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 14 of this year’s college football campaign.
Blue-chip of the week
Auburn EDGE Keldric Faulk vs. No. 10 Alabama, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, 6:30 p.m. CST
As of this writing, Keldric Faulk is my third-highest rated edge rusher in the 2026 NFL Draft behind Rueben Bain Jr. and David Bailey. Such a high ranking may be confusing to some by looking just at his stats, as he’s only had two sacks all season for Auburn. He’s not just your typical edge rusher, though, as he’s taken nearly as many reps as a defensive tackle as he has at edge rusher (748 snaps to 775 snaps in three seasons, respectively). That ability to thrive in multiple alignments is part of what has the NFL so high on him.
Faulk is a physical specimen at 6’6” and 285 pounds with a frame that carries his weight very well. He has fantastic length to help him keep offensive linemen away from the inside of his frame, and he demonstrates good spatial awareness and hand placement setting the edge in the run game. For such a big edge rusher, he moves incredibly well, showing off the burst off the snap and the closing speed that coaches love to see out of any edge rusher, much less one as big as Faulk is. He’s also a capable threat on stunts, as he shows good tempo variation waiting for the right gap to shoot up and the speed to get into opposing backfields. The lack of production and lower-half flexibility will be topics of discussion for Faulk, but he’s a strong, fast, determined edge rusher with inside-outside versatility who feels like a safe bet to go in the top half of the first round come April.
Prospect matchup to watch
Washington RB Jonah Coleman vs No. 6 Oregon’s defensive line, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, 2:30 p.m. CST
Jonah Coleman was an NFL-caliber prospect as early as his sophomore year for me, having run for 871 yards and five touchdowns at Arizona in 2023. He joined then-Wildcats head coach Jedd Fisch in the jump over to Washington, and Coleman has continued to build upon his resume. He leads the Big Ten with 14 rushing touchdowns this season and surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in 2024. Listed at 5’9” and 228 pounds, he’s a bowling ball of a runner who uses his natural pad level advantage to stay low and power through tackle attempts. His durability has been impressive in college, and he varies his tempo well out of the backfield to sift through blocks and explode through the open running lane. Though Coleman isn’t the flashiest athlete out there, he has enough juice to complement his powerful running style and project him as one of the top running backs in the 2026 NFL Draft.
On Saturday, Coleman will have his hands full rushing against Oregon’s talented defensive line. There are three players in particular I wanted to highlight: edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei, and defensive tackles Bear Alexander and A’Mauri Washington. I had Uiagalelei as a first-round pick for the Bears in my latest mock draft, as he brings impressive power, quickness, and relentless effort to the Ducks’ defensive line.
Alexander is a bit of a wild card, having bounced around to three schools in four years and not living up to the hype in previous stops at Georgia and USC. That said, he’s always been an explosive defensive tackle with good raw power, and he’s using those tools better at Oregon to plug up holes in the run game. Washington was a backup prior to 2025, with the likes of NFLers Derrick Harmon and Jamaree Caldwell ahead of him last season. This year, he’s taking advantage of his bigger role. He’s a 330-pound machine with a sturdy anchor as a two-gapping defensive tackle, stellar short-area quickness for his size, and his technical refinement from 2024 to 2025 has been extremely encouraging.
Sleeper highlight
Toledo RB Chip Trayanum @ Central Michigan, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, 11:00 a.m. CST
If you’re a college football fan, there’s a solid chance you’ve heard Chip Trayanum’s name called at least once on a broadcast. After all, he’s bounced around to four different schools over the course of his collegiate career. Starting off as a breakout star at Arizona State, he transferred to Ohio State and spent time as a backup running back there. He was slated for a big role with Kentucky in 2024, but he suffered a serious hand injury and ended up transferring again. His last stop was Toledo, where he’s finally been able to stick into a full-time starting role and showcase the potential he had displayed throughout his various other spots.
Given Trayanum’s profile as a Year 6 breakout player who didn’t put up big numbers for a full season until he left the Power 4, he projects as a Day 3 prospect, at best. That said, when you watch his tape from Toledo this year, there’s a lot to work with. He’s a sturdy runner at 5’11” and 227 pounds with the high-motored tenacity needed to lower the shoulder and keep his legs churning through contact for extra yards. He has solid breakaway speed for a bigger back, which maximizes the force he runs with and makes him tougher to tackle. Trayanum’s physical tools and aggressive demeanor give him upside on special teams in the NFL, and he could carve out a niche for himself as a backup short-yardage back if his vision gets a little more consistent.
