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. 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:

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.

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. 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:

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