While the 2025 NFL Draft is still far off in the distance, players who will be drafted early are on the field now. Each week presents unique matchups for draft prospects and this week is no different. Here are NFL Draft prospects to watch in college football week 0 recap.
Related: NFL Draft Prospects to Watch in College Football Week 0
Florida State was upset by Georgia Tech in week 0 in a surprising game. The Seminoles were projected to be good in the trenches, but they didn’t dominate the line of scrimmage like projected. A good season was expected out of Payton, but he didn’t make a major impact on this game. He finished with one total tackle.
There were a few things that Payton needed to work on this season and it looks like he still has to improve in those areas. He struggled to shed or make an impact against the run. Adding play strength will help, but he can also work on his technique to help him. His draft stock took a hit in this game, but he still has a lot of football left this season.
Georgia Tech was able to pull off the upset over Florida State in Dublin, in large part thanks to their running game. That effort was led by Haynes, who had 11 carries for 74 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 16 yards.
Haynes really showed off his skill with highlight-reel plays. He was elusive in space, showed his talent as a receiver and had some nice vision. The former receiver had a good season last year and looks to be improved in 2024. While striking the Heisman pose may be a bit premature, it was a good start to the season for Haynes.
SMU started off the season very slow against Nevada, but finally came back and won the game 29-24. Stone was part of the reason for the slow start, as he came out of the gate cold. SMU actually played backup Kevin Jennings as well in the first half, something that wasn’t expected. Stone returned to the game, finishing the game with 254 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception. He threw the game-winning touchdown pass with 1:18 left on the clock.
Being more consistent will help Stone in the future. He has struggled against good competition in the past and he has shown that he’ll have bad halves and games. The first half he showed inaccuracy and bad decision-making, but in the second half he made some clutch plays and looked much better. SMU will have tougher games on the schedule, so hopefully him bouncing back in the second half gets him on the right track.
Montana State started the game off poorly against New Mexico, but they stayed the course and ended up coming back to win 35-31. It was an impressive win for the Bobcats, as they are an FCS school. While he had some fumbling issues, Tommy Mellott helped lead the comeback. He showed off his dual-threat abilities with 205 passing yards, 30 rushing yards and three total touchdowns.
Mellott needs to protect the football better to prevent fumbles. He also could show more composure in the pocket. His athleticism was on display, as he made defenders miss and picked up key yards on the ground. He showed he could make some good throws in pressure situations, as he helped lead the Bobcats on their game-winning touchdown drive.
The Montana State running game was great and they were able to do solidly protecting the quarterback. A lot of credit for that has to go to Marcus Wehr. As an FCS player matching up against an FBS team, Wehr looked like one of the best players on the field.
Wehr has good strength and really helped clear running lanes for the Bobcats. He played right tackle, but could move inside to guard, where his strength and run blocking can be featured. His pass blocking could use some more work, but Montana State also doesn’t throw the ball a lot. A move to guard could help him with his pass blocking as well.
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