3) Other standouts to note
There were plenty of NFL prospects on the field at Hard Rock Stadium on Monday. Some put their best foot forward. Others were less impressive.
Miami QB Carson Beck might once have been considered a possible first-round pick, but that kind of buzz is no longer attached to him. He led the Hurricanes to three playoff victories and warmed up as the game progressed on Monday, but Beck’s critical INT in the final minute ended Miami’s title hopes, forcing a pass into bracket coverage.
Beck has some NFL-caliber skills, and he’ll be an interesting study after some high-variance play over his college career. He could make a push for the middle rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft with a strong pre-draft process, if he can convince NFL teams he has the intangibles required to be a starting quarterback.
On the positive side in the loss, right tackle Francis Mauigoa was a standout for the Canes. He allowed one pressure and a tackle for loss, but he was otherwise stout in pass protection and a big driver for the Miami run game. He had big blocks on two long runs by Miami RB Mark Fletcher Jr. and another one on a sweep by freshman Malachi Toney. Mauigoa’s mass, strength and steadiness are all big pluses.
For Indiana, standouts on defense were LB Aiden Fisher, DE Mikail Kamara and CB D’Angelo Ponds.
The captain of the IU defense, Fisher had four tackles and a sack on a first-half blitz. He’s considered the heartbeat of the Hoosiers’ defense and could work his way into the latter parts of Day 2 of the draft. Kamara had the biggest play of the game with the blocked punt that was recovered for a touchdown, and he also flashed a few times, even in his reps against Mauigoa.
Ponds is very undersized, but he’s a spirited player with elite instincts and footwork. He was the author of the game-opening pick-six against Oregon in the playoff semifinal, too. He’s a good and willing tackler, which was on display on a few big run-support plays early in the game, and Ponds broke up a deep ball when Miami was trying to mount a comeback late.
Two Hoosiers who had tougher nights included WR Elijah Sarratt and OT Carter Smith. Sarratt couldn’t haul in two passes in the third quarter, including a bad drop, catching three passes for 28 yards on seven targets. Smith gave up a sack to Rueben Bain Jr. and was guilty of the late false start that helped keep it a one-score game and nearly cost IU in a big way. He’s a steady, respected player, but questions about his ability to play left tackle at the next level could endure.