The underclassmen edge defender group stands out: T.J. Parker is next up in the long line of elite Clemson edge rushers, while Miami's Rueben Bain Jr. offers endless intrigue.
A new, talented running back class emerges: Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love and Texas' CJ Baxter could headline another strong running back class in their first season with draft eligibility.
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Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes
As we work our way through summer scouting for the 2026 NFL Draft, we wanted to give you a primer for some of the new names you’ll be hearing that are draft eligible for the first time this upcoming season. Here’s a starting point watch list for underclassmen in the 2026 draft cycle.
QUARTERBACK
There are a handful of exciting underclassman quarterbacks with eligibility for the 2026 Draft, starting with Texas' Arch Manning. He has yet to be a full-time starter but earned an 81.0 PFF passing grade on 94 snaps in 2024, flashing a ton of talent shown in just that small dose.
Leavitt has an NFL-caliber arm and tallied 13 big-time throws in 2024 as just a sophomore at Arizona State. Iamaleava was the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, according to 247 Sports, and showed pro arm talent at Tennessee this past season. Now at UCLA, he’ll likely play in an offensive structure that better translates to the NFL.
Chiles is a work in progress, but underclassmen typically are. He made 13 big-time throws but 20 turnover-worthy plays in 2024, although he does seem to have NFL arm talent. Sellers possesses no shortage of NFL ability in his arm or legs. He’s listed at 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds and earned a 73.8 PFF rushing grade with 47 missed tackles forced. His passing ratio does need to improve after he logged 19 turnover-worthy plays and 16 big-time throws in 2024.
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RUNNING BACK
Love is the top running back prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft after earning a 91.8 PFF rushing grade as just a sophomore in 2024. He also averaged 0.38 missed tackles forced per attempt and 4.4 yards after contact per attempt.
Baxter took over as the Longhorns’ starting running back after Jonathon Brooks tore his ACL late in 2023 and looked great with a 74.8 PFF rushing grade. Unfortunately, Baxter suffered his own knee injury in the summer of 2024 and missed the whole season. A bounce-back could put him back at the top of the running back prospect list.
Hughes earned a 90.9 PFF rushing grade with more than 1,400 rushing yards in 2024. He also had 36 rushes of 10 yards or more. Haynes is a former five-star back who will get his shot as the starter this season in Ann Arbor after working as a backup in 2023 and 2024 at Alabama, where he earned PFF rushing grades of 80.3 and 80.7 on just 106 total carries.
Darius Taylor boasts strong PFF rushing grades (84.8 and 83.0) and PFF receiving grades (73.0 and 78.1) as one of the more versatile backs in the country over the past two seasons.
WIDE RECEIVER
Tyson earned an 83.3 PFF receiving grade as Sam Leavitt’s go-to receiver during Arizona State's College Football Playoff run last season. He hauled in 10 contested catches but needs to clean up the drops, as he had seven in 2024.
Tate felt like the third wheel to Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka last year, but with Egbuka gone, expect Tate to really shine. He is a strong route runner with an 81st-percentile separation rate against single coverage at 6-foot-3. Singleton will get to showcase his talents in the SEC this year, now at Auburn. He recorded 12 receptions of 15 yards or more, and 15 the year prior.
Zachariah Branch also brings some explosiveness to the SEC after transferring from USC to Georgia. He has posted a 20.0% threat rate (target rate on routes run) in each of his underclassman seasons. Concepcion will join the Aggies this season after a disappointing sophomore year at NC State. But as a true freshman in 2023, he earned a 76.7 PFF receiving grade with 19 explosive plays of 15 yards or more.
TIGHT END
Sadiq was in a crowded receiver room last season that included Evan Stewart, Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden. Now, he’ll have a much clearer path to targets. He earned a 75.7 PFF receiving grade on just 29 targets in 2024.
Luckie was also part of a crowded receiver room at Georgia, specifically at tight end, as he was rotating snaps with Benjamin Yurosek and Oscar Delp. But Luckie racked up more than 300 receiving yards to lead the group. He could have a breakout year in Athens.
Endries earned an 84.1 PFF receiving grade in 2024 at Cal while tallying more than 600 receiving yards. He’ll take over as the top tight end for the Texas Longhorns with Gunnar Helm now off to the NFL.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Proctor is a former five-star recruit and was 247 Sports' No. 5 overall recruit in the 2023 class. He has been Alabama’s left tackle for the past two seasons and earned a 72.4 PFF pass-blocking grade in 2024, but that did include four games where he graded above an 84.0.
Mauigoa is another five-star recruit who has started for the past two seasons. He earned steady PFF overall grades of 70.1 and 71.5 in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Spencer Fano owns the best PFF grades of this group, recording an incredibly impressive 93.0 PFF overall grade and a 93.6 PFF run-blocking grade at right tackle.
Laloulu played at least one snap at all five positions on Oregon’s offensive line in 2024, but most of his work (854 snaps) was at center. He earned an 80.6 PFF pass blocking grade in 2024 with no sacks allowed.
Lomu, Utah's other star tackle, doesn't have PFF grades that jump off the page, but he was very solid in 2024 with a 75.7 PFF overall grade and 70.0-plus PFF run- and pass-blocking grades.
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INTERIOR DEFENDERS
Woods earned an 82.9 PFF overall grade last season as just a true sophomore, thanks to an 81.3 PFF run-defense grade and a 73.3 PFF pass-rush grade. He played more than 200 snaps as a defensive tackle but also logged more than 100 snaps as a defensive end or edge defender. That makes his grades even more impressive.
Miller earned an 83.9 PFF run-defense grade in 2024 on 188 such snaps. He earned a positive grade on 20.7% of run plays, compared to a negative grade on just 6.4% of run plays.
EDGE DEFENDERS
Parker is the next man up in the royal line of Clemson pass rushers. He was a four-star recruit in the 2023 class who earned an 87.4 PFF overall grade as just a true sophomore while playing 640 snaps. Both his PFF run-defense and PFF pass-rush grades were above 80.0 in 2024.
If Bain can put it all together in 2025, watch out. He recorded an 89.3 PFF pass-rush grade as a true freshman before topping 80.0 in run defense as a sophomore. At 275 pounds, he possesses a ton of versatility and ability.
Faulk has been a stout run defender. At 288 pounds, he recorded an 83.4 PFF run-defense grade as a sophomore. Matayo is the younger brother of quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei. He logged a 15.5% pass-rush win rate in 2024, ranking 15th among Big Ten edge defenders.
Adonijah Green has played just 201 snaps in two years, but he showed promise with a 76.6 PFF pass-rush grade and 20.4% pass-rush win rate in 2024, with the latter ranking 17th among all college football edge defenders.
LINEBACKERS
York is a stud. He might be a bit undersized at 6 feet and 235 pounds, but the true junior has been starting in the middle of Texas A&M’s defense for the past two seasons and was even voted a team captain as a sophomore. His high football IQ is evident in his 70.0-plus PFF run-defense grades over the past two seasons.
Hill could very well be the first linebacker drafted in 2026. His 6-foot-3 frame gives him long arms that help with wrap-up tackling and forced incompletions. He earned an 80.2 PFF run-defense grade as the Longhorns' starting middle linebacker as just a true sophomore, a figure that ranked 14th among SEC linebackers.
Perkins is an interesting prospect. At 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, he would be light even for an off-ball linebacker. And yet, the Rebels played him on the edge for 555 snaps compared to just 34 in an off-ball spot in 2024. He is an incredible athlete, and his frame and movement skills would translate well to off-ball work as a weakside linebacker. He almost has to play there, as 210 pounds would be an incredible outlier for an edge rusher in the NFL.
CORNERBACKS
McCoy earned an 89.6 PFF coverage grade on 393 coverage snaps last season in just his true sophomore season, ranking ninth among all cornerbacks in college football. He tore his ACL in January after the Volunteers' season ended but should return at some point in 2025.
Avieon Terrell is the younger brother of Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell. He earned a 77.4 PFF coverage grade in 2024 with two interceptions and 16 forced incompletions. Muhammad played opposite 2025 first-round pick Jahdae Barron last year, recording a 71.7 PFF coverage grade. He did not log an interception but forced 12 incompletions and allowed only one touchdown.
Kilgore played 434 coverage snaps last year, the most among South Carolina's cornerbacks. He earned just a 66.7 PFF coverage grade after giving up three touchdowns, but he did snag five interceptions and force five more incompletions. Harris was Penn State’s top cover cornerback, earning an 81.3 PFF coverage grade in 2024. He let up just 29 receptions on 389 coverage snaps.
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SAFETIES
Downs is one of the best prospects in the 2026 class and could very well be the top player on the PFF Big Board when it’s all said and done. He has started at both Alabama and Ohio State as just a true freshman and sophomore. His 85.6 and 87.9 PFF overall grades in those seasons were both top-10 marks among college football safeties.
Thieneman will get a change of scenery after transferring from Purdue to Oregon. As a true freshman, he earned an 89.5 PFF overall grade, an elite 90.2 PFF run-defense grade and an 83.5 PFF coverage grade. But he played so far off the ball as a single-high defender in 2024 that he didn't get to make many plays.
Smith is almost an off-ball linebacker at this point, but he posted an 81.4 PFF run-defense grade in 2024 — a top-50 mark in the country — as one of the most tenacious run defenders in college football. Bowen didn’t get a ton of playing time at free safety for Oklahoma last season due to Billy Bowman Jr. occupying that role. But with Bowman off to the NFL, Bowen will have a chance to fill that role.
Castell is one of the more physically gifted safeties in the class, measuring 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds. His PFF run-defense grades have finished above 72.0 in each of the past two seasons, but his PFF coverage grade dipped in 2024. He needs to improve there to be regarded as one of the top safeties in the class.