As the 2025 season rolls along, so will our weekly previews of games and NFL prospects to watch. This will come in addition to our NFL Draft coverage over the course of the fall and winter. Whether you’re
a fan of the draft or just a college football fan, this series looks to give you an idea of what to watch each week. Windy City Gridiron’s Lead Draft Analyst, Jacob Infante, will be taking a look at what to expect in Week 10 of this year’s college football campaign.
Blue-chip of the week
No. 4 Alabama QB Ty Simpson vs. No. 11 Oklahoma, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, 2:30 p.m. CST
A redshirt junior who hadn’t cracked Alabama’s starting lineup until this year, Ty Simpson has a smaller sample size than most prospective NFL Draft quarterbacks, especially in today’s NIL era which sees backup quarterbacks at powerhouses bounce around to other schools for a starting role. Simpson waited it out and won the starting job going into 2025, though, and it’s paying off for him in a major way.
Simpson is automatic on his intermediate throws and demonstrates good timing in when he gets the ball out and how he places the ball into his receivers’ hands. He has good spatial awareness in the pocket, having the agility and pocket presence needed to avoid defenders, keep his eyes up, and extend the play. He’s also a pretty solid athlete who can make some moves as a scrambler. I wouldn’t truly call Simpson a blue-chip prospect because of his smaller frame, average arm, and his smaller sample size of starting tape. That said, in a weak quarterback class, a poised quarterback like Simpson will get a lot of attention.
Prospect matchup to watch
Wisconsin CB Ricardo Hallman @ No. 2 Indiana WRs Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr., Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, 11:00 a.m. CST
An experienced starter in Wisconsin’s secondary with over 2,400 career defensive snaps, Ricardo Hallman most notably had seven interceptions in 2023. He hasn’t quite reached that level of production since, but he’s remained a quality starting outside cornerback over the years. He’s an athletic defensive back with loose hips who moves well in coverage and processes well in zone coverage. His lack of size and physicality comes back to bite him sometimes in press, but he’s certainly an NFL-worthy prospect.
Hallman will be tasked with defending Indiana’s two star wide receivers: Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr. They’re both well-built receivers with starting upside. Sarratt is 6’2” with impressive ball skills, great contested-catch ability, great physicality, and a high route-running IQ that sees him exploit leverage through his stems to create separation. Cooper is a densely-built weapon at 6’0” and 201 pounds, and that frame helps him after the catch: he’s equal parts shifty and tough with the ball in his hands. He also notably made an absurd adjustment to stay in bounds for Indiana’s game-winning touchdown against Penn State.
Sleeper highlight
Navy RB/WR Eli Heidenreich vs. No. 24 South Florida, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, 11:00 a.m. CST
If you’re looking for an entertaining Swiss Army knife to root for in the 2026 NFL Draft, Eli Heidenreich is your guy. While there’s no known relation to the former WWE competitor, Heidenreich is listed as a starter at snipe, which is a hybrid running back-slot receiver-tight end-wide receiver position. Navy’s triple option-heavy offense gives him a lot of duties, which makes him experienced as a run blocker. He projects best as a wide receiver at 6’0” and 206 pounds, and his tenacity and hand placement as a blocker should be incredibly enticing to coaches on special teams.
As a receiver, Heidenreich is craftier than you’d expect for the gimmicky offense he comes from. He does a good job of disguising route concepts through his stems and adjusting his route patterns to attack a defensive back’s blindspot. He has a career drop rate of just 3.2% as of this writing, and he shows impressive ball skills and coordination tracking the ball in the air. In addition, he’s capable of stretching the field vertically with his quickness off the line of scrimmage, and he’s a shifty ball-carrier as a running back with good ball-carrier vision. Heidenreich is a ton of fun to watch, and he deserves late-round consideration as a gadget weapon in the NFL.
