There’s still a full college football season that needs to be played between now and the 2027 NFL Draft. However, getting an early start on draft analysis provides more context for a player’s development over the course of their collegiate career, among many other perks.
Every season of college football seems to bring out the “one-year wonder”, or someone who breaks out in their first year as a starter. But there are a few players who have shown NFL potential in rotational roles, and bigger opportunities await them to take the next step in 2026.
These six 2027 NFL Draft prospects haven’t been full-time starters before the upcoming college football season, but they’ve demonstrated the potential to be contributors in the pros.
Jamari Johnson, TE, Oregon
Jamari Johnson wasn’t your typical backup tight end last year. Even with 2026 first-round pick Kenyon Sadiq ahead of him on Oregon’s depth chart, Johnson still finished with 32 catches for 510 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 15 games. In particular, he combined for 149 yards between the Ducks’ two playoff games.
A tremendous athlete with a large wingspan and great hands, Johnson has incredible receiving upside at the NFL level. He has good fluidity across the middle of the field and accelerates well coming out of his breaks. He’s more agile after the catch than the average tight end, and he has the deep speed needed to stretch the field vertically. As a route runner, he understands how to adjust his route tempo to exploit soft spots in zone coverage.
Listed at 6’5″ and 257 pounds, Johnson doesn’t quite take full advantage of his size as an in-line blocker or in contested catch situations yet. That said, he has the size to project well in those areas with more reps. His elite athletic profile and route-running savvy both give him first-round potential in the 2027 NFL Draft if he has a breakout year similar to what Sadiq had last year.
Chris Cole, LB, Georgia
Imagine this: a big, athletic safety converts into a linebacker and uses his elite movement skills and large wingspan to make plays all over the second level of the defense. All of these traits could be used to describe 2026 first-round pick Sonny Styles, but they could also describe Chris Cole, a 6’3″, 235-pound incoming junior at Georgia who’s been a rotational defender to this point in his career.
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Cole’s experience as a safety shows in his comfort in coverage, as he’s a natural mover with loose hips and quick feet changing direction. His range as a tackler is impressive, thanks largely to his straight-line speed and long arms. He’s demonstrated encouraging flashes in his pursuit angles as a tackler, and he’s a capable blitzing defender with 4.5 sacks and 18 pressures in 2025.
As one could expect for someone who’s only started in one collegiate game, Cole is a bit rough around the edges. He’s a bit top-heavy and doesn’t get proper weight distribution, which affects his pad level and form as a tackler. He dives at the ankles a bit too much as a tackler, seemingly trying to compensate for his pad level issues. That said, he has elite physical attributes that NFL teams will surely take note of.
Vicari Swain, CB, South Carolina
South Carolina had a loaded secondary in 2025. Both Brandon Cisse and Jalon Kilgore entered the NFL, and Judge Collier is an intriguing prospect for the 2027 NFL Draft, as well. But keep an eye on Vicari Swain going into this season, whose 82.4 PFN CB Impact Score actually ranked higher than Cisse’s, who was a second-round pick in this year’s draft.
A gifted punt returner, Swain tied for the NCAA lead with three punt return touchdowns in 2025. That experience shows whenever he intercepts a pass, as he shows tremendous ball-carrier vision and agility. His movement skills translate in coverage, where he shows off fluid hips, quick-twitch athleticism shooting vertically out of his backpedal, and ideal longitudinal agility.
For someone who’s inexperienced as a full-time starter, Swain shows good mirroring ability and can keep receivers inside his hip pocket well. He’s an inconsistent tackler who’s still trying to find his happy medium between being too handsy through a receiver’s stem and not handsy enough. That said, his athletic tools and encouraging tape in coverage indicate he offers NFL starting potential.
Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, LB, Notre Dame
Before suffering a torn ACL midway through 2025, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa had been tearing it up for Notre Dame’s defense. He led the team with 7.5 tackles for loss before getting hurt, and he allowed a passer rating of just 55.0 when targeted in coverage. He’s only been a rotational defender in college thus far, but he’s made his mark.
The 6’3″, 230-pound Viliamu-Asa brings an enticing combination of height, athleticism, motor, and versatility. He’s taken over one-third of his defensive snaps rushing off the edge, and he can rush the passer well with his relentless energy and burst. It helps that he’s willing to get scrappy and battle through blocks, too. He accelerates very well in a straight line and changes direction seamlessly in space.
Though he’s projected as a MIKE linebacker going into 2026, I like Viliamu-Asa better as a WILL while he works to add more weight to his frame. He’s a little light in the pants and can get pushed around as a downhill run defender trying to execute his run fits. His versatility and athleticism are tailor-made for the NFL, though; don’t be surprised if he rises up draft boards this season.
Tavion Gadson, DT, Kentucky
With a 16.9% pass-rush win rate in 2025, Tavion Gadson was an extremely efficient contributor for Kentucky’s defense last year. His 78.9 PFN DT Impact Score also ranked higher than that of teammate David Gusta, who earned an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine this year. That’s not too shabby for somebody with only one career start heading into 2026.
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Yes, Gadson is inexperienced as a full-time contributor, and that shows on tape sometimes. He’s not going to two-gap for you at a high level yet, as his center of gravity is too high, and his anchor strength is relatively average for his position. But the pass-rushing upside is tremendous, as his aforementioned pass-rush win rate would lead one to believe.
Quick off the ball with a high motor, Gadson showcases proper hand activity to complement his long arms at the point of attack. He has a twitchy first step and has shown he can pull off counter moves to work off of blocks and keep a strong pass-rushing plan in place. When he lands his strikes accurately, he can control the point of attack and free up his hands to make plays against the run. Gadson is raw, but the potential is absolutely there.
Samson Okunlola, G, Miami (FL)
A five-star recruit at offensive tackle coming out of high school, Samson Okunlola rotated at left guard for Miami during its run to a national championship appearance in 2025. The 6’6″, 330-pounder has tackle-guard versatility but seems to have found his calling along the interior, having not allowed a single sack in 254 pass-blocking snaps last year.
Okunlola is much bigger than the average guard prospect, and he uses that to his advantage. He has tremendous raw power, with the anchor strength to bully defenders in the run game and the upper-body strength to latch onto them, provided he gets his strikes placed accurately. His long arms make it tougher for opponents to get inside his chest, and his short-area quickness is much better than one would expect at his size.
Pad level and hand placement are two places in particular where Okunlola needs to improve, as his technical refinement is reflective of his lack of full-time starting reps. He could really maximize his physical tools by landing his strikes with better timing and generating more bend in his knees. If he can work on that, though, the sky’s the limit for Okunlola.
