DRAFT NEWS

As December dawns in the world of college football, conference championship games have arrived and the college football playoff field is just about to be finalized. There are several potential first-round draft picks playing this weekend including QBs Fernando Mendoza / Indiana (SNS #1 QB), Ty Simpson / Alabama (SNS #2 QB), RB LJ Martin / BYU (SNS #6 RB), WRs Carnell Tate / Ohio State (SNS #2 WR), Germie Bernard / Alabama (SNS #5 WR), Caleb Douglas / Texas Tech (SNS #8 WR)...

The 2026 NFL Draft is only beginning to take shape as the regular season wraps up and prospects begin to declare for the draft. Over the next couple of weeks, prospects will start declaring for the draft, accepting post-season all-star bowl game invitations, and accepting invitations to the NFL Scouting Combine. So, any mock drafts conducted at this point are pure conjecture that serve as a useful measuring stick to see where NFL teams measure up to one another.

SNS' number one QB prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft, Fernando Mendoza (Indiana), was barely on the draft radar when the season began. The quality of the 2025 QB class will be determined after Dante Moore (Oregon) and Ty Simpson (Alabama) decide to declare or to return for another season of college football. If Moore and Simpson return to college, the 2026 NFL Draft QB class could be one for the ages - Moore, Simpson, Manning, Julian Sayin (Ohio State), Marcel Reed (Texas Q&M)

Entering the 2025 season, the QB class was supposed to be loaded but for a variety of reasons it has fallen well short of expectations - injury (Drew Allar), inexperience (Arch Manning), poor protection (Garrett Nussmeier), and inconsistent performances (Carson Beck & Cade Klubnik). As we stand now, only two QBs look like first-round draft picks at this point of the season - Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) and Ty Simpson (Alabama)

The 2026 NFL Draft, before the college season started, was supposed to offer a deep and talented group of potential franchise QBs. But with 2/3rd of the season over, only one QB has earned a first-round grade from SNS - Fernando Mendoza / Indiana. Prospective first-round QBs when the season began, including Drew Allar / Penn State (out for the season with a knee injury), Cade Klubnik / Clemson, Carson Beck / Miami, Fl, Garrett Nussmeier / LSU, and Arch Manning / Texas, have s

Entering last weekend, eleven teams were undefeated, a large number for this point of the season. But after last Saturday, that number has been reduced to six teams after (2) Miami, Fl (lost to Louisville), (5) Ole Miss (lost to Georgia), (7) Texas Tech (lost to Arizona State), (22) Memphis (lost to UAB), and UNLV (lost to Boise State) all tasted the bitterness of defeat. The remaining undefeated teams come from the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, ACC, and AAC.

Last weekend, several playoff contenders suffered tough losses and two of the favorites to win the national championship, Texas and Penn State, lost their second game of the year and find their playoff prospects in critical condition with just over half the season remaining. A trio of games lead the national slate this weekend and feature some of the top prospects in the nation including Kadyn Proctor, Parker Brailsford, and Deontae Lawson (Alabama), Brett Norfleet and Zion Y

As non-conference play ends for most college teams, conference games enter the spotlight in week four as three games in the Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC kick off races to their conference titles and an automatic berth in the 12-team playoff in December. There are several intriguing NFL prospects playing key roles on playoff contenders Illinois, Indiana, Texas Tech, Utah, Auburn, and Oklahoma and it is likely that a few names will rise to the top of draft speculation as the leaves