DRAFT NEWS

The college football season concludes Monday night when the Hurricanes battle the Hoosiers for the national title. Miami is seeking their first national championship in a quarter century while Indiana seeks their first national championship in school history. This game features several potential first-round picks including Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza and OT Carter Smith as well as Miami OT Francis Mauigoa, EDGEs Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor, and CB Keionte Scott.

The Big Board 100 is a direct reflection of the strengths and weaknesses of the 2026 NFL Draft class. WR is the most represented position on this Big Board with 14 prospects listed, which indicates the wide array of talent available at the WR position. The best talent of this draft is along the offensive and defensive lines where 38 of the 100 prospects listed are either OTs, IOL (OG and OC), EDGEs, or IDL.

Only four teams remain alive in the hunt for the national title and several future NFL stars will undoubtedly be featured performers in the drama to come. Let’s take a look at some of the best draft-eligible prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft that will be playing in the national semifinals at the Fiesta and Peach Bowl games on January 8th and 9th, respectively.

Happy New Year! Eight teams remain alive in the hunt for the national title and several future NFL stars will undoubtedly be featured performers in the drama to come. Let’s take a look at some of the best draft-eligible prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft that will be playing in the Cotton and Orange Bowl games.

Draft-worthy upperclassmen have been sitting out the bowl games for years, fearing an injury suffered in a meaningless bowl game could derail their professional career. This thought process also applies to any player who intends to enter the transfer portal - why risk a bowl game injury and not being able to cash in on a lucrative NIL offer from another school to play in a pointless game? If only the Fighting Irish had declined a bowl bid, it could be written off as Notre Dam

The end of the college football regular season has arrived as three big games – one in the Big Ten, one in the SEC, and another one in the ACC will directly impact the conference races and the college football playoff race. Several top NFL prospects including QB Carson Beck / Georgia (SNS #5 QB), WRs Carnell Tate / Ohio State (SNS #2 WR) and KC Concepcion / Texas A&M (SNS #10 WR)...

As the leaves begin to turn, we are getting a better sense of the quality and depth of the upperclassmen who are likely to populate the top of NFL draft boards next April. To say the QBs have under-performed would qualify as an understatement at this point in the season. Only Carson Beck has played like a first round draft pick through the first third of the season.

Last weekend’s games were dramatic, down-to-the-wire affairs that will have a huge influence on the conference title and national playoff races. Oregon, Alabama, and Ole Miss all earned impressive victories last weekend and have an inside track to a playoff berth this December. Three games this Saturday – Miami at Florida State, Vanderbilt at Alabama, and Texas at Florida - will factor into conference title races and feature several potential first-round picks next April.

It's mock draft time here at SNS! Although the leaves are only beginning to turn, certain patterns are already setting in about the 2025 NFL season. Four teams clearly need an upgrade at QB - New Orleans, Miami, NY Jets, and Cleveland - but the quality of the 2026 QB class is in question by the performances put on film by the projected top prospects Drew Allar, Garrett Nussmeier, Carson Beck, Cade Klubnik, and Arch Manning so far this season.

NFL college scouts entered the 2025 season eyeing five primary QB prospects to be possible first round draft picks next April - Arch Manning (Texas), Cade Klubnik (Clemson), Garrett Nussmeier (LSU), Drew Allar (Penn State), and Carson Beck (Miami, Fl) - and after week two, a sixth name has proven he needs to be added to this list - Baylor QB Sawyer Robertson.

This column will be discussing draft eligible players - prospects at least three years out of high school - but anything that happens in the NFL and college football could be discussed here. The goal is to bring you, the reader, a fresh perspective on the development of the next batch of NFL superstars while they are learning the craft in the multi-billion dollar world of collegiate athletics. SNS readers are informed and that makes you a smarter fan and better at fantasy foo

Admittedly, conducting a 2026 NFL Draft mock draft prior to NFL season beginning, let alone when teams are still in process cutting their roster down to 53 players, is somewhat futile but still a fun exercise to see how next year's draft class stacks up. The QB class could potentially be one of the better classes to enter the league in years with Arch Manning, Drew Allar, Cade Klubnik, Garrett Nussmeier, and Carson Beck projecting as first-round picks next spring.

After a down year for the QB position in the NFL Draft, the prospective top upper classmen signal callers could be a bounce back class that delivers several potential franchise QBs to NFL teams in need next April. Although there is no clear-cut leader in this class, there are several prospects that have the combination of physical tools, mental makeup, and game experience to be drafted first overall next year.