CFP national championship: Here are seven Eagles draft targets to watch as Miami faces Indiana

The college football season will conclude in Miami with the College Football Playoff national championship game on Monday night between Indiana and Miami, two teams with several NFL draft prospects to keep a close eye on.

The top names in this game include Indiana quarterback and potential top overall pick Fernando Mendoza, Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain, a projected top-10 pick, and Miami right tackle Francis Mauigoa, who could be one of the first offensive linemen drafted.

All three players might be out of the Eagles’ draft range at No. 23 overall, but both rosters are littered with NFL talent. Here are seven prospects the Eagles could target come April:

» READ MORE: NFL draft 2026: Who could the Eagles target with the No. 23 overall pick?

Of the prospects remaining in the playoff, it’s possible that no player has done more for his stock than Smith, who hasn’t allowed a pressure or a sack across 48 pass blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. The Indiana left tackle, a three-year starter, consistently gets his hands inside the frame of a pass rusher, latches on, and doesn’t let go.

Smith‘s running-game blocking has shown flashes of improvement, too. He has the upper-body strength and strain to move defensive linemen off their spot and is a decent enough athlete to kick out players in space.

Smith has a tendency to lunge against quicker players, and his ability to handle relentless power will be tested in his matchup with Bain. But the offensive tackle has starter-level qualities and could be a long-term option at tackle for the Eagles.

Older prospects at premium positions aren’t typically valued in the first round, but there may be no edge rusher prospect as deserving to hear his name called in Round 1 as Mesidor, who is having his best season in his sixth year of college football. With strong hand usage and a quick first step, the Miami edge rusher is relentless coming off the edge and can create havoc from multiple spots along the defensive line.

Mesidor has 19 pressures during Miami’s playoff run alone, according to Pro Football Focus, along with 3½ sacks. He can improve in setting a better edge as a run defender and likely won’t be a player you drop in coverage in the NFL, but Mesidor has game-wrecking ability and can bring instant production to an Eagles pass rushing corps that has uncertainty beyond Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt.

Ponds made the pick heard around the world when he intercepted Oregon’s Dante Moore on the first offensive play of the game in the CFP semifinal. He’s often the smallest player on the field (5-foot-9, 175 pounds) but plays much bigger, and has done so multiple times during Indiana’s undefeated season.

He has a fearless mindset at cornerback, challenging wide receivers at the line of scrimmage and being disruptive at the catch point. He gives up plenty of size and teams with bigger receivers try to take advantage of it, but he’s sticky in man coverage and has ideal instincts in zone to break on the football.

He’s a reliable tackler despite his size, having missed just two tackles all season, according to PFF. He won’t be a fit for every NFL team because of his size, but his play-making ability will help him find a long-term role on a defense.

When Scott was out of Miami’s lineup for two games down the season’s stretch, the defense missed his propensity to cause chaos. When he returned in the first round of the CFP against Texas A&M, Scott disrupted screens and was an effective blitzer on third downs.

Then against Ohio State in the quarterfinal matchup, he jumped a screen and took it 72 yards for a pick-six.

Although he has allowed 68.5% of passes thrown his way to be completed, he hasn’t surrendered a touchdown. Because he plays with his hair on fire, he takes chances and has missed 15 tackles (21.4% missed tackle rate) according to PFF. But his physicality allows him to play multiple roles in a secondary, which would be valuable for the Eagles’ depth.

A quick look at Nowakowski‘s stats won’t show gaudy numbers (30 catches, 370 yards) but his impact as a blocker is invaluable to Indiana’s offense. The tight end and fullback, who spent his first five seasons of college at Wisconsin, is an outstanding run blocker and has shown the ability to block edge defenders one-on-one, insert block linebackers and safeties filling against the run, and block secondary players in space.

The 6-1, 249-pound prospect won’t make many people miss in the open field but is a reliable option on checkdowns and over the middle of the field. He had zero drops and caught 3 of 6 contested catch attempts this season, according to PFF.

While he won’t be a top receiving option and stands to be more consistent handling blitzers in pass protection, Nowakowski could be the kind of valuable blocking tight end the Eagles desperately needed in 2025. He also has the flexibility to align at fullback on under-center formations.

Cooper has started at right guard for Miami for the last three years and provides a physical presence as a run blocker. The 6-6, 345-pound lineman thrives blocking in close quarters and has powerful hands and grip strength, and has made highlight-reel blocks in space when he can square up second- and third-level players.

Moving laterally and redirecting on passing downs are not Cooper’s strengths, and he struggles staying square when passing off defensive line stunts. But his run-blocking demeanor will be coveted by teams with gap-scheme running offenses. He has allowed just one sack and 12 pressures in 483 pass blocking snaps, according to PFF, and could provide depth for an Eagles offensive line in need of more players who thrive as downhill blockers.

Coogan has garnered praise throughout the playoff, beginning with his Rose Bowl MVP award in Indiana’s CFP quarterfinal win over Alabama, and his film backs it up. The center, who has a rugged play style, does not have the athleticism the Eagles have coveted at the position, but he is a savvy blocker who takes great angles in the running game and anticipates defensive line stunts in pass protection.

The fifth-year player began his career at Notre Dame, showcasing his versatility by making starts at both guard and center. His lack of foot quickness causes him to overextend against quicker players and he doesn’t always mirror pass rushers well in one-on-one scenarios. Coogan thrives, though, working on double teams up to linebackers and would be a depth option at both guard and center, which would be valuable for the Eagles, who struggled with injuries on their interior line.