As the calendar turns to October, the 2027 NFL Draft is approaching more rapidly, though there’s still a lot of football left to be played. Talk has shifted to 2028 quarterbacks, and I’ll entertain some of that discussion later, but the 2027 class is still much better than the public perception suggests. While quarterback talk has certainly dominated, there are at least two blue-chip prospects who should be higher than every quarterback on big boards in the next few months.
Here were my takeaways from Week 4 of the college football season.
You’ll Have a Hard Time Convincing Me That Jeremiah Smith Should Go Lower Than No. 1
The term generational gets thrown around far too frequently in the NFL Draft space, but the term fits Smith. I know I’m not breaking news here, but Smith had by far his best performance of the year last Saturday. He caught 12 of his 16 passes for 217 yards and four touchdowns. He dominated a mediocre Illinois secondary, making every defensive back who matched up against him look silly with route precision, explosiveness, and elite ball tracking. He averaged 6.38 yards per route run, had four contested catches, and just looked like the best wide receiver prospect we’ve ever seen. I think you can make a case that his impact on a franchise is greater than anything these quarterbacks offer. We obviously know he’s the best player in the draft, but that doesn’t always matter for where a player gets drafted. Lazy fans will point to Marvin Harrison Jr.’s demise as a reason to avoid Smith, but I’ve legitimately never evaluated a wide receiver as good as Smith, including Ja’Marr Chase and the aforementioned Harrison. He’s the best wide receiver prospect since Calvin Johnson in 2007, meaning it will have been 20 years since we’ve seen a player like this. The team at the top should simply take a player like that.
More Notes from Ohio State-Illinois:
Ohio State QB Julian Sayin was virtually perfect in this game, including some impressive runs that answered a few questions about his ability to avoid pressure. He was impressive throwing over the middle, and he’s now attempting more than 18% of his passes in the intermediate middle of the field, per PFF. Sayin is still a 2028 quarterback prospect, in my opinion, but some of the noise around his abilities after the Texas game have been greatly overblown. He’s not a tools guy, and he still certainly has an uphill battle to having an above-average NFL arm, but he’s a smart football player who dominated this weekend.
On the other side, Illinois QB Katin Houser was once again outstanding. He’s put a ton of NFL throws on the tape this season, and he was far from the problem for the Illini offense. He has had a long path to this success, with him finally putting things together at East Carolina last season. He’s certainly a riser, and I won’t be shocked if teams become interested in him as a day-two quarterback, especially with how the early parts of this season have gone.
Illinois WR Collin Dixon had another mildly impressive game, though Ohio State did everything they could to shut him down. Dixon finished with five receptions on eight targets for 63 yards. Certainly not his best performance, but against this Ohio State secondary, it’s something to continue building on.
Ohio State S Jaylen McClain was once again outstanding on the back end of the defense. He had six tackles, two assists, and broke up four passes. He’s looking like a top-50 pick early on this year, after an impressive first season as the starter in 2025.
His teammate, CB Jermaine Mathews Jr., has also been outstanding this season. He had a pass breakup and allowed just four receptions on eight targets. He is allowing an NFL passer rating of 72.0 this year, and he’s had some tough matchups. He may be a 2028 guy, but he’s been really impressive in this improved Ohio State secondary.
Ohio State RB Ja’Kobi Jackson has quietly turned into the best running back on the roster. While Bo Jackson provides explosiveness, Jackson provides toughness. He is averaging 5.58 yards after contact per attempt, has forced 14 missed tackles, and is an excellent goal line back. He’s certainly a guy to keep an eye on after lacking opportunities in 2025 with the Florida Gators.
