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While it might not be the most exciting Week 1 (Louisville vs. Ole Miss is the only ranked-vs.-ranked matchup), college football’s opening weekend means new opportunities for prospects to demand attention from NFL evaluators.
Before last season, no one was calling Ohio State’s Arvell Reese a top-five pick, but he changed that narrative in the opener against Texas. LSU’s Mansoor Delane was a well-liked potential Day 2 prospect, but he proved to be a first-rounder almost immediately in a Tigers uniform.
There are numerous examples each year, so who will be this season’s risers?
Here are 15 prospects I’m excited to see in Week 1:
Three storylines to watch: Indiana, Arch and Kiffin
Stewart Mandel
1. Darian Mensah, QB, Miami (at Stanford; Friday, 9 p.m. ET)
Based on his time at both Tulane and Duke, Mensah is already a well-liked quarterback among NFL scouts. However, there is a debate about his ceiling at the next level. His physical tools are average and you wouldn’t classify his arm as “explosive,” but Mensah understands touch and rhythm as a passer with a point-guard awareness that should translate well.
Surrounded by the Hurricanes’ talented offense, Mensah is a Heisman Trophy frontrunner — the last 15 quarterbacks to win the Heisman went on to be first-round picks.
I was also excited to see Stanford left tackle Niki Prongos (6 feet 7 inches tall, 312 pounds) in this game, especially against Miami edge rusher Damon Wilson. But Prongos, a potential top-50 pick at tackle, is currently sidelined with an injury.
2. Desmeal Leigh, OT, Youngstown State (at Kentucky; Saturday, 1 p.m. ET)
Is your NFL team looking for offensive tackle help? Saturday’s Youngstown State-Kentucky game will be worth watching.
For Leigh, this will be his most important tape of 2026. The FCS All-American has an NFL body (6-6, 324, with 35 1/2-inch arms and an 85-inch wingspan), and he enters the season as a potential Day 2 draft pick. But how he matches up against SEC competition — and this is the only opportunity on Youngstown State’s schedule — will go a long way in determining an all-star invite and, ultimately, his draft grade.
3. Lance Heard, OT, Kentucky
A Tennessee transfer, Heard is hoping to convince scouts that he is a future pro starter. His junior tape is marred with sloppy moments, but the traits and play violence are next-level worthy. Unlike Leigh, there will be more important tapes for Heard on the horizon (including in Week 2 vs. Alabama) but scouts want to see the senior left tackle have a strong start.
4. Matayo Uiagalelei, edge, Oregon5. Teitum Tuioti, edge, Oregon (vs. Boise State; Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET)
There are multiple senior edge rushers worth tracking in this matchup.
Uiagalelei and Tuioti are relentless, physical prospects in 260-plus-pound bodies. Neither player is super twitchy, but they both compete with the power to set the edge or force the quarterback from his spot — which is why scouts like them as Day 2 projections.
6. Jayden Virgin-Morgan, edge, Boise State
And as for Oregon’s opposition Saturday …
Virgin-Morgan has an adequate frame (6-2, 254, with 32 1/2-inch arms) and is the Broncos’ top-ranked senior prospect in the 2027 class, after leading them in sacks and tackles for loss in both 2024 and 2025. For Boise State to keep this game close, Virgin will need to create pressure on Ducks quarterback Dante Moore.
7. Jordan Seaton, OT, LSU8. Will Heldt, edge, Clemson (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET)
There are numerous prospects for Clemson and LSU worth watching Saturday night — including a combined seven players who cracked my preseason top-50 draft board. But my eyes will be focused on the matchup between Seaton (6-5, 302) and Heldt (6-7, 260).
A former five-star recruit, Seaton arrived in Baton Rouge this offseason after two up-and-down seasons at Colorado. You can see his first-round talent, but his consistency must catch up, especially in the run game.
Heldt, meanwhile, has mediocre arm length and arc speed, but his rush hands and pursuit angles make him disruptive. Multiple NFL scouts have told me that he is the top senior prospect in their area.
9. Nico Iamaleava, QB, UCLA (at Cal; Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET)
College football is currently overloaded with talented yet inconsistent passers who have opportunities in 2026 to rewrite their narratives — and Iamaleava is near the top of the list. Having produced better tape last season than most realize, he carries some optimistic love in the scouting community. It wouldn’t be surprising if he becomes a “riser” over the next few months.
10. Chase Hendricks, WR, Cal11. Ian Strong, WR, Cal
My focus when Cal has the ball Saturday will be on two senior transfer receivers who should flourish catching passes from quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (who isn’t draft-eligible).
Working mostly out of the slot, Hendricks (5-10, 195), an Ohio transfer, is a tough-minded receiver with the savviness and toughness to be a high-volume threat. And Strong (6-4, 216), a Rutgers transfer is a big-bodied receiver on the outside with average speed but strong finishing skills. Both prospects have draftable grades from NFL scouts.
12. CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame (vs. Wisconsin; Sunday, 7:30 p.m. ET)
Is this the start of a national championship season for Notre Dame? The Irish are loaded at several spots on the roster, including having the best secondary in the country.
But I’m most excited to see an updated look at Carr, a redshirt sophomore quarterback, and his development piloting the offense. Carr’s physical tools don’t blow you away, but his operation is impressive.
13. Abu Sama, RB, Wisconsin
If Wisconsin has any chance at upsetting the Irish, Sama will need a big day. The Iowa State transfer has just enough quickness and run anticipation to keep scouts intrigued, and he could possibly earn a spot on Day 3 of the draft.
14. Clev Lubin, edge, Louisville (vs. Ole Miss; Sunday, 7:30 p.m. ET)
Ole Miss has arguably the most dynamic backfield in the country, led by quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy (both start the season in my top 50). Can the Louisville front seven slow them down?
Lubin (6-2, 267), a senior, needs to improve his pass-rush efficiency, but he pops at contact with 11-inch bear claws for hands. He finished fourth in the Power 4 last season with 64 pressures — the three players ahead of him were all first-rounders this past April.
15. Will Echoles, DT, Ole Miss
Echoles is a fun watch because of the different ways he can disrupt an offensive game plan. He has the talent to be DT1 in the 2027 class, and Ole Miss will need him playing at that level to slow down Louisville’s offense, which is led by dynamic running back Isaac Brown.