We’re going to do this a little differently this week. With all the Big Draft folks discussing their midseason ranking updates, I thought it was time to share a quick top-five list for each position. This class is shaping up to be extremely talented, especially compared with the last few drafts. That said, it’s hard to pick out the blue-chip players so far. We have some clear guys at the top of the big board, but there just aren’t a ton of “no doubt about it” guys (and even when we do, we should probably have more doubts). But to be clear, this class is a lot of fun across a ton of positions, and teams should be quite happy with their haul when the draft rolls around next spring.
Quarterbacks
Dante Moore, Oregon
Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State
Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
CJ Carr, Notre Dame
Darian Mensah, Miami (FL)
First Out: Josh Hoover, Indiana
I’ll get it out of the way: I don’t think Arch Manning has ever performed like a top quarterback in this class. He showed signs of growth and development at times over the last two seasons, but he hasn’t strung together consistent processing, accuracy, or comfort with the checkdown. It’s been disappointing, and I think Manning will return to school. That said, I have him with a day-two grade right now.
As far as the players on this list, I am not panicking on Moore yet. His advanced metrics are still good, even if the film was a bit inconsistent before his concussion. I expect he’ll return to the form we saw in 2025, and if he doesn’t, I’ll adjust down. The biggest riser in the class is obviously Mestemaker. He had borderline day-two film last year, and he’s answered virtually every question I had through the first half of the year. I still have concerns about his willingness to put the ball in dangerous situations, but he's been outstanding over the last three weeks. I won’t be shocked if he lands at QB1 when the cycle concludes. Candidly, Chambliss and Carr have identical grades to Mestemaker, and their high football IQ pushes them up my board. Mensah still has to prove he can do what he’s done against real defenses, and I’m a bit skeptical his arm is good enough at the NFL level.
The doom-and-gloom narrative around this quarterback class is misguided; all of these guys are borderline first-round picks, with Hoover coming in with a grade similar to Jaxson Dart. Even if this isn’t the group we thought would be at the top, it is still a strong class.
Running Backs
Jadan Baugh, Florida
Wayshawn Parker, Utah
Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss
Justice Haynes, Georgia Tech
Nate Frazier, Georgia
First Out: Mark Fletcher Jr., Miami (FL)
Candidly, the first-round discussion for any of these guys reflects how the NFL is collectively running its offenses more than this class’s talent. Baugh is a good player, and he can absolutely lead a backfield, but he’s not in the Bijan Robinson tier. We did see Najee Harris drafted inside the first 32 picks a few years ago, though, and teams are building power run games across the league, so he still has a chance to go in the first round. Behind him, Parker has been remarkable to start the year. He checks every analytical box, has impressive film, and looks like a game-changer at the next level. I’m not 100% sold on his frame holding up, but we’ve seen smaller players find enough success that I’m willing to bet on him. I’d love it if we see him finish runs with more toughness, but we’ll see how he develops. Maybe the most surprising, at least for me, is Justice Haynes. I’ve been incredibly pleased with his development, especially regarding play strength and an uptick in receiving ability. His transfer to Georgia Tech now looks wise.
You’ll never make me hate Nate Frazier, but I’m a sucker for elite athletes out of the Georgia backfield, so I’ll probably be wrong about his NFL potential.
Wide Receivers
Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
Charlie Becker, Indiana
Cam Coleman, Texas
Nick Marsh, Indiana
Deuce Alexander, Ole Miss
First Out: Reed Harris, Arizona State
If anyone tells you there’s a top-tier player alongside Smith, they’re lying to you and probably themselves. Smith is a man amongst boys, and he should be the No. 1 overall pick. Behind him, though, this class is really rounding out. Becker and Marsh have been remarkably impressive for Indiana, with the latter taking massive leaps forward, even after a rough start to the year. The former is still one of the class’s better deep threats, with some of the most elite ball skills. Marsh isn’t too shabby there either. Sandwiched between them is a player who will undoubtedly be a better pro than a college player in Coleman. His start to the year hasn’t been the most dominant, but he has all the tools that make elite wideouts, and I think his quarterback is holding him back a bit. Alexander is the fastest wideout in this class, and his game has some Jameson Williams tendencies. That’s always going to go in the first round, especially when he shows such subtle movements in his route stems that make him nearly impossible to defend.
Wyatt Young is right there with Harris, and if Mestemaker declares, I’d expect Young to do the same. Harris has been the revelation this year, with some of the most dominant ball-winning, field-stretching, and possession-controlling skill sets in the class. He’s explosive and has more twitch than expected.
