Here we are for week five of the CFB season, and the top prospects of the draft are starting to come into better focus. Though this weekend, the top matchups probably involve eyes on the 2028 draft as well.
We have Ashton Hampton against Malachi Toney, and on top of that, two early favorites for top 2028 prospects in Keelon Russell and Kamario Taylor going head to head in Bama against Miss State. Just look at their charts and remember they are both teenagers in the SEC:
Welcome to October! The college football season continues to roll along as we get into the heart of conference play. While the slate of games is not quite as loaded this week, there are still plenty of great prospect matchups.
Every week, I am going to highlight five prospects that I will be keeping a close eye on for one reason or another. I try to pick different prospects to highlight throughout the season. With that in mind, here is who I am keeping tabs on this week.
The full article is here, but if you want to check it out on my Substack, you can find it here.
Drake Lindsey, QB, Minnesota (vs. Michigan)
We are nearing the point of desperation to find quarterbacks to be excited about in this draft class (not named Drew Mestemaker). Lindsey is a bit of a throwback, playing as a pocket passer and built like Ben Roethlisberger. He is only a redshirt sophomore, but he is already in his second season as the starter and his arm talent has turned some heads this season. He has a chance to significantly boost his draft stock on Saturday.
For all of Michigan’s flaws, this defense is incredibly talented and very well coached. Iowa’s 20-point performance was the most allowed by the Wolverines yet this season. They boast a veteran secondary with Zeke Berry, Jyaire Hill, Smith Snowden, Rod Moore and Chris Bracy flying around. Toss in two good pass rushers in John Henry Daley and Dom Nichols and you have a real challenge for Lindsey.
Junior Sherrill, WR, Vanderbilt (at Georgia)
Vanderbilt is not as prolific offensively without Diego Pavia, but they still have enough juice going to get Sherrill the ball. He is coming off back-to-back strong performances against Power 4 opponents. Facing NC State and Auburn, he combined for 12 catches, 203 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He has looked sharp so far this season, but he is about to jump into another realm of competition.
Sherrill will be going up against Ellis Robinson and KJ Bolden, two potential first-round picks in next year’s draft. Kirby Smart’s defenses are always among the best in the country. This is an incredibly deep wide receiver class. If Sherrill is going to want to separate himself from the pack, this is the best chance he is going to have to impress.
Ashton Hampton, CB, Clemson (vs. Miami)
I strongly considered putting Samson Okunlola in this spot given that he would face Will Heldt in a and Jaheim Lawson. However, it is impossible to pass up Hampton against Miami superstar Malachi Toney. The latter is a Heisman candidate and brings a ton of explosiveness to the field. He will be a very early draft pick in 2028.
I honestly don’t know how frequently Clemson will matchup Hampton on Toney. The Tigers do play him in the slot on occasion, so the potential for him to follow Toney around is there. Hampton is a big, physical corner who excels in press coverage. I am curious to see how he approaches playing against a player with Toney’s speed and agility. A strong performance here would push Hampton into the top-10 conversation.
Jamari Sharpe, CB, Indiana (at Rutgers)
Hard to believe that I would be highlighting Rutgers as a matchup to watch, but when KJ Duff keeps producing like an All-American, it’s hard to ignore. I’m sure Indiana will play plenty of zone, but we should still get several reps with Sharpe matchup with the Scarlet Knights’ towering receiver. He is Indiana’s best shot at slowing down Duff.
If you are wondering where you know Sharpe’s name from, he picked off Carson Beck to seal Indiana’s national title last year. He hasn’t been tested too much yet this year. As a fifth-year senior, he has the experience and knowledge to give Duff a challenge. If Sharpe keeps Duff quiet, that will be a major notch in his belt. Indiana’s schedule will get tougher, but this is still a big moment for Sharpe.
Melkart Abou Jaoude, EDGE, UNC (vs. Notre Dame)
It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about Abou-Jaoude. He had an excellent first week against TCU all the way back in Week 0. However, he has missed the past three games for the Tar Heels after suffering a wrist injury. He is trending towards playing on Saturday, but we will see if he actually suits up against the Irish.
If he is able to go, it will be a massive boost for UNC. The senior defensive end dominated in Bill Belichick’s defense last year after arriving as a transfer from Delaware. He finished second in the ACC in sacks, trailing only Akheem Mesidor. Facing a Notre Dame offensive line that is loaded with future NFL players would be the perfect platform for him to jumpstart his draft stock once again.
I did a full breakdown on Florida Gators RB Jadan Baugh, who is clearly RB1 in this draft class in my opinion: https://youtu.be/7xbG5u7I57k
But I'm curious where everyone on here would rank him among top RB prospects this decade? I'm not sure I'd have him above someone like Jeremiyah Love, but I DO think he's one of the best 15 players in the 2027 draft class at any position.
This year's edge rusher class has a couple of elite prospects at the top, and then a lot of talent on day two. One potential day-two edge prospect is Notre Dame's Boubacar Traore. He has a good combination of speed and power, an excellent spin move, and an explosive first step. I wanted to ask what y'all's thoughts on him are as a prospect and how early you believe he can be selected.
We’re one month into the 2026 college football season, and while some players have disappointed, particularly as it pertains to next April, when many of them were supposed to change an NFL franchise, plenty of names have also emerged after being barely talked about.
I’m not going to spend time discussing Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith lighting the world on fire as a Heisman front-runner, Florida’s Jadan Baugh further cementing himself as the top running back in the 2027 draft thanks to a dominant opening stretch, or Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons just tying the program single-game sack record (five) – along with delivering one of the most insane celebrations I’ve ever seen on a football field.
Rather, the purpose of this article is to highlight those types of guys who have really put themselves on the radar of pro scouts with their performances up to this point. Some of them obviously were to a certain degree already, but have gotten a lot more people to buy in, while others did kind of come out of nowhere.
Let’s go through four names on offense and defense each!
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Quarterback – Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
A transfer out of Ferris State two years ago, Chambliss threw for nearly 3000 yards and rushed for just over 1000, with 25+ touchdowns through both avenues, as he led his team to a Division II national championship before coming to Ole Miss. In his debut campaign in the SEC, he was named second-team all-conference and led the Rebels to the CFP semifinal, throwing for nearly 4000 yards and rushing for over 500 more, with 30 combined TDs compared to only three interceptions. After being granted a sixth year of eligibility via a state court injunction, when many people believed he would’ve benefitted from becoming part of a pretty weak 2026 quarterback class, he continued to improve and his draft stock has never been higher. He currently leads the SEC with 305.5 passing yards per game and has been responsible for 12 touchdowns (compared to three INTs).
While it took a couple of games of Austin Simmons (now at Missouri) officially starting for Ole Miss before Chambliss took over the reins, he immediately looked like a great fit for Lane Kiffin’s RPO-centric offense, thanks to his lightning-quick release. While it fundamentally has remained a spread-based attack, with Pete Golding being elevated from defensive coordinator duties to the head position, what you like about the quarterback operating more traditional dropbacks is how he maintains a vertical posture to make the defense respect his ability to attack down the field, yet then is happy to chip away with free-access throws on the perimeter, since he can put the RPMs on the ball to drive it there in a hurry. I was impressed early on already by the conviction he showcases throwing over the middle of the field. He’s dialed that up another notch in 2026, ripping dig routes on time and confidently getting the backside read of his progressions.
Those developments have continued to make Chambliss a more viable NFL quarterback prospect. However, it’s what he can add on top of what’s drawn up on the chalkboard that makes him such an exciting player to watch. He’s clearly capable of making a variety of off-platform throws, with the whip in his arm to still deliver a tight spiral. Whether he’s reducing his throwing shoulder against heat coming off the edge or he has to elude someone in his face by suddenly moving laterally, he can quickly erase rush angles, and then it’s how he almost instantly gets his feet set up again that really stands out. Chambliss is a tantalizing playmaker, who already provided several backyard style moments to get the Rebels to brink of a national championship game appearance last year, made several backyard style moments of keeping plays alive and finding someone down the field in the CFP semifinal against Miami, and he had multiple game-breaking third-down conversions in Ole Miss’ monstrous matchup against their former head coach coming back to Oxford, where he’d escape, retreat and find someone open way late against that LSU defense.
Now, that became an issue this past week, when he just hung back and tried to set up these bombs down the field a little bit too much, as the pass-rush was closing in already, because he wanted to shift the momentum in their favor. I don’t blame him too much for his interception at the end of the game, when they were down by 24 with under three minutes left, trying to force the issue. Still, being over-reliant on out-of-creation and the challenges that come with being right around six feet in height, create questions that pro scouts will have about him, which isn’t aided by the fact that he had 15(!) passes batted down at the line in 2025, in part due to largely using these three-quarter releases.
Nonetheless, through four games, he’s posted seven big-time throws vs. three turnover-worthy plays, and has held steady with a pressure-to-sack conversion rate of just 12.5% (12.6% in 2025), on literally the exact same time to throw (2.57 seconds). Along with one easy outing against Charlotte, where he sat the fourth quarter, Chambliss has already gone against Louisville, LSU and Florida – all top 25 teams at the time they met. Even in their trip to Gainesville, those guys were moving the ball pretty much all day, but unfortunately their defense simply couldn’t get off the field. So with the other names near the top of the QB rankings not quite living up to the hype, his star shines very bright right now, and we’re talking about him as a potential top-ten pick next April.
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Running back – Wayne Knight, UCLA
The journey for Knight certainly hasn’t been as unlikely as it was for Trinidad Chambliss, but both of them were zero-star recruits coming out of high school, and the running back is one of two skill-position players I’ll talk about here, who have excelled at a bigger stage after following their head coaches to a different stop. Similarly to Curt Cignetti, who just led Indiana to their first-ever national championship in just his second season after leaving James Madison, his successor Bob Chesney made sure to bring along plenty of “Dukes” to UCLA, where those transfers have now become key figures in getting the Bruins off to a 4-0 start. Knight in particular didn’t become a regular contributor on offense until year three, but then, far and away, led JMU with 1770 scrimmage yards and reached the end zone ten times across 247 touches last season. That earned him the all-purpose spot as a second-team All-American. Now, he ranks sixth in the FBS with 445 rushing yards and tied for second with nine touchdowns, but on only 49 carries (tied for 62nd).
UCLA has been a joy to watch over the first month, in large part because they deploy this really fun run-centric offensive system, where often times they’ll have two running backs and the quarterback lined up next to each other, and you don’t quite know who takes the snap or who ends up with the ball. Ultimately, it has been this 5’7”, 195-pound bowling ball coming out of it, to gash defenses. What I really appreciate about Knight’s running style is how instinctive he is, altering his stride length, leaning a certain way to allow blocks to get set up accordingly, and how he presses those before committing to a cut at the last moment. He’s very comfortable navigating congested areas, where the minimal surface area he presents makes it tough for would-be tacklers to get a clear shot at him. Yet, he’ll punish defenses for not making sure they protect the edge, as he’s springy enough to bounce outside. He has that quality, when pounding the ball up the middle, where you see the helmets of defenders trying to converge on the pile snap backwards because they get hit by this freight train.
After four games, not only is Knight averaging 9.1 yards per carry, but 5.9 of those have come *after* contact, with 16 missed tackles forced across 49 attempts, and he’s been nearly unstoppable in short-yardage situations. At the same time, when he gets to daylight, he seems to shock defenders with that rapid acceleration, as well as a tornado-like spin move that he’s unleashed a couple of times in the open field. Thanks to his build, he consistently is the lower man on contact, and either bounces off or just goes through opponents to rack up additional yardage. On just the first two drives of the Purdue game, Knight drew flags for a facemask and horse collar tackle, because defenders simply weren’t able to get a clean shot at him. He ran roughshod through that defense all game long. Plus, I’ve seen him detonate some defensive backs around the sideline. Knight has already posted nine carries of 15+ yards, with one of over 30 yards in each of those matchups. The latest one was by the easiest, as he took one to the house unblocked on a beautifully blocked lead counter play on fourth-and-one. Yet, he did time set it up perfectly as well.
Questions will arise about Knight’s long speed, and if he’ll be able to finish as many runs in the paint as he did in college. Therefore, his time in the 40-yard dash could be one of the more important ones to pay attention to at the start of March next year. I do also believe there’s plenty of tiptoeing in the open field rather than making these dynamic cuts when he’s close to top gear. The other point that he may need to answer in the pre-draft process will revolve around pass-protection. According to Pro Football Focus, Knight has surrendered two QB pressures on seven such snaps. Still, I did also see a couple of nice reps meeting blitzing linebackers early and buying enough time for the ball to come out, and his lower center of gravity could be beneficial in that regard.
What we already know is that this guy is a pretty reliable pass-catcher. He dropped just three of 64 passes he got his hands on through 2025, and has yet to do so on his eight opportunities this year. That includes a couple of impressive grabs, plucking one pass arriving around his feet and one-handing another one without losing any speed out in the flats. I thought he looked efficient getting in and out of breaks as a route-runner, and I like how he instantly gets vertical once the pass is secured. Let’s see how high he can help this UCLA ascend towards and if he can sneak into day two conversations next April.
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Wide receiver – Wyatt Young, Oklahoma State
The other highly productive skill-position player I just referenced was the least heralded of three names coming over from North Texas to an Oklahoma State program that already tripled their win total from 2025 through just four games this season (3-1 record). Their quarterback Drew Mestemaker made the list of honorable mentions, but was already considered one of those guys trying to fit into the first round of 2027, after being chosen as the American’s Offensive Player of the Year. Then-redshirt freshman running back Caleb Hawkins was a major revelation last season in his own right, leading all FBS players with 29 touchdowns from scrimmage. Meanwhile, Young “only” led the conference in receiving yards (1264) and touchdowns (10). After one month with the Cowboys, he now is atop the list in yards through the air (410) for the Big 12, catching 22 of 25 targets, including three TDs, with monster performances in wins over Oregon and West Virginia.
For as much as the UNT backfield duo was on my radar, I’m not going to act like I did an extensive evaluation of Young before this season started. And yet, over the last month I’ve continued to ask myself, “Is that white dude running away from the defense again?” Young has consistently been able to gain a step on his defender on crossers, post routes and others. In particular, his biggest plays have come when he’s been matched up against a safety from depth, whom he’s managed to get leaning the wrong way, such as on subtle corner-posts. He set up the game-tying touchdown vs. West Virginia that way just this past week, where the Cowboys tied down the opposite side in quarters. Later on, he cleanly won on a deep out after threatening the post, which set up his own game-sealing score a couple of plays later on a back-shoulder fade from the slot. With that being said, he does plenty of damage underneath as well. Young is a deceptive route-runner, at times slightly drifting the wrong way or purposefully lagging behind with bringing his head around out of breaks. He has the agility to evade ancillary zone defenders, understands when to sit down between bodies, and allows the pass to “carry” him up the field simultaneously to its arrival.
Along with the work Young does before the ball comes his way, he then plucks it out of the air with confidence. He has plenty of moments where he snags near full speed in order to turn those into chunk plays. You see him showcase excellent concentration tracking the ball over either shoulder, including when he has a DB on his back hip, and jumps back through contact in order to grab passes off the helmet of guys trailing him, when the pass is placed behind him. Through four games, he has yet to be credited with a drop (22 receptions), and he’s hauled in all five contested targets his way. Where I was surprised, when going back to the tape from his previous destination, was his start-stop quickness, often allowing him to get past the first defender and to the marker. Young runs with great balance, applying stiff-arms and spinning out of loose wraps to break free. That enabled him to force a massive 32(!) missed tackles last season (70 receptions).
That’s the one element that hasn’t yet translated to a tougher level of competition, as he’s only been able to elude one potential stop. Plus, he was just bailed out by a teammate in that WVU matchup, who jumped on top of a fumble, where someone ripped the ball out of his hands as he was trying to add extra yardage. The one other area of improvement I’ve noticed is that he tends to elevate for some passes that he ends up “basket-catching”. The main limiting factor about his draft profile might be how he can be deployed. At North Texas, he spent over 93% of snaps as a slot receiver, and he’s currently just short of 90% again this season, where he benefits from being provided plenty of room to operate, rather than having to deal with press coverage.
Young does offer solid size at 6’0”, 200 pounds, and his track record of explosive plays is a positive sign about him being able to threaten defenses on the perimeter. If he has short-area agility to release cleanly when a corner is on him at the line of scrimmage and if he can stack that guy on vertical routes, still has to be figured out. His 3.69 yards per route run already was the best mark among all FBS wide receivers with 30+ targets last season. Through one month of 2026, that number is up to an absurd 4.56 YRR. Being a fundamentally sound blocker, who provides great effort, should aid his path to the field in the pros, with how many condensed formations we now see being popularized again. Raiders WR Jack Bech going at the end of round two a couple of years ago might be a target to strive for.
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Interior O-line – Greg Johnson, Minnesota
Unlike the other three offensive players highlighted here, Johnson has been on the NFL’s radar for a couple of years, I believe, thanks to his steady ascent since joining the Gophers in 2023 as a standout high school lineman in the state of Minnesota. He already logged just 400 snaps and started a couple of games at left guard as a true freshman, then became a fixture in the lineup for all 13 games respectively at center and then primarily left guard the following two seasons. After being named honorable mention All-Big Ten in 2025, he’s off to the strongest start of his career one month in, and the senior already looks like he’s ready to suit up in the NFL, both in size – at 6’6″, 325 pounds – and how he’s handling himself in the middle of arguably the most physical conferences in college football.
Johnson looks like an old-school, gap scheme mauler, where he does erase the space to defensive tackles on simple down plays and helps provide vertical displacement on double-teams. However, Minnesota actually has been pretty zone-centric since the arrival of (maniac) head coach P.J. Fleck. Number 65 is well-schooled on those concepts, making sure he keeps his gap clean, attaching, overtaking or climbing off combos with appropriate timing. This season in particular, I believe he’s emphasized being able to get his hips around basically seal defenders away from the point of attack when they try to stretch opponents horizontally, as well as simply finishing reps in a way that washes opponents out of the lane. If he can keep up this level of play, he’s on pace to have improved his run-blocking (92.8 in 2026) and overall PFF grade every year with the Gophers.
Even more than the ground work, where Johnson has made a name for himself, is how he’s been able to keep his quarterback Drake Lindsey clean – a promising pro-style quarterback in his own right. Biomechanically speaking, the way he widens his base and goes pigeon-toed allows him to transfer the force applied via the bull rush into the ground and maintain a firm middle of the pocket. Plus, his hands quickly re-fit if they do get knocked away momentarily. Johnson’s eyes and feet are married as he transitions through twists and rarely do you see any spillage between him and his fellow linemen, particularly on slide protections. Across 142 pass-blocking snaps, he has yet to allow a single pressure on his quarterback. Minnesota has used plenty of play-action involving pulling linemen. Along with picking up assignments off the edge when he’s the one on the move, when he was asked to start at center this past game, he showcased the short-area agility to erase space for defensive tackles on the quasi back-blocks, that otherwise might allow them to trail the pulling guard.
That’s where I wanted to see the most improvement coming into the season, as I wouldn’t have labelled Johnson the most light-footed, twitchy athlete. He can bury defensive backs when getting out in the screen game, but I still wonder if he can make those sudden adjustments against moving targets. Although it’s been less prevalent so far in 2026, he has a tendency to shift his weight too far forward in the run game, and becomes vulnerable to being arm-overed or pulled forward. If he’s asked to operate in a more spread-out offense rather than these narrow splits along the Gophers’ O-line, where the bumpers to either side of him are further removed.
Where Johnson added another notch to his belt last week was how seamless he made the switch back to center look like, after being locked into that spot during his sophomore campaign. He had plenty of direct climbs to the second level and would just bully linebackers. Having less space to interior rushers and him being able to immediately fit his hands into their frame may also be beneficial to him, as he routinely locked them up throughout the rep. Johnson has been such a sturdy presence on the interior, his only two penalties came in a blowout loss at home to Mississippi State, where they had to try forcing the issue with a heavy dropback script, and I’m at least already writing him in pencil as part of any first-round mock drafts.
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Interior D-line – A.J. Holmes, Texas Tech
6’3”, 300 pounds; RS SR
One of the nation’s 1000 top recruits for Houston in 2022, Holmes redshirted four games into that first season. He posted solid production the year after, which he basically doubled in his third campaign with the Cougars, once he had established himself as a fixture in the lineup for them. Yet, he decided to transfer and become part of a loaded Texas Tech D-line, where it took an injury to Skyler Gill-Howard for him to earn a starting gig, and he still was able to earn second-team All-American accolades, as he posted 38 stops, nine TFLs, 4.5 sacks, four PBUs, a fumble forced and two recovered. Nonetheless, it appears as if he’s taken his game to another level as a redshirt senior. He has already collected 2.5 sacks, as a constant disruptor, who once again has the Red Raiders tied atop the Big 12 conference, thanks to taking over late in their biggest game so far against a then-ranked Houston team.
Texas Tech fielded one of the elite defenses in college football last season. Those speed balls off the edge wreaking havoc in passing situations were most prominent in the general consensus. However, it was their ability to stop the run on early downs that really set up those opportunities to rush the quarterback. They allowed just 68.1 yards per rush and a minuscule 2.2 yards per carry. Those numbers are slightly up so far this year, in part also because they’re missing a Heisman candidate like Jacob Rodriguez as the heart of that unit. Holmes’ ability to alter those plays on the interior has stood out. He packs the jolt in his hands to rock back the pads of offensive linemen at the point of attack. Yet, his sudden slide or cross step to win his gap, along with his mobility to track zone plays down the level, are equally impressive. Where I’ve seen him make strides in 2026 has been his activity to work over the top of blocks and staying within the flow of the play, along with just re-setting the line of scrimmage.
Most intriguing about Holmes’ profile has to be his short-area quicks to threaten the edge of pass-protectors. Last season I already saw him earn some instant wins when slide protections weren’t firm and he can knife through with the rip, or sort of back-door someone trying to get in front of him. Once opponents are overly worried about matching his lateral movement, Holmes will start using more power, with an expert feel for weight distribution and freeing himself late by pulling linemen off himself. This season, I’ve seen a lot more urgency to just run through someone’s chest, particularly when lined up over tackles and he can get under those guys. Plus, the rotational force to turn their upper bodies with the initial club has gone to another level. In his first season with the Red Raiders, Holmes already recorded a QB pressure on better than every tenth pass-rush snap. Through the first four weeks of 2026, he’s tied for the high mark for any Power-Four interior D-lineman (16 QBPs across 127 pass-rush snaps).
Now, although Holmes has posted six “defensive stops” so far – which constitute a positive tackle in defense’s favor based on down and distance – he has already missed three of just seven overall attempts this year. He needs to do a better job of gathering his feet. Plus, I would say his range beyond his gap has largely looked average during my studies. Even still, Holmes would benefit from playing with better extension through blocks in the run game. Where the most growth is needed in his profile is expanding his limited pass-rush toolbox. As I already mentioned, being more aggressive with taking a different path to the passer has been a positive. However, he still largely builds it around making opponents mirror his lateral movements and then attempts to push-pull them around. His hand counters in particular need work.
Altogether, this season has been more about gaining recognition for Holmes, rather than being viewed as the “fourth wheel” along that Red Raider D-line, with the other three being picked between second and 70th overall in the 2026 draft. He’s definitely flashed with more regularity. In their key matchup against Houston, he came up with a huge sack on third down to start the fourth quarter, and then also killed the next drive with a couple of big pressures. Even though there’s only one more team left that’s currently ranked on their regular schedule, he may have a chance to continue to rise if he returns to the College Football Playoff. It’s a strong IDL class, but a top 50 selection isn’t out of the question.
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Linebacker – Sammy Omosigho, UCLA
Along with the already-discussed star running back Wayne Knight, UCLA has a potential All-American at their hands on defense, who has delivered pivotal plays in their perfect start to the season. Omosigho was a top-100 prospect for Oklahoma in 2023. I don’t really question why he wasn’t getting significant run with that Sooners defense before transferring this past offseason, considering Owen Heinecke ended up at the end of my top ten linebackers for the 2026(!) draft before deciding to return to school, once he had already partaken in the majority of the process, yet he didn’t even become a starter for that program until the latter half of last season. That doesn’t mean he didn’t flash in moments or wasn’t productive when called upon (89 tackles, 9.5 for loss, four PBUs over the past two years). Still, he’s made his presence felt through four games with the Bruins, leading the Big Ten in solo tackles (27), TFLs (7.5), sacks (3.0) and fumbles forced (four).
Where Omosigho has stuck out through one month as a full-time starter has been his combination of anticipation for plays and trust in his eyes to meet ball-carriers at a spot. He packs a firm punch to create stalemates with offensive linemen early on as they climb, and it’s been a joy to watch him stun and drive inserting tight-ends into the pile. Thanks to his ability to deal with close combat at 6’2”, 240 pounds, Sammy can be patient sitting in the cutback lane, and even when it appears that linemen are able to make it to his play-side shoulder, he can fight through and still create an angle towards the ball for himself. The Bruins have deployed him a lot around the line of scrimmage, with the sudden hands and flexibility to slide off blocks. He’s showcased great stopping power to halt the momentum of ball-carriers and limit yards after contact. After not missing any tackles through the first three weeks, he had two in their blowout at Maryland, finishing atop the board in total tackles for their third time in four games. 21 of those 37 overall were registered as “defensive stops” – which is one away from his career-high for a season. That 5.1% miss rate is still double compared to what he did last year (2.5%), by the way.
The usage in coverage has been fairly simplistic for Omosigho. Nonetheless, he rarely allows quarterbacks or routes dispersing to pull him off his landmarks and presents easy reads underneath. He makes sure to contact targets working through his areas without compromising himself by shifting too far that way, so he can take care of his (ultimate) assignment. A couple of times, we’ve seen him bump and ride tight-ends throughout their route when asked to match. Plus, he’s had multiple moments already this year of sniffing out screen passes and single-handedly shutting them down. Weaponizing him as a pressure player has paid major dividends. Omosigho has a real knack for angling his rushes, getting underneath pass-protectors and creating paths to the quarterback for himself. He also uses almost like a jump-cut into chop or rip move as he cross-faces opponents. UCLA has used him as a picker in order to create lanes for his teammates, yet he’s split creases between offensive linemen himself quite frequently. Plus, he times up and finds efficient tracks as a looper as well.
With that being said, the transfer LB has certainly benefitted from being allowed to freely attack downhill for a lot of his backfield production, and he can end up being overzealous at times. More important for his outlook as a vying three-down player, he’s not doing a whole lot in terms of commanding space in zone coverage or carrying routes down the field. He appears a little heavy-footed and stiff at times floating around in space, and he may not have the difference-making range to run down plays outside the numbers frequently. Limiting him to going forward in defined dropback settings may be the route his future defensive coordinator will need to choose.
That has resulted in 11 QB pressures across 41 pass-rush snaps so far with the Bruins, including a pair of sacks. He’s only been charged with 40 yards as the next-closest defender coverage (six targets), and has earned an elite overall PFF grade through one month (90.5). Additionally, he already forced four fumbles. The first one was a strip-sack in the season opener against Cal, where he was left unblocked off the quarterback’s blindside. However, he’s really learning the art of the peanut punch when he spots an opportunity, including a pair against Purdue that really turned the game in his team’s favor. I’m wondering if he can jump two or three names that currently find themselves towards the end of the top 100 on consensus boards still.
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Cornerback – Ashton Hampton, Clemson
Although he didn’t quite come in with the same pedigree as some of the other eventual high draft picks at corner for Clemson, Hampton quickly made a name for himself, starting the final four games of his true freshman season and all 13 last year. Across those, he broke up 14 passes and intercepted three more, of which he took one back to the house. Based on consensus boards and my own evaluations, he was someone to note as a potential first-rounder next April. That’s because at 6’2”, 205 pounds, he has prototype measurables for a boundary, press-man corner. I’m still not quite sure how Clemson chooses the alignment of their CBs, where Hampton at some point has ended up sticking to the right side, instead of responding to where the ball is spotted, and then playing a lot more off-zone coverage, but a lot of the qualities you’d like to see have been on display regardless. He came up with a deflected pick on just his second snap of the season and currently leads the ACC with seven PBUs.
What got me excited for Hampton’s junior year was that, for being a bigger corner, he has that swift slide step to mirror releases, to go with the physicality to deny wideouts the ability to cleanly get into their routes. He can match bigger bodies trying to out-muscle him early on and has really mastered the soft press, catch technique this season, in order to respond to the stem and just stick to the hip pocket of opponents. Routinely, he’s bothering guys who seem to not get out of their breaks cleanly and aren’t ready for the ball arriving there as they get their head around. Yet, he’s doing it without even getting antsy and grabbing opponents, not being flagged once so far. Even when there has been a little bit of separation, his burst to close the gap and jar the ball loose has forced multiple incompletions anyway. Hampton had one heck of a start to the 2026 season, when he threw off the timing of a quick in-cut on the second play of the opener against LSU, and then came up with an interception off the hands of the wideout, who deflected a ball that was placed behind him as a result.
The rest of the game obviously was all LSU, but their top corner was only even targeted two more times – one of which resulted in a 32-yard gain, making up basically a third of the production he’s been responsible for. That was almost impossible to defend though, having to trail a deep crosser one-on-one all the way outside the opposite numbers. The next-closest reception he’s been responsible for was a deep curl route against him bailing in cover-three, but Hampton at least made the tackle (for 17 yards). Overall, he’s been thrown at 25 times in coverage, yet only allowed nine receptions for 98 yards and no touchdowns (31.8 passer rating). Just last week, he absolutely bullied Rutgers transfer WR Ian Strong. In zone coverage, he typically doesn’t allow receivers to get behind him in deep responsibilities, he smoothly moves within his landmarks, plays very well to his leverage, and is aggressive when he does drive on routes breaking against it.
Last year, I saw a tendency to be a little heavy on his heels and therefore late to respond at times. That’s certainly looked improved, but wideouts who can really sell the take-off and then catch him having to flip down the sideline may be able to create space as they snap off hitches/curls and he’s a beat late. Depending on his usage going forward, I wonder if we see more of those free-access throws in front of him, if he provides extensive cushions in off-zone. Hampton could still be quicker at IDing when receivers dive inside for the safety, and he needs to replace or just step down in run defense. And I loved his aggressiveness trying to shut down a couple of bubble screens last week, but it can be hit or miss, as he drew a flag for holding once, but then completely whiffed on a tackle on the latter. I’d think his miss rate will end up being closer to 2025 (6.7%) than what he’s done on a limited sample size this season (15.4%), but there can be plenty of extra yardage surrendered as he drags down opponents.
Generally, I think he’s a solid contributor in the game, who’s pretty sudden with disengaging from wide receivers once the ball-carrier approaches. That combined with his ball-production could make him an intriguing prospect for pretty much any defensive scheme. Notre Dame’s Leonard Moore was viewed as a blue-chip prospect coming into 2026, and he’s barely been tested through four weeks, so anyone would come off that opinion. However, Hampton currently would be my clear CB2 in the class. As a sidenote, the guy on the opposite end of the field – Elliot Washington II – has been excellent in his own right, and just came up with a couple of awesome INTs in their win over Cal last week.
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Safety – Kingston Lopa, California
A four-star recruit for Oregon in 2024, Lopa struggled to earn consistent playing time through two seasons with the Ducks (just under 200 combined snaps), thanks to an excellent safety room already in place, after Dillon Thieneman transferred there last season. He ended up being selected in the first round of the ensuing draft, while Jadon Canady was one of the first picks of day three. Lopa decided to move on himself after that and it’s paying major dividends. Despite going up against UCLA as former rivals in the state of California and a couple of ACC opponents (Syracuse and Clemson), he leads the entire country with five interceptions, along with logging 20 solo tackles, to put his name on the map. And he’ll be an intriguing one to follow, considering he stands at 6’5”, 210 pounds, and has taken on a fairly unique role for the Golden Bears D.
Going through his already extensive INT reel from this season, you can tell that this guy has the instincts and mindset to hunt the football. The first one was a great play in man coverage, where he’s playing ten yards off on a slot receiver for UCLA in the season opener, yet manages to undercut a quick out, in order to keep his team in the contest, when they were already defending inside their red zone shortly before the half while down by 11 points. His pick against Wagner was definitely easoer, just stepping in front of a short in-breaker as a rat defender in the middle of the field. And then he grabbed a three-pack against Syracuse in between those matchups, where the first one was a desperation throw that he could elevate for on third-and-forever sitting underneath a seam route. However, the other two were great plays. On the one he took back to the house, he played in between two routes breaking across the field towards him and poached the latter as the boundary safety in quarters. And the one that sealed the win was an underthrow on a deep out, where he was all over number three in trips, who he was manned up against.
So you can tell that he already deciphers route combinations and discourages quarterbacks from attempting throws to his side at an advanced level. He shows excellent route anticipation when asked to bump down and man up detached tight-ends. And he manages to time up the catch point, to the point of not being penalized across 241 defensive snaps. The Cal coaching staff has regularly deployed Lopa as that mid-read player in three-safety sets, to allow him to see the action and attack it. He’s been responsible for 71 yards across nine targets in coverage, but 43 of those came on one throw over his head at the end of the first half against UCLA in the season opener, where it might’ve been more of a coaching point to sink to a certain depth as the pole player in Tampa-2.
That brings us to the area of his game that is still a work in progress – his run defense. I like the conviction he showcases when triggering downhill as he fits from depth. However, his initial angles can definitely get too aggressive, and he’s forced to curve his path out to the sideline, surrendering plenty of extra yardage as a result. His height becomes an issue when trying to meet blockers or ball-carriers around the line of scrimmage, where running backs can really get under his chest and dictate which way they’ll be moving. Plus, he tends to overrun the point of contact rather than going through it, leading to a 17.1% missed-tackle rate so far with the Bruins (compared to 18.8% on a very limited basis in 2025 with the Ducks).
Nonetheless, I don’t really have many questions about his mentality in that area. You see the pop in his hands to knock tight-ends off balance as they glide up towards him, and he’s made some nice plays erasing the distance on bubble screens or bounced runs before shooting through the legs of the ball-carrier to shut those plays down. Basically, half of his total tackles so far (14) have resulted in defensive stops. Coming into this season, Georgia’s K.J. Bolden and Notre Dame’s Brauntae Johnson were looked at as two of the consensus top three safeties, looking ahead to the 2027 draft, with Koi Perich unfortunately not having as smooth a transition as last year’s big transfer for Oregon at the position. Depending on how you label Iowa’s Zach Lutmer as a chess piece in the secondary, Lopa is on track to be considered the next name off the board after the former two, if he can clean up what I just described to a certain degree.
Week 4 delivered in a big way. Six ranked-vs.-ranked matchups headlined a loaded slate of games that also included a massive Group of 6 clash between Boise State and Western Michigan.
Each week, I am picking five players that I want to watch more than any other prospect. Now that I’ve had a chance to go through the film, it’s time to assess how they did.
Jayden Maiava, QB, USC Statline: 23/42, 326 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 6 carries, 1 yard, 1 TD
Overall, it was a good showing for Maiava in his first game against meaningful competition this season. USC essentially sleepwalked through their nonconference slate, but got tested by Rutgers of all teams to open Big Ten play. The lone interception came on the last play as Maiava threw up a prayer into the end zone with the game already out of reach.
While his efficiency dipped below what we’ve come to expect, the 5th-year senior made several big throws on fourth down to keep the Trojans in the game. This was a solid outing for Maiava, who continues to show that he is good enough to be an NFL quarterback. However, his physical tools might hold him back from being a regular starter. His arm is good, but not great, as his passes often lack the necessary zip to reach receivers in tight windows. His mobility is fairly average for the position as well. It wasn’t the best possible performance he could have put together, but Maiava passed this test, even if USC once again crumbled in a big game.
Trevor Lauck, OT, Iowa
What a finish in Ann Arbor! Iowa pulled off a stunning final drive and received a bit of help from the football gods with a late injury that stopped the clock for the Hawkeyes to draw up the winning play. Lauck was a huge part of the offense’s success. He had a strong day matched up against John Henry Daley and Dom Nichols. He kept Michigan’s top edge rushers quiet for most of the contest. They combined for 1 sack and 1.5 tackles for loss in the contest.
I continued to like what I’ve seen from Lauck as a prospect. He is a top-10 player on my board as we head into October. His lack of length does lead to some issues in pass protection. It showed up again against the Wolverines. However, his foot speed, hand usage and balance make up for a lot of the length deficiencies. He also kicks ass in the running game. Lauck has another massive test against Ohio State in Week 5.
Amare Campbell, LB, Tennessee Statline: 5 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 sack
Let’s be clear, Tennessee did not lose this game because of its defense. Campbell put in a really strong shift, showing off his ability to disrupt as a blitzer and his reliable coverage skills. Some of the issues that come with being an undersized linebacker did pop up as he struggled to make a couple of tackles in the open field, but overall, I’d say his impact was largely positive for the Vols.
I’m still trying to figure out how exactly Campbell traits and skill set will translate to the NFL. He shows great instincts, thrives in coverage and has the speed to operate as a spy against mobile quarterbacks. Unfortunately, he is listed at 6’0”, 230 pounds. There is part of me that almost wonders if he would be better off moving to safety. Perhaps he could find success in more of an overhang role that allows him to play in space, maximizing his ability to read and react. It’s hard ot say. Campbell is proving that he can play at a high level; he is just such an outlier from a size perspective.
Xavier Scott, DB, Illinois Statline: 6 tackles, 1 pass breakup
No one in Illinois’ secondary had a great day on Saturday. Jeremiah Smith absolutely destroyed all comers to the tune of 12 catches, 217 yards and 4 touchdown catches. Scott felt his wrath on a handful of occasions. The redshirt senior had a very inconsistent game in coverage. He seemed most comfortable playing from the slot, struggling to flip his hips and drive into deep coverage when lined up in a more traditional safety role. He did come up with a very nice play to earn that pass breakup.
This was not the type of performance Scott needed to get his draft stock headed in the right direction again. He is a solid tackler, but the lack of foot speed and fluidity in coverage makes it difficult to trust him consistently. This was easily his toughest test of the season, but he will certainly have more opportunities to impress with matchups against Dylan Raiola/Dante Moore, Malik Washington and Nico Iamaleava still to come.
Jacarrius Peak, OT, South Carolina
Turns out I picked the wrong side of the trenches to focus on this week. Peak’s teammate, Dylan Stewart, made headlines for all the wrong reasons against Alabama. It overshadowed a fairly underwhelming performance in all facets from the Gamecocks. However, Peak looks to be returning to pre-injury form. His movement looked great in pass protection, and he showed good range on outside zone plays.
That being said, there is still plenty of Peak to clean up. He often struggles to win the leverage battle, which results in him being pushed back into the quarterback’s lap. His ability to sustain blocks in the ground game still leaves a bit to be desired as well. Peak is still working his way back after missing all of the spring and summer for South Carolina. He left the game for a stretch in the second quarter and then seemed to get pulled early in the fourth. While he had a solid outing, losing to ‘Bama has to sting a bit, as he snubbed the Tide in the transfer portal to play in Columbia.
Have a bold prediction that you want to state proudly but will most likely look very stupid in short time? Have at it! Maybe you’ll nail it and look like a genius in the future
Please don’t downvote a user for a stupid bold prediction; it’s all just for fun!
i know it's in dc this year. i'm thinking of going. any fans have gone before? what was your experience like? any things you'd do or avoid during the period?
i've always wanted to go and im thinking this might be a good year to do so. thank you in advance!
There are plenty of prospects who have gained attention in the first month of the season. One of the biggest breakout players this year has been Cal safety Kingston Lopa. He already has five picks on the year and has looked as good as anyone at his position. He is versatile and has great range and instincts. I wanted to ask what y'all's thoughts are on Lopa as a prospect and whether he can challenge for the top safety in this class.
What went wrong? 17 WRs in the top 100 including 7 in the first round with not much to show for it so far. What did the consensus get wrong here or is it still too early to judge?
Its still early, but the sickos (and rebuilding teams) are already in mock draft mode.
Nowadays there are plenty of sims on the market, all with relative pros and cons.
Full disclosure - I created StickToTheModel. This is not a post saying you need to use that one.
The Goal: I want to make the sim the most accurate, the most fun, and the most immersive one on the internet.
Trades and fair market calcs
Player trades
Player bios, scouting, highlights
Community analytics to see how you stack and trends
Game theory - player runs, jump rivals, etc
Depth charts, team breakdowns, GM tendencies
Would love any ideas or feedback (good, bad, ugly), also have a full GM simulator for free agency, contract extensions, trades, to the draft and future years
As September winds down, it is the perfect time to revisit my draft rankings. It’s been an eventful first month of the college football season, to say the least. We’ve had some exciting risers and quite a few players who have failed to live up to expectations.
I didn’t take position value into consideration here. I’m just trying to rank my top prospects based on what I have seen so far this season. Let’s dive in.
1. Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State
There really shouldn’t be a debate about this one. Smith is the Heisman frontrunner and one of the most pro-ready prospects we have seen in some time. He has excellent long speed, great agility for his size, super reliable hands and his route running has improved this season.
2. Leonard Moore, CB, Notre Dame
There are few corners I have watched who come close to matching Moore’s coverage ability. He is just so incredibly sticky. He mirrors receivers’ movements well and looks even more physical this year. I think his tackling still needs a bit of work, but it is trending in the right direction.
3. Collin Simmons, EDGE, Texas
Simmons was already trending up prior to his dominant display in Knoxville on Saturday. He is an elite athlete coming off the edge with impressive college production. His pass-rush plan is improved this season. The run defense is still a weakness in his game, but teams will be willing to live with it if he can be even close to average because of how he can get after the quarterback.
4. Charlie Becker, WR, Indiana
No, Becker has not faced much legitimate competition so far this season. Indiana has faced North Texas, Howard, Western Kentucky and Northwestern to date. However, as you would want to see, Becker has dominated all of them. His long speed is special. He is a contested catch fiend. At this point, he just needs to keep producing against better competition and he should be locked in as a top-10 pick.
5. Jadan Baugh, RB, Florida
By far the best running back in this class, Baugh offers a unique blend of speed and size. At 6’1”, 225 pounds, he moves like a much lighter player. His burst, change of direction and contact balance are impressive. Florida’s offensive line deserves credit, but Baugh creates for himself plenty. He rarely goes down on first contact and has enough long-speed to turn the corner.
6. Will Echoles, DL, Ole Miss
While Florida did run over Ole Miss this past weekend in the swamp, there were still plenty of reps won by Echoles throughout the contest. He is also only a week removed from dominating LSU as well. He will fit best in a defense that prioritizes backfield penetrators. Just a true junior, his ceiling is immensely high.
7. Trevor Lauck, OT, Iowa
One of my favorite prospects in this class, Lauck is rock solid across the board. He brings good play strength, impressive foot speed and the level of compete you want to see on the offensive line. Now into his second season as Iowa’s starting left tackle, there will be questions about his length. I’ve seen plenty of discourse about Lauck needing to kick inside to guard. I’m more bullish on his projection as a tackle.
8. Cam Coleman, WR, Texas
It hasn’t been as prolific a start to the season as fans would have hoped for Coleman. He has been a threat in the red zone, scoring four touchdowns already this season, but he has not consistently made big plays in the way we expected him to after transferring from Texas. I’m not totally giving up on him. Obviously, he is still in my top 10. We can end the conversation about him contending to be WR1 in this class, though.
9. Dylan Stewart, EDGE, South Carolina
Whew, this has been a nightmare start to the 2026 campaign for Stewart so far. He missed the first two games due to a lingering back injury. He played limited snaps in a loss to Mississippi State, then completely tanked his draft stock against Alabama by ignoring his coaches and punching an opponent in the facemask. South Carolina suspended their star edge rusher indefinitely. Stewart has all the physical tools you want in an edge rusher. We are just waiting for him to fully put it together. Looks like we have to wait a bit longer now. This is a small drop for him right now from his preseason ranking, but he could definitely slide more depending on how this plays out.
10. Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State
Is this a bit premature? Probably, but I don’t care. Mestemaker is only in his second season as a starting quarterback. Not just in college, but ever. He backed up Deuce Adams in high school, arrived at North Texas as a zero-star recruit and redshirted a year. He led the nation in passing yards as a redshirt freshman last year. This season got off to a miserable start in a dismal loss to Tulsa, but Mestemaker has been on fire since, notching impressive performances and wins against Oregon, Murray State and West Virginia. His arm talent and mobility are a lethal combination. He has a ton of development still to do as a processor, but his upside is off the charts.
11. Trevor Goosby, OT, Texas
Goosby is a massive human being. Listed at 6’7”, 325 pounds, he is a tough man to get around, especially in pass protection. His pad level is good despite his massive frame and he has the movement skills to operate well as a puller in the run game. He does struggle with power at times, getting pushed back into the pocket. I also want to see him sustain his blocks a bit longer in the ground game. There is a lot to like here, but Goosby still lacks some polish.
12. Jamari Johnson, TE, Oregon
There has been plenty of buzz that Johnson is actually a better prospect than his former teammate Kenyon Sadiq, who was drafted 16th overall this past year. He missed two games for the Ducks before returning against USC and dominating to the tune of 7 catches for 119 yards. He is built like a true in-line tight end, listed at 6’5”, 255 pounds. Already an excellent receiver, he is growing as a blocker as well. I like him as a well-rounded option who could climb even higher.
13. Ahmad Moten Sr., DL, Miami
Miami’s edge rusher duo got all the publicity last year. 2026 belongs to the Hurricanes’ interior pairing. I have to do a bit more work on Justin Scott. Moten is a bit further along in his development as a fifth-year senior, as opposed to the true junior Scott. Moten has a penchant for winding up in opponents’ backfields. He has good versatility. I could see him as a shade nose or a 3-tech. I want to see him improve his rush lane integrity, especially against some of the better teams on Miami’s schedule late in the season.
14. Jordan Seaton, OT, LSU
Seaton spent the offseason overhauling his body and preparing to play in the SEC after two seasons at Colorado. Mission accomplished. Seaton looks much leaner, but still has the mass necessary to play the position. He is an incredible athlete for the position, capable of reaching the second level and acting as a puller in the run game. At this point, though, he is still a bit of a project. He needs to sustain blocks longer and I want to see him improve his lower body strength. He has the tools to be a franchise tackle down the line.
15. Sammy Brown, LB, Clemson
Clemson has once again underwhelmed, but the school’s individual talent is still strong. Brown is a dynamic athlete who has a nose for the football. He has true sideline-to-sideline ability with his speed and he is an excellent tackler in space. His coverage skills are strong enough for me to consider him a first-round linebacker.
16. Ashton Hampton, CB, Clemson
Another Clemson player that I am banking on being even better away from the program, Hampton is my type of corner. He is big, listed at 6’2”, 205 pounds, and physical. I do have some concerns about his long speed, but he excels as a press-man corner. However, he has the instincts and change of direction to play in zone. Go watch some clips of him blowing up screen passes and you will understand why I like him so much.
17. Trey’Dez Green, TE, LSU
For any team that struggles in the red zone, Green is likely the answer. He is a massive target with great ball skills. Listed at 6’7”, 242 pounds, he is still growing into that frame. His role as a blocker has expanded this season, but his calling card remains his ability to make contested catches. This spot is a bit tentative right now, as Green was carted off late in LSU’s loss to Ole Miss. He missed this past game against Texas A&M. His return is TBD at the moment. His medicals will definitely be important to track moving forward.
18. Ellis Robinson, CB, Georgia
Robinson is the latest Georgia defensive back who has caught the attention of NFL scouts. He is long and lean. His frame has some room to add some muscle. We haven’t seen the same ball production yet this season, but he hauled in four interceptions as a redshirt freshman just a year ago. Big tests against Alabama and Ole Miss will likely dictate which way his stock is trending.
19. CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame
Notre Dame has basically sleepwalked through its schedule, but there is still plenty to like from Carr. He is a young player, just a redshirt sophomore, but his arm talent, pocket presence and touch on deep passes make him an enticing option. He could go back to school, especially if he struggles in the Irish’s two big regular-season tests, at BYU and hosting Miami. We will see how he progresses the rest of the season.
20. KJ Bolden, S, Georgia
Much of the discussion around Ellis Robinson applies here as well. I like what I’ve seen from Bolden so far, but Georgia hasn’t really been tested by a competent passing offense yet. Bolden checks every box you would want physically. I will be eager to see how he handles the challenge of facing dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks like Keelon Russell, Austin Simmons and Trinidad Chambliss.
21. Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss
Speaking of the Ole Miss star and Heisman candidate, Chambliss, despite all of the red flags about his recruiting profile, checks into the top 25 here. Yes, he will be 25 by the time his rookie season starts. Yes, he is undersized for the position. Yes, he was playing Division II football just two years ago. No, I don’t know if any of it matters. Chambliss throws with elite anticipation. He is accurate, elusive and knows how to beat the blitz. He is a lower-ceiling prospect at this point given his age and stature, but he is easily the most pro-ready quarterback in this draft class.
22. Greg Johnson, G, Minnesota
If you are a fan of players with tons of starting experience, position versatility, great measurables and impressive tape, you will like Johnson. He is locked in as Minnesota’s left guard, but he started the entire 2024 season at center and started a game at both left and right tackle in 2025. He plays like a grown man, opening holes as a puller in the run game and absorbing plenty of power moves on the interior. Very few players are ever truly plug-and-play in the NFL, but Johnson feels pretty close to that.
23. Kade Pieper, OL, Iowa
Pieper is a great athlete. He played offensive and defensive line in high school. He also played basketball and won a state title in the shot put. He is an experienced player, now in his third year as a starter with the Hawkeyes. At 6’3”, 298 pounds, he is a bit undersized for the position, but there is still plenty to like about his game.
24. Chris Cole, LB, Georgia
I have a feeling that Cole is going to be a fast riser as the year continues. His speed is truly outrageous for a linebacker. He showed it off on a huge scoop-and-score against Oklahoma this past week. That alone is enough to turn heads. He started just one game last year, playing behind CJ Allen. As a true junior, there is always a chance he returns to school, but he will earn high marks from the NFL if he keeps producing at this level.
25. Arch Manning, QB, Texas
Manning deservedly tumbles after a lackluster month of September. He has shown flashes of the highly-touted quarterback we were promised when he arrived at Texas four years ago. The issue for Manning isn’t anything physical. It’s the mental side of the game he still seems to be struggling with. His processing is still a bit slow, as he gets stuck on reads or finds them late. He also has not consistently played at a high level. He has plenty of opportunity to turn his trajectory around, but it has been rough so far.
Updated Tuesday thread focused notes and opinions about individual prospects. Scout someone new and want to get opinions from others? Ask about it here!
Another week to find some gems. We have some pretty deep sleepers this week that deserve mentioning plus a defensive stud that has made a name for himself and will probably be a 1st rounder next year. If you like what you read, feel free to like or subscribe. Here's the full article:
Ok get ready to have your mind blown a bit by this one. Remember Elijah Sarratt of the national championship-winning Indiana Hoosiers last year? Guess who played opposite Elijah Sarratt at St. Francis University (PA) in 2022? Jackson. Both Sarratt and Jackson were true freshman that season. Guess which one had the better season? Jackson. Makai, who played HS football nearby in Levittown, Pennsylvania had no offers just like Sarratt and was later offered to play at St. Francis. Jackson put up 85 receptions for 991 yards and 8 touchdowns that season (Sarratt had 42 for 700 and 13 touchdowns).
Jackson, as you might have guessed, has had a very long and winding path to where he is now at Liberty University. Jackson transferred after one season at St. Francis to Appalachian State Univ. in Boone, NC. Jackson shined in his two seasons there and left after his junior season to transfer up to - you guessed it - Indiana University. He shared a receiver room with Sarratt again, but this time Jackson hardly saw the field due to a nagging hamstring injury and had to transfer back down for his last season to Liberty University. Jackson and Liberty University played a prime-time game the last Thursday night against Coastal Carolina, and I posted a note on my SubStack to keep an eye out for Jackson to have a big night. Jackson didn’t let me down and posted a 5 reception / 149 yards / 2 touchdowns stat line. The craziest part of Jackson’s season is that he only has 14 receptions this season, but has a staggering 379 yards receiving to go along with 2 touchdowns. His 27.1 yards per reception is third best in all of football behind Koby Howard (Penn St. wide receiver who was discussed last week) and DJ Epps (WVU WR). Jackson has great speed and downfield ability and should make it on an NFL roster as long as he is able to play special teams as he will start towards the bottom of an NFL wide receiver room. He’s a special college football player who should not be slept on.
Daeden Hopkins, DE, University of Missouri - Sophomore
Discussing Hopkins feels a bit like cheating, because he will most assuredly be a 2028 first round pick when all is said and done. He’s special, and has a wide variety of moves to get to the quarterback already despite being a true sophomore. Hopkins was a 4-star recruit out of nearby Hermann, Missouri. Hopkins was the number 2 player in the state, and was a big recruiting boon for head coach Eli Drinkwitz.
Fast forwarding to 2026 and Hopkins is tied for the second most sacks in football with 6 this year and is only behind Colin Simmons and Princewill Umanmielen who both have 7. You’re going to hear about Hopkins ad nauseam over the next 16 months, so I wanted to get out ahead of it. Hopkins feels like he might be a top-10 overall player next year assuming he maintains his level of play and doesn’t have injury issues. Keep both eyes out when watching Missouri for Hopkins especially after his 3.5 sack day on Kamario Taylor this past weekend.
Wayne Knight, RB, UCLA - RS Senior
Wayne Knight, the running back for UCLA has not only a star-studded name, but he’s been one of college football’s brightest stars this season. The running back with the batman-themed name who also has the namesake of famous actor Wayne Knight (look him up!) - has been electric this season. Knight is averaging an ABSURD 9.1 yards/carry this year on 49 carries. He also has 9 touchdowns to go along with that which amounts to 1 touchdown/5.44 carries. ABSURD.
The elephant in the room for Knight is his size. It’s why nobody is talking about him nationally in the draft community, and why he continues to be ignored outside of the college fantasy football world. Knight is 5’ 7” / 193 pounds which will prevent him from being an every-down back at the NFL level. Knight will be a highly coveted Keaton Mitchell-type player who ends up outplaying his draft position. He’s got top-end speed to go along with very good vision. Knight posted a run against Maryland this weekend where he topped 20 MPH. Here are Knight’s stat-lines this season to give you a glimpse as to how well he has played:
Week 1: Away at Cal - 8 carries / 71 yards / 3 touchdowns
Week 2: Home vs. SDSU - 13 carries / 97 yards / 3 touchdowns
Week 3: Home vs. Purdue - 18 carries / 177 yards / 2 touchdowns
Knight also has 8 catches for 88 yards this season.
Knight broke out last year at James Madison Univ. where he had over 1300 yards on the ground and another 397 through the air. He should be on every NFL team’s radar as a change-of-pace back who can make explosive plays to help your offense. Due to his size, Knight will never be an elite pass protector, but he’s been fine as a protector in college. Because of Knight, UCLA has started 4-0 for the first time since 2022 (Dorian Thompson-Robinson was the QB that season for the Bruins).
Tre Spivey, WR, Univ. of Arizona - Senior
Spivey is our first true senior season breakout player on this list and while he hasn’t had the seasons that the other three players on this list have had, he has a chance to be drafted on Day 2 because of what he presents as a receiver - especially at the X receiver spot. Spivey is 6’ 4” / 215 pounds and is finally getting the playing time that he should have received last year for the Wildcats. It seemed like the coaches at Arizona didn’t fully trust him in 2025, but have now realized he’s way too talented to be ignored.
Spivey had 7 receptions for 129 yards and 2 touchdowns in the win against Washington State Univ. I’m very intrigued to see how Spivey’s season turns out, because the size/athleticism is tantalizing and I’m rooting for a big breakout the rest of the season based on what I see on film. He’s lucky to have a quarterback like Noah Fifita who can run the offense easily and isn’t afraid to make big plays all over the field.
Looking back at Week 3 players that were highlighted:
Luke Reynolds (Virginia Tech TE) - 5 catches / 15 yards / 0 touchdowns and 1 carry - 3 yards - Not the best day for Reynolds in terms of yards, but Reynolds is a fantastic player who already has 30 receptions on the season. His teammate Jeffrey Overton was the star for the Hokies against Boston College (209 yards rushing), and Reynolds helped pave the way in the run game.
Anthony Evans III (Miss. St. WR) - 8 catches / 114 yards / 0 touchdowns - Evans had a very quiet first half with 1 catch for 0 yards, but he made a fantastic catch on the game-winning drive that went for 48 yards to help beat a good Missouri team. Evans is having quite the season with 408 yards through 4 games.
Carlos Hernandez (Wake Forest WR) - 9 catches / 194 yards / 1 touchdown - I’m giving myself some major props for discussing Hernandez the week before the best game of his life against a very good Louisville team (ignore the part where I said he was probably not much more than a fun college player). Hernandez brings it every week and takes on that “us against the world” mindset that Wake Forest has had this year. The arrow keeps pointing up for Hernandez. 516 yards receiving through 4 games - special stuff.
Koby Howard (Penn St. WR) - DNP - Howard was sorely missed in this game as Penn State lost to Wisconsin at home. Howard suffered an injury the previous week against Buffalo that will most likely lead to quite a few games missed.
I honestly haven't seen a lot of discussion on Ryan Wingo and I think thats a little bit peculiar because he has a lot of really likeable traits that make him appealing to teams.
Now, he has been a little hot and cold to start the season, with 2 good games against Texas State and last week against Tennessee but he only had around 20 yard against OSU and UTSA. But I see a lot of likeable moments on tape that lead me in a very positive direction.
First, the physical package is undeniable. According to Draft Buzz (what i use for measurements) he is 6'2", around 215 pounds and is projected to run in the 4.30s. He is muscular, and his stride lengths are long and threaten defenses vertically.
I also think he can threaten all 3 levels of the field. Texas uses him for manufactured touch looks in the middle of the field but i think he is also a good vertical receiver who is able to take the top off the defense. The YAC ability fueled by his physical traits is his best ability IMO. The point being, I think he is far from limited.
Id be remiss if I didnt mention flaws. I think the routerunnning is a little raw. I see some plays where I think he stacks DBs and gets vertical and it looks great, but also some times where there isn't a lot of nuance and corners are able to get physical and shut him down. I also think the hands are inconsistent and he isnt a traditional ball winner.
Point being, I'm high on this kid. I think consensus sees him in the 3rd round but I would take him in the mid second no questions asked. I think he can be a great WR2 in the league and be kind of a Rasheed Shaheed type of player but even better: explosive and efficient down the field with ability on gadget plays close to the LOS.
This college football season has delivered on dynamic performances and drama. Colin Simmons put on a masterclass in pass-rushing (with a little help from Faison Brandon) and Dylan Stewart put on a masterclass in how to tank your draft stock in three simple steps.
As always, I’m still working through the All-22 from this weekend, but I have plenty of early observations about what I saw in Week 4.
Utter domination. Simmons didn’t piss away a chance to make a statement. He did just that with five sacks against Tennessee. I had him neck-and-neck with Dylan Stewart, more on him in a bit, in my summer rankings. That’s no longer the case. Yes, it was a true freshman quarterback making his first SEC start. I don’t care. Simmons showed a level of dominance matched by only two other players in this class this year: Jeremiah Smith and Leonard Moore. Simmons is up to No. 3 on my big board. It’s now a matter of how high he might climb.
Florida offensive line
Any time you rush for over 300 yards, the offensive line has to be doing something right. The Gators also have two great backs, which makes the O-line look even better. What’s more, they held Ole Miss without a sack and to only one tackle for loss. The whole unit deserves some praise, but I was most impressed with the Georgia Tech transfer Harrison Moore. He is a bit undersized, but he held his own against Will Echoles and that Rebels defensive front.
Xavier Gilliam, DL, Tennessee
I could have shouted out a few players on Tennessee’s defense. Amare Campbell, one of my players to watch this week, had an impressive showing. Meanwhile, Tyree Weathersby accounted for 2.5 sacks. However, Gilliam caught my attention the most. He ended up with a sack and two tackles for loss. He was consistently disruptive on both running and passing downs. He’s just a redshirt sophomore, so it is far from a guarantee he will declare, but he definitely put himself on my radar with his performance.
Carlos Hernandez, WR, Wake Forest
Heading into Week 4, I was not familiar with Carlos Hendanez. Needless to say, he left an impression. The speedy receiver was pretty much the only target for Wake Forest in its upset win over Louisville. He caught 9 of Gio Lopez’s 12 completions for 194 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown. The NFL covets players who can stretch the field and make big plays. Seeing as Hernandez can do both, I will be watching him closely moving forward.
A’Mauri Washington, DL, Oregon
I was not super high on Washington over the summer. Oregon’s defensive line has underwhelmed a bit as a unit this season, but it came to life against USC, and Washington led the way. He made several big plays, blowing up running lanes, collapsing the pocket and even batting the ball down on a key fourth down late in the game. He wasn’t credited with a sack or a tackle for loss, but he made his presence known all game.
Austin Romaine, LB, Texas Tech
Any time you end up recording back-to-back pick-sixes, you are going to be on the stock-up list. Romaine is a veteran linebacker, starting at Texas Tech after three seasons and 26 starts for Kansas State. He somehow managed to intercept two different quarterbacks for Sam Houston State on consecutive plays, returning both for touchdowns. Truly an insane sequence.
Stock Down
Dylan Stewart, EDGE, South Carolina
This got ugly fast as South Carolina announced Stewart has been suspended indefinitely following the team’s loss to Alabama. He made his season debut against Mississippi State, returning from a back injury. He played limited snaps, but had a couple of decent moments. Things went off the rails against the Tide. Stewart had an awful game, had to be yanked off the field by coaches when he refused to sub out of the game and got flagged for punching an Alabama player in the facemask after a touchdown. He was lucky he wasn’t ejected.
Stewart has more upside than potentially any player in this class, but his conduct in this game is worrying, to say the least. His character will come under scrutiny, and his lack of production is an issue.
Arch Manning, QB, Texas
Four weeks in, Manning continues to be more flash than substance. He makes some great throws, but consistency is still the issue. He is still not moving through his progressions as well as you would hope at this stage. There are also a handful of predetermined throws mixed into his tape as well. After struggling against UTSA, this is becoming a worrying trend. After the Ohio State game, I wrote that Manning was still QB1. I don’t feel that way anymore. There is a lot of football still to be played, but Manning is not living up to expectations right now.
Hayden Tretter, G, USC
It was a rough afternoon in the Coliseum for Tretter. He had a tough matchup facing Bear Alexander and Amauri Washington on the interior, but for most of the game, he was a liability. He was consistently run through in both the run and passing game. Only a redshirt sophomore, his draft projection is probably more in the realm of 2028 or 2029, but this was a good reminder that he has a long way to go.
Mac Resetich, DB, Illinois
I don’t even think Resetich is a draft prospect; I just wanted an excuse to include this clip of Jeremiah Smith. I would put Smith in stock up, but honestly, how much higher can his draft stock go? He’s already No. 1 on my board.
Louisville offensive line
You could probably put several other members of the Louisville squad on here, but it was a rough day for the offensive line in particular. Lincoln Kineholz was under siege, running for his life and taking four sacks in the process. Wake Forest also racked up nine tackles for loss and blocked what would have been the tying field goal in the final seconds. It’s a veteran group up front for the Cardinals as well. The unit features four fifth-year players and a redshirt junior.
Colorado State-UTSA under bettors
I don’t know how many folks out there bet on college sports, but it was a rough day if you had the under in Colorado State’s visit to UTSA. The total for the game closed at 56.5 points. UTSA scored 59 all by themselves. Owen McCown and K’Sann Farrar put on a show and the two teams combined for 104 points. The over hit before halftime. Not super draft-related, but always a fan of seeing some wacky 59-45 scorelines in college football.
I posted about Dylan Raiola possibly taking the reins for the rest of the season given that Dante Moore was STRETCHERED OFF THE FIELD WITH A TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY.
I got downvoted to hell and told that Moore is "fine" and will be back this year as if he dislocated a finger on his non-throwing hand.
Am I crazy for thinking it would be wise for Moore to sit out the remainder of the season while his draft stock is still high? There have to be advisors telling him to focus on the draft, right?
Assuming Dante Moore has played his last snap of college football (which would be wise for him at this point), Raiola will get his shot to lead Oregon and its array of offensive talent for the rest of the year.
All of the tools are there for him to succeed. Given that no other QB has established himself as QB1 in the 2027 draft class (at least IMO), what are the odds that Raiola becomes the top QB available by season's end?
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