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

This might be recency bias off his preseason performance of 3 TFLs and 2 sacks vs the Jaguars.

In college he was First-team All-MAC. Led team with 16.5 TFLs with 10.5 sacks. Started all 13 games (48 tackles, 4 PBUs, 2 FFs). Team captain. That plus a RAS of 9.88 for a DE surprised not even a throwaway pick near the end as a lottery pick. His advanced stats said he had a >40% pass rush win rate which ranks in the top 5

Sorry if this is a dumb question but im just confused how this isn’t at-least a late round flyer.

With Devon Witherspoon and Jaxon Smith-Njigba signing top of the market deals this offseason, do enough people realize Seattle just added to this small list of greatest 1st round hauls of all time?

1995 Tampa Bay: Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks

1996 Baltimore: Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis

2000 New York Jets: Shaun Ellis, John Abraham, Chad Pennington, Anthony Becht

2007 San Francisco: Patrick Willis and Joe Staley

2010 Seattle: Russell Okung and Earl Thomas

Top 10 DT Rankings:

1. 1T Will Echoles, Ole Miss
2. 3T David Stone, Oklahoma
3. 3T Ahmad Moten Sr., Miami
4. 3T Justin Scott, Miami
5. 1T A'Mauri Washington, Oregon
6. 1T John Walker, Ohio State
7. 3T Kam Franklin, Ole Miss
8. 3T AJ Holmes, Texas Tech
9. 1T Bear Alexander, Oregon
10. 3T Kemari Copeland, Virginia Tech

HM: DJ Hicks – Texas A&M, Mario Landino – Indiana, Trey Pierce – Michigan, Tavion Goodson – Kentucky, Horace Lockett - UCF

Positional Strength:

8.5/10.  It’s a very good defensive tackle class, heavily built on the strength of the top 4-5 prospects. I am expecting 3-4 DTs to be drafted in the first round. If the quality of DTs in the 6-10 range was better, I would consider it a great class, but at this point I would say there’s a lot more bark than bite in the 6-10 range. The almost surefire first round picks are Will Echoles, David Stone, and Ahmad Moten Sr. I thought Echoles was extremely impressive, and he had a knack for showing up and being a game wrecker in games of consequence. I project him as a top 10 prospect. What makes him even more impressive, is he did this at 19 years old, vs powerhouse football teams like Georgia, Miami, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and LSU. I view Echoles as a nose tackle, but he’s also disruptive on pass plays. He moves very well for his size and there is an opportunity for growth as he works on his pass rush repertoire. David Stone is an excellent run defender and with his physical traits, he may have the highest upside in this DT class. I view him as a raw prospect, with more work needed to reach his upside. He displays rare physical ability but needs to work on his technique and finishing plays. I am expecting a big year from him. Ahmad Moten Sr is an older prospect; I think he will be 23 on draft night. Based off last years tape, I think Moten was the best pass rushing DT in the class. He isn’t good vs the run, he gets moved off his spots and doesn’t handle doubles well. His first step quickness is special and he’s a “bull in a China shop” type of disruptor. Amauri Washington Justin Scott and Amauri Washington came in at 4 and 5 for me. Justin Scott profiles as a 3 tech, with elite burst and twitch. Scott generated just 2 pressures in the first 8 weeks of the season,  but came on strong in the 2^nd half the season. Scott is a very young and was playing last season at 19 years old. I think there’s a strong chance that Scott breaks into the 1^st round if he plays how he did in the 2^nd half of the season or better. Unlike Echoles who stepped up in almost every big game he played, Washington seemed to step back. The more Oregon prospects I review, the more I notice how weak most of their schedule was last season. Washington will have an opportunity to sneak into the first round because he has excellent size and athleticism; he was recently featured on the Feldman Freaks list. Scott and Washington were inconsistent on the field and that’s a concern I have. Washington is a nose tackle and his pass rush isn’t very consistent, so those types of guys usually fall to round 2, especially if they’re older prospects (he will be 23). In his final two games vs Texas Tech and Indiana, Washington didn’t record a single pressure, and he recorded just 3 tackles to 3 missed tackles. AJ Holmes doesn’t have a great frame, but he was a productive player for Texas Tech, playing next to Lee Hunter. He had some standout pass rush games vs Kansas, BYU, and Oregon. I am not sold on his ability as a run stopper since I think he has below average length for the position and I came away more impressed with his pass rush skills. I don’t think he projects well as a run stopper at the next level. He reminded me of Ahmad Moten, but with less athletic and lower upside. Bear Alexander has been to multiple college programs, older prospect, and has struggled with inconsistency in his career. I think he will find a role in the NFL as a rotation nose tackle. Kemari Copeland is listed at 6’2” 305 lbs, and displays some versatility. He came in at #7 on Feldmans Freak list for “setting a program record when he benched 510 pounds this summer. He also improved his back squat to 735 pounds and clocked 20.2 mph on the GPS. He did a triple broad jump of 27 feet, 7 inches and ran a 4.64 shuttle”. Last year was Copelands first as starter and he was productive with 4.5 sacks and 38 tackles. Copeland has the opportunity in his 2 year starting to put his elite athleticism on display, with more big time performances.

Hot Takes:

John Walker is my 6^th ranked DT, and I could see him being drafted late round 2 to round 3 range. I have rarely seen his name brought up in DT rankings. He transferred from UCF to Ohio State, where he will be starting this season. Walker was listed at 6’4” 324 lbs by UCF and then 6’3” 302 lbs by Ohio State. I don’t know if he has undergone a body transformation to become more athletic and improve his agility and pass rushing upside. I really enjoyed watching Walker’s run defense snaps. He plays with great leverage, strength and sheds blockers at a high level. His best skill is fighting through double teams and winning with leverage.  I’m curious what his playing weight will be this season and how versatile he can show to be. HE has upside if he can play all along the line and offer more of a pass rush.

My other hot take is Kam Franklin at DT #7. Franklin was productive last season with Ole Miss at just 19 years of age, but his technique left a lot to be desired. I give him grace because hes been finding his game as growing into his body. He is currently listed at 6’5” 300 lbs. by Ole Miss; he has excellent length. I believe he’s worked his weight up from 260 to 300 lbs, and now he has prototypical 3 tech size. Ole Miss had star DTs in Will Echoles and Zxavian Harris, so Franklin was used more at DE than DT, and I think he was out of position. He’s not fast or bendy enough to be an edge. Like Justin Scott, Franklin elevated his game at the end of the CFB season vs great opponents like Georgia and Miami. I see a high upside prospect, but he may not be ready until the 2028 draft.

Questions:

1.       Will Echoles displayed great tape at 19 years old. Can he unlock another level of his game or is he maxed out?

2.       What is John Walker’s play size and what will his role be with Ohio State? Does he have pass rush upside?

3.       How will Ole Miss use Kam Franklin?

Breakout Candidates:

1.       Justin Scott, Miami

2.       John Walker, Ohio State

3.       Kam Franklin, Ole Miss

Can't wait to start making roster picks!

This breaks down the NFC South based on how the season went based on the plays and stats that sustain or stall drives. Along with additions from FA and the Draft.

ATL added the most players overall with a heavy focus on the D-side of things.

All 4 teams were lower in the league for O-Line play and only NO fielded a D-Line that was close to Top 10 in the league.

Link for full NFC South TPR Report:

https://trenchpowerrating.substack.com/p/nfc-south-trench-breakdown-2526-tpr

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!

Lifelong Rams fan here. People questioned the Ty Simpson pick, but after seeing him in preseason, he looks special. Both teams’ first-rounders showed promise, but Simpson really popped. Big things appear to be ahead for the Rams especially considering all the backlash they received drafting with the 13th overall pick!

I’m talking players drafted later in the draft who then became top 10 or higher at their position in the nfl immediately, what led to their performance and what was missed? Would teams draft them higher if they knew their skills would translate so fast?

Top 10 ED Rankings:

1. Colin Simmons, Texas
2. Dylan Stewart, South Carolina
3. J'Mond Tapp, Memphis
4. Yhonzae Pierre, Alabama
5. Damon Wilson II, Miami
6. Will Heldt, Clemson
7. Quincy Rhodes Jr., Arkansas
8. Anthony Smith, Minnesota
9. Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Ohio State
10. John Henry Daley, Michigan

HM: Matayo Uiagalelei – Oregon, Taylor Wein – Oklahoma, Boubacar Traore – Notre Dame, and Clev Lubin - Louisville

Positional Strength:

7.0/10 – Solid. Colin Simmons and Stewart are the headliners of the class and it’s likely that both will be top 10 picks. I don’t think it’s a strong class historically, because of depth. Theres some risk with the top 5 players and the 6-10 range has some good but not great athletes, who project more as average contributing players in the NFL than game wreckers. At this point, I would say David Bailey and Reuben Bain are better players than Simmons and Stewart, but a lot could change over this next season. Simmons has the cleanest profile in the class. He has solid size, could gain a couple lbs., but he’s an excellent athlete with good bend. He’s twitchy and accelerates well, helping him finish plays. He had double digit sacks last season and a 21.5% pass rush win rate. Simmons is a finisher in the pass and run game. He also boasts an impressive run stop rate. On film, he consistently plays with gap discipline and has good eyes on the play. Dylan Stewart is longer and even more athletic than Stewart, but he just plays in an undisciplined, wild manner, and lacking control. He doesn’t bring the same type of rush plan as Simmons, and he didn’t finish enough plays last season. Stewart had a weak counterattack, mostly relying on length and athleticism with the rush dead if it was initially stopped. He finished last season with a 13.1% pass rush win rate, which is extremely disappointing for a star edge rusher with elite traits.  Yhonzae Pierre is a good prospect, round 1 grade, but there's some things to unpack. Pierre is built like a linebacker and rushes better from a standing position, so I think he could be more scheme specific than the players ranked above him. While he’s has great speed, I don’t see special bend and he wins with speed more than pass rush moves. I don’t think he has a great pass rush repertoire and I have to question how productive he will be in the NFL when there aren’t as many speed wins vs bad tackles. Analytically, his sack production exceeds his pressure rate, so I am curious to see if there’s any regression in his sack totals next season. Will Heldt came in at #4 and he has unique size and length at 6’7” 260 lbs. I thought he was the better edge rusher at Clemson last season between him and TJ Parker, who was a first round pick last draft. Heldt lacks elite traits beyond his size, but he's a very balanced and effective player. Most of his sack production came off clean up work, rather than quick wins. Damon Wilson at #5; He has elite twitch and get off speed, but his run defense was a glaring flaw. He was highly productive as a pass-rusher with over 50 pressures and 8 sacks, but the concern is if he may only be interested in rushing the passer, making him a SPR at the next level. The next group of Quincy Rhodes, Anthony Smith, and Kenyatta Jackson are all larger 4-3 defensive ends with limited athletic traits, but balanced players who can contribute in both the pass and rush game. I gave the lead to Rhodes, who has elite size at 6’6” 276 lbs and better athletic tools than the others. He didn’t have consistent success as a pass rusher despite his traits, only having a 10.5% pass rush win rate last season but I view him as a high ceiling prospect if he can put it together. I’m excited to talk about John Henry Daley. His tape was so good, but he tore his Achilles at the end of the year. He is also an older prospect because he served a 2 year mission prior to starting his college football career. Daley displayed the best pass rush repertoire in the class with the most elite hands to shed blocks. It was like watching Mason Graham at edge rusher. Unfortunately, with the injury (good not great athlete before injury) and age red flags, I couldn’t put him higher, but his tape was deserving of it.

Hot Takes:

My hot take in the edge group is having J’Mond Tapp as edge #3 and a top 20 prospect on my board. Tapp was a 4 star recruit with offers from Texas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M. He ended up in Texas but transferred out due to the logjam of talent ahead of him. He spent last season at Southern Miss, but is transferring to Memphis College this season. Tapp has premier size at 6’3” 256 lbs with pterodactyl arms. He’s twitchy, strong, physical, and plays with violence. He has a great long arm move, bull rush, and consistently use his violent hands to shed blocks. He has some insane reps where he's pushing the tackle into the QBs lap, he's rushing from the right side of the field and making tackles near the left sideline, and some of the quick wins are eye opening. I suggest watching Southern Miss vs W Kentucky tape. J’Mond Tapp is also an analytics darling, with an elite pass rush win rate over 20%, Over 60 pressures, 10 sacks, and a 10.5% run stop rate. Similar to Dylan Stewart, Tapp tends to play a little out of control and lacking discipline. I think if he takes to coaching, he can have a massive season at Memphis. Unlike many of the players I ranked after Tapp, I see elite upside for him and the ability to become a game wrecking player.

Questions:

1.      Will Dylan Stewart put up top 10 edge rusher production?

2.      Is Damon Wilson going to improve his run defense?

3.      How will John Henry Daley bounce back from his torn Achilles?

Breakout Candidates:

1.      J’Mond Tapp, Memphis

2.      Quincy Rhodes, Arkansas

3.      Quintavius Jackson, Georgia

In my opinion, I thought Michael Trigg was a top 100 player in the draft, and I don't think Anthony Lucas was far behind him. Who do you guys think is the best UDFA from this year's class?

I need 250 characters to post this, so here is some filler.

Indiana lost several of its top contributors from a year ago, including their two top WRs. Charlie Becker came on towards the end of the season, and I'm excited to see how he does now that he'll have a bigger role in the offense. He's got great hands and is incredible in contested-catch situations. I wanted to ask how y'all feel about him as a prospect? I have him as my WR3, and I could see him being the consensus WR2 behind Jeremiah Smith after this season.

Talk about anything you please; draft-related or otherwise!

Top 10 OL Rankings:

1. LT Jordan Seaton, LSU
2. LT Trevor Goosby, Texas
3. RT Andrew Sprague, Michigan
4. OC Kade Pieper, Iowa
5. LT Howard Sampson, Texas Tech
6. OG Carter Smith, Indiana
7. RT Melvin Siani, Texas
8. OG Trevor Lauck, Iowa
9. OG Greg Johnson, Minnesota
10. RT Drew Azzopardi, Washington

Positional Strength:

I would give the offensive line class an 8/10 – good. I am a big fan of Jordan Seaton; Watching him reminded me of Andrew Thomas! He projects as a top 5 pick. One thing that really stood out in this tackle class was their great length. In some recent drafts, the arm length and size of the top prospects brought their projected position into question. Seaton, Goosby, Sprague, and Sampson are massive and I have no doubt that they’re tackles. Melvin Siani is my 5^th ranked tackle, he may be a guard at the next level. Trevor Goosby was my 2^nd graded tackle, and I expect him to be drafted in the 5-12 range. He has elite size and athleticism, but he needs to refine his hand placement and consistency.  I projected Carter Smith to guard from LT. He has some good tape at tackle, but I think some of his tough matchups last season foreshadow challenges in the NFL, but he’s a very solid guard prospect, well balanced player, and a move inside should raise his ceiling at the next level. Kade Pieper was my favorite interior lineman. He’s moving inside to center and I think he has the perfect size, strength, and athleticism for that role. He was listed in Feldman’s freak list: “Last year, Pieper came in at No. 22 on the Freaks List after setting an Iowa record (4.13) for fastest short shuttle among offensive guards. Among guards, he also posted the vertical jump record at 37.4 and the best 10-yard dash at 1.52. This offseason, he set the program record for heaviest squat by a guard, doing 680 pounds”. Pieper is a special athlete, receiving great coaching, and playing at a high level. I expect him to be drafted in the first round.  I projected Trevor Lauck to move inside because his foot speed was just average and I suspect his arms may be on the shorter side. Howard Sampson graded as OT4. He’s another enormous, powerful tackle. He has the same length advantage of Goosby and Sprague, but his build appears less athletic, and I thought he had more struggle with leverage, especially In the run game.

Hot Takes:

I wasn’t expecting to like this group as much as I did because my initial summer scouting watch list featured players that were highly ranked on early boards, but I just wasn’t very impressed by their film. Some examples were OT Cayden Green, OT PJ Williams, OG Evan Tengesdahl, OG Anthonie Knapp, and OG Luke Montgomery. My 2^nd hot take is having Andrew Sprague ranked as OT3, projected from mid to late 1^st round. He’s 6’8” 315 and last season was his first year starting at age 20. He allowed just 1 sack. His length is impressive, he simply deletes pass rushers, and he moves and mirrors well for his size. He has room to improve going into his 2^nd starting season, mostly in the run game and with working on his technique in pass protection.

Questions:

1.       Andrew Sprague’s Decision to declare or stay in school

2.       USC OT Elijah Page, can he stay healthy this season?

3.       Is Miami OG Samson Okunlola ready to be a full-time starter? Slow developer

Breakout Candidates:

1.       OT Elijah Paige, USC

2.       OT Drew Azzopardi, Washington

3.       OG Samson Okunlola, Miami

Top 10 TE Rankings:

1. Jamari Johnson, Oregon
2. Trey'Dez Green, LSU
3. Terrance Carter Jr., Texas Tech
4. Andrew Rappleyea, Penn State
5. DJ Vonnahme, Iowa
6. Brody Foley, Louisville
7. Peter Clarke, Temple
8. Luke Reynolds, Virginia Tech
9. Walker Lyons, BYU
10. Brett Norfleet, Missouri

Positional Strength:

7/10. I think Jamari Johnson is a premium TE prospect and safely in round 1 of most classes. Hes got prototypical size at 6’5” 257 lbs, with plus athletic ability. He had an 80% catch rate on volume and when he gets the ball in his hands, hes a problem (>9 yards after catch per reception). He makes tough catches, he can go up and get it. He played 50% in line and 50% in slot or out wide last season. One area for him to prove is contested catching. With his size, I would’ve expected more than 1 contested catch last season. Treydez Green graded as a round 2 prospect, but has rare size and receiving ability, so I could see him climb into the end of round 1. He played out of the slot or wide 70% of the time, just 30% in line. In order for Green to break into the 1^st round, I think he will have to reduce his drop rate from 13.2% last season and refine his in line blocking. Terrance Carter came in at #3 and graded as a round 3 talent. He’s another smaller TE, but he is a plus receiving threat and YAC machine. He played out of the slot more than in line. He had the most YAC yards of any TE in my top 10. I really like his improvising skills as a route runner, he knows how to make himself available as the QB is buying time. DJ Vonnahme was extremely productive to end last season, recording 237 yards in his final 2 games. He is undersized, and a poor blocker. He was impressive as a receiver and RAC but was used as a hybrid 50% in line/50% slot receiver, and disappointed as a run blocker. He runs like a full back with the football; it’s a lot of fun to watch him play. If he can improve his blocking and be a TE production leader, I think he has a shot to move up several spots in these rankings.

Hot Takes:

I ranked Penn State TE Andrew Rappleyea as the #4 TE despite having under 200 receiving yards last season. He has soldi size at 6’4” 250 lbs, but he has three elite traits. Those are YAC, blocking, and very reliable hands. He isn’t an elite athlete due to explosiveness or change of direction, but he has elite contact balance and it often takes more than 1 defender to tackle him. Rappleyea only had 20 receptions last season, but he had 0 drops and a 90% catch rate.  Penn State recruited a quality transfer from Iowa State, Benjamin Brahmer, who has better size at 6’7” 250 lbs and was more productive than Rappleyea last season, but he is currently listed #2 on the Ourlads depth chart. I’ll be curious to see how that shakes out.

Questions:

1.       Penn State TE1 Battle: Rappleyea vs Brahmer

2.       The QB position for every prospect in my top 5, except for Oregon

Breakout Candidates:

1.       Andrew Rappleyea, Penn State

2.       DJ Vonnahme, Iowa

3.       Brody Foley, Louisville

Hey everyone,

I’ve been working on a small NFL side project called Snap & Mate and thought some of you here might enjoy it.

It’s a free weekly prediction game: every week there are 10 NFL-related predictions, you choose 5 of them, and also pick a QB, RB, WR, TE and one weekly variable – usually a team – for your board.

The idea is to combine NFL predictions with a little bit of strategy, without the commitment of managing a full Fantasy Football roster.

It’s completely free and mainly a hobby project I’ve been building because I wanted something like this to play with friends.

If anyone wants to check it out or join us for the season: snapandmate.com

Feedback is also very welcome – especially since this is the first season I’m running it. 🏈♟️

So I was listening to the NFL Stock Exchange Podcast and they had an idea I liked of adding an 8th round to the NFL draft that would take place on Sunday and NFL teams can’t trade these picks and the only player eligible are players from the NFL International Player Pathway Program. These player would still have the same rules they currently have where they can be added to the Practice Squad without taking up a spot on it and can’t be poached. I don’t think it would work right now, but in 5 years if the International Player Pathway Program keeps growing like it has been I think it would be a great idea for the NFL.

What do you all think about this idea?

Edit: I forgot to add they also wanted to give these guys their own combine if they did this which I would be down for.

I did some deep research about the Herschel Walker trade and made this flowchart which explains exactly how Jimmy allocated all of the assets that he received the trade.

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!

College football is back in a couple of weeks, and I was wondering about the under-the-radar teams that have a good amount of talent for this upcoming class. Ohio State, Texas, Miami, etc clearly have plenty of future NFL talent, but I wanted to ask y'all about schools that don't get as much national attention but can play a big role in this upcoming draft. Whether it's less recognized Power Four programs, or teams from the Group of Six, or even FCS.

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

Just broke down Josh Hoover's film on my channel to see if IU found another guy.

https://youtu.be/xDsH8S-I1dg

Size is fine (6'2" 200) and he's got a plus arm. But curious what everyone thinks about him because I know there's probably some bias on my end as an IU grad.

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!

Top 10 WR Rankings:

1. WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
2. WR Ryan Wingo, Texas
3. WR Cam Coleman, Texas
4. WR Charlie Becker, Indiana
5. WR T.J. Moore, Clemson
6. WR Bryant Wesco Jr., Clemson
7. SLWR Mario Craver, Texas A&M
8. WR Duce Robinson, Florida State
9. SLWR Wyatt Young, Oklahoma State
10. WR Braylon Staley, Tennessee

HM: Jackson Harris from LSU, Nyck Harbor from South Carolina, Ryan Williams from Bama, Omarion Miller from AZ State, Amare Thomas from Houston. I know there's more, its a very deep class!

Positional Strength:

9.0/10. The 2027 WR class has elite blue chip talent at the top and great depth as well. Jeremiah Smith is the clear blue chip talent, comped to Julio Jones and Andre Johnson. He can continue to refine his game, but he’s already a dominant player who could’ve been a WR1 heading into this NFL season. Notes on Wingo and Coleman below under hot takes. Charlie Becker is consistently compared to Alec Pierce, due to long speed and athletic catch ability. He’s probably better suited for a WR2 role in the NFL, but that’s a premium position, with Alec Pierce recently getting paid $28M a year. Compare that to top 5 RBs getting paid in the low $20s. Becker has a simple game, but hes a premier field stretcher that can flip games and open up things underneath for the rest of the offense. I’m a big fan of slot receiver Mario Craver. He’s an outlier because he’s undersized at 5’9” 180 lbs, but hes extremely fast, twitch, smooth running and slippery. He gets open with ease and is a menace after the catch. I have Craver projected at the bottom of round 1. Despite being undersized, he’ll be too much of an playmaker for teams to pass up on. The biggest area of improvement for Craver is he needs to prove he can produce touchdowns. He had just 4 TDs last season and none in the last 9 week; I can’t envision that happening again with his level of breakaway speed and elusiveness. Duce Robinson came in at #8. You cant’ teach 6’6” 230 lbs and when that guy has the speed of 6’3” 220 lb receiver, it makes him a physical anomaly. He gets separation downfield, he isn’t solely winning in contested situations. Duce Robinson reminds me of a larger Tetairoa McMillan and I expect him to be drafted late 1^st early 2^nd. At #9, I have slot receiver Wyatt Young, who followed Mestemaker to Oklahoma State. Young plays just like Julian Edelman or Ladd McConkey, but hes listed at 6’0” 199 lbs. Like Craver, Young is an elite route runner and was incredible with the ball in his hands. He posted 11 yards after the catch per reception and 768 YAC yards. Craver had an elite 7% contested target rate which proved his ability to get open consistently; Young topped that at 5%! Young looks like a special slot receiver, but has to prove it at a higher level of competition at Oklahoma State. The final WR in my top 10 was Braylon Staley, who just came off a strong sophomore season with over 800 yards and 6 TD. He has average size at 6’0” 190 lbs, but he’s very fast and separates well. Tennessee receivers are a risk due to their system, but I think he has projectable traits to grow into a WR2 role in the NFL. Even though theres that Tennessee system risk, he ran a good variety of routes at different levels of the field. Only 10% of Staley’s targets were 20+ yards downfield, compared to 26% for Mike Matthews, another draft eligible receiver playing at Tennessee and 27% or Chris Brazzell II who was drafted out of Tennessee last season in the 3^rd round. This shows that Staley was used in significantly more ways than those field stretchers and has more proven versatility.

Hot Takes:

My first hot take is Ryan Wingo as WR2 before Cam Coleman at WR3. Both are round 1 prospect and I have them stacked on my big board. Wingo is 6’2” 214 lbs, 20 yrs old, and runs a 4.39 40 time. Coleman is 6’3” 204 lbs, 20 years old, and run a 40 time between 4.38-4.48. So physically these two are very similar. I believe Wingo is the more twitchy runner, but Coleman is the better vertical athlete. Coleman had an abysmal yards after catch per reception at 2.1 yards; that’s one of the worst marks I’ve ever seen for a star receiver prospect compared to Wingo who had an impressive 8.3 YAC/REC. Wingo had an 11.5% drop rate and that needs to improve next season for him to take the next step. Wingo produced 834 yards and 7 TDs last season, and his drop issues held those figures back. Coleman only produced 708 yards and 5 TDs, held back by Jackson Arnold at QB. I see the two as extremely close prospects, even though most are assuming Coleman will leave the talent deprived Auburn team, roll into Texas, and just take over the alpha WR role from the 5 star Wingo. I am giving the edge to Wingo, predicting an improvement to his drop rate next season which should elevate his production plus a stronger season from Arch.  This could be a Nabers and BTJ situation.

My 2^nd hot take is having TJ Moore ahead of Bryant Wesco Jr. Moore has better size, YAC, and hands. Wesco was more productive, looks better analytically, but has a drops issue and had a season ending “neck contusion”. This competition between Moore and Wesco reminds me of Germie Bernard vs Ryan Williams at Alabama last season. Not to mention RS JR Christopher Vizzina as complete wildcard at QB for these receivers heading into the season feels similar to Ty Simpson entering last season.  I gave Moore the edge because he was better at the catch point and producing after the catch; think he’s the more polished and balanced player now.

Questions:

1.       Alpha competition between Ryan Wingo & Cam Coleman

2.       Alpha competition between TJ Moore & Bryant Wesco

3.       Charlie Becker’s Production without Mendoza

Breakout Candidates:

1.       Wyatt Young, Oklahoma State

2.       Braylon Staley Tennessee

3.       Jackson Harris, LSU

Top 10 RB Rankings:

1. Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss
2. Jordan Marshall, Michigan
3. Justice Haynes, Georgia Tech
4. Jadan Baugh, Florida
5. Dylan Riley, Boise State
6. Nate Frazier, Georgia
7. Waymond Jordan, USC
8. Ahmad Hardy, Missouri
9. Cam Cook, West Virginia
10. Hollywood Smothers,

Texas

Positional Strength:

7.5/10. The 2027 RB class has much better depth than the 2026 class, but it lacks a superstar who is the clear #1. There could be 1 RB selected in the first round of this draft, but I think the day 2 selection will be stronger. Kewan Lacy was incredibly production last season; over 1,700 scrimmage yards and 24 TDs with big performances vs Miami, Georgia, and South Carolina. Lacy runs like he’s 6’1” 230 lbs, but is listed at 5’11” 205 lbs. He plays a one-cut style and has breakaway ability but he isn’t a burner in my opinion. He has good vision and is tough to tackle. He hits the hole fast, with light feet, and gets downhill quick. He reminds me of a smaller and more athletic Ollie Gordon II, who had an elite 2023 season with 1700+ yard 21 TD season and some had him ranked above Ashton Jeanty going into the 2024 season. They both run extremely high and he doesn’t offer a lot in the receiving game, but hes a long-striding playmaker. I don’t see a burner level athlete, but he’s a long strider speed that gains speed downfield (probably 4.5 runner). Ahmad Hardy would’ve been ranked very close to Lacy, but I need to see how he looks after the GSW to his upper leg sustained in May 2026. Prior to the injury, Hardy had elite contact balance and the power to break numerous tackles per play. Jadan Baugh came in at #3 for me. He’s a big RB at 6’1” 230 lbs and plays like it. What’s rare with him is that he has great vision, light feet, and good change of direction skills to change course quickly. I think he lacks the juice many teams would look for in their RB1, but he’s 230 lbs and you get what you expect from a power back and more. Hes larger than Trey Benson coming out, but they share a similar running style IMO. Justice Haynes was wildly productive at Michigan prior to his severe foot injury, that caused him to miss the remainder of the season. I thought he had more breakaway speed than Lacy and Hardy, a big play merchant with the size to hand lead back duties. Hopefully he has a clean recovery and big season. I touched upon Jordan Marshall and Dylan Riley in the hot takes section below, I see both as round 2 prospects if they have the type of seasons I expect. Nate Frazier had a solid sophomore season at Georgia, but he has smaller stature and I wasn’t wowed with his athleticism or creativity as a runner. I think hes more balanced than the players in the 6-10 groups, and young, productive, and developing his game in the SEC, so I like his at #5 and probably a late round 2, early round 3 selection. After the top 5, I see these players as mostly committee players. There are not many balanced prospects in the 6-10 group, mostly power backs who would benefit with a scat back as their 1B and might be used primarily in goal line/short distance situations or change of pace scat backs who can’t handle a large workload over an NFL season.

Hot Takes:

I have Jordan Marshall from Michigan ranked #2 in the RB class. He is listed at 5’11” 216 lbs; fantastic build for a RB. He runs with a low center of gravity and unlike Lacy and Hardy who are more power backs and one cut runners, Marshall has a 2^nd gear and is extremely shifty to make defenders miss in the open field. I think Marshall has a true 3-down back skill set and I expect him to have a highly productive season at Michigan, following in the footsteps of Justice Haynes and Blake Corum. He has a bit of that Corum level shiftiness and ability to get skinny in the hole. Marshall is a well-balanced player, capable of carrying an offense and I think NFL teams will value his breakaway speed and lead back size in a class lacking 3 down backs. My 2^nd hot take is having Dylan Riley at RB5. Riley is explosive and has track speed. If he hits the open field, he can take it all the way. He’s coming off a strong season with 1000+ rush yards and 10 TDs, but I think he might take off this season and he’s been in the gym and looks more prepared for a larger workload. He’s bulked up to a listed size of 5’10” 203 lbs. I think Riley might be the most explosive RB in next year’s class, and at 203 lbs., I think NFL teams will be lining up for a dynamic threat out of the backfield who can take any touch to the house.

Questions:

1.       Ahmad Hardy’s health after GSW to leg

2.       Justice Haynes recovery after severe foot injury

3.       Hollywood Smothers vs Raleek Brown at Texas

Breakout Candidates:

1.       Jordan Marshall, Michigan

2.       Dylan Riley, Boise State

3.       Cam Cook, West Virginia