The 2025 college football season is officially over, which means draft season is about to begin. The Senior Bowl is just a week away, so things are already starting to ramp up on the draft front, and EssentiallySports NFL Draft expert Tony Pauline will have the latest news and notes for you as they unfold.

In this week’s DraftCast episode, Pauline gave some insight into Dante Moore’s decision to stay at Oregon and Ty Simpson’s decision to enter the draft, named some top prospects to watch at the Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl, and much more. You can catch the full episode on EssentiallySports’ YouTube or by clicking this link.

Make sure you’re tuning into the DraftCast every week and checking Pauline’s NFL Draft big board, which will be updated throughout the pre-draft process, to stay up to date with all the latest NFL Draft news.

Now, let’s recap this week’s DraftCast episode.

The impact of Dante Moore’s decision to stay at Oregon

Dante Moore made the decision to stay at Oregon for another year rather than enter the 2026 NFL Draft, where he was the presumed second overall pick.

The New York Jets, who own the second pick, are in need of a quarterback, but with Moore returning to school, there aren’t any other options they would take second overall. At least, not at this moment.

Now the Jets have to pivot, but where do they go?

Pauline doesn’t believe the top of this draft is as good as many others, including last year’s. There are a lot of quality players, but there’s no Abdul Carters or Travis Hunters. You’d think that would open the door for the Jets to potentially trade out of the second pick, but to trade out, someone has to want to trade up, and Pauline isn’t sure anybody will.

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One reason Moore may have decided to return to Oregon is the fact that he would’ve likely ended up a Jet. Not only have the Jets killed multiple quarterbacks’ careers in the 21st century, but if you’re Moore, you have to look at who’s in charge.

Right now, it’s a defensive head coach in Aaron Glenn, and there’s no guarantee he’s still around in 2027. Why would a top prospect want to take a chance on a team that has been a quarterback graveyard and could be looking for another head coach in a year? Especially when he can return to college and make $5+ million.

Executives around the league feel like the Jets have dug themselves into a hole by not taking a quarterback last year. Now, it feels like they have to reach for one, and if not, they’re basically deferring to next year, and they’ll have to figure out who’s going to be under center for them in 2026.

If the Jets stick and pick at No. 2, Pauline feels they should take Caleb Downs.

Throw positional value out the window. This kid is a stud. He’s Pauline’s No. 2 player on his big board, and the Jets have a ton of issues in their secondary right now.

You’d love to find your quarterback or an edge rusher here, but Downs could be a future Hall of Famer if he pans out.

Did Ty Simpson Make the Right Decision?

Alabama QB Ty Simpson did the opposite of Dante Moore. Instead of returning to college, where he was reportedly being offered over $6 million from multiple schools, he entered his name into the 2026 NFL Draft. But should he have?

Pauline doesn’t think so. He believes Simpson should’ve taken the Moore route and returned to school for another year.

Simpson looked really good at the beginning of the season, but the NFL is a what have you done for me lately league. And what Ty Simpson has done lately isn’t all that great.

In his final four games, he averaged less than 200 yards per game and completed under 62 percent of his throws in three of them. It’s important to enter the draft coming off a strong performance/season, and he didn’t do that.

There’s no official confirmation yet, but Simpson is likely to receive an invite to the Senior Bowl, and Pauline believes he should accept it.

We’ve seen plenty of quarterbacks, such as Mac Jones and Philip Rivers, among others, have incredible Senior Bowl performances and boost their draft stock. If he were to play well there, he could make a case for being a first-rounder.

Pauline currently has Simpson as his third quarterback in the draft, behind Fernando Mendoza and Trinidad Chambliss, and he believes Simpson will end up being a second-round pick.

If a team decides to overdraft, he could end up in the back half of the first round, but Pauline believes that would be a big mistake.

Simpson’s pros and cons

Ty Simpson is an interesting prospect because he has a lot of the tools you want to see in an NFL quarterback.

He has a live arm and can push the ball downfield; he’s accurate and puts the ball where only his receiver can get it, and he’s good at commanding the offense, but there are some big negatives as well.

Pauline notes that he does not react well to pressure.

When Alabama played a team with a good pass rush, like Oklahoma or Georgia, he really struggled. He’s also not very big.

He’ll likely measure in at 6-foot-1 and a much lower weight than you’d want in a starting quarterback at the NFL level.

Shrine Bowl prospects to watch

The first name out of Pauline’s mouth when asked about which players he’s most excited to watch at the Shrine Bowl was Skyler Bell.

UConn’s star receiver had a fantastic season, catching 101 passes for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Biletnikoff winner is great at creating separation, but Pauline wants to see him show off his speed at the Shrine Bowl, particularly in the 1-on-1s.

He’s not much of a burner, so he’s got to show scouts that he’s at least fast enough to be taken seriously as an NFL wideout.

Pauline will also be keeping an eye on another receiver: Chris Hilton from LSU. Hilton only caught 10 passes last year, but he’s the definition of a burner.

He has game-breaking speed, but with Garrett Nussmeier battling an injury all year long, he never really got the chance to shine. If you want to watch any of his tape, look at what he did at the end of 2024.

Moving to the defensive side of the ball, Tyreak Sapp is another guy to watch at the Shrine Bowl.

The former Gator was great in 2024, recording seven sacks, but had a down year in 2025, finishing the season with just one sack. He’s got some ground to make up, but he’s very talented.

Senior Bowl prospects to watch

Pauline was asked about who he’s excited to see at the Senior Bowl, and David Bailey was the first name he mentioned.

He was the most productive edge rusher in the nation at Texas Tech, and now he’ll get another chance to show off in front of NFL scouts. Pauline called Bailey’s tape “exceptional,” but he’s interested to see how he weighs in, because he’s a bit undersized.

Isaiah World is another guy Pauline is looking forward to watching. He was Oregon’s starting left tackle, and Pauline believes he’s one of the best tackles in the entire draft. He also notes Gennings Dunker of Iowa and Jude Bowry from Boston College as other tackles to watch.

Another Red Raider Pauline’s excited to see at the Senior Bowl is Jacob Rodriguez, a linebacker who finished fifth in Heisman voting.

His tape is really solid. He’s a great run defender and has perfected the peanut punch, but Pauline wants to see how Rodriguez fares in 1-on-1. Can he make plays in coverage? The Senior Bowl might be his last real opportunity to show he can do those things.

Scouts Mind: Draft Board Updates

Pauline has a fluid draft board up on EssentiallySports, which will be updated throughout the draft process. The new update hasn’t hit yet, but he gave a sneak peek at some of the changes coming in the new update.

First is David Bailey. Pauline had Bailey ranked ninth in his original rankings, but after watching some more tape, he’s jumping all the way up to No. 5.

Pauline also had LSU CB Mansoor Delane at No. 15 on his draft board, but his ranking will take a hit this week. Not because of bad tape or anything, but Pauline doesn’t love his size and speed at the CB position. He believes he’ll be drafted higher than he should.

Trinidad Chambliss will be added to the board as well in the new update, and he’ll slot in at No. 25 after a terrific season at Ole Miss. He has that “it” factor you love to see in quarterbacks, and with a strong pre-draft process, he could move up Pauline’s rankings quickly.

Caleb Lomu, Utah’s starting left tackle, is another guy who’s getting a boost in Pauline’s rankings. Unlike most at the top of the draft, Lomu is a pure left tackle, and his tape is great, but Pauline would like to see him get a little bit bigger.

Chris Johnson from San Diego State is another guy shooting up Pauline’s draft boards. The 6-foot cornerback will be all the way up at No. 39 when the new update drops. His size and ball skills make him one of Pauline’s top corners in the draft.

Is Sam Leavitt a Heisman contender?

Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers landed a commitment from the No. 1 QB in the transfer portal, Sam Leavitt.

The former Arizona State Sun Devil has one more year of eligibility and will spend it with one of the brightest offensive minds in the game, and Pauline believes he will absolutely be a Heisman contender.

We’ve seen the work Kiffin has put in with quarterbacks throughout his time at Ole Miss. He’s developed Jaxson Dart and Trinidad Chambliss into potential first-round picks, and he even had Matt Coral playing like a Heisman candidate.

With the offensive scheme Kiffin’s bringing in and the talent they’re surrounding him with, there’s no reason Leavitt can’t be in the Heisman conversation next year.

What to make of the Harbaugh and Stefanski hires

Pauline was not surprised by John Harbaugh going to the New York Giants. In fact, when Harbaugh left Baltimore, he identified the Giants as the frontrunners for his talents.

Harbaugh gets out of the loaded AFC, goes to a young team with a super talented quarterback, and has a “wounded” general manager that he can direct. It’s the perfect landing spot for him.

Pauline believes the only reason Stefanski is in Atlanta is that Harbaugh is in New York. If Harbaugh hadn’t landed the Giants’ job, Stefanski would’ve been the hire there.

Once Harbaugh and the Giants went off the board, it made a lot of sense for Stefanski and Atlanta to get a deal done as soon as possible.