Projecting which players will succeed in the NFL and which won't is difficult enough with a full college career of tape and a pre-draft process.
I'm reminded every year when I revisit my past preseason draft rankings, though, that it gets even harder when you try to do that the year before they declare.
While some talents were glaringly obvious -- like Caleb Downs and Jeremiyah Love -- others ... not so much (the nonexistent quarterback class!).
With my preseason top 100 draft board for the 2027 draft dropping tomorrow, I thought it was a good time to review how I saw the 2026 class at this same point a year ago.
1. Peter Woods, DT, Clemson
Clemson's 2025 season was a modern college football tragedy -- a team littered with top prospects who seemed to have their eyes focused more on the next level than their weekly opponents. Peter Woods was obviously chief among them.
He's still an incredibly gifted defensive tackle, but he did not put his best foot forward last fall. I'd argue his freshman tape was even more impressive than what he was doing down the stretch in 2025. But he landed in a great spot in Kansas City to learn behind Chris Jones.
2. Arch Manning, QB, Texas
Arch Manning may not have been an overnight success, but he was still in the running for a top-five pick by the end of the season. He returns as the No. 1 player on my preseason 2027 draft board.
3. Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
Spencer Fano was very easy to like on both his sophomore and junior tape. He's an easy mover who finds answers even when his technique isn't perfect. His arm length and tweener build caused him to slip a little to the Browns, but he was still the first tackle off the board and a Day 1 starter.
4. Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn
I'll be honest, a good portion of Keldric Faulk's appeal came from faulty info that was in the public sphere last preseason. His reported age was 19 before last season when, in actuality, he was already 20. With how much I weigh early-career production, that swayed me on his potential after a sophomore year in which he was tremendous against the run.
But when that plateaued and he took a step back as a pass rusher his junior year, I became less intrigued.
5. Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
After an encouraging first season as a starter, Garrett Nussmeier had about as bad a final season as you could have in 2025. He played through a core injury that robbed him of what little arm strength he already had before the LSU staff sat him down at midseason. His Senior Bowl performance redeemed his draft stock in my eyes, but obviously not the NFL's.
6. Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
Jermod McCoy's draft selection vs. my board highlights the distinct information disadvantage public boards face when it comes to injuries. He was medically off every team's board after a January 2025 ACL tear before the Raiders made him the first pick on Day 3.
7. Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami (FL)
If the preseason has been any indication, a lot of teams are going to be kicking themselves for letting Rueben Bain Jr. slip all the way to 15. He was a handful as a freshman and sophomore at Miami but took it to another level his junior season before declaring. I always feel better about being high on players who showed obvious progression throughout their careers like Bain.
8. T.J. Parker, EDGE, Clemson
T.J. Parker went in the opposite direction of Bain. After racking up 51 pressures as a sophomore, he finished with only 41 as a junior. Pair that with middling testing numbers, and you get his fall from Round 1.
9. Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
Caleb Downs was always a safe bet to go highly. The question was always how high to draft an undersized player at a low-value position. I don't think the Cowboys have any regrets about where they took him.
10. John Mateer, QB, Oklahoma
Some prospects have wider ranges of outcomes than others. John Mateer's was always going to be all over the map. With high-end physical tools but obvious areas for concern, Mateer showed both high highs and low lows in his first year for the Sooners. We'll see if he can bounce back from the ugly stretch he had while playing through a hand injury last fall.
11. Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
I thought Kadyn Proctor made an incredible leap last fall from jumbo athlete to refined offensive lineman. His foot speed is never going to look like Lane Johnson's, but now that he's inside at guard, it shouldn't be an issue whatsoever.
12. Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
Jordyn Tyson's tape warranted the eighth overall pick. His injury history did not. Unfortunately, the latter has already come into play, as he's out a couple of months with a lingering hamstring injury.
13. Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah
Caleb Lomu has always shown the traits I'm willing to go to bat for with offensive linemen -- quick feet, coordinated hands and smooth body control. It's just a matter of whether his play strength and nastiness will come around to the standard needed to play in the league. He landed in a great spot with New England to focus on that.
14. Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson
I'm definitely guilty of seeing quarterbacks through rose-colored glasses before they actually declare. It's easy to rationalize them fixing this one thing and improving that other thing when they still have eligibility left.
That was Cade Klubnik, who was fresh off the game of his life in the playoff against Texas when I ranked him here. "If they all look like that, he's a top-five pick." Well, they didn't all look like that in 2025 or anything close.
15. Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
Jeremiyah Love was just so obviously different even as a sophomore. His 98-yard run against Indiana in the playoff, as well as his short-yardage score on a bum ankle against Penn State in the semifinal, showed that already.
16. Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami (FL)
Francis Mauigoa was prodigiously strong for a true sophomore and, unsurprisingly, yet again as a true junior. I was a little lower on him than where he went because I saw him as more of a guard only, but that's just fine with the Giants at the moment.
17. Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
I thought Avieon Terrell was the one Clemson prospect who fought until the end last season and gave him credit on my board for it. He looks every bit the cornerback prospect his brother was, but with a distinctly different play style.
18. Connor Lew, C, Auburn
Connor Lew's season ended early with a torn ACL, but even so, it wasn't enough for me to really drop him down my board. The NFL disagreed, and the youngest offensive line prospect in the class fell all the way to Day 3. I wonder if Lew had a do-over whether he'd be back at Auburn this fall.
19. Cashius Howell, EDGE, Texas A&M
Cashius Howell remained the same dynamic pass rusher he'd always been but slipped on my board a little because he failed to make an impact as a run defender in more of a full-time role. I'm not too worried about it, though, especially given the situation he ended up in with Cincinnati, where they just need him to rush the passer.
20. LT Overton, EDGE, Alabama
LT Overton likely could have declared early for the 2025 draft and gone higher than 137th, but he would have been one of the youngest players in that draft class. He returned for his senior season and didn't make much of an impact at all, finishing with only 24 pressures.
21. Xavier Chaplin, OT, Auburn
Xavier Chaplin had a nightmarish 2025 season after transferring from Virginia Tech to Auburn. He reportedly struggled with snap counts due to hearing issues. He'll be at Florida State this fall looking for a bounce-back year.
22. Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas
Anthony Hill Jr. was the kind of prospect who was always going to be drafted highly based on physical tools alone. That being said, there wasn't much more to Hill's game as a sophomore, and he didn't take the leap I was hoping for as a junior. I still think he could turn into something special in the NFL, but there's little doubt he's a project.
23. Trevor Goosby, OT, Texas
Trevor Goosby was only a backup in 2024 when I ranked him here based on his tape. In his first year as a starter, he improved by leaps and bounds throughout the season. By year's end, he was my OT1 had he declared. While he might miss some action early this season with a bone bruise, Goosby should still easily end up a first-rounder.
24. Will Lee III, CB, Mississippi State
Will Lee III was one of my favorite press corners heading into last season, but he had a far more up-and-down 2025. My biggest worry was his lackadaisical effort as a tackler, as he missed as many tackles in 2025 as he did in 2024 and 2023 combined. He also didn't add much muscle to a svelte frame and lost at the catch point too often. There's still coverage ability there, but those were worrisome trends.
25. Drew Allar, QB, Penn State
Drew Allar's junior year was a tale of two seasons. In the first half, he looked like a top-10 pick; down the stretch and through the playoffs, he looked like a Day 3 pick. Unfortunately, the latter is what we saw in six games before Allar broke his ankle. He went to the perfect spot to develop, though, behind Aaron Rodgers with Mike McCarthy as head coach.
