside the offensive tackle as a 5-technique. He can play two and three-point stances, but he projects best at the NFL as a 3-4 edge.

 San Francisco 49ers Defensive End Leonard Floyd is my player comparison for Pearce. Floyd has nearly 10 years of NFL and three years of SEC (Georgia) experience at both edge and defensive end.

Similarly, Pearce has an elite first step and explodes off the ball with production: 20 sacks and 62 quarterback hurries on 438 pass rush snaps, doing so with a bag of tools and a litany of pass rush moves - swipe, swim, bull rush, push-pull, cross-chop. In my opinion, head coach Raheem Morris's pick of the edge litter schematically and stylistically.

WR Kobe Hudson, UCF

UCF vs. Arizona State, 7 p.m. EST on ESPN2

  • 6’1, 200
  • Fifth Year Senior
  • My Draft Board: Day 2 

General manager Terry Fontenot should go ahead and put a peach on him. The LaGrange, Ga. native and Troup County Tiger alum Kobe Hudson can play X, Z, slot, you name it at a high-level.

Before leading Auburn in receiving in 2021 (44 catches, 580 yards, and 4 touchdowns) as a redshirt freshman, Hudson was a Georgia Class 4A dual-threat quarterback, earning GA Player of the Year honors as a junior.

He has 165 career catches, 2758 yards (16.7 avg.), and 22 touchdowns. I’d speak on Hudson’s short-to-intermediate ability and nasty release package first, but the man averaged 20.5 yards per catch in Gus Malzahn’s UCF offense in 2023.

Well-coached, good route runner, Hudson could be ready to contribute as adequately-sped WR3 in Atlanta on Day 1.

Published
Clint Goss
CLINT GOSS

Clint Goss is an NFL & SEC football writer, as well as the on-air co-host of The Falcon Fade radio show at 99.1 WDJY and lead NFL Draft Analyst for Stadium Rant. He is a Rhetoric graduate of Georgia College & State University. A Roswell resident, find Clint at Mercedes-Benz Stadium every Sunday covering the Atlanta Falcons. You can follow Clint actively on Twitter/X @NFLDraftDome

Home/News