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Before I get into this week’s college football scouting breakdown, be sure to check out my latest spot with Puck Sports discussing the Seahawks:

Another week, another underwhelming watch

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to generate excitement about the 2026 draft class. I scanned a mock draft on CBS this week. It felt like a bunch of names thrown at the wall, hoping some may eventually stick as the process goes on.

I can’t remember a year where there’s so little to talk about in terms of round one. People might be tempted to point to the 2013 class. By the end of September 2012, Geno Smith was playing well enough at West Virginia to feel like he could be the #1 overall pick. People were celebrating the play of Utah’s Star Lotulelei (and he only fell in the end due to medical concerns). You had a number of players who were big names — Robert Woods, Tyrann Mathieu, Jarvis Jones, Luke Joeckel, Chance Warmack, Dion Jordan, Barkevious Mingo, Tavon Austin, Kenny Vaccaro, Tyler Eifert, Desmond Trufant, Sharrif Floyd, Xavier Rhodes and others.

The fact that most of these players ended up being NFL flops isn’t the point. There were players to enjoy and talk about in college football. Some went as early as expected while others (Smith, Woods, Mathieu) didn’t for differing reasons.

This year it’s incredibly challenging to work out who actually justifies a discussion about their placement in round one. It’s a barren desert. I think there are only two players — Caleb Downs and Spencer Fano — who you can say with any certainty will go early. Keldric Faulk could be another but his play is stop-start. Avieon Terrell is one of the few players to not tank his stock at Clemson so far. Reuben Bain Jr is getting a lot of attention at Miami but his game is predicated on power and not twitch.

The quarterbacks look thin and could get thinner (more on that in a bit). There are no obvious top-end receivers who you just know are destined for round one.

I don’t know what to make of this, other than to say this has so far been the trickiest year to know who to write about. It could mean two things. One, we see players promoted above where they’d otherwise go. For example, I really like Penn State guard Vega Ioane. Does he end up going 20 spots higher than he would do because of this class? Two, does it mean a player like LaNorris Sellers — who really has no business declaring for the NFL based on what we’ve seen so far (more on that in a moment) — turns pro and ends up being a top-five pick, maybe even the #1 overall pick, based on physical potential?

I do wonder if ahead of the trade deadline this year we might see more activity than usual if teams also feel this way about the draft. If not, it might lead to more veteran trades in the off-season.

I’m going to write-up my notes from last weekend as usual and share my thoughts but this is a unique looking draft class and not in a good way.

Will the Clemson players even turn pro?

Going into the season most draft pundits considered TJ Parker and Peter Woods potential top-10 picks. Some named Cade Klubnik QB1 for 2026. With the Tigers now at 1-3 for the season and with all three players playing within themselves, what does that mean for the future?

Dabo Swinney in the past has done a good job keeping everyone together. A disappointing season would typically lead to a call for everyone to stick around and leave on a brighter note. However, there now has to be thoughts about Swinney’s future. Does he continue in his role if they keep losing?

There’s no doubt though that with the exception of the aforementioned Terrell and other players like Will Heldt, the big names have tanked their stock so far. Woods again looked like he was going through the motions against Syracuse and Parker just doesn’t seem to be playing with any intensity. Neither looked like first round picks last weekend. I never bought into the Klubnik hype as a high pick and I think he’s been found-out as a not-likely option for the NFL.

Oklahoma defenders shine

Auburn struggled to pass-protect all game against Sooners, giving up a record-breaking 10 sacks in the game. Two Oklahoma defensive tackles caught my eye.

Gracen Halton is a lighter DT (approx 6-2, 295lbs) with good pass rush moves, agility and the quickness to shake blocks. There were some reps where he was unstopabble. Damonic Williams is bigger (6-1, 320lbs) and more orthodox but he plays with a lot of fire. He clearly is all about football in his interviews and he plays that way. Both were consistently impactful and while they may be mid-round type picks at best, they both deserve to be on your radar.

I wasn’t impressed with Auburn left tackle Xavier Chaplin. Tony Pauline really likes him and has talked him up but I see a lot of issues. His conditioning was a problem late in the game where he looked exhausted, to the point he seemed to give up a false start because he was blowing so hard. He’s a waist-bender and while he locks on well in contact and can finish when engaged, his footwork is tough to watch at times and his agility to mirror is suspect. He looked to me like the kind of tackle who will struggle on a Sunday.

Quarterback notes

I thought I’d share a note on each of the main draft eligible QB’s. Some of these will be short, some long.

John Mateer (Oklahoma)

The game against Auburn wasn’t plain sailing for Mateer but when the game was on the line he delivered. One big drive won the day, with an outstanding deep throw to the right sideline delivered with perfect touch and accuracy — before his explosive running ability led to a decisive score.

If the Sooners kept winning with Mateer playing the way he was, he would’ve had a legit shot at the Heisman and his draft stock was on the brink of exploding. In a down year he was showing legit traits that will interest teams. Combined with his personality and leadership, there’s every chance he was going to be a high pick. His team-mates love him, his interviews are perfect and he leaves everything on the field. He’s got an arm, he’s creative and he’s a great athlete. There’s an X-factor here that generally gets you drafted early. The comparisons to Baker Mayfield are not outrageous.

However, it’s been revealed this week that he’s having surgery after suffering a broken hand. He’s expected to miss a month but who knows if it’ll be longer. That will temper things. Oklahoma are not guaranteed to keep winning and he might not be walking back into a playoff tilt. The big question now is — is he more likely to return next year to try and achieve major success at OU? Mateer only turns 22 next April so he’s not an older player like Garrett Nussmeier.

My hunch is this injury makes it more likely he doesn’t turn pro. This is only his second season as a starter in college. A full season and emerging as a possible QB1 while leading Oklahoma to a great season could’ve pushed him to the NFL. Now, I’d say it’s more likely we see him back with the Sooners in 2026.

Garrett Nussmeier (LSU)

There wasn’t much to learn from a contest against SE Louisiana but Nussmeier did what he had to in the game. For me there’s no doubt he remains QB1. His technical ability is just on a different level to any of the other quarterbacks eligible for 2026. He has the most big time throws so far this season (11).

However, despite being a better runner than most realise — plus a much more accomplished thrower on the run than anyone’s giving him credit for — he doesn’t have the major physical upside to feel like he has a great ceiling. I think Nussmeier can be excellent in the right offense. Put him with Shanahan, McVay, O’Connell (and maybe Kubiak) and I think he can shine. His execution within structure and ability to throw with anticipation could make him very good very quickly. Throw him onto a bad team with a poor offensive schemer and he might fold like a pack of cards if you expect him to elevate everything with his mere presence.

At the moment I’d say he has a strong opportunity to go in round one but LSU have some big games coming up. He needs to avoid doing what he did against Florida and forcing passes. Of all the quarterback prospects though, he has the biggest collection of NFL throws on tape.

LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina)

In terms of physical talent, nobody comes close to Sellers. He can drive the ball downfield better than anyone else. He can also throw with unique air and touch and still generate a lot of distance on his throws. Purely on traits, Sellers is on a different level.

However, he just isn’t playing well enough. As you could see against Missouri last weekend, there are some great throws and some mind-boggling errors. His big time throw to turnover worthy play ratio is 6:4 in 2025. His QBR is the third worst among QB’s I’m tracking this year (53.7) and his EPA is appalling (6.8).

It is so clear that this is a player who needs more time on the field. I’m concerned that the poor quality of the 2026 draft and the NFL’s endless need for quarterbacks will push him towards turning pro when he isn’t ready. Then he’ll end up on a bad team and probably failing. He could be the #1 pick in 2027 if he develops properly. I hope he plays the long game.

Carson Beck (Miami)

I think you just have to say good luck to anyone drafting him with a view to starting at the next level. Beck is a tease. He makes good throws, has shown an ability to extend at times that I didn’t know he had. He’s going to end up helping a strong looking Miami to another good season. Yet he just can’t help but make really bad decisions leading to turnovers and/or near turnovers.

He did it again against Florida. He’s going to be a liability at the next level with his propensity to make ill-advised throws. His QBR is strong (81.5) but the mistakes have continued from last season. He doesn’t see the field well enough and is throwing into dangerous areas constantly.

Taylen Green (Arkansas)

I’ve now watched all of his games from 2025 so far. Tony Pauline and Dane Brugler reckon the league has its eye on Green and you can see why. He’s a big player — listed at around 6-6 and 225lbs. He looks a bit like Colin Kaepernick. He’s very capable of throwing on the run, he attacks the middle of the field with his arm, he can run around to extend or make plays with his legs and he never looks frantic — he always appears calm in or out of the pocket. He can deliver big throws into tight windows and attack downfield. His touch throws on a deeper range are delivered nicely. He has plus traits.

However, there are too many turnover worthy plays. He had too many reckless passes in his most recent game against Memphis and the two interceptions he threw were bloody awful. He has seven TWP’s in four games which is simply too many. Green has thrown 28 interceptions in three-and-a-bit seasons as a starter. That’s not good enough.

I’d also argue he hasn’t elevated either Boise State or Arkansas. Kaepernick propelled himself into the early second round range after a 13-1 final season at Nevada, including ending a 24-game winning streak for Kellen Moore and Chris Petersen’s Boise State. Green is 16-13 for his two teams in the last three seasons and Arkansas’ next three games are Notre Dame, Tennessee and Texas A&M. He could have a .500 record easily by the end of this run.

The massive void for talent and the desperation for quarterbacks will likely keep Green firmly on the NFL radar because the alternatives are not great and he does carry a lot of upside. It’s very easy to imagine a good coach working with him to fix the decision making and really promote his physical tools. Get it right and you could be on to a winner. There’s a lot more upside and potential here than with Drew Allar, for example, because of his running ability and general mobility.

Here’s another thing to note. He leads all of the 2026 eligible quarterbacks for QBR (90.5) and EPA (41.9). That isn’t going to be ignored given the increasing importance of analytics in the league. A reminder of what we talked about earlier this year. Quarterbacks with a QBR above 80 have often gone early. Between 2021-2025, this is where players with a +80 QBR have been drafted:

Round One — 14
Round Two — 1
Round Three — 4
Round Four — 1
Later rounds — 2

It’s worth noting that the two players taken later on were Kurtis Rourke (recovering from an injury, playing in a QB friendly system) and Will Howard. Ian Book was taken in round four — a player with limited physical upside and picked way earlier than he should’ve been — possibly due to the data. Among the round three players taken was Seattle’s selection of Jalen Milroe.

The point is — when you are big, athletic and have a good QBR, this has been a consistent recipe to go early in the draft.

When you consider Green’s physical talent and upside, teams might be willing to overlook the high number of risky and ill-advised throws to shoot for potential. He turns 23 in October so turning pro next year is more likely for him compared to say John Mateer or LaNorris Sellers. If neither of those players turn pro, don’t be surprised if Green goes a lot earlier than people currently think. He needs to play better though — and Arkansas have to stop throwing away games.

A final note on Green relating to PFF. They are grading him very highly (90.1) but can someone explain to me why he’s getting a 90.1 grade? Here are his game-to-game grades for the season so far:

Alabama A&M — 94.1
Arkansas State — 71.4
Ole Miss — 69.7
Memphis — 78.7

How does that equate to 90.1 overall? Make it make sense. It’s as if one really good performance against Alabama A&M is doing all of the heavy lifting.

Fernando Mendoza (Indiana)

I found it really difficult to judge Mendoza against Illinois, my first real look at him this year. Illinois played very poorly and the RPO-heavy system he’s in is beyond friendly.

Mendoza leads the NCAA for completion percentage (75.2%) which is indicative of the system he’s in. Games against Oregon and Penn State will make for good opportunities to study Mendoza closely but I’m not convinced we’re going to get a great pro-feel for his upside in this offense with the way it operated on Saturday. His QBR (84.5) is second only to Arkansas’ Green.

Drew Allar (Penn State)

He’s played really poorly so far this season. He’s been inaccurate, he’s not throwing with enough anticipation and his mobility is stiff and awkward. He’s thrown one single big time throw so far, despite Penn State’s cupcake schedule. He has the worst QBR among the top draft eligible quarterbacks (38.8) and the second worst EPA (5.3). At the moment he doesn’t look remotely close to being a high draft pick. He has to play a lot better than we’ve seen so far in 2025.

Cade Klubnik (Clemson)

As with Allar, based on what we’ve seen so far you can’t draft Klubnik. He’s thrown bad interceptions, not elevated his team, doesn’t have big physical tools and simply doesn’t look very good. Other lesser-known quarterbacks have outplayed him. His QBR is second worst among draft eligible quarterbacks (38.8) but on the plus side — his EPA (which is still the worst among QB’s) is no longer in the negative (he’s shifted it up to 1.4).

Sawyer Robertson (Baylor)

He’s big, athletic and has a good arm — but there’s just a real vibe of ‘good not great’ about Robertson. He’s also making too many bad throws — six turnover worthy plays in four games, including three interceptions in his last two games. There’s a lot of upside potential here but I don’t think, so far, he’s pushed himself into very early round contention. To his credit, he does have 11 big time throws — joint most with Nussmeier.

Sam Leavitt (Arizona State)

He reminds me a bit of Brock Purdy. He’s not the biggest but he’s shifty and can move around. There was a really smart play against Baylor on Saturday where he navigated through a collapsing pocket, kept his eyes downfield and threw with accuracy on the move despite having to put his body in an unorthodox position to throw. It was very impressive. So was a big scramble up the middle — dodging defenders for a decent gain. He has that frustrating (for opponents) ability to make things happen when he sets off. It’s fun to watch.

His arm is surprisingly good in that he can generate a lot of distance, if not a lot of revs or torque. Accuracy wise he can make smart completions on a short and mid-range to move the sticks. As a plus facilitator, you can imagine him driving an offense and being quite productive.

He’s making too many mistakes though — and he’s another quarterback this year attempting passes that have you watching through your fingers. He has six turnover worthy plays so far, second most behind Arkansas’ Green. Against Baylor he was really lucky not to throw two horrendous redzone interceptions. That would’ve taken six points off the board (two field goals were kicked instead) in a game Arizona State won 27-24.

For me he should go the distance with Arizona State and not declare for the 2026 draft. He only turns 21 in December and there should be no rush to turn pro. He’s a fun player but has to minimise the mistakes.

Haynes King (Georgia Tech)

If you want a quarterback who’s going to give you absolutely everything as a runner and passer, King’s your man. He has consistently elevated Georgia Tech when he’s on the field. They should’ve beaten Georgia last year and they’re unbeaten so far this season. King drags his team to victory and he limits mistakes — he hasn’t thrown a single turnover worthy pass so far. I’m not sure he has quite enough upside as a technical or physical thrower of the football to be a NFL starter but it won’t be for the lack of trying.

Quarterback numbers to know so far

Big time throws

Garrett Nussmeier — 11
Sawyer Robertson — 11
Darian Mensah — 10
Sam Leavitt — 8
Dante Moore — 7
John Mateer — 7
Byrum Brown — 7
LaNorris Sellers — 6
Behren Morton — 6
Taylen Green — 5
Cade Klubnik — 5
Carson Beck — 4
Haynes King — 3
Fernando Mendoza — 3
Drew Allar — 1

Turnover worthy plays

Taylen Green — 7
Sam Leavitt — 6
Sawyer Robertson — 6
Darian Mensah — 5
Garrett Nussmeier — 4
John Mateer — 4
LaNorris Sellers — 4
Cade Klubnik — 3
Byrum Brown — 3
Behren Morton — 2
Drew Allar — 2
Carson Beck — 2
Dante Moore — 1
Fernando Mendoza — 1
Haynes King — 0

QBR

Taylen Green — 90.5
Fernando Mendoza — 84.5
Dante Moore — 83.7
Carson Beck — 81.5
Haynes King — 76.8
Sawyer Robertson — 75.7
Garrett Nussmeier — 75.2
John Mateer — 74.2
Darian Mensah — 72.5
Behren Morton — 62.9
Byrum Brown — 62.1
Sam Leavitt — 60.9
LaNorris Sellers — 53.7
Cade Klubnik — 46.8
Drew Allar — 38.8

EPA

Taylen Green — 41.9
Darian Mensah — 26.3
Sawyer Robertson — 24.4
John Mateer — 22.9
Garrett Nussmeier — 22.0
Fernando Mendoza — 21.9
Sam Leavitt — 20.3
Dante Moore — 19.4
Carson Beck — 17.9
Haynes King — 17.6
Behren Morton — 11.2
Byrum Brown — 11.0
LaNorris Sellers — 6.8
Drew Allar — 5.3
Cade Klubnik — 1.4

Hi all, as always please check out the video below featuring my weekly spot with Bump & Stacy on Seattle Sports. It would also really help if you would like the video on YouTube and leave a comment there. Your support is always massively appreciated!

You’ll also find below the embed for today’s Seahawks Collective stream at 5pm PT. Please do join us for that too!

There’s a well known piece of wisdom in Seattle. No game is ever allowed to be easy. You always have to play down to opponents and make things close. Backup quarterbacks or inexperienced starters will be afforded opportunities to make plays. Even if the Seahawks win, it generally has to be stressful.

What a relief that the 2025 version of the team busted this particular slice of conventional thinking.

For once it was great to be able to bask in an arse kicking. It might not mean much for the state of the Seahawks and their chances this year. The Saints were clearly overmatched, didn’t have the coaching chops to compete with Seattle’s staff and big special teams plays early in the game ended any kind of contest by half-time.

It doesn’t matter though. I’m very much here for a stress-free Sunday, with an opportunity to indulge in a highlight-reel of a game with half an eye on Thursday’s opponents, Arizona, having to fight and scrap through a tense and bruising battle against the 49ers.

Kudos to Jay Harbaugh and his special teams crew for a brilliant performance. It goes without saying this was everything you could hope for. Big returns, blocks and strong kicking from Jason Myers. The only downer was a flat punt from Michael Dickson that was well returned — but it hardly diminishes all of the other great work.

Tory Horton continues to explode onto the scene. Two more touchdowns today — including a big punt return — showed off his massive potential. He has an opportunity to be the steal of the draft. He has everything needed to be a very good, long-term Seahawk.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s continued role as one of the best receivers in the league also deserves a mention. This was another great day for JSN who is just an incredibly reliable, unassuming player who can be a quarterback’s best friend.

Sam Darnold looked incredibly decisive and comfortable in the offense and things seem to be progressing well across the board on that side of the ball.

Defensively, the Seahawks deserve a ton of credit for the way they are developing defensive backs. Josh Jobe, through three weeks, has played at an extremely high level. Derion Kendrick matched last week’s showing. Coby Bryant took the lead with Julian Love absent and had another good game.

To see these young players developing and the group play as well as it did without Love, Devon Witherspoon and Nick Emmanwori speaks volumes for the players and the coaches. Mike Macdonald, Aden Durde, Karl Scott and anyone else involved clearly know what they’re doing.

There are several other positives you could mention but overall, the Seahawks consumed the Saints and showed them who’s boss. This is what a team like the Lions or Ravens would do to an opponent like New Orleans at home. It was great to see the Seahawks dishing out a beating.

On to Thursday and the second NFC West game of the season. The Seahawks handled the Cardinals in both games last year but this will be a good gauge of where they’re currently at. Losing to the 49ers in week one means they need to win as many of their remaining divisional games as possible.

After a slow start in the opener, things appear to be progressing nicely.

This is a guest post by Curtis Allen…

A loss at home and a win on the road for the Seahawks to start their season pretty much mirrors last season.  Busting out of that routine against the Saints at home means playing to their potential and minimizing mistakes.

The Saints are one of the more intriguing opponents on the schedule.

They have talent on their team and coaching staff but are an incomplete project – while having players you must account for in your assignments, they are still adjusting to a new coaching system, struggling badly with injuries and playing well at key times are a struggle for them.

They are one of the NFL’s most penalized teams and four of their penalties were on the defense on third downs.  They extended drives and resulted in points for their opponents.  The defense at times also got caught not being able to make plays, despite being aligned properly by their coaches.

Still, they played NFC West teams close in both of their games, playing competent football and keeping themselves in contention.  Now Kellen Moore brings his team to Seattle for their first game on the road in his tenure.

Last year, the Seahawks were a big favorite at home to beat the Giants but failed to do so.

How can they deliver on their expectations this week?

Win On the Line of Scrimmage on Both Sides

The Seahawks should have an advantage again this week, rolling out an excellent defensive line against a battered and bruised opponent.

We do not yet know who will line up at Left Guard for the Saints.  Dillon Radunz has already been scratched and Trevor Penning has yet to play this year with turf toe.  Penning was limited this week and his status is an open question.  Also to know:  a start at Left Guard would be his first.

At Right Guard, Caesar Ruiz is currently sporting a PFF grade of 35.8.

At Right Tackle, Taliese Fuaga is also not a lock to start after suffering a knee injury and being limited in practice this week.

There is a very real possibility that the Saints could field one of the poorest Offensive Lines the Seahawks will see all season.

Moore is counteracting this by having Rattler take the bulk of his snaps from shotgun.  Of the 136 snaps on offense this year, an incredible 119 of them are in shotgun.  It allows the young Quarterback extra time to survey the field and react to pressure.  He also frequently has Alvin Kamara flanking him, which allows Rattler to play RPO or have a blocker to pick up blitzes.

The front four can control the offense by breaking through and reading the quarterback’s eyes.  Rattler will tell you what his going to do.

The Saints have started feeding Kamara again, a wise choice.  He is not the tackle-breaking force he once was but he can still hurt you.  If Byron Murphy, Jarran Reed and Leonard Williams can control the interior like they did in Pittsburgh last week, this could indeed be a very long day for the Saints offense.

Something to watch:  of the 17 under center snaps Kellen Moore has called, all but two were runs.  Moore might have decided having a ‘tell’ is worth being able to protect your young quarterback.

On offense the Seahawks’ line did a fairly decent job last week against a talented Steelers line.  Their reward is facing another good one, with Cameron Jordon and Carl Granderson leading the way.

The Seahawks need a game plan that is very similar to what they did last week:  plenty of zone running concepts, attacking the deep middle of the field and asking Sam Darnold to be crisp and decisive.

The Tight Ends will be important.  In this game, the Seahawks can run power setups and make sure the ends are prevented from unduly disrupting the game.  It will also allow them to disguise pass plays to the position as well.  The Saints were one of the NFL’s worst teams at defending Tight Ends last year, and they are again this year as well.  Time to run some power football to start, then branch out with AJ Barner and Elija Arroyo running routes.

If the Seahawks can control the line of scrimmage on offense for much of the game, that will put pressure on the entire team to make stops and play clean football, which is something they have not yet done.

There are a few things I wanted to get into today, including the disappointing start to the college football season for several big names, the state of the 2026 quarterback class and some new names to monitor in the coming weeks.

Where are the obvious first round picks?

It’s becoming very difficult to know who is actually performing like a day one player at the moment. The big names eligible for 2026 simply aren’t delivering.

Take Clemson’s two dynamic defensive linemen. After a summer where Peter Woods was talked-up as a possible top-five pick and T.J. Parker was named as a probable first rounder, they’ve been overshadowed on their own team by a transfer from Purdue called Will Heldt.

In three games, Woods has been very quiet on tape. The stat sheet backs it up — zero sacks or hurries, one pressure and one quarterback hit so far. His PFF grade has gone from 83.7 last year to 75.1 so far — and that’s thanks to a decent 81.8 run-blocking grade. As a pass rusher he’s only managed a 59.5 so far against LSU, Troy and Georgia Tech.

Parker has faired better but not to the level expected of such a highly rated prospect. He has six pressure rushing the edge but only one sack and two hurries. His PFF grade has dropped from 88.1 last year to 77.6 this year. Again this is mainly because as a run defender he’s done a decent job (78.7). As a pass rusher, which is what he’s expected to be at the next level, he has a 68.7 grade so far.

I thought Auburn’s Keldric Faulk started very well against Baylor — in particular when he recorded a highly athletic sack showing off his mobility at 285lbs. However, he’s failed to get a sack against Ball State or South Alabama since despite playing 78 snaps.

Penn State defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton was violent and disruptive in his opening game against Nevada but in the most recent encounter against Villanova, I was left wanting more. Even Ohio State’s stud safety Caleb Downs has missed a few tackles when I’ve caught glimpses of their first three games.

Downs, Denis-Sutton and Faulk will likely be first round picks if they avoid major injuries. They have enough talent and physical upside to justify if, even if they don’t light up college football this year. Yet the overall performance of college football’s defenders is indicative of an underwhelming 2026 class so far.

Highly touted Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is yet to break out and show his best football in two defeats to Miami and Texas A&M. Jordyn Tyson, the receiver from Arizona State, has started well to make his case to be WR1. It’s not a jam-packed group of first round receivers though based on the evidence so far.

The wildly overrated Alabama left tackle Kadyn Proctor has started terribly. He continues to look too big and doesn’t move well. His pass-blocking grades were horrendous against Floria State (56.7) and Wisconsin (43.5). For a player with his frame you might think he might dominate against the run. Not so — he had a 61.3 run grade against FSU and a 64.1 in the easy win against Wisconsin. I don’t see a first round talent on tape.

Then there’s the quarterbacks. Thankfully the media has conceded defeat on Arch Manning or LaNorris Sellers being anything like close to ready to leave for the NFL. There isn’t a loaded list of alternatives though, ready to break into the early first round mix. The top quarterback in the class, Garrett Nussmeier, is coming off a poor performance against Florida.

There’s still time for things to change but increasingly this is looking like a class without many obvious first round talents at the moment.

Harold Perkins is getting back to his best

The LSU defensive playmaker missed most of last season and injuries have stalled the momentum in his career. However, in LSU’s games so far he’s hinted at a return to form. Perkins has been highly active while lining up in different positions on the field. His closing burst is exceptional, he’s multi-faceted and a creative defensive play-caller will salivate working out ways to use him.

Here’s where he’s lined up so far this year:

D-line — 21 (snaps)
Box — 76
Slot corner — 67
Wide corner — 5
Free safety — 1

It really speaks to his versatility that he’s been moved around so much and has been as impactful as he has. Perkins has recorded seven pressures, a sack, four hurries and a pair of quarterback hits.

Players like this tend to be quite boom or bust at the next level. He’s not the biggest hybrid linebacker and when everyone gets bigger and faster, impact can wane. He’s been an eye-catching player so far this season though.

Quarterback notes

As mentioned, Nussmeier had a poor game against Florida. He seemed to get frustrated and try to force things. He had some reckless throws, including a bad interception. We’ve seen him do this before. It does make you wonder — if a fairly average SEC opponent can frustrate him and force errors, what will the NFL do to him?

Nussmeier remains QB1 for me because there are too many good technical qualities to his game. He has legit NFL throws on virtually every tape and warrants early round consideration. That said, I’m increasingly enjoying John Mateer play for Oklahoma. His performance against Temple was another example of playmaking excitement, an ability to throw to all areas of the field, creativity with his arm and legs and just an X-factor aura that makes him must-watch TV.

He had a pick in the game but it wasn’t on the quarterback. He threw into the hands of the receiver who then had the ball ripped away by the defender. You could argue it was more of a fumble than a pick, given no blame should be attached to the QB.

There’s something there with Mateer. I’m not sure yet about the upside but he just has the ‘it’ factor. He makes things happen. He’s an explosive athlete. He seems very level headed and grounded. I get the feeling that if Oklahoma keeps winning, he’ll be the player who gets pushed up the boards and ends up being talked about as a high pick.

The same can’t be said for Drew Allar at Penn State. This was another disappointing weekend, failing to ‘wow’ against Villanova. Too many throws continue to be late. He needs to show far more anticipation.

Here’s another good example, building off what we talked about last week. In the still below you’ll see the receiver has already turned back to the QB. The football has to be on it’s way as he turns. If it isn’t, you’re inviting the nearby defensive back to make a play on the ball:

In that picture above, that ball needs to be in the air already. It isn’t, Allar still has possession of it and hasn’t even pulled his arm back to throw yet. Now look at the defender as he eventually prepares to release the throw. He has already gained position, he’s staring at the quarterback and knows what’s happening:

For some reason the defender uses one arm to bat the ball away instead of squaring up and using two hands for an easy interception. It’s another great example, though, of Allar’s propensity to throw late. By the way, this is on 3rd and 5. That’s when you need a big time quarterback to execute the play properly and move the chains.

On his very next drive, he threw high on 2nd and 4, then wide of his target on third down. On a 2nd and 9 deep-ball after half-time he launched the ball way beyond his receiver. He had a woeful interception in the third quarter in the red zone, telegraphing a lofted check-down pass to the running back. The ball was just tossed up for grabs and the defender just ran over and took it away. If he hadn’t fallen over, it would’ve been a possible 90-yard pick-six:

A look at the Drew Allar interception.

Not good… pic.twitter.com/bmwyNkMYqF

— Avery Hill (@official_aveee) September 13, 2025

Allar did make an exceptional 35-yard throw between two defenders right before half-time, fitting the ball into a tight window with perfect velocity for a touchdown with 33 seconds remaining. That was a NFL throw. Yet overall there was a lot more bad than good. His accuracy, timing and anticipation are off. He continues to move around reminiscent of Mike Glennon.

In two games against Florida International and Villanova, he completed just 56.4% of his passes. His EPA through three games is just 5.3 — John Mateer’s, for example, is 20.0. Allar’s QBR is also a terrible 38.3 — way below the other big name draft eligible quarterbacks. He only has one ‘big time throw’ so far compared to two ‘turnover worthy plays’.

It’s very difficult to watch him at the moment and see a player the NFL is going to be that excited about.

Another name who continues to struggle is Clemson’s Cade Klubnik. It shouldn’t be forgotten that so many of the draft media were calling him a potential first rounder this summer, with no evidence to back that up. Klubnik has been a complete flop so far. He was outplayed by Haynes King in the defeat to Georgia Tech and I would take King over Klubnik.

Look at this throw for an example to show how scrambled the quarterback and the Clemson offense appears to be. The circle denotes the intended target, the arrow where the ball actually went. You could argue it’s a miscommunication and maybe the receiver ran the wrong route. OK — well adjust. Klubnik just threw it up for grabs when he had ample time and opportunity to read the field and deliver a pass that could’ve been completed. His receiver is open:

It speaks to a player who can’t play out of structure in the passing game and switch on the fly. If the offense tells him to throw that route downfield, he’s doing it — even if the only player near that area of the field is the safety.

Klubnik also had a fumble on a run early in the game, had some issues on third down, was limited to a high number of short passes and had a poor red-zone interception — failing to see a defender lurking in the tall grass who jumped up and took away a slant route.

If you thought Allar’s stats were bad, wait until you see Klubnik’s. His EPA after three games is actually in the negative (-0.1). That’s incredible. His QBR is 43.8. Without dramatic and sudden improvements, you can’t expect him to be a NFL starter one day.

It’s not all bad news though. Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton is one to watch. I’ve studied his three games so far and there are things to like. He attacks all areas of the field and carries an aggressive mindset. He can throw with touch downfield and knows how to exploit 1v1 opportunities. Morton is well sized with a decent arm. He has stuck with Texas Tech for years, hasn’t transferred and appears very comfortable. There’s a level of athleticism and creativity which at least warrants noting.

His QBR is 81.2 so far — above King (79.5), Fernando Mendoza (79.5), Sawyer Robertson (78.2), Mateer (77.5) and Nussmeier (75.3). Only Arkansas’ Taylen Green (93.7) and Miami’s Carson Beck (89.9) are above Morton.

Keep an eye on Morton. It won’t be a surprise if he ends up becoming a player of interest for the NFL. An upcoming game against Utah this weekend will be a good test.

Speaking of Arkansas’ Green — according to Tony Pauline he is well liked in the NFL. He’s athletic and creative. I’ve studied one of his games this year and I’m intrigued to see more.

At the moment though, there is not a quarterback I think you can say appears destined to be a top-10 pick. There’s still time for that to change. Mateer and Baylor’s Robertson have certainly elevated their stock. We need to see Indiana’s Mendoza against tougher opponents.

A final note on Carson Beck at Miami. I watched the games against Notre Dame and against USF. He looks a lot more comfortable than he did last year, a horror show for Georgia, but he is still throwing ugly interceptions and making poor decisions. I’m afraid that’s just part of his game at this point. He has not taken a step forward in this area and it’ll only become more problematic at the next level.

QBR stats

Taylen Green — 93.7
Carson Beck — 89.9
Behren Morton — 81.2
Haynes King — 79.5
Fernando Mendoza — 79.5
Sawyer Robertson — 78.2
John Mateer — 77.5
Garrett Nussmeier — 75.3
Cade Klubnik — 43.8
Drew Allar — 38.3

EPA stats

Taylen Green — 35.2
Sawyer Robertson — 20.3
John Mateer — 20.0
Carson Beck — 18.4
Fernando Mendoza — 15.8
Garrett Nussmeier — 15.7
Behren Morton — 14.8
Haynes King — 14.7
Drew Allar — 5.3
Cade Klubnik — -0.1

Players I want to highlight

Iowa produces a lot of good offensive linemen and they’re a team to keep an eye on. They run outside zone very well and their players are coached at a good level in the system Seattle runs. They took Mason Richman in the 2025 draft and could go back to the well next year.

We’ve talked about center Logan Jones (I think he could play guard or center at the next level) and right tackle Gennings Dunker (who could move inside to guard). I think both players should absolutely be considered as targets for the Seahawks in the top two rounds. However, another player has jumped onto the radar.

Left guard Beau Stephens looks like a good fit for Seattle. He currently leads college football in zone blocking (94.7). He sinks his hips well to anchor when he holds position to block — but he’s also adept at getting on the move and reaching up to the second level. He has the brawling mentality you expect from an Iowa lineman. There are examples on tape of him turning defenders and then finishing his blocks to the turf. Stephens shows a willingness to combo block, even if there are some technical tweaks needed.

He can do a better job angling into the block and not letting opponents attack his left shoulder. I’d also like to see a better initial punch into the chest and engaging with his hands on contact in a more consistent manner.

I don’t think Stephens is likely to be a high pick — he’s much more of a middle rounder or later. He’d also obviously have to move over to the right hand side to compete to start in Seattle. Yet he is a name to watch in the coming weeks, along with Jones and Dunker at Iowa.

Another interior lineman I’ve really enjoyed watching so far is Penn State’s redshirt junior left guard Vega Ioane. For a player listed at 328lbs he moves around well. There were no issues on tape when he was asked to pull or reach up. He’s also surprisingly mobile when he needs to set into his stance in pass-pro and his sheer size and power enables him to clamp on to opponents and finish with ease.

There was a rep against Villanova where he had to kick-slide to the left as the entire left side of the line had to switch across to handle extra rushers. He handled it like a left tackle. I was originally trying to watch left tackle Drew Shelton but I kept getting distracted by the big #71 at guard. I checked his zone-blocking grade and it is a very decent and acceptable 79.2 through three games. I’ve watched all of his tape from this season now and there’s a lot to like here. To me he looks like a day two pick.

For all my complaints about the 2026 class so far, the O-line is looking pretty good. Utah right tackle Spencer Fano is my favourite draft eligible player for next year. Francis Mauigoa, Gennings Dunker, Caleb Lomu, Vega Ioane, Drew Shelton, Logan Jones, Parker Brailsford, Ryan Baer. There are good players to be had and the Seahawks might have an opportunity to add further quality and competition to the trenches.

If you missed any of my media appearances this week, check them out here:

Puck Sports

Bump & Stacy

Seahawks Collective

Usual request — do me a huge favour and please check these out and if possible, head over to the YouTube pages for the videos too, leave a like and a comment on there. Your support is much appreciated!

This was a peculiar game. The Seahawks handily out-yarded the Steelers and felt like they should be in a superior winning position earlier than they were. Yet ultimately they got there in the end, courtesy of a bizarre special teams touchdown.

It’s not easy to win by 14 points on the road, particularly against an AFC North opponent with expectations of being competitive. The Seahawks made Aaron Rodgers look well passed his sell-by-date. The defensive tackles both clogged lanes and pressured the quarterback. The passing game was a lot more varied, aggressive and balanced. Cooper Kupp had a good game to complement Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Tory Horton and the tight ends were more involved. Ken Walker had a much better game to the tune of 105 yards on 13 carries.

However, a series of errors made things close. Jason Myers’ missed field goal. Sam Darnold threw two interceptions, the second of which came on a bizarre play-calling decision belittling Seattle’s preference to be a physical running team (if it’s 4th and short, don’t overthink it). Meanwhile, as Walker excelled — Zach Charbonnet suddenly looked like he could barely gain a yard on any of his runs.

It was immensely frustrating that the Steelers had a seven-point lead at half-time despite losing the yardage battle 188-69. Yet the Seahawks, to their credit, made sure it wasn’t going to be one of ‘those’ days. They put 17-straight points on the board to secure the win.

The score that effectively broke it open will go down as one of the more bizarre you’ll ever see. The Steelers allowing a kick-off to enter the end zone, with the Seahawks eventually recovering it. A cheap, easy seven points gratefully received. A huge error. It was the bit of fortune the Seahawks arguably deserved and needed.

The offense still has to iron out the kinks. It’s clear this is going to be a process that takes time. There are still play-calling decisions that seem a little off. This was an improvement from last week though, so gradually getting things on track is plausible.

There were many individual positives though. The top-two receivers, Josh Jobe, all of the front-line defensive tackles, Walker. They needed to win this game to keep up with the rest of the NFC West and they delivered.

We experienced some technical issues during the post-game live stream. If you fast-forward to 18 minutes when the issues start, we seemed to have solved the problem. My apologies, I will try to make sure this is fixed: