There are 315 days until the 2026 NFL draft, which may seem like a long time, but if you’re just tuning into the 2026 draft now, you are about three years too late. The NFL scouting industry is crazy; they’ve been watching these guys for years, going all the way back to when these guys were freshmen in high school (for some of these guys, they’ve been watched for even longer!). There is no such thing as paying attention to draft prospects too early!
In that spirit, I want to give you guys a little primer on the prospects before the release of EA Sports College Football 26, which I think will be a great tool for average football fans to learn about some of the NFL draft prospects that NFL scouts have been watching for years already (just like last year’s game was).
I will break down the top prospects per position that could potentially be taken in the first round of next year’s NFL Draft. Some of these guys may flame out, some of them may choose not to declare for next year’s draft, and some may unfortunately get injured or have off the field issues that could impact their draft stock, so don’t take this list as written in stone, but it’s a good overall guide as to who to look for in the game if you are interested in learning about the potential future stars of the NFL.
Quarterback
- Arch Manning, Texas
- Drew Allar, Penn State
- Cade Klubnik, Clemson
- Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
- LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
- Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
- Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
- Nico Iamaleava, UCLA
Summary:
While I know it is highly unlikely that eight QBs will go in the first round, this draft class does have a bevy of potential NFL starters. It’s basically the opposite of this year’s QB class. It is an extremely talented group with surprising depth and could end up changing the landscape of the NFL with the amount of talent available at the most premium position in the game.
Starting off with one of the most hyped players in college football history, Arch Manning seems to be the inevitable number one pick in the draft (assuming he decides to declare after this year, he could probably make more money in College NIL deals than an NFL rookie contract). His traits and bloodlines are too good to ignore, and I’m not too concerned about his lack of starting experience. If he balls out the way people expect this year, he should be a lock for the number one pick. You can probably say a similar thing about my fifth QB LaNorris Sellers, who might not be as sure of a thing as Manning given the bloodlines and pedigree of Arch, but Sellers is also a high potential QB with little production so far in his collegiate career that could catapult himself into the top two picks if he realizes his potential this season.
Next up, we have a trio of familiar seniors who, unlike Arch, have years of starting experience in college. Alllar has led an outstanding Penn State team to back-to-back 10+ win seasons, including winning two playoff games last year to make it to the semifinals. Klubnik hasn’t had as much success as Allar record-wise, but has arguably been more impressive with fewer weapons, and it will be interesting to see between the two who ends up getting picked higher. Garrett Nussmeier is also in that trio, but he only has one season under his belt and threw an SEC-leading 12 interceptions during that campaign. He also doesn’t have the mobility of Allar or Klubnik, and his stick could fall because of it, despite having perhaps the best arm in the class.
Finally, we round it out with three transfer QBs who might not be considered first-rounders right now, but have had impressive careers so far and could easily jump into the first round if they put up a good showing this year. Leavitt will be in his second year at Arizona State after transferring from Michigan State, Mendoza is coming from Cal to the upstart Hoosiers, and of course, Iamaleava negotiated himself out of a job at Tennessee and is now at UCLA.
Running Back
- Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
- Nicholas Singleton, Penn State
Love has a solid first-round grade on him after a breakout 19-touchdown season a year ago. He isn’t an Ashton Jeanty or Saquon Barkley top 10 overall type running back. But he could be a guy that goes around where Josh Jacobs went in 2019 (24th overall) or where Najee Harris and Travis Etienne went in 2021 (24th and 25th overall, respectively), he’s that type of running back.
I also included Nicholas Singleton, one of the two Penn State thousand yard rushers from a year ago (the other being Kaytron Allen) who I see as the mirror versions of Henderson and Judkins from Ohio State last year with Singleton being the Henderson portion and representing slightly more value given his ability in the passing game.
Wide Receiver
- Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State
- Antonio Williams, Clemson
- Carnell Tate, Ohio State
- Denzel Boston, Washington
- Ja’Kobi Lane, USC
- Aaron Anderson, LSU
- Nic Anderson, LSU
- Elijah Sarratt, Indiana
Tyson put up 1100 yards and 10 touchdowns last year with Leavitt at quarterback and is now looking like one of the best WR/QB duos in the country. Of course, Antonio Williams and Cade Klubnik have something to say about that, as he, too, is coming off an impressive season with 900 receiving yards and 11 TDs. Both Tyson and Williams could go in the first half of the first round.
We also have Carnell Tate, who was sitting behind Jeremiah Smith (who was so good that he was picked as a cover athlete of EA CFB26 after just one year) and Emeka Egbuka (who was so good that he was taken in the first round last year) last season, but is similarly talented. Boston is a well-built 6’4″receiver who is known for winning contested catches and reminds me a lot of Tet McMillan from last year.
We then have a pair of LSU receivers that I’m very high on, the Anderson bros as I call them, Aaron is a high volume slot receiver (could perhaps be the best slot receiver in the class) and Nic who is a huge 6’4’’ transfer receiver from Oklahoma who was already super productive there with a 2023 where he put up 800 yards and 10 touchdowns on just 39 catches.
Sarratt and Lane are also getting hype as potential first-rounders. Sarratt was one of the most productive receivers in the Big Ten last year, receiving 950 yards and eight touchdowns. Lane was also productive, putting up 12 touchdowns and 500 yards.
Tight End
- Max Klare, Ohio State
The former Purdue Boilermaker who transferred to Ohio State this offseason put up impressive numbers (685 yards and four touchdowns on 51 receptions) last year and has a chance to dominate in an offense rich with weapons. He’s the only tight end on my radar for first-round picks at the moment.
Offensive Lineman
- Kadyn Proctor, Alabama
- Francis Mauigoa, Miami
- Spencer Fano, Utah
- Isaiah World, Oregon
- Austin Barber, Florida
- Caleb Lomu, Utah
- Jake Slaughter, Florida
- Xavier Chaplin, Auburn
This O-Line class is impressive, with three or four of them having top ten potential, starting with the absolutely massive Kadyn Proctor, who stands at about 6’7’’ 370 pounds but moves with the grace of a ballerina on Alabama’s blind side. Mauigoa and Fano are also left tackles with the skills to easily be looked at as a top ten talent next year. Isaiah World is a massive human, but was only a three-star talent coming out of high school and has had to develop his technique over the past few years, which makes him slightly more raw of a prospect than the three sure-fire top ten talents above him.
Jake Slaughter is the only non-tackle on this list and is likely to be the first center taken off the board. The biggest question is whether a team is willing to take a true center in the first round? His scheme versatility, intelligence, and consistent improvement could be factors that convince somebody to take a chance on the Gator center. There are also a few more guys who can sneak into the first round, including Utah’s other tackle Caleb Lomu, Austin Barber from Florida, and Xavier Chaplin from Auburn.
Defensive Lineman
- Peter Woods, Clemson
- Kedric Faulk, Auburn
- Caleb Banks, Florida
- Christen Miller, Georgia
Woods has rare athletic gifts and can play both defensive tackle and EDGE (he’s even lined up offensively as well!), he racks up TFLs like it’s nothing, and could go in the top five of next year’s draft if he keeps playing like he has. Kendric Faulk is also another extremely talented big man with positional flexibility and is an elite run defender, but still somehow managed to record seven sacks last year as a Sophomore. Faulk could also find his way into the top ten next year.
Miller is your average Georgia defensive tackle, so obviously he will likely get picked by the Eagles at the end of the first round, while the rest of the league all bury their head in their hands simultaneously.
Banks struggled early in his collegiate career, but absolutely broke out in the later part of last season, logging 14 QB pressures in just two games at the tail end of the year and grabbing 3.5 sacks in the final three games of the season. A continuation of that production could make him a high-end prospect come draft day..
EDGE
- T.J. Parker, Clemson
- LT Overton, Alabama
- Reuben Bain Jr., Miami
- Matayo Uiagalelei, Oregon
- Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State
T.J. Parker and his 11.5 sacks and 20 TFLs last year have already positioned himself as the top prospect coming into the 2025 season (although he probably won’t be the first pick since a few QBs will likely be valued over him). Parker is so good that he overshadows the rest of the EDGE class. That includes blue chip prospect LT Overton, who has all the traits you could possibly want and was a unanimous 5-star recruit out of high school, but hasn’t translated that into anywhere close to Parker’s production.
Matayo Uiagalelei had similar sack numbers to Parker, but he only had 13 TFLs last year, which was his breakout season after a very unproductive freshman season (unlike Parker, who tallied 5.5 sacks and 13 TFLs as a freshman). Reuben could have potentially put up similar numbers to Parker, but he dealt with injuries last year that hampered his production.
Dennis-Sutton benefited from having Abdul Carter on the other side of the line from him taking most of the attention off him, this increased his production and his draft stock, but this season will be the ultimate test for him as he takes on the role of lead pass rusher for the Nittany Lions, he could prove himself to to be a 1st rounder or fall flat on his face.
Linebacker
- Anthony Hill Jr., Texas
- Deontae Lawson, Alabama
Standup linebackers don’t usually garner many first-round looks, but some of these guys are more hybrid edge guys like Jihaad Campbell and Jalon Walker from last year. Anthony Hill Jr. could get picked extremely high for a linebacker given his impressive pass-rushing ability. Hill had eight sacks and 17 TFLs last year, and if he keeps it up, he could end up being taken in the first half of the first round.
Deontae Lawson filled up the stat sheet last year for the Crimson Tide, tallying 76 tackles, seven TFLs, two sacks, and one interception last season. While he may fall outside of the first round if the draft were today, a slight improvement in his rush numbers, and he could be a late-round selection for a team like the Eagles, Ravens, Chiefs, or Bills.
Cornerback
- Jermod McCoy, Tennessee
- Avieon Terrell, Clemson
- Malik Muhammad, Texas
- A.J. Harris, Penn State
- Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina
Jermod McCoy was really solid in his freshman season with Oregon State, but once the PAC-12 dissolved into nothingness, he transferred to Tennessee and is now a superstar for them after recording four interceptions and nine interceptions against elite talent in the SEC. A.J. Harris is similarly a transfer corner who really came into his own after the transfer. Harris went from Georgia, where he wasn’t getting enough playing time, to Penn State, where he immediately shone as a starter.
The other three corners on my list are entering their third year on the team that initially recruited them, with Avieon Terrell being something of a celebrity at Clemson from the start as the brother of former Clemson corner and current Falcons star A.J. Terrell. Malik Muhammad and Jalon Kilgore are also top-end corners who could have their names called in the first round next year.
Safety
- Caleb Downs, Ohio State
- Dillon Thieneman, Oregon
Caleb Downs was the highest-rated player in CFB 25 that didn’t enter the 2025 NFL Draft, which will almost certainly earn him the highest overall rating in the game this season as well. He’s not just a video game star, though; he is also a ridiculously talented prospect who was a beast in 2023 for Alabama and then transferred to Ohio State and had an equally tremendous season for the Buckeyes. He was a unanimous all-American and won the Big Ten best defensive back of the year award last year during his sophomore season after becoming the first freshman in Alabama history to lead the team in tackles.
Downs has played elite football at two elite schools, and the sky’s the limit for his Junior season as he tries to increase his draft stock, which is already in the top ten best in the class (maybe top five).
Dillon Thieneman, like Downs, had an impressive freshman season (six interceptions and over 100 tackles) and a solid sophomore year (no interceptions but five more pass deflections and a sack, as well as another year of over 100 tackles). Now, he’s transferred to a more prestigious program (going from Purdue to Oregon). With that upgrade in prestige, if he continues his productive play, he could easily become a first-round pick in 2026.
