By Daniel “The Draftnick”
Last week’s college football slate was loaded; there’s no hiding it. It featured everything you’d want: top 25 matchups, upsets, and field storms. Can’t ask for much more as a fan. As hard as it’ll be to live up to, Week 6 of the 2025 college football season may not look as good on paper, but it doesn’t mean there won’t be fun matchups to watch. The fun in driving the matchups is the prospect who will be taking the stage in the 2026 NFL draft, which may be a half a year away, but it’s never too early to know who will be the stars of tomorrow. Here are some players to keep an eye on in some games happening in Week 6 of college football.
Texas vs Florida – Pay attention to:
Florida’s trenches. Florida hasn’t had the start to the season that fans have anticipated, but its trench play is littered with NFL talent, even with the rough start for the team overall. Center Jake Slaughter, offensive tackle Austin Barber, defensive lineman Tyreak Sapp, and defensive tackle Caleb Banks (injured) are the names to watch throughout the game. Slaughter may be the best center in this next draft class at 6-foot-4, 303 pounds. His pass protection is sound, possessing real strength to handle power rushers up the middle. The power shows itself in the run game as well, and on top of it all, he’s smart, being able to recognize stunts and act on them. With him along the line, Barber has had an up-and-down season. He looked stellar against LSU, but struggled against Miami, giving up six pressures. Barber has good agility with great arm length, but lacks strength at times. Sapp, like Barber, didn’t have the best game against Miami. One bad game doesn’t define the season, 
and Sapp still possesses good hands and the strength to set the edge. Banks is a projected first-round pick, but missed the first couple of weeks in the season, making his season debut against LSU in week three, unfortunately, after he underwent surgery on his foot. It’s unclear when he’ll return, if at all, this season.
Florida State vs Miami, Fla – Three to watch
Reuben Bain Jr., Francis Mauigoa, and Darrell Jackson Jr. have been among the best players in college football this season, thanks to their disruptiveness as pass rushers. 
Bains’ raw strength has helped him take over in the games against Florida, Notre Dame, and South Florida early on in the season. He’s playing himself into a top-5 pick come April. Mauigoa was in the mix for the top tackle in college football before the season, and he’s remained there throughout a couple of weeks of action. At 6-foot-6, 315 pounds, Mauigoa is athletic, strong, and violent in his punches. Steadfast anchor at the tackle position. Jackson was my top-ranked defensive tackle before the season with his mauling 6-foot-5, 337-pound frame. 
With the frame, he’s hard to move at the point of attack, and should be in the mix to be a first-round pick the rest of the season. He lacks upside as a pass rusher, but his stoutness in the run game is evident.
Colorado vs TCU, – Who to watch
Eric McAlister vs. DJ McKinney. There’s no guarantee these two will consistently line up across from each other, but if they do, it should be a fun one to watch. 
McAlister is a larger-bodied receiver who stands at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, and possesses real speed for his size—a major-yards-after-the-catch type of receiver who went off against SMU for 254 yards and three touchdowns. McKinney entered the year in the mix to be the No. 1 corner come April for the draft. Throughout this season, it hasn’t gone that way, even after a strong start in Week 1 against Georgia Tech, but an intense matchup against McAlister can get his stock up again. He leads Colorado in yards given up, but leads in pass breakups.
One more on my radar
Texas A&M EDGE Cashius Howell has been one of the biggest threats off the edge to start off this season. He had three sacks on three straight plays against Utah State, showcasing pure speed off the edge. He faces Mississippi State on Saturday night.
The post Daniel the Draftnick – 10 NFL prospects to watch in CFB Week 6 first appeared on Sports360AZ.
