The college football season is over, which means it’s time to take a look at April and find out which players will be drafted in the NFL.
When the NCAA was just wrapping up its bowl season, there were a number of players who performed exceptionally well in the final games of their collegiate careers.
Teams in dire need of talent in specific positions — whether to cover for the future or to meet their immediate needs — are some of the names they’ll be watching as the draft gets rolling in April.
Here, takes a look at 10 players whose bowl performances helped get them picked early in the upcoming NFL draft.
Will Stetson Bennett’s magical national championship game see him climb the draft boards?
Jared Verse, DE, State of Florida
One of the top edge rushers in this draft class had an amazing day at the Cheez-It Bowl against Oklahoma.
He often pressured the quarterback, recording six total tackles, three solo tackles, and 1.5 sacks.
In a season that saw him finish second in sacks in the ACC and finish in the top 20 nationally for the same statistic, Verse is young but presents a huge opportunity for teams.
As of now, Verse acts as the first all-rounder and one of the top five edge rushers off the board in a draft class teeming with defensive-line talent.
Teams that could be looking for him include the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans — who have multiple first-round picks.
Jared Verse is one of the better edge rushers in this class with a great win over the Sooners
Jack Campbell, LB, Iowa
Jack Campbell took home the Dick Butkus award for the nation’s top linebacker and proved he was worthy of the award when he faced Kentucky in Iowa’s Music City Bowl.
He grabbed 10 tackles total – including eight solo tackles – and a sack as the Hawkeyes beat the Wildcats 21-0.
For now, Campbell is projecting himself as a late second or early third round pick — despite a season in which he finished as the Big Ten’s leading tackler and finished in the top 15 in the NCAA.
It’s harder to predict what teams will do after the first round, but after that bowl performance, Campbell could probably have cemented himself as a second-round draft pick.
Teams looking for his talent might include teams like the Minnesota Vikings or the Philadelphia Eagles – who already have strong defenses and could add some youngsters to their ranks.
Butkus Prize winner Jack Campbell is one to watch and deserves a first round pick
CJ Stroud, QB, Ohio State
A performance like Stroud’s in the CFP semifinals against Georgia deserves a spot in the championship game. However, a missed field goal on the right caused the Buckeyes to come up just short.
Stroud had a 94.1 QBR and a 192.4 passer rating with 348 passing yards and four touchdowns on 23 completions against the Bulldogs.
This season was great for him and the Buckeyes, who ended the regular season with just one blemish on their record – with Stroud finishing as a finalist for the Heisman.
As of now, he’s likely to be either the second or third quarterback draft, meaning teams like the Panthers or Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints could all be looking for his services.
Stroud’s profile fits the modern NFL quarterback perfectly: strong arm, mobile and precise. Putting him in the right system with the right weapons will be key to his success at the pro level.
CJ Stroud could offer Bryce Young the toughest competition for the top quarterback in ’23
Brian Branch, DB, Alabama
Although this wasn’t a college football playoff game, Branch saved one of the season’s best performances for last.
He grabbed an interception and then put up 12 tackles – 11 of them solo tackles – and a sack.
Alabama has produced some great NFL talent at the cornerback position over the past decade, and Branch seems poised to continue the legacy Nick Saban built.
That comes after a season in which he finished the SEC top 10 in tackles and had two interceptions as a team leader.
Branch is likely to walk off the board within the first 20 picks of the draft — with teams like the Washington Commanders, Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Lions needing help in defensive secondary.
Brian Branch showed why Alabama’s defense force shouldn’t be underestimated
Ji’Ayir Brown, S, Penn State
The day after the new year began, Penn State defeated Pac-12 champion Utah in the Rose Bowl.
One of the stars of the game was safety Ji’Ayir Brown, who grabbed an interception totaling eight tackles, six solo tackles, and 1.5 sacks.
It’s been a strong final year for Brown – who finished 19th overall in tackles in the Big Ten, good enough for second-most among safeties.
Brown probably won’t go to the first round, but after this season — and especially after this Rose Bowl — he could be considered a quality pick in the third round or later.
Safeties are needed by a number of teams, and if teams like the Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Jacksonville Jaguars don’t pick one sooner, they could snag Brown in the later rounds.
Ji’Ayir Brown deserves a lot more credit after helping Penn State to a major Rose Bowl win
Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU
In a magical season for TCU, wide receiver Quentin Johnston showed up in the semifinals of the college football playoffs.
When Max Duggan threw the ball to him, Johnston had six catches for 163 yards and a touchdown in the Horned Frogs’ win over Michigan.
The national championship was just a poor outing by everyone on the TCU team, so Johnston’s only catch for three yards isn’t a cause for concern.
It capped a junior season that saw Johnson ranked 22nd in the nation for yards receiving.
While there may be a chicken-and-egg situation between Duggan and Johnston — since they both feed each other so well it’s hard to tell who’s more talented — it’s clear that Johnston will be drafted sooner than Duggan.
Johnston is in the top 10 on many draft boards and many teams need receivers. It’s likely that Johnston won’t be around long — with teams like the Eagles plus Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers needing talent at the receiver position.
Many eyes in the draft top 10 will be on Horned Frog’s WR Quentin Johnston
Jammie Robinson, DB, State of Florida
Another Seminole had a great day against Oklahoma – maybe even better than his teammate earlier on this list.
Robinson totaled 13 tackles — including 10 alone — as well as a sack for Florida State’s win.
2022 was a great season for Robinson, who finished eighth in total tackles in the ACC and 14th in the conference in solo tackles.
It’s the kind of performance he could use to sneak into the first round – with a number of teams needing defenders and safeties at this point in the draft.
Robinson could serve on the boards of the Kansas City Chiefs as well as the Vikings, Bills and Eagles — with those teams picking the bottom five spots of the first round.
Jammie Robinson could be a gem beyond the early rounds and is certainly one to watch out for
Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
Young completed just 15 passes in his team’s 45-20 win over Kansas State. He NOCH managed to streak for 321 yards and five touchdowns.
As previously mentioned, the battle for QB1’s spot will be heated up until the moment this Draft Day arrives. Young has a few downsides — he’s short compared to NFL quarterbacks, standing at just six feet tall.
But even so, his intangibles and passing ability make him a very attractive candidate for NFL teams in need of a signal caller.
Young will go into Draft Day as one of the top five candidates overall and will continue battling CJ Stroud and Will Levis for that top quarterback title through Draft Day.
Unless he’s drafted by the Texans with the second overall pick, expect teams like the Panthers and Colts to attack him.
Many draft boards have Bryce Young as their top quarterback – but will his size put teams off?
Dorian Williams, LB, Tulane
The top player in the Group of Five, linebacker Dorian Williams, had an amazing season himself with Green Wave of Tulane — particularly in their Cotton Bowl fuss over USC.
Williams made 17 tackles in that game — with a breakdown of nine solo tackles and eight assist tackles. He won the Cotton Bowl Award for Best Defensive Player.
Coming from a non-Power Five school, he’s more of an under-the-radar pick.
While some outlets have him as a top-five linebacker, that position isn’t as full of first-round prospects as it has been in previous years.
Unless he has a fantastic combine, he’s unlikely to make the first round in April. But maybe that lack of respect could lead him to a thriving NFL career.
The only player on this list not from a Power Five school, Williams is a diamond in the rough
Stetson Bennett, QB, Georgia
Stetson Bennett’s backstory is that he’s an unheralded prospect who’s worked his way to the top. He proved that in both CFP games.
In the games against Ohio State and TCU, he threw for more than 700 yards, seven touchdowns and just one interception combined with favorable passer ratings and QBRs.
Bennett will have the same energy as this underdog and look to a draft board full of talented players.
His age (25) makes him older than many starting QBs in the NFL today, which will likely cause some teams to turn away from him, but age aside, Bennett still has a lot to prove.
It’s hard to predict which team will take a flyer, but expect it to be one where they fit into a role as a competent backup — at least for starters — or maybe even go to a team that needs to find some competition for a young quarterback.
Teams like the Jaguars, Steelers, Chicago Bears or New York Jets could all fit into this mold for Bennett.
Stetson Bennett has been overlooked his entire life — maybe an NFL team isn’t so stupid