Each week of the college football season brings new clarity and new questions about the next wave of NFL talent. As we reach the 2025-26 bowl season, my Top 100 NFL Draft Prospects list has received another update. This ranking highlights the players who have most impressed with their production, potential, and pro-ready traits through the first half of the season.
From Ohio State’s defensive standouts to breakout stars from across the country, these are the names generating the most buzz in NFL scouting circles right now. Below is my complete list of top 100 prospects of the college football season.
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Who Are the Best NFL Draft Prospects Right Now?
1) Caleb Downs, SAF, Ohio State
2) Arvell Reese, LB/EDGE, Ohio State
3) Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
4) Dante Moore, QB, Oregon
5) Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
6) Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami (FL)
7) Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
8) Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
9) Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
10) Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn
11) Makai Lemon, WR, USC
12) Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
13) Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah
14) Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
15) Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
16) Peter Woods, DT, Clemson
17) KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M
18) Chris Bell, WR, Louisville
19) Olaivavega Ioane, OG, Penn State
20) Francis Mauigoa, OL, Miami (FL)
21) Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama
22) David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech
23) Caleb Banks, DT, Florida
24) Spencer Fano, OL, Utah
25) Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
26) Chase Bisontis, OG, Texas A&M
27) Keith Abney II, CB, Arizona State
28) Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
29) Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State
30) Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, SAF, Toledo
31) CJ Allen, LB, Georgia
32) Denzel Boston, WR, Washington
33) Kadyn Proctor, OL, Alabama
34) Lee Hunter, DT, Texas Tech
35) Kadyn Proctor, OL, Alabama
36) Chris Brazzell II, WR, Tennessee
37) D’Angelo Ponds, CB, Indiana
38) Kenyatta Jackson Jr., EDGE, Ohio State
39) TJ Parker, EDGE, Clemson
40) Taurean York, LB, Texas A&M
41) Genesis Smith, SAF, Arizona
42) Will Lee III, CB, Texas A&M
43) AJ Haulcy, SAF, LSU
44) Christen Miller, DT, Georgia
45) Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State
46) Oscar Delp, TE, Georgia
47) Mateen Ibirogba, DT, Wake Forest
48) A’Mauri Washington, DT, Oregon
49) Trevor Goosby, OT, Texas
50) Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
51) Davison Igbinosun, CB, Ohio State
52) Xavier Scott, CB, Illinois
53) Emmett Johnson, RB, Nebraska
54) Kamari Ramsey, DB, USC
55) Dillon Thieneman, SAF, Oregon
56) Julian Neal, CB, Arkansas
57) Treydan Stukes, CB, Arizona
58) R Mason Thomas, EDGE, Oklahoma
59) Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama
60) Iapani Laloulu, OC, Oregon
61) Skyler Bell, WR, UConn
62) Parker Brailsford, OC, Alabama
63) Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas
64) LJ Martin, RB, BYU
65) Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State
66) Isaiah World, OT, Oregon
67) Demond Claiborne, RB, Wake Forest
68) Anthony Lucas, EDGE, USC
69) LT Overton, EDGE, Alabama
70) Eric Singleton Jr., WR, Auburn
71) Dametrious Crownover, OT, Texas A&M
72) Amare Ferrell, SAF, Indiana
73) Darian Mensah, QB, Duke
74) Jonah Coleman, RB, Washington
75) Antonio Williams, WR, Clemson
76) Anthony Smith, EDGE, Minnesota
77) Drew Shelton, OL, Penn State
78) Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina
79) Darrell Jackson Jr., DT, Florida State
80) Eli Raridon, TE, Notre Dame
81) PJ Williams, OL, SMU
82) Tristan Leigh, OT, Clemson
83) Brenen Thompson, WR, Mississippi State
84) Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati
85) Chandler Rivers, CB, Duke
86) Hezekiah Masses, CB, California
87) Joshua Josephs, EDGE, Tennessee
88) Preston Hodge, CB, Colorado
89) Lance Heard, OT, Tennessee
90) Emmanuel Pregnon, OG, Oregon
91) Brendan Sorsby, QB, Cincinnati
92) Devon Marshall, CB, NC State
93) Ja’Kobi Lane, WR, USC
94) Cashius Howell, EDGE, Texas A&M
95) Justice Haynes, RB, Michigan
96) Austin Barber, OT, Florida
97) Kaytron Allen, RB, Penn State
98) Deontae Lawson, LB, Alabama
99) Sam Hecht, OC, Kansas State
100) Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana
Top 2026 NFL Draft Prospects
I use my sub-trait grade framework to sort players into brackets, and then have the autonomy to sort players within those brackets based on other notable factors such as production, medicals, off-field history, and more.
On this update of the 2026 NFL Draft Top 100 Big Board, we’ll preview the upcoming bowl and CFB Playoff slate.
Bowl season has become less relevant for most prospects, as many playing in standard bowl games often decide to opt out if the upcoming NFL Draft cycle is their ultimate destination. That has become a regular practice in recent years, and many prospects have already opted out and subsequently declared.
The only prospects who regularly play in bowl season now are the ones whose teams are still in play for a National Championship and in the CFB Playoff field. Luckily, that group includes all of the top projected quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft: Fernando Mendoza, Dante Moore, and Ty Simpson.
Moore and Simpson both play in Round 1 of the CFB Playoffs — Moore against the James Madison Dukes, and Simpson against an Oklahoma Sooners team that gave him trouble in the regular season. Mendoza’s Indiana Hoosiers have a first-round bye and will play the winner of the Alabama-Oklahoma first-round matchup.
Moore is my current QB1 by a hair over Mendoza, who is essentially the QB1b to Moore’s QB1a on my scale. Simpson, meanwhile, has fallen a bit since challenging for the QB1 mantle in the midseason stretch. He now grades as a mid-to-late first-round passer on my scale.
Moore and Mendoza have reached a level of operational consistency that Simpson has struggled to match — particularly with his accuracy and situational precision. As a processor, Simpson matches up, but his general freneticism has been a prime culprit for his late-season collapse — both in terms of accuracy and rhythmic sync.
MORE: Latest 3-Round 2026 NFL Mock Draft
Simpson already falls below Moore and Mendoza by way of raw talent, and his inferior accuracy profile just widens the gap. He’s still in my Top 25 and worthy of looks in Round 1, but Moore and Mendoza are a tier above as QB1 candidates in the 2026 NFL Draft.
For Moore, the CFB Playoffs may ultimately play a role in solidifying his 2026 NFL Draft declaration decision. If Moore’s Ducks make a run and win the National Championship, Moore will have less incentive to return to school and run it back.
Moore is already graded as a blue-chip QB prospect in the mold of C.J. Stroud on my scale, so he can strike while the iron is hot. However, that same grade gives him security as an early QB1 favorite in the 2027 class if he decides to return to school.
Moore won’t have an easy path past the Dukes in the CFB Playoffs. Oregon should be able to get past James Madison, but assuming they win that game, they’ll draw an elite Texas Tech defense in Round 2, with two players graded in my Top 35 on the defensive line (David Bailey and Lee Hunter).
If Moore lifts the Ducks past Texas Tech — perhaps the toughest defense he’s faced all year aside from Indiana — then he’ll draw the winner of the Indiana and 8-9 seed clash in the semifinals. There, we could get a massive rematch between Moore and Mendoza.
In short, there’s a lot riding on the CFB Playoffs — particularly in regards to the QB position in the 2026 NFL Draft. Both Moore and Mendoza have strong claims to QB1, while Simpson drastically needs a strong Playoff showing to resurrect his standing. If he plays poorly and is knocked out early, a return to school is on the table.
The most intriguing non-QB matchups rest in two first-round clashes in the CFB Playoffs: Alabama versus Oklahoma, and Miami versus Texas A&M.
In particular, Miami’s defensive line against Texas A&M’s offensive line will be a cataclysmic clash once again — pitting Rueben Bain Jr., Akheem Mesidor, Ahmad Moten, and David Blay against tools-rich tackle Dametrious Crownover and guards Chase Bisontis and Ar’maj Reed-Adams.
Meanwhile, Texas A&M’s defensive line has one of the league’s sack leaders in Cashius Howell, who will go up against a likely first-round pick at tackle in Francis Mauigoa, as well as towering behemoth Markel Bell on the other side.
Alabama’s rematch with Oklahoma, meanwhile, could bring about a prospect matchup that we were unable to see last time: Edge rusher R Mason Thomas versus tackle Kadyn Proctor.
Thomas missed the two teams’ clash earlier in the year, and has been out with an injury for over a month. If he returns, his searing speed and brutal speed-to-power will be a major test for Proctor, as well as Simpson in the pocket behind him.
