After a terrific 2023 season when the one-loss Seminoles were snubbed by the College Football Playoff committee, the team has since struggled to a combined record of 7-17 over the past two years, and head coach Mike Norvell is hanging on by a thread. The once-proud program that often placed as many as four players in the initial round of the draft had a single player selected last April, fourth-round pick Darrell Jackson Jr. There is potential on both sides of the line of scrimmage this year, but can Norvell bring the best out of his players?  If he doesn’t, he may be gone by November.

Duce Robinson bypassed the draft last April and returned to Florida State when many thought he could write his NIL ticket to several major programs. Robinson is easily the Seminoles’ top prospect and is a large, possession wideout who wins out for contested throws and makes a lot of difficult receptions. He’s tough, sturdy, and focused, and he catches everything thrown in his direction. He’s also slow and is a true possession wideout. I’d say he’s a better prospect than Keon Coleman at equal points in their careers, though I was never a fan of the 34th selection of the 2024 draft by the Buffalo Bills.

After two outstanding seasons at Virginia Tech, left tackle Xavier Chaplin transferred to Auburn for the 2025 season and was a total flop. He was a human penalty flag last season who constantly got called for illegal motion, and he looked like an amateur on the field at times. He also displayed flashes of brilliance from his early days at Virginia Tech, when Chaplin was a dominant left tackle who was incredible in pass protection while showing great skill blocking in motion.

How good was Chaplin during his two seasons with the Hokies? Scouts graded him as a potential top-10 pick entering the 2025 campaign, but are now split after his showing as a junior. Some scouts believe he’s a late-round prospect, while others still grade him as a Day 2 pick.

I’m going with the latter, as I still have notes on Chaplin’s early days in college, and he did flash that skill last year. I also take into account how bad the Auburn program was last season as part of his problem. If Chaplin gets back to his form of 2023-24 and builds upon it, he will be in the elite tier of left tackles available next April; otherwise, he could end up in the very late rounds.

Most scouts I’ve spoken with grade Ja’Bril Rawls as a day two prospect, yet I’m a bit conservative on the cornerback at this point. Rawls possesses terrific size as well as speed and is a physical defensive back who beats down receivers defending passes.  He also does a lot of face guarding and wasn’t very productive in the seven games he played last season.  While he has great upside, Rawls is more athlete than football player to this point.

The exact opposite can be said of Texas transfer Quintrevion Wisner; a terrific ball carrier who lacks next-level size and speed.  Wisner runs with excellent vision and instincts, constantly finding running lanes and working to pick up positive yardage every time he handles the ball.  He’s a tremendous pass catcher out of the backfield and plays faster than his estimated forty time of 4.55 seconds.  Wisner does not come with much upside yet will be a terrific rotational back for the next level.