Who's rising in the 2026 NFL Draft? John Mateer, Dante Moore and more prospects standing out

NFL draft selections are made based on a college football player's body of work. The lasting impression is more important than the first impression. For example, Bo Nix had really struggled at Auburn early in his career and made some poor decisions with the football, but his final season at Oregon propelled him into the first round. 

The "risers" below have shown improvement from last season, but also have to maintain that quality of play throughout the campaign. No one is making declarations on where a prospect is going to be selected in September. Talent evaluators want to see how prospects perform against a swath of top competition. To this point in the year, most Power Four teams have met lesser opponents, so their players should be excelling in those situations. 

Without further ado, here are some of the early draft risers from the 2025 college football season.

WR Chris Bell

2025 stats (2 games): 9 catches, 146 yards, 1 TD

Bell was more of a vision than a finished product a year ago at Louisville. There were some false steps in his route-running, and his drop rate (6.5%), according to TruMedia, was too high. 

A year later, Bell looks like a more fluid athlete, creating separation through his route-running. At 6-feet-2 and 200 pounds, he has a filled-out frame capable of running away from the competition when the ball is in his hands. According to TruMedia, Bell is averaging 7.3 yards after the catch per reception this season. To this point, the Cardinals have only seen Eastern Kentucky and James Madison, but the quarterback play has also not been as good as it was a year ago.

The wide receiver class lacks a clear hierarchy, so Bell could cement himself as a top 50 pick before all is said and done.

WR Chris Brazzell II

2025 stats (3 games): 20 catches, 364 yards, 5 TD

Tennessee lost one tall boundary receiver, Dont'e Thornton Jr., to the NFL Draft and replaced him with another. Brazzell, whose father played in both the NFL and CFL, arrived on campus a year ago from Tulane. In his second season with the Volunteers, the junior has broken out with 20 receptions for 364 yards and 5 touchdowns in three games. 

Brazzell is more of a strider than an exploder, but has good hand-eye coordination to win in contested situations down the field. Relative to his size, he shows a capacity to sink his hips into his breaks and create separation in that manner. Route-running can become more consistent, but he has shown improvement over the past calendar year. 

DL DeMonte Capehart

2025 stats (3 games): 9 tackles (7 solo), 1 sack

Going back to last season, Capehart was an interior defender many projected to break out and be an early selection in the NFL Draft. Potential did not equal production, however. Capehart has great size at 6-feet-5 and 315 pounds. The Clemson product has a high floor as a run defender given his ability to hold his ground and fit gaps. 

His ceiling as a prospect will be determined by his capabilities as a pass-rusher. Some alignments are not ideal for pass-rush production, and most of his opportunities have been schemed up through stunts. If he is able to add a counter off his bull rush to become a more threatening pass-rusher, then Day 1 is within reach. 

OT Trevor Goosby

Goosby had served as a swing tackle of sorts for Texas last season when Kelvin Banks Jr. and Cameron Williams were dealing with injuries. He has settled in as Arch Manning's blindside protector in 2025, and the improvement has been noticeable. 

Posture should remain a point of emphasis in his development, but he is not getting walked back as often. He looks like a lineman who feels more comfortable and understands his role. The Texas native already has the requisite size to play the position. A team in need of a power/gap scheme offensive tackle will likely be drawn to Goosby. 

One potential limiting factor to his ascension is the presence of several other talented offensive tackles eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft.

QB John Mateer

2025 stats (3 games): 67.6 comp%, 944 yards, 5 TD, 3 INT

Mateer was an entertaining quarterback to watch last season. As a result, he was one of the most coveted prospects available in the transfer portal this spring. There was a little too much off-script playmaking to feel overly confident in projecting him to the next level, and only two games were against Power Four competition. 

Since arriving at Oklahoma, he has done a good job operating within the structure of the offense. The Texas native has been layering throws in the short-to-intermediate part of the field with sufficient velocity. He was sacked 33 times last season, which was 10th most in college football. Mateer still holds onto the ball too long at times and could benefit from getting rid of the ball late in the down rather than taking risks downfield. He did show a fun little wrinkle with a jump pass, but has since used it unnecessarily a few other times. 

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QB Dante Moore

2025 stats (3 games): 78.1 comp%, 657 yards, 7 TD, 1 INT

There was a mystique surrounding Moore coming into the season. The former five-star quarterback was volatile as a freshman at UCLA and spent all of last season backing up third-round selection Dillon Gabriel. At 6-feet-3, he has more desirable physical attributes than Mateer. 

Moore has shown a lot of poise in the pocket throwing with touch to the short-to-intermediate areas. Downfield accuracy has been a bit more mixed. He is easily able to generate velocity and make every throw that will be asked of him in the NFL. 

A few questions that remain: how will he respond when pressured, and can he consistently make accurate throws outside of the pocket? The Michigan native has faced the 14th-most time until pressure this season, according to TruMedia, against Montana State, Oklahoma State and Northwestern. 

Moore is now positioned to be the third Oregon quarterback drafted top 100 overall for the third consecutive year, joining Nix and Gabriel. Offensive coordinator Will Stein has proven himself to be one of the best quarterback coaches in the country. 

2025 Heisman Trophy odds

via FanDuel Sportsbook

LB Arvell Reese

2025 stats (3 games): 20 tackles (7 solo), 2 sacks, 2 PD

The wide receiver draft run at Ohio State has been well-established, but it has done well turning over other positions as well, including linebacker. Cody Simon, Tommy Eichenberg and others have preceded Reese in Columbus, so it came as no surprise to see Reese hit the ground running. 

There are three critical aspects of playing the linebacker position to assess: pass rushing, run stopping and covering. The Ohio native is not demonstrably deficient in any of those three areas. He builds speed quickly and uses his plus-length (6-feet-4) to finish plays. 

DL A'Mauri Washington

2025 stats (3 games): 7 tackles (4 solo), 1 PD

To continue with the trend, Washington, a former four-star recruit, paid his dues behind Jamaree Caldwell, Derrick Harmon and Brandon Dorlus. Washington has a high athletic floor to go along with his strong proficiency in the run game. The pass-rush production has not yet been there and, at times, he chases out of his run gap, but there are signs of the young defender putting it all together for the Ducks. 

The presence of pass-rusher Matayo Uiagalelei takes some of the pressure off the rest of the unit.