January 8 - Players to watch in the College Football Playoff semifinals
The College Football Playoff semifinals kick off on Thursday night with the Miami Hurricanes and Ole Miss Rebels facing off in the Fiesta Bowl. On Friday, it'll be Oregon and Indiana in the Peach Bowl.
Across the board in both games, there'll be plenty of future NFL talent on display. Luckily for the Cowboys, some of that talent also comes at position of need.
Let's take a look at some players to keep an eye on as two tickets to the national championship game are punched:
Rueben Bain Jr. – DE, Miami
When you watch Rueben Bain play, his play strength and power flies off the tape. At 6'3, 275 pounds, he's a large, thick defensive end who has a little more quickness and burst to him than you'd expect from a player his size.
In the College Football Playoff alone, Bain has four sacks, three of which came in a win over Texas A&M and the latest in Miami's Cotton Bowl victory against Ohio State. Prior to that, however, Bain tallied only 4.5 sacks in the earlier parts of the Hurricanes' season.
There will be questions about Bain's arm length, sack production and whether or not he serves better closer inside on the defensive line versus outside. Still, he's a prospect with plenty of tools to work with, and Dallas has a definite need at defensive end.
Akheem Mesidor – DE, Miami
A lot of attention has gone Rueben Bain's way, and rightfully so, but his fellow defensive end Akheem Mesidor is having the best year of his collegiate career in his fourth season with the Hurricanes and sixth in college football.
The 6'3, 280-pound defensive end has produced 10.5 sacks and four forced fumbles this season. In the CFP, he's tallied 3.5 sacks including two last week against the Buckeyes. Mesidor can win early with a quick first step and can line up all over the defensive line on the inside and outside.
What NFL teams may be hesitant about with Mesidor is his age and measurables. By the time the draft rolls around, Mesidor will be 25 years old. As far as on the field results though, he's delivered in 2025 for the Hurricanes defense and could for the Cowboys as well.
Keionte Scott – CB, Miami
In November, the Hurricanes feared that they would be without Keionte Scott for the remainder of the season as he dealt with a right foot injury. Then, he was able to come back in time for the CFP and it made all the difference for Miami.
In their first game against Texas A&M, Scott recorded two sacks and a forced fumble. In the next game against Ohio State, he housed a 72 yard pick six to put Miami up 14-0 in the second quarter.
The 6', 192-pound transfer from Auburn has been one of, if not the best slot cornerbacks in the country because of his instincts and quick triggers to the ball. There is still room for improvement in finishing tackles and playing against bigger receivers. Age will be a factor for Scott too, but if the Cowboys are looking to move DaRon Bland outside and find a new slot corner, Scott could fit the bill.
Francis Mauigoa – OT, Miami
For all the early talk in the draft about the Cowboys taking a defensive player with one, if not both of their first round picks, consider this: What if all of Dallas' top defensive targets are off the board, and they want to go best player available?
If that's the case, Francis Mauigoa could be a name that Dallas is considering even though they've drafted a first-round offensive lineman in three of their last four drafts. Mauigoa has been Miami's right tackle since he came in the door as a true freshman, and he's come through big for them especially as a mauler in the run game.
Mauigoa's pass protection and footwork will need tweaking, but if Dallas decides to move on from Terence Steele this offseason and strengthen the right side of their offensive line, Mauigoa and Tyler Booker playing next to one another could shape up to be an elite blocking duo in the run game.
Suntarine Perkins – LB, Ole Miss
With prospects like Perkins, there's always the argument of whether or not they will translate better as a linebacker or as an EDGE given their ability to get into the backfield and rush the QB.
With Perkins, however, the fact that he's 210 pounds makes it more difficult to project him as a pure EDGE pass rusher. His ability to bring the heat on blitzes is what makes him an intriguing prospect, and he's another CFP player that has turned it up as of late after being quiet for most of the season.
After posting 10.5 sacks for the Rebels in 2024, Perkins has three sacks this season, two of which have come in the last two games. The production as well as his ability to play pure linebacker will be the biggest things NFL teams will monitor, and if he shows enough and tests well enough, Dallas could think to use one of their later round picks on him if available.
Matayo Uiagalelei– DE, Oregon
One of the quieter names in the defensive end class early has been Oregon's Matayo Uiagalelei, brother of former Clemson and Florida State QB D.J. Uiagalelei.
Heading into the Orange Bowl, there was a lot of talk about the Texas Tech defensive line. Yet it was Oregon's that ended up stealing the show (not that the Red Raiders defensive line didn't have their share of wins, either). In that game, Uiagalelei had a sack and a forced fumble.
At 6'5, 272 pounds, Uiagalelei is a hard body to move off the edge with the right measurables and production to back his play up, although he did drop from 10.5 sacks to six sacks from 2024 to 2025. Uiagalelei may not be an option in the first round barring a huge jump but could be a solid option for Dallas in the later days of the draft.
Dillon Thieneman – S, Oregon
After an outstanding first two seasons at Purdue, Dillion Thieneman was one of the more coveted transfer portal prospects heading into the 2025 season and landed at Oregon, where he's been quieter for his standards, but more because the talent around him has been much better and he isn't as required to do it all for the defense.
That doesn't mean he hasn't been an effective player for the Ducks, however, as he put up 83 tackles, two interceptions and has five pass defenses in his junior campaign.
If the Cowboys are looking to draft a safety later on in the draft, Thieneman is the kind of player that they could hope is there because of how well-rounded he is with speed, range, tackling ability and play recognition.
Aiden Fisher – LB, Indiana
One of the leaders of Indiana's elite defense has been Aiden Fisher, the 6'1, 233 pound linebacker that has been with Curt Cignetti since his freshman season at JMU in 2022.
Fisher has 82 tackles, a career high 3.5 sacks and two interceptions this year for the Hoosiers albeit not having the best size for the position. The question will be whether or not NFL teams feel that production will be able to translate to the NFL.
Regardless, those at Indiana have high praise for Fisher's leadership and he's considered to be the heart and soul of the Hoosiers defense. If he slides in the draft, the Cowboys showed last year that team leaders/captains are a plus for them in the process when it comes to players.
D'Angelo Ponds – CB, Indiana
The well-coached and fundamentally sound defense that Indiana runs extends across the entire field, and in the secondary, D'Angelo Ponds has gotten a lot of recognition for it.
Ponds has 30 career pass breakups and has put up 50 tackles, a forced fumble and an interception in 2025 for the Hoosiers. He plays with physicality and confidence, and isn't afraid to put his body on the line in the run game to make tackles.
The biggest question with Ponds will be how teams feel he'll fit because of his size at 5'9, 170. He can be moved by larger WRs and TEs, but is one of those players that plays bigger than his size. Should the Cowboys decide to select Ponds, it'll bring up another discussion about whether to keep him or DaRon Bland on the outside, and have the other move inside.
January 7 - Ohio State S Caleb Downs, Alabama QB Ty Simpson declare for NFL Draft
On Wednesday, Ohio State S Caleb Downs declared for the NFL Draft following another All-American season with the Buckeyes, who came up short to Miami in the College Football Playoff.
Downs won the 2025 Jim Thorpe Award, given each year to the best defensive back in college football, and was a key piece of the Ohio State defense that won a national championship in the 2024-25 season after transferring to Columbus from Alabama.
Downs is considered one of, if not the best overall player in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. His football IQ and ability to play over the field in the box makes him one of the more well-rounded, potentially pro-ready prospects in this year's class. Dallas has a need in the secondary, and Downs could solve a lot of different problems for the Cowboys' defense.
Also declaring on Wednesday was Alabama QB Ty Simpson. Well, the Cowboys aren't going to take a first-round quarterback, so why is that important? It's because if one of the 11 teams ahead of them in the draft are looking for a new quarterback, it would slide one player down that may not have been there earlier, like a Downs, if that's who the Cowboys want.
As far as the rest of the QB class is concerned, Heisman Trophy winner and Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza is expected to go high. The wildcard option is Oregon QB Dante Moore, who has the decision to go pro or return to the Ducks for another season following their CFP run. Should all three be selected in the first 11 picks, the Cowboys could end up with a player they never would've imagined getting, which is why the QB market will be interesting to monitor as the offseason goes along.
