November is here, and the sprint to college football’s regular season finish line is in sight. The first leg of the final race delivered three top-10 upsets, as No. 8 Georgia Tech, No. 9 Vanderbilt and No. 10 Miami each suffered losses in Week 10.
With each passing week, the College Football Playoff picture gains more clarity—as does the 2026 NFL Draft class. Chances are dwindling to change narratives and pad résumés.
Five prospects helped their cause in Week 10. Two others slid the opposite direction. Here’s Sports Illustrated’s risers and fallers from the first week of November.
Risers
Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt
After a quiet three-game stretch where he collected only nine catches for 96 yards and no scores, Stowers starred in Vanderbilt’s 34–31 loss to Texas. The 6' 4", 235-pound Stowers caught seven passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns against the Longhorns, setting season-highs in each category. Stowers, an athletic, smooth-moving route runner, is one of the draft’s best pass-catching tight ends. He entered the season as a popular first-round pick in summer mock drafts but has slipped into the Day 2 mix. He needs more performances like Saturday moving forward.
Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia
Branch, a transfer from USC, has turned the corner of late after an up-and-down start to his Georgia career. Branch, who stands 5' 10" and 180 pounds, set season highs with 10 catches, tied for the third-most among FBS players in Week 10, for 112 yards in Georgia’s 24–20 win over Florida. Branch is an explosive playmaker who’s elusive and hard to bring down in space—he had 81 yards after the catch against Florida, according to Pro Football Focus—and he offers kick- and punt-return versatility. The true junior projects as a Day 2 pick with the big-play potential to energize his first NFL offense.
Kenyatta Jackson Jr., edge, Ohio State
Overlooked on an Ohio State defense littered with big names, Jackson delivered perhaps the best performance of his college career in a 38–14 victory over Penn State. Jackson collected two sacks and, according to Pro Football Focus, four quarterback hurries and seven total pressures. The 6' 6", 265-pound Jackson, who has four-and-a-half sacks this season, has an enticing blend of size, length, power and athleticism. His game is peaking as the end of his college career nears, and he should be a spring riser, too.
Jalon Kilgore, DB, South Carolina
Kilgore pops on South Carolina’s tape with his range and reliability on the back end, and he nabbed his first interception of the season Saturday, picking off Trinidad Chambliss late in the first half of the Gamecocks’ 30–14 loss to Ole Miss. Kilgore had five interceptions in 2024 but had been shutout through the season’s first eight games. At 6' 1" and 211 pounds, Kilgore wears lots of hats in South Carolina’s secondary, as he’s capable of playing either safety spot and covering receivers in the slot. His ball skills, cover ability and physicality culminate in a potential Day 2 pick.
Jake Slaughter, C, Florida
Slaughter graded as a mid-Day 2 pick entering the season, and he delivered a quality performance in Florida’s Week 10 loss to Georgia. The 6' 5", 303-pound Slaughter is a big, strong center who created sizable rushing lanes Saturday and proved sturdy in pass protection—he didn’t allow a sack or quarterback hit and received an 83.6 overall pass blocking grade from Pro Football Focus. Slaughter has given up just one sack this season; he’s been reliably stout on passing downs, and his size lends itself favorable to displacing defensive linemen. He’s firmly in the Day 2 mix.
Fallers
LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina
Sellers has made this list a few times already this season, but it’s fair to say he had his worst outing of the season against Ole Miss. After encouraging flashes the week prior versus Alabama, Sellers went 16-for-30 passing for 180 yards, two touchdowns—one passing, one rushing—and two interceptions. Sellers has completed below 60% of his passes and thrown for 180 yards or fewer in three of the past four games, and South Carolina’s offensive line woes have resulted in less confidence and early exits from the pocket. Sellers, who carries a physically impressive 6' 3", 240-pound build, has the best pure traits of any quarterback in the draft, but he’s endured a challenging redshirt sophomore season.
Drew Shelton, OT, Penn State
Shelton has first-round talent but has too often played below the sum of his parts this season, and the trend continued in the Nittany Lions’ loss at Ohio State. Shelton allowed three pressures and one sack against Ohio State, and he graded sub-60 across the board in Pro Football Focus’s metrics. At his best, the 6' 5", 306-pound Shelton pairs quick, athletic feet and a strong upper body to move defenders off their spot. But he hasn’t met expectations this season, and his play level reflects that of a late Day 2 to early Day 3 selection.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Five Prospects Who Improved Their 2026 NFL Draft Stock in Week 10.
