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 8 of this year’s college football campaign.
Blue-chip of the week
No. 1 Ohio State LB Arvell Reese @ Wisconsin, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, 2:30 p.m. CST
Arguably the biggest riser at this point of the 2026 NFL Draft evaluation process has been Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese. He’s gone from a relative afterthought on a loaded Buckeyes defense into one of the best defensive players in all of college football. The current No. 10 player on my board, I have a feeling he’ll end up rising a few more spots before it’s all said and done.
The popular comparison for Reese is Micah Parsons, seeing as though both are extremely gifted athletes at linebacker with a knack for rushing the passer coming out of college. There’s a chance Reese follows in Parsons’ footsteps and transitions into an edge rusher, but regardless, he has the length, tenacity, and quickness to beat blockers at the point of attack. He’s a great athlete with impressive straight-line speed in pursuit, and his physique is chiseled with an impressive wingspan. As he continues to develop as a processor at the second level, he’s showing what he can do when he’s able to maximize his freakish traits.
Prospect matchup to watch
Auburn LT Xavier Chaplin vs. No. 16 Missouri EDGEs Zion Young and Damon Wilson II, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, 6:45 p.m. CST
SEC matchups are typically a great opportunity to see future NFLers go at it, and this week is no exception. Auburn has a key game on Saturday to ensure their season doesn’t fall apart, but Missouri isn’t going to be easy competition. Auburn has an intriguing left tackle in Xavier Chaplin, who’s listed at 6’7” and 338 pounds. He’s a massive lineman with long arms and a powerful frame that helps him out-physical edge rushers at the point of attack. More often than not, he lands his hands accurately, allowing him to maintain upper-body leverage and lock out those defenders from the inside of his frame. At this stage, his pad level and his processing against exotic rushes need some work. I don’t think Chaplin is a Day 1 starter in the NFL, but I think he could crack a team’s starting lineup with a developmental year on the bench.
Chaplin will be tested by two red-hot edge rushers in Zion Young and Damon Wilson II, who enter this game with three and 5.5 sacks through six games, respectively. Young is a lengthier edge rusher with a strong power game, allowing him to set the edge against the run and push the pocket as a pass rusher. He’s complemented well by Wilson, who’s not as strong but brings superior first-step acceleration and bend off the edge rushing the passer. In their own way, both are physically-gifted edge defenders with Day 2 potential in the 2026 draft.
Sleeper highlight
Toledo S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren vs. Kent State, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, 1:00 p.m. CST
As of this writing, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren is my highest-rated prospect at the Group of 5 level in the 2026 NFL Draft. Toledo has produced a handful of NFL defenders like Quinyon Mitchell, Darius Alexander, and Maxen Hook in recent years. I think McNeil-Warren has the potential to end up selected in a range similar to Alexander, who got picked in the third round.
Listed at 6’2” and 202 pounds, McNeil-Warren is a big-bodied safety with a large wingspan and a well-built frame that should translate well to the NFL’s level of physicality. A quick processor in coverage, the Rockets’ standout safety has a quick downhill trigger with good route-recognition abilities and the willingness to engage in contact as a tackler. He’s quick shooting downhill out of his backpedal and tackles with impressive closing speed. I’d like to see his raw testing athleticism translated more into his range on the field, as he’s a bit stiff-hipped, but his size, physicality, instincts, and speed should make him a highly-valued commodity in the NFL.
