The newly-expanded College Football Playoffs start on Friday night and this could be the perfect time for NFL fans to start learning about the 2025 draft.
As for the New Orleans Saints, this draft could go in a million different directions. With the rebuild just getting started, it might be best to just look for the best player available.
There are a handful of players to watch at the different levels of the draft for the first matchup of the playoff between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Indiana Hoosiers.
The only real first round draft prospect in this game would be Fighting Irish cornerback Benjamin Morrison, who is currently projected to go in the middle of or late Day 1.
Morrison is a lockdown cornerback. He doesn’t have any turnovers forced this season, but that’s because he shuts down his half of the field. He likely won’t be in play for the Saints, but no one ever knows what cornerback they are going to fall in love with.
A guy that could be in play for Day 2 of the draft, however, would be another Notre Dame defensive back. This time, safety Xavier Watts. Watts is currently set to play in the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl, a place that New Orleans loves looking for players at.
The versatile safety would be a perfect fit in the Saints secondary. He is a solid run defender and elite ballhawk that loves making big plays. The senior has 12 interceptions and 17 passes broken up in just the last two seasons.
Closing out the watchlist with a Day 3 guy to keep an eye on is Indiana Hoosiers defensive end Mikail Kamara.
Kamara is the opposite of what New Orleans looks for in a defensive end, but that is what could make him perfect. He is smaller, but deathly explosive and incredibly productive. He has 39 tackles for a loss and 21.5 sacks in three seasons. If he was bigger, he would be a first round pass rusher.
How to Watch
The first matchup of the new playoff system is one of the easier ones to watch. It will be simulcast on both ABC and ESPN, as well as streaming on ESPN+ at 7:00 pm CT.
