Started really watching his film recently and it’s awesome. Super toolsy, has amazing traits in pocket presence, arm strength and mobility. He throws with good anticipation and is super fearless in throwing the ball wherever he wants. Easily in my opinion “so far” QB1 so where would he rank in draft prospects of the last 5 years?

I wasn’t following the draft that closely when he was drafted but the dude was an absolute animal in high school and college. How did no one take a shot on him earlier? Seems like with guys like Jeremiah love and Hadrian price going in the first round, Henry should’ve been up there further.

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!

So this upcoming draft Jeremiah smith is the consensus number one player with comparisons to Julio jones and Calvin Johnson.
What’s the consensus on the defensive ends or defensive tackles? Is there’s a can’t miss prospect that’s a Myles Garrett type or similar?

As we reach mid-October, we are finally ready to part with a lot of preconceived observations about a player we made over summer. It’s the time of year that we start to see big boards substantially change as risers and fallers take full effect.
With that in mind, there are four players that I feel like are about to explode in terms of their draft ranking in the coming weeks. These are players that either weren’t on the radar or have not fully broken through into the national draft conversation at this stage. Let’s take a look at who will likely be considered first-round prospects in the near future.

As Reddit still does not play nice with Twitter embeds, if you want to check out the original story, here is the link: https://draftseasonneverends.substack.com/p/four-players-who-will-be-rising-up

Xavier Gilliam, DL, Tennessee
The hype train has already begun for Gilliam. The Penn State transfer has absolutely dominated since landing with Tennessee. Already this season, he has 5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and a pair of forced fumbles. He is just a redshirt sophomore who did not play much for the Nittany Lions, so he was not on a ton of draft boards before the season, and I haven’t seen too many people move him up just yet. I have a feeling that the next round of big boards released have him as a top-25 player. I know that is certainly where I am headed with him.
 
Niki Prongos, OT, Stanford
Prongos picked up some steam late in the season last year before ultimately returning to school. Injuries kept him out of Stanford’s first three games, but he has looked sharp since returning to the field. The fifth-year senior is a late bloomer, having not played football until his senior year of high school. There has not been a ton of buzz about him as I think a lot of folks simply haven’t circled back to his tape yet. It doesn’t help that Stanford has looked like one of the worst teams in the FBS for much of this season as well. He had a decent showing against Notre Dame this past week and I expect you will start to hear his name in top-50 conversations again soon.

Boubacar Traore, EDGE, Notre Dame
While certainly not flying under the radar, Traore has not received the love I feel he deserves in draft circles yet this year. Much of that has to do with Notre Dame’s relatively soft schedule to this point. However, the Irish face BYU, Miami and SMU in three of their next five games. All three are in prime time on ABC and NBC respectively. Traore has the first step quickness, all-around athleticism and instincts to be an excellent edge rusher in the NFL. His production has been solid as well, with 3.5 sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss and 2 forced fumbles. I think he will wind up being a top-25 player in this class when the dust settles.

Zereoue Williams, OT, Utah
Has there been a quieter 5-0 team this season than Utah? Admittedly, the Utes have not faced a super daunting schedule. Their best win is maybe over a 3-3 Iowa State team. Otherwise, they have beaten Idaho, Arkansas, Utah State and Kansas. Not exactly a murder’s row. Despite the weak schedule, word is already starting to get out about Williams. He is already in the top 35 for Stick to the Model, James Foster and NFLSE, but I feel like we are going to see him explode on a national level very soon. He has a 6’8” frame and still seems to be filling it out. He has also barely played despite being in his sixth season at Utah. In a class that seems to lack a consensus OT3, don’t be surprised if you start to see Williams occupy that spot on just about every big board by the time November rolls around.

I’ve heard a lot about how good the 2027 NFL Draft class will be, including statements that a second-round pick next year could be worth a first-rounder this year. What actually makes it so good? Aren’t most of the top QB prospects struggling right now?

There seems to be a divide between those that want to take Smith at #1 and those that want to trade the #1 pick. That fine but for those that want to trade it what trade package are you expecting to get back? Examples of #1 pick being traded 2016 Rams and Titans and 2023 Panthers and Bears. Rams got in '16 Draft #1, 4th and 6th and had to send '16 1st, 2 2nds, 3rd, '17 1st and 3rd. Panthers sent DJ Moore, '23 1st and 2nd, '24 1st and '25 2nd and they only got the #1 pick, they did not get any extra picks from the Bears. I'll even throw in the trade the Redskins made with the Rams so they could draft RG3. The Redskins sent the Rams '12 1st (6th) and 2nd (39), '13 1st (22nd), '14 1st (2nd).

Jeremiah Smith seems to be head and shoulders better than any prospect coming out this season at all positions. There has been comps to Megatron as to what he will do in the NFL. Lions took Calvin Johnson #2 behind JaMarcus Russell. The Lions '06 starting QB was Jon Kitna and he would start the '07 season also. The Lions went on to have the 15th pick in 2008 traded to the Chiefs for the 17th pick. Oh and the 18th pick in the 2008 draft was Joe Flacco. The 2007 was a very weak QB class.

But lets look at another HoF WR in Larry Fitzgerald. The Cards took him 3rd in the 2004 draft. The Cards had Jeff Blake as their starter for 2003 and could have draft Phillip Rivers who the Giants took 4th before trading him to the Chargers for then #1 Eli. 2004 The Cards started Josh McCown at QB and drafted 8th the following year. 2005 draft Alex Smith went #1 and Aaron Rodgers sat in the greenroom. Image if the Cards had taken Rodgers.....

Lets stay in the division 2003 the Texans take Andre Johnson 3rd. They were an expansion team but they still went 4-12. So they go and get a WR for their young QB David Carr who then held the record for most times sacked in the season. Looking at the 2003 draft it wasn't great and Johnson wasn't the first WR off the board that goes to Charles Rodgers. But in 2004 they picked 10th and they could have given up on their QB after two season and took Big Ben who went 11th.

The Bengals in 2011 took AJ Green with the 4th pick. They had Carson Palmer at QB and the only reason he wasn't the QB for the team in 2012 was because they drafted Andy Dalton in the 2nd round after AJ Green. If they didn't have Dalton its unknown how they would have done with Palmer. They did draft 17th the following season which was the Andrew Luck draft class. If they didn't have Dalton they might have taken a swing on Russel Wilson who went in the 3rd that year.

Taking it way back to '96 when the Jets took Keyshawn Johnson #1. The 1996 draft was wild in that the 1st QB to come off the board was in the 4th round. The Jets had Boomer Esiason as their QB in '95 then signed Neil O'Donnell to be the QB for '96 but got hurt when they were 0-6. They then traded the '97 #1 pick the Rams for '97 1st (6th), 3rd (67th), 4th (102nd), and 7th (207th). So there were no future picks given up. BTW the Rams took Olandro Pace with the #1 pick that year. Oh and that 6th the Jet they traded that to the Bucs for the 8th and 104th (4th). The Bucs then traded the pick to Seahawks for the 12th and 63rd (3rd). Seahawks took Walter Jones with that pick. So the Jets passed up two HoF LT because they had spent money on John Jumbo Elliot in the '96 off-season.

The point is the '27 QB class is going to be weak and there is no point in wasting it on a QB. So you choices are trade the pick and if you do then you better be getting massive returns. I've seen people ask about the Jets three 1st they have currently. If they gave up all three 1st for 2027 that would be a great start. But they only willing to given up 2 of them going to take more. Jets have the Colts who get to face us twice so another 2 wins for that pick. Cowboys face us thats another win for that pick. Jets themselves still have the Dolphins twice and the Cardinals. It is more likely than not that all of the Jets 1st rd pick will be outside the top 10. And that is a lot of possible blue chip prospects that would be gone before the Titans pick. We are also assuming that certain QB suddenly look great and shoot up the board to push talent further down for us.

Nope you take Jeremiah Smith. We have exactly 7 picks in each of the next two drafts. This is only year 2 of a 3 to 4 year rebuild. We did not start rebuilding until last year. Ran came in and tried to do a reload and rebuild and it failed because of the coaching.

But if you feel trading in the move then come up with some realistic trades and what is going to be done at QB. Because like it or not Titans are not drafting a QB in '27. They might in '28 when all these young WR are considered Vets and can be that safety blanket for a rookie QB.

Edit: for those that didnt know SoS is the tie breaker for teams with the same record. Titans do not play the Chargers or Dolphins. Dolphins do play the Chargers. Titans only have the Browns and Raiders left as what could be considered winnable games for them.

Titans current SoS is .518, Chargers .556 and Dolphins .610

Remaining SoS rankings Chargers hardest at #2, Titans #8 and Dolphins #10

So we all know the hype. We hear it many times a day, as an OSU fan its deafening. I always worry when it gets that way just cause I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. I don't typically study tape and project what things will look like at the next level. So I am asking this community, taking a step back from the absurd hype, are there any red flags or not so obvious holes in Smith's game that could show itself at the next level? Not necessarily completely bust but not live up to the hype he is getting.

Updated Tuesday thread focused notes and opinions about individual prospects. Scout someone new and want to get opinions from others? Ask about it here!

Hi everyone! I'm back with some running backs you might already know, plus a sleeper TE. The whole article is below, but if you want to click the link and subscribe, it is free! Please let me know your thoughts and if there are any players you want to shout out!

https://theday2guys.substack.com/p/the-day-2-guys-week-6-stock-up-college?r=2mc4kp&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Aiden Flora, RB, Iowa State Univ. - RS Sophomore - Flora is exactly the type of player that is impossible to root against unless you are playing against Iowa State. He was a preferred walk-on who got offers to Ivy League and Military schools. He decided to spurn those offers and walk-on to the home state Cyclones program. He worked his you-know-what off on special teams his first couple years and was put on scholarship just before this season. What Flora has done as the starting running back has been honestly shocking. He is sixth in the country in rushing yards (680) and has scored 9 touchdowns including 2 passing touchdowns and 1 punt return touchdown.

You may ask why Flora was under-recruited and the simple answer was just that he was a quarterback in high school and was sort of position-less and only 170 pounds. He is now 6’ 0” / 195 pounds and is one of the most explosive players in the country (7.6 yards per carry). Flora had his best week two weeks ago against a putrid West Virginia defense where he had 212 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns to go along with 2 passing touchdowns for an additional 48 yards. This week was more impressive to me because of the opponent. Flora had 86 yards rushing against a very stout Brigham Young team that is 9th nationally in scoring defense (13.4 PPG). He also averaged 5.1 yards a carry, so it wasn’t because of volume. There was a play late in the game when the Cyclones were down 11 points and they had to go for it on 4th and 2 from their own 32 yard-line, and they tried a trick play where Flora was supposed to pass, and he was completely bottled up for a loss and he somehow got around the player to the other side of the field and got 20+ yards to keep their hopes alive.

Flora possesses a skill-set that NFL coaches can dream on: burst, long-speed, the ability to cut. The fact that he played quarterback doesn’t hurt either because he has the added ability to do trick plays and should be able to diagnose defenses better than the average running back. He will have to work on blocking and catching the ball, but these things will get better as he gets more and more reps. I imagine he will play another year of college and then become a high draft pick in 2028.

King Miller, RB, Univ. of Southern Cal - RS Sophomore - We might have to call this article the preferred walk-on special. Miller is another player who was not given much of a chance out of high school. He had 3 division-1 offers to Portland State, Nevada, and San Jose State. When USC offered he and his twin brother Kaylon preferred walk-on spots, they took them. What Miller has done since might not top what Flora has done, but it is highly respectable in its own right. Miller has 595 rushing yards while averaging 5.2 yards per carry. USC has faced pretty stiff competition and Miller has played his best against those teams. Miller has averaged 5.7 ypc against Oregon and he just averaged 5.4 against Penn State this past weekend. Miller did fumble twice this weekend, but he hasn’t put the ball on the ground any other time this year.

Miller is well-sized at 6’ 0” / 225 pounds. He’s quick for his size, and has some nifty jukes and spin moves in his bag that he uses frequently. The next step for King will be to work on his third-down role as a receiver and blocker (just like Flora). Miller only has 4 catches this season while splitting time with fellow running back, Waymond Jordan in the USC backfield. Miller has already taken much of Jordan’s workload and right now looks like the better running back of the two. Miller will be exciting to watch develop under Garrett Riley and his offensive system.

Wayshawn Parker, RB, Univ. of Utah - Junior - Another under-recruited player out of high school with 5 offers, Wayshawn Parker is making defenses look silly in 2026. Kansas had a first-hand view of it this weekend when Wayshawn Parker had a 90-yard touchdown run against them. Parker dominated the game from start to finish and has really cemented himself as a top-75 pick in the upcoming draft if he chooses to come out. Parker is well-rounded and is ready for the next step of his career.

Parker originally committed to Washington State Univ. out of high school. His true freshman season, Parker accumulated 843 yards and had 5 touchdowns. Parker then transferred to Utah where he has been nothing short of magnificent in Salt Lake City. Parker had 1,166 yards in 2025 - his first year as a Ute. This year has started even better - albeit against some very poor defenses. Parker has 689 total yards in only 5 games. Parker is averaging an absurd 7.6 yards per carry, and has already more receptions and receiving yards than he had all of last year (17 receptions / 190 yards / 4 touchdowns). Parker and the Utes won’t be truly tested until they play BYU in 4 weeks. The game is at home and will be a must-watch game with two heavyweights going toe-to-toe. Get ready to hear Parker’s name early this draft season.

Parker possesses NFL size at 5’ 11” / 205 pounds. He isn’t quite the lateral player that Flora and King Miller are, but his burst and one-cut ability are both excellent. He also has extremely soft hands and can play all three downs in the NFL. He still needs to work on pass protection (what running back doesn’t?), but if Utah continues the way they are playing, there’s an outside chance we could see Parker at the Heisman ceremony at the end of the season.

Eli Finley, TE, Louisiana Tech University - Senior - When going through some numbers for the week, I was going to talk about Joshua Long (the TE from Eastern Michigan), but Eli Finley had an even better week, and when comparing their tape, Finley looks like a much better prospect. Finley, who was an All-CUSA preseason pick, has lived up to the season his coaches and league mates thought he would have. Finley, who was a 3-star recruit coming out of Heath, Texas had a very confusing offer list. Only 6 offers - only 1 from the in-state Texas schools (Univ. of North Texas), but incredibly, had an offer to attend the Univ. of Oregon. Finley, however, chose to stay in the region and has played all four years at Louisiana Tech.

Finley, who stands at 6’ 6” and 246 pounds had an exceptional week against the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns putting up 9 receptions / 114 yards / 2 touchdowns including the game winner with under a minute left in the fourth quarter to win 32-31. Finley is an interesting tight end prospect, not only because he has the frame to play, but he has a really nice feel for intermediate zone play. He finds soft spots in zones and has enough burst off the line to create separation. Finley dropped his weight down a bit to help with his long speed, which left a lot to be desired in 2025, but it comes at the expense of his blocking. While he can and should block some in-line at the next level, he struggles a bit with heavier DEs.

Finley has now put together three seasons of very good football, but this season may be his finest. In 2026, Finley has already accumulated 27 receptions / 325 yards / 4 touchdowns in just 5 games. Finley and the Louisiana Tech team have played LSU and Baylor this year already. Finley didn’t do much against the LSU Tigers, but he did have 8 receptions / 65 yards / 1 touchdown against Baylor. Finley will most likely be a Day 3 pick in the draft, but he’s an interesting player who deserves the shout-out for his fantastic season.

Looking back at Week 5 players that were highlighted:

Braden Atkinson (Oregon St. QB) - 29/38 passing (76.3 Comp. %) for 409 yards and 5 touchdowns - Hoo boy. Atkinson has the goods. San Diego State has been dealing with some issues including a mumps outbreak, but Atkinson delivered in an important win over the Aztecs. Atkinson has been the best player in college football this season not named Jeremiah Smith in my opinion. His leading receiver Jesse Legree is right there with him. Keep your eye on Atkinson in 2026 and beyond.

Kelby Valsin (Florida Atlantic WR) - Bye Week

Caden Veltkamp (Florida Atlantic QB) - Bye Week - Massive game at Army this week for Valsin, Veltkamp, and the Owls.

Elijah Melendez (Auburn LB) - Bye Week - There were many bye weeks in college football in week 6, but Auburn has a big test this week at the undefeated Georgia Bulldogs. Melendez will have to show his mettle to keep up with a highly-talented Bulldog team.

College football's regular season is right around the halfway point (season has flown by). There are plenty of prospects who have elevated their stock through the first six weeks, and there will be more who will as the season goes on. I wanted to share some of the prospects I feel have improved their stock the most, and ask y'all which prospects you believe have moved up the most on draft boards.

Austin Simmons

Deuce Alexander

Reed Harris

Chris Cole (he was thought of pretty highly before the season but has moved into LB1 in many of the boards I have seen)

Kingston Lopa

In his first game back from his suspension, Stewart put up a 95.8 PFF grade against Florida, the highest of any defender against an FBS team last weekend.

The boards still mostly have Simmons ahead. Of the 7 public 2027 big boards I follow, 5 have Simmons higher and 2 have Stewart higher. Tankathon moved Stewart back up from 14th to 11th after his return; DraftTek still has him 21st.

True or false? And if true, does the off-field stuff matter enough to keep Simmons ahead anyway?

Welp, it's that time again. After taking off two weeks due to what seemed like good QB play, it should now be apparent again to everyone that we need a QB in the 2027 draft. With that being said, I'd like us to open up discussion about who you all would like to see us draft in 2027. Tbh, noone thus far has been overly impressive in college football, with most notable names either regressing towards the middle of the season (Chambliss) or having not progressed enough (Manning). Aside from last week, Austin Simmons hasn't looked great either. That being said, give me your takes on the current status of the 2027 NFL draft class!

Just pulled this yesterday. Not here to sell or anything. I’m just curious what the buzz around this guy is? I think he was on Feldman’s freaks list at some point.

I'm all about watching Skill Position Guys, for Dynasty Football and just a love of the draft. These are some of the deeper guys that I have liked so far beyond the top grouping. I also am looking for anyone you recommend me to watch.

Chase Sowell, WR, Penn State - Ideal frame with length. Taut and stringy build. Sowell is a different mover out there. He's very fast with burst and really composed with great body control. His vertical push is absurd and he shocks DBs instantly. He really pulls at a defense fast and flips DBs on to heels. He picks up the ball well in the air and is great at tracking the ball in. The sky is the limit for Sowell right now in my eyes, he's so gifted that he could fly up to being a top WR with more route polish. I had a similar feeling with Stribling last year, seeing the pieces there to build on. And I'm higher right now on Sowell.

Kendrick Raphael, RB, SMU - He runs a bit too upright but man is he fearless the way he attacks traffic and just ping-pongs off of contact on the way. An old school bruiser back for sure. Despite his physicality he floats on his feet and moves laterally and forward at a smooth and linear pace. I don't know if he has the long speed to make it though, once he hits the second level and tries to pull away he can't gain distance from anyone. But he'd be a model of efficiency maximizing every touch.

Keyjuan Brown, RB, Louisville - Short, squat, thick, Brown is built like Travis Henry but has sneaky great burst in his legs. His center of gravity is so low he can plant and cut easily and has absurd balance. He's tough to knock down and will happily bounce and roll off of contact. He has a good feel for working to the outside at the second level. He's going to frustrate defenses when he disappears into traffic and emerges fiercely on the opposite end punishing tacklers. He only really has two gears and his second isn't enough for breakaway runs in the NFL.

Hopefully, you’ve had a chance to catch your breath after an eventful Week 6. Arch Manning cost Texas the game as the No. 1 Longhorns were toppled in the Red River Rivalry. Oregon sorely missed Dante Moore in a turnover-plagued defeat to UCLA. Kentucky won in OT on a two-point conversion again, this time stunning LSU. Indiana narrowly avoided a shock from Nebraska. LaNorris Sellers showed signs of life, accounting for five touchdowns in an upset of Florida. Oh, and Georgia hung on to beat Alabama in controversial fashion.

I’m still working my way through the tape from the weekend, but I have some early observations about everything that unfolded over the course of a chaotic couple of days.

(I don't think Twitter embeds come through in Reddit posts, so if you want to see the relevant clips, you can find them here: https://draftseasonneverends.substack.com/p/week-6-stock-watch-marsh-surges-manning )

Stock up

Andrew Marshall, CB, Nebraska

If you are wondering what happened to Charlie Becker, Marshall had a lot to do with his quiet afternoon. Becker finished with 3 catches for 52 yards. It was his first game without a touchdown this season. Marshall is an Idaho transfer who has thrived at Nebraska, now in his second season with the Cornhuskers. He has good size at 6’0”, 195 lbs. He is definitely on my radar now and I could see him being a riser throughout this draft process.

Nick Marsh, WR, Indiana

On the other side of the formation was often Marsh. Unfortunately for Nebraska, they only had one Andrew Marshall. Marsh dominated the Cornhuskers, showing excellent toughness and concentration to make plays over the middle. His run-after-catch ability at 6’3”, 210 pounds is wildly impressive. He was already my WR4, but he is entering the conversation to be a top-15 prospect in this class.

Dylan Stewart, EDGE, South Carolina

Well maybe we overreacted a bit to the drama in Columbia. South Carolina waltzed into The Swamp and stomped Florida. Stewart returned to action after a one-game suspension and looked sharp. He pulled off an excellent two-handed swipe to record an early sack. He was disruptive all game long, against the run and the pass. Talent wise, I think he might be the No. 4 player on my board. The character concerns after what happened against Alabama are worth monitoring. The pre-draft interviews will be significant for him, but we can go back to mocking him near the top of the draft until we hear otherwise.

Chris Cole, LB, Georgia

Georgia picked up a statement win and Cole had a statement performance. He was absolutely flying around the field, finishing with 8 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack and 2 pass breakups. Cole was already in my top 20 prior to this performance, but he is closing the gap on Sammy Brown in my rankings very quickly. If he can continue to be a factor in coverage, we could be looking at a top-10 prospect.

Jamal Roberts, RB, Missouri

Ahmad Hardy was supposed to be the feature back in Missouri this season. Unfortunately, Hardy was shot during the offseason and has still not made his season debut. I have high hopes for him returning and dominating in 2027. Until then, Roberts will keep things rolling. The 6’0”, 215-pound senior recorded his second straight 200-yard rushing performance. He is a physical, downhill runner who has just enough speed to pick up some chunk plays. I don’t know if he will crack the first-round conversation, but I like him a lot on Day 2.

Umari Hatcher, WR, Syracuse

Due to injury and poor play, Syracuse has played four different quarterbacks this season already. The Orange are also 0-3 in ACC play. Despite all of that, Hatcher has been putting on a show. He racked up 8 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown against a solid Virginia defense. That performance came on the heels of a 12-catch, 156-yard, 3-touchdown outing against UConn the week before. Hatcher is a sixth-year senior who missed almost all of 2025 with an injury, but there seems to be enough there for him to make an NFL roster as a Day 3 pick or a priority UDFA.

Xavier Gilliam, DL, Tennessee

We are getting close to the point where we need to talk about Xavier Gilliam in the first round. He caught my attention against Texas earlier this season and shined again facing Arkansas in Week 6. He stuffed the stat sheet with 4 tackles, a sack, 1.5 tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and a batted pass. It’s hard to ignore how disruptive Gilliam has been throughout the season. The conversation for who should be DT2 behind Will Echoles is wide open right now. Gilliam is firmly in that mix now.

Owen Heinecke, LB, Oklahoma

Only in today’s college football can I type a sentence like this: Heinecke impressed a lot during last year’s draft cycle, including at the Senior Bowl, before returning to Oklahoma. His career started as a lacrosse player at Ohio State, but he has developed into a quality linebacker with a nose for the football. He had a team-high nine tackles, including two for a loss, in OU’s upset of Texas. He is an older prospect, but he looks capable of carving out a role for himself in the NFL. 

Matayo Uiagalelei, EDGE, Oregon

I wasn’t Uiagalelei’s biggest fan over the summer. He was solid against the run and showed some flashes as a pass rusher, but he seemed like he had a long way to go. Even in a loss, he showed that he is progressing how you would like him to be. He had six tackles, two sacks and two tackles for loss. That brings him to five sacks on the season. I still have him outside the first round, but solidly a second-rounder in my book right now.

Isaac Brown, RB, Louisville

Let’s wrap up stock up with a monster game from Brown. He showcased his game-breaking speed, ripping off 97-yard and 68-yard touchdown runs in Louisville’s win. He averaged a healthy 4.6 yards per carry on his 15 other carries as well. For teams looking for a back to add to their committee capable of taking one to the house at any moment, Brown will be highly coveted.

Stock down

Arch Manning, QB, Texas

Manning is so frustratingly inconsistent. He had some truly jaw-dropping throws against Oklahoma. Unfortunately, he threw two back-breaking interceptions in the fourth quarter, including a pick-six. The decision-making, processing speed and ability to read coverage are all still not where they need to be. The arm talent and mobility still have him in my top 5 quarterbacks right now, but he is quickly fading towards being a Day 2 prospect.

Nico Iamaleava, QB, UCLA

This turned out to be a nightmare evening for Iamaleava. He threw two first-half interceptions and suffered a leg injury that kept him out for the second half. The arm talent is clearly there, but the lack of consistency and the constant injury issues are concerning. Thankfully, it doesn’t sound like the injury is too serious, so hopefully the redshirt junior can bounce back against Wisconsin.

Bear Alexander, DL, Oregon

From a talent perspective, Alexander is a top-50 player in my book. He has some absolutely dominant reps as both a pass rusher and run defender. He had a solid game against UCLA, but the play he made that went viral featured him twisting Iamaleava’s helmet on the way to the ground and then taking a swing at the quarterback after he was already down. For a player that already had some question marks given how he exited Georgia and USC, this is another troublesome moment. He comes across as a selfish player who often fails to make the best choice for his team. He was lucky not to be ejected.

Austin Simmons, QB, Missouri

It was a bit of a shaky game for Simmons. He still flashes his incredible arm talent, fitting in a couple of impressive Cover 2 hole shots. However, he continues to struggle under pressure and when forced out of structure. It’s something he can absolutely overcome, but I think he needs another year in college before he can make the jump to the NFL.

Jadan Baugh, RB, Florida

For the second straight game, it was hard to find the man who had earned Heisman and RB1 buzz through the first four games of the season. Baugh had 15 yards at halftime and finished with just 59 on 15 carries. Some of it can be chalked up to a lackluster showing from the offensive line, but Baugh has seemingly ground to a halt as well. He needs to find his groove again to keep himself in the first-round conversation.

Dylan Raiola, QB, Oregon

Fans jumped the gun with Raiola when he carved up USC in place of an injured Dante Moore. The quarterback controversy in Oregon lasted all of three quarters. Raiola struggled mightily, finishing 6-of-18 for 43 yards and 2 interceptions. He was pulled in the fourth quarter. Raiola was always more of a 2028 draft prospect to me, but this was definitely not a great sign for how he will be viewed heading into next year.

Washington’s secondary

I liked what I saw from Washington’s secondary in its loss to USC the week before. They made a few big tackles for loss and picked off Jayden Maiava. Against Iowa, things went off the rails quickly. The Hawkeyes had receivers running wide open on multiple occasions, leading to two of the easiest touchdowns you will ever see. They also missed tackles left and right, leading to huge chunk plays in the running game. No one seemed to understand their assignments and they played well below expectations all night.

Another custom order since that worked out so well before the season. This order is mostly an inverse SB odds and my own eye test since simple record just isnt likely to hold. This draft maybe as deep and talented as initially thought but there is clear cut top 3. The teams picking there should imho take their pick of Simmons, Smith or Moore even if there is a need at QB.

So with the 1st overall my Miami Dolphins take Colin Simmons. Pains are way worse than I thought they'd be but many of the young guys have played well. Malik has been bad but with so many questions for all the QBs I'd wish punt on Qb2untill round 2 and get a premier talent. Simmons' got everything you want from a top edge prospect. He's got juice, strength, technique, production at the highest levels and the personality to keep improving.

QBs. Sure there are questions about all of these guys but once the 3 true A++ guys are gone positional value could force several teams to take a swing. If all these guys declare wouldn't be surprised if 5 go into the 1st and 4 more on day two. Teams that should take QB are Bucs, Jets, Falcons, Browns, Vikings, Dolphins, Cardinals and Steelers. Also have Broncos taking Austin Simmons in rd 3 .

Unless you either do a lengthy 5+ round mock or go into written detail on why you are making the picks, please post your mocks in this Mock Draft Monday thread. Use this thread to post your own mocks or anything from around the web you find discussion-worthy.

Please be respectful of other users’ mocks! Saying things like “this is awful” or a pick is “stupid” adds nothing to the conversation; try and focus on constructive feedback instead!

Cornerbacks have an equally short lifespan as running backs, no? So why is it ok for a bad team to select a cornerback high in the draft? And if it is okay, shouldn’t the argument about “wasting a running backs early seasons on a bad team” be thrown out the window?

I build a draft sim, and its 2027 class runs on a consensus board pulled from 10 public sources: the Tankathon, Drafttek, Sporting News, PFF, CBS and Fanspeak big boards, plus mocks from Tankathon, FantasyPros, WalterFootball and CBS. I froze a copy on Sept 5, the day before Week 1, and re-ran it this weekend. Six weeks in, here's what moved and what didn't.

Ranks are the talent consensus unless I say "mock." A * means I added my own adjustment on top of the sources for an injury or suspension. Everything else is the sources moving on their own.

QB room (Sept 5 → Oct 11)

• Arch Manning 3 → 4. Still the #1 pick in the mocks. 19/31 for 260 and 3 TD against Oklahoma, but two fourth-quarter picks, one a pick-six, in the 27-24 loss. Kiper and Reid now have him sliding toward Day 2. The boards have barely moved.
• Dante Moore 4 → 9. In concussion protocol since the USC hit on Sept 26. He missed UCLA, Raiola got benched in a 17-15 loss, and Lanning won't commit to Moore playing again this season. The drop is from the sources. I added a medical flag but left his rank alone.
• Trinidad Chambliss 49 → 21. Wasn't in a single mock on Sept 5. Now QB5 on the boards. 20/30 for 213, 3 TD and a rushing TD against Vanderbilt.
• CJ Carr 19 → 18, Julian Sayin 13 → 19. Both keep putting up clean lines (Carr 14/20, 3 TD vs Stanford; Sayin 4 TD vs Maryland), and the boards have them flat or drifting.
• Darian Mensah 39 → 28. 15 TD, 0 INT through five games. He's mock #6 and talent #28, the biggest board-vs-mock gap in the class. I'd been nudging him up; I took that off this week because the boards finally got there on their own.
• Drew Mestemaker 26 → 31. 304 and 2 TD against UCF, and he still slid.
• LaNorris Sellers 46 → 48. Fell to 58 after the fumbles at Kentucky, then 23/35 for 279 and 4 TD at Florida pulled him back.
• Sam Leavitt 83 → 109. Healthy and still starting. The strip-sack in the overtime loss at Kentucky did it. The mocks still have him 31.

Non-QB risers: Samson Okunlola (OT, Miami) 138 → 70. Princewill Umanmielen (EDGE, LSU) 118 → 65. Luke Reynolds (TE, Virginia Tech) 141 → 92. Boubacar Traore (EDGE, Notre Dame) 98 → 67, with a sack and an INT vs Stanford. Bear Alexander (DT, Oregon) 107 → 79. Chris Cole (LB, Georgia) 57 → 41, with 8 tackles, a sack and 2.5 TFL at Alabama. Charlie Becker (WR, Indiana) 21 → 12.

Fallers: Nyck Harbor (WR, South Carolina) 92 → 132. Brice Pollock (CB, Texas Tech) 66 → 106. Rasheem Biles (LB, Texas) 36 → 56. OJ Frederique Jr. (CB, Miami) 65 → 97* with the shoulder. Isaac Brown (RB, Louisville) 75 → 98, though he's climbing again after 235 yards and 2 TD against Florida State.

The Dylan Stewart round trip: 6 → 16 → 8. He punched Alabama's TE, got a one-game SEC suspension plus an indefinite one from Beamer, and had zero sacks at that point. Beamer reinstated him Friday and he got a sack in his first game back at Florida. I pulled my adjustment off him, and he's nearly back where he started.

Not on any board on Sept 5, now top 100: Reed Harris (WR, Arizona State) 60, Kingston Lopa (S, Cal) 71, Devan Thompkins (DT, Alabama) 88

Shape of the consensus top 32: 7 QB (up from 5), 5 OT, 4 EDGE, 4 CB, 3 WR (down from 5), 3 DT, 2 TE, 2 RB, 1 S, 1 LB. The QBs came out of the receiver room.

My take: the mocks and the boards disagree most about the quarterbacks. The mocks still have Manning first overall while the analysts call him a Day 2 guy, and they have Mensah at 6 while the boards say 28. I think the boards are slow on Mensah and too generous on Manning, but I'd like to hear the case for the other side.

I feel like there isn’t much consensus on this QB class so far, so I wanted to see what everyone’s Top 5 QB rankings look like at this point. Who do y’all have as your top QBs?

1. Darian Mensah

2. Dante Moore

3. Austin Simmons

4. Jayden Maiava

5. Julian Sayin

Has been going absolutely bonkers this year as a true freshman. He is a speed demon and has faced solid competetion this year with Orgeon State. Obviously, has at least 2 more years to go but wondering how he looks so far as a prospect, should he transfer to a big time school next year?

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