Early 2026 NFL Draft Position Rankings
How do the Potential Draft Prospects Stack Up Five Weeks Into the Season?
It’s Draft Season. Although we’re only three weeks into the NFL season, some teams have already mailed it in with an 0-3 record, and fans are looking ahead at adding some talent in April. With a month of the 2025 College Football Season already in the books, now is as good a time as any to check in on some of the potential draft prospects in the 2026 Class.
Before Week 0, I wrote an article going over my favorite players to watch for the 2026 NFL Draft. While it’s still a bit premature to have an official Big Board, I certainly have a rough order of how certain position groups have stacked up so far.
A lot of players have risen to the occasion early in the season, and some have had quieter starts. Bear in mind that as of writing this, we are in Week 5, with plenty of time left in the regular season and potential bowl games/playoff runs. With that out of the way, let’s see how the draftable prospects stack up a quarter of the way into the CFB calendar.
Quarterbacks
John Mateer, Oklahoma*
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
Garrett Nussmeier, Louisiana State
Drew Allar, Penn State
Dante Moore, Oregon
Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
Carson Beck, Miami
Ty Simpson, Alabama
Taylen Green, Arkansas
*Note: OU Quarterback John Mateer sustained a thumb injury on his throwing hand and will miss extended time this season
John Mateer headlines the potential blue chippers at the position in 2026. Through four games, Mateer has commanded the offense with both his arm and his legs, and made the necessary plays against tough teams to collect multiple ranked wins. Fernando Mendoza is the other contender for QB1. While he has put up numbers, the competition Indiana has faced so far has been a bit lackluster. Hopefully we can see more excellent performances against Iowa, Oregon, and Penn State later in the season.
Even with an up and down start to the season, I just can’t quit believing in LaNorris Sellers. The traits Sellers possesses are special, and when it all comes together, the Gamecocks are hard to stop. More consistency and better feel in the pocket could easily send Sellers to the top of this list. Nussmeier and Allar have been as advertised early in the season, displaying Round 1 traits. The surprise of the season in my opinion has been Dante Moore. After backing up Dillon Gabriel last season, Moore has had a breakout start to his junior campaign. Moore has the chance to make a statement as he faces off against Allar and the Nittany Lions this weekend.
There are several quarterbacks that could sneak into the top 32 picks, but we need to see more. Sam Leavitt hasn’t done much to build off of a College Football Playoff berth last season. Carson Beck has also been quite the step down from Cam Ward in Miami. Ty Simpson has been hyper-efficient, but needs to prove more against stronger competition. Taylen Green has been a positive surprise, nearly eclipsing his career high in passing touchdowns already through four games. His performance may be the only thing keeping Head Coach Sam Pittman in Fayetteville.
No player has done more to harm their draft stock through the first month of the season than Cade Klubnik. After resurrecting his career last season and capturing an ACC Championship, Klubnik has regressed to levels we haven’t seen since his freshman season. While Klubnik could be more of a symptom than the cause of Clemson’s embarrassing 1-3 start, he will have to significantly improve his play in order to fend off the shouts calling for redshirt sophomore Christopher Vizzina to start.
Running Backs
Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
Justice Haynes, Michigan
Le’Veon Moss, Texas A&M
Robert Henry Jr, Texas-San Antonio
Kaytron Allen, Penn State
Jadarian Price, Notre Dame
After a quiet Week 1, it was nice to see Jeremiyah Love stack consecutive 19+ touch and 2 touchdown games together. When given the ball at a higher clip, Love has been as advertised as the de facto RB1 of this class. However, Love isn’t alone at the top anymore - Michigan running back Justice Haynes is making a name for himself. The Alabama transfer has gained over 100 rushing yards and a touchdown or more in every contest so far. With true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood still learning the pace of the game, the Wolverines will be giving Haynes plenty of opportunities to put good tape out there.
Following the potential first rounders is a much larger group of Day 2 players. Texas A&M’s Le’Veon Moss is off to a quick start in his first three games, and has patience when running similar to another back named Le’Veon. Robert Henry Jr. of UTSA may no longer be an under-the-radar player as he leads all of FBS in rushing yards, has the highest yards per carry of anyone with 50 or more attempts, and is tied for second in rushing touchdowns. Kaytron Allen has been the more productive and explosive of the talented Penn State backs. Love gets a lot of the credit for the Fighting Irish offense, but backup Jadarian Price has also impressed early this season. Price certainly can play his way into a high draft pick.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State (WR)
Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon (TE)
Denzel Boston, Washington (WR)
Makai Lemon, Southern Cal (WR)
Germie Bernard, Alabama (WR)
Carnell Tate, Ohio State (WR)
Chris Bell, Louisville (WR)
CJ Daniels, Miami (WR)
Kevin Concepcion, Texas A&M (WR)
Elijah Sarratt, Indiana (WR)
It’s safe to say that I feel a lot better about the receiving options in this class after the first handful of weeks. Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson remains WR1, his blend of size, speed, and ball skills at the catch point are tough to match. Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq stands alone in a weaker class for the position. He’s a bit of a projection, only having nine receptions on the season so far, but in the limited role with the ball in his hands, Sadiq has impressed. Sadiq has also shown some blocking ability as well, furthering his case for TE1.
Following the top guys are a group of receivers that continue to trend upwards. Washington’s Denzel Boston has been a Red Zone mismatch, measuring at 6’4’’ and over 200 lbs. USC’s Makai Lemon leads the Big Ten in both receptions and receiving yards, becoming the go-to weapon for quarterback Jayden Maiava (who has quietly already reached career highs through four games). Many people thought that Freshman Phenom Ryan Williams would build off of his stellar age-17 season, but Germie Bernard has established himself as the Crimson Tide’s WR1 early this year. Bernard is similar to Emeka Egbuka as a prospect, doing all the dirty work and operating at every level of the field.
For the potential Day 2 players, Carnell Tate and Chris Bell have been as advertised - competent receivers that can make plays. CJ Daniels has erupted onto the scene after some magnificent early catches for the Canes. While Daniels is a bit on the older side, he certainly has the ball-winning abilities to be considered an early pick. Mississippi State transfer Mario Craver has a lot of the early buzz for the Aggies receiving room, but fellow transfer (NC State) Kevin Concepcion has performed at a high level as well. To round out this group, Elijah Sarratt has been Fernando Mendoza’s go-to weapon - to the point that he already has five receiving touchdowns. For Mendoza’s potential Heisman run to continue, Sarratt will have to be even more involved.
Offensive Line
Francis Mauigoa, Miami (RT)
Spencer Fano, Utah (RT)
Caleb Lomu, Utah (LT)
Kadyn Proctor, Alabama (LT)
Parker Brailsford, Alabama (C)
Miami has had no shortage or stars early this season, and none have had as big an impact on the offensive side of the ball than Francis Mauigoa. Even if Carson Beck hasn’t delivered superstar performances, Mauigoa has locked down the right side of the offensive line, keeping Beck clean and mauling in the run game. The Utah tackle duo can also be in contention for the top OL spot. After a beating delivered by the Texas Tech front, people may look down on the Utes, but both Spencer Fano (right tackle) and Caleb Lomu (left tackle) have been excellent to start the season.
Two Crimson Tide lineman make up the next tier of potential first round picks. Kadyn Proctor has measurables that most NFL teams dream of, but is on slide watch after a despicable performance in Week 1 against Florida State. However, Alabama center Parker Brailsford has been nothing short of perfect to start the season. Brailsford has called the protections, rarely allowed pressure, and been a mover in the run game for the Tide through three games. No one has performed better at center in the country.
Defensive Front
Rueben Bain Jr, Miami (EDGE)
Peter Woods, Clemson (DL)
Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State (EDGE)
Keldric Faulk, Auburn (EDGE)
TJ Parker, Clemson (EDGE)
Anto Saka, Northwestern (DL)
LT Overton, Alabama (DL)
David Bailey, Texas Tech (EDGE)
Tyreak Sapp, Florida (EDGE)
Matayo Uiagalelei, Oregon (EDGE)
While Mauigoa has had the largest impact on Miami’s offense, Rueben Bain Jr. has been the best defender in all of college football to start the season. The former ACC Rookie of the Year is up to 2 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, an interception, and a forced fumble through four games. Bain stole Peter Woods’ spot at the top of the defensive front group largely through his own play, but partially due to Clemson’s defensive slide. Woods is still playing at a high level, but isn’t quite living up to the best player in college football moniker he had coming into the season.
The next group of potential first rounders have mostly impressed to start the season. Dennis-Sutton likely would’ve been a Top 50 selection last year, and has already forced two fumbles through three contests. Keldric Faulk is still the imposing threat along the defensive line that he was billed as. Clemson’s TJ Parker has gotten off to the slowest start of the bunch, but based off of his traits and past production, it’s hard for me to push him down any further.
There are a lot of defensive front prospects that could end up within the Top 100 picks. Anto Saka doesn’t have the counting stats, but has impressed early for Northwestern’s defense. Alabama’s LT Overton, similar to his rival Keldric Faulk, has just continued to use his size to overwhelm offensive lines. David Bailey has been huge for the Red Raiders, the Stanford transfer is already off to a hot start. Tyreak Sapp has fallen victim to the woes of the Gators offense, and hasn’t had nearly the amount of pass rush snaps we’d like to see from him. Finally, Matayo Uiagalelei has impressed early, and has a huge chance to move up the board with a road game in State College this weekend.
Off-Ball Linebackers
CJ Allen, Georgia
Anthony Hill Jr, Texas
Sonny Styles, Ohio State
Whit Weeks, Louisiana State
Arvell Reese, Ohio State
Jaishawn Barham, Michigan
Harold Perkins Jr, Louisiana State
Deontae Lawson, Alabama
Last year’s lack of high-end linebacker play at the top of the draft will be remedied in the 2026 Class. CJ Allen has been making a name for himself early in the season as the leader of a unit that looks to be one of the best in the country. Do-it-all linebacker Anthony Hill has done it all so far, picking up the slack that the Longhorns offense has created. Ohio State’s Sonny Styles has a chance to be at the top of this list in April - his athletic profile and experience as a safety make him a menace in coverage.
Both of LSU’s starting linebackers have been incredibly impactful thus far. Whit Weeks looks like a traditional three-down backer while Perkins seems to have settled into more of a coverage-based role after struggling to find an identity the last two seasons. Sonny Styles’ running mate Arvell Reese has impressed as well, from cleaning up plays to being a mismatch blitzer. Jaishawn Barham will be the latest impact defender drafted early from Michigan - the Maryland transfer is already up to 5 TFLs and 3 sacks. Alabama’s Deontae Lawson is looking like his pre-injury self again, and will have a chance to impress in a colossal matchup in Athens this weekend.
Defensive Backs
Caleb Downs, Ohio State (S)
Jermod McCoy, Tennessee (CB)**
Avieon Terrell, Clemson (CB)
Dillon Thieneman, Oregon (S)
Mansoor Delane, Louisiana State (CB)
Bray Hubbard, Alabama (S)
**Note: Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy hasn’t played this season, as he continues to recover from an ACL injury sustained in January
Since being named a starter as a true freshman, Caleb Downs has been the best defensive back in all of college football. He seems to get better every season, and at this point, Downs might be approaching some of the all-time great safety prospects. While Jermod McCoy hasn’t played a down this season, his tape from last year, stretching into the Vols playoff run, is still some of the best in the country. Reports suggest the star corner is eyeing a return in October, which should give the Tennessee defense a huge injection of talent.
Avieon Terrell might be the only Clemson defender that is still 100% bought in every play. Terrell continues to lock down WR1s this season, and will continue to have the opportunity to match up against the best with contests against Florida State, Louisville, and South Carolina later this year. Purdue transfer Dillon Thieneman hasn’t shown up much in the box score this season, but has displayed good size and range early for the Ducks. He’ll have his toughest matchup this weekend against the Nittany Lions. LSU’s Mansoor Delane has been one of the biggest risers so far to start the season. The Virginia Tech transfer already has his first interception and will look to add more this week against Ole Miss. Lastly, Bray Hubbard may have the biggest change in draft range following Week 1. In the loss to Florida State, Hubbard looked sluggish and disengaged. Since then, Hubbard has been one of the Crimson Tides’ most impactful players both on and off the field. Hubbard will have plenty of opportunities to continue to improve his stock with ranked matchups against Georgia, Vanderbilt, Missouri, and Tennessee over the next month.
Blue Chip Players
As I stated in the intro, there is still plenty of time for the prospects in this class to make their way up the draft board. As of now, however, these are the players that have initial “Blue Chip” grades from me. I expect most, if not all of these players to be selected on the first night of the 2026 Draft, and hopefully all of them can have immediate and lasting impacts in the NFL.
John Mateer, Oklahoma (QB)
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana (QB)
Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State (WR)
Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon (TE)
Francis Mauigoa, Miami (OT)
Spencer Fano, Utah (OT)
Caleb Lomu, Utah (OT)
Rueben Bain Jr, Miami (EDGE)
Peter Woods, Clemson (DL)
CJ Allen, Georgia (LB)
Anthony Hill Jr, Texas (LB)
Sonny Styles, Ohio State (LB)
Caleb Downs, Ohio State (S)
Jermod McCoy, Tennessee (CB)