Going into the 2025 season, the Virginia Tech football team has some players who are generating some NFL Draft press, led by quarterback Kyron Drones and running back Terion Stewart, a Bowling Green transfer. That duo headlines a list of nearly a dozen Hokies' players who were on the East-West Shrine Bowl 10000 Watch List.
The watch list features the top 1,000 draft-eligible college football players across all divisions and serves as an early watch list for postseason all-star game invitations. The 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl will be played on Jan. 26 in Texas, and players selected to participate will be coached by NFL staff and evaluated in a professional setting ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine and Draft. The 2026 NFL Draft is scheduled to take place in Pittsburgh in April.
Joining Drones and Stewart on the Watch List are Caleb Woodson, Tomas Rimac, Donavon Greene, Benji Gosnell, Christian Ellis, James Djonkam, Isaiah Cash, Brayndon Bennett, and Ben Bell. What's notable about the list this season for the Hokies is that nine of the 11 players named to the list for the Hokies are transfers, which is another sign of the times for college football and college sports in general.
This past season, Virginia Tech had several players picked in the NFL Draft in Green Bay, and you have to think that Drones and Stewart will headline the Virignia Tech players who will generate draft buzz during the season. This is a bounce-back season for Drones, who had his 2024 season cut short with injuries, while Stewart can open more eyes with a Power 4 conference school.
All of the players named to the watch list will get an early chance to showcase their talents, beginning the season against South Carolina in a standalone game on Aug. 31, then a nighttime home opener six days later against Vanderbilt. Two SEC teams to open the season is tough, but rest assured, there will be a lot of eyes on both games.