1 month ago
Cole Payton, QB, North Dakota State
You person to spell backmost to 2013 to find a twelvemonth successful which less than 4 quarterbacks were selected successful nan apical 100 picks. But successful this year’s mediocre backmost class, nan 4th backmost whitethorn not spell disconnected nan committee until time three. After Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Alabama’s Ty Simpson, it’s unclear who will moreover beryllium nan 3rd taken. There is simply a chasm from nan apical 2 down to LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Penn State’s Drew Allar and Miami’s Carson Beck. All 3 are flawed. The astir tantalizing mid-round backmost is Payton, a one-year, lefty starter retired of North Dakota State.
Behold:
NDSU person go thing of a quiet backmost factory. Over nan past 10 drafts, nan Bison are tied pinch Alabama for 2nd among backmost draught selections. Payton is much Trey Lance than Carson Wentz arsenic a prospect: an awesome jock who needs improvement arsenic a passer.
At 6ft 2in and 235lbs, Payton is built for illustration a moving back. And earlier 2025, he was used as one, lining up successful nan backfield arsenic a battering ram successful nan tally game. But successful 2025, he was handed nan starting backmost occupation and torched everyone astatine nan FCS level. He was businesslike and explosive arsenic a runner and thrower. The numbers are jarring. According to PFF, Payton joined Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, and Joe Burrow arsenic nan only backmost to station a big-time propulsion complaint complete 8%, lead assemblage shot successful big-time throws versus nan blitz, and limit his turnover-worthy play complaint to little than 2% erstwhile throwing from a cleanable pocket. That’s an awesome CV for a one-year starter pinch the wonkiest throwing motion you will ever see.
Payton doesn’t really throw the shot arsenic overmuch arsenic hurl it. There is simply a small Philip Rivers, a small Tim Tebow. But moreover pinch his peculiar release, location are high-level throws to each area of nan field. At this stage, he’s much of a runner who throws occasionally than a backmost tin of marshaling an full offense.
NFL teams will mobility whether he tin beryllium a viable pro quarterback. Absorbing nan nuances of a rhythmic, full-field passing onslaught while overhauling his throwing mechanics will beryllium a challenge. Most likely, he will beryllium viewed successful nan Taysom Hill mould: part-time moving back, part-time tight end, short-yardage weapon. But successful a backmost people that lacks sizzle, Payton will beryllium an action precocious connected time two. The correct squad could return him arsenic an early-down, do-everything violative limb while processing him arsenic a backmost successful nan background.
Chris Bell, WR, Louisville
What if I told you that AJ Brown whitethorn beryllium disposable connected time 2 of nan draft?
This year’s people lacks fireworks astatine nan accomplishment positions, pinch 1 exception: wide receiver. There whitethorn not beryllium a sure-fire playmaker for illustration Malik Nabers aliases Ja’Marr Chase topping nan board, but location are presently 17 receivers successful nan apical 100 of nan Consensus Big Board. And they broadly autumn into 3 buckets: reliable, pro-ready receivers pinch immoderate diversion upside; reliable, soft receivers without game-breaking speed; and height-weight-speed phenoms who deficiency refinement aliases played successful goofy offenses that inflated their production.
Then location is simply a 4th bucket: Chris Bell.
Comparing anyone to Brown sounds silly, but Bell brings nan aforesaid floor plan to nan party. He is simply a big, friends target who delights successful bodying up cornerbacks and separating precocious successful nan rep. Unlike Brown, he isn’t a accordant downfield threat. But Bell does his harm connected short, crisp routes and past creates aft nan drawback – nan lifeblood of pro schemes. In nan unfastened field, he is reliable to tackle and has nan plant-and-fire burst to turn easy completions into chunk gains.
Yet location are caveats. He tore his ACL successful his last crippled for Louisville, meaning he will miss a important chunk of his rookie season. Beyond nan aesculapian concerns, location are besides other reddish flags: an allergy to nan mediate of nan field, persistent punishment problems, his assemblage usage and his affectional maturity. Those risks will push him down draught boards arsenic teams pursuit players who tin make an contiguous effect aliases gravitate to much reliable prospects.
Bell is acold from cleanable but nan talent is undeniable. He smacks of a subordinate who will autumn done nan cracks arsenic teams overthink nan process. For a playoff-caliber squad pinch a settled wide receiver room, Bell will adhd a genuine playmaking expertise extracurricular nan apical 50 picks.
Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State
In 4 years, Iheanachor has gone from not playing nan athletics to being a imaginable first-round pick.
The mammoth, 6ft 6inch, 321lbs tackle only picked up shot successful inferior college. Born successful Nigeria earlier moving to Compton for precocious school, Iheanachor’s first loves were shot and basketball. His precocious schoolhouse didn’t moreover person a shot team, and he didn’t return his first threat until his 2nd twelvemonth successful inferior college. But he has fallen for nan crippled and precocious sewage a tattoo of nan NFL shield. “It’s decidedly thing that intends a batch to me,” Iheanachor said astatine his pro day. “I emotion football, emotion nan game, truthful why not?”
After discovering football, Iheanachor quickly became a high-level inferior assemblage enlistee and, complete 2 years arsenic a starter astatine Arizona State, rounded into a apical 50 prospect. Despite his inexperience, he has shown each nan traits of a starting NFL tackle: size, spring, balance, magnitude and earthy spot and power. He didn’t springiness up a sack successful 2025 and conceded nan lowest unit complaint of immoderate of nan tackle prospects.
Over nan past 5 years, teams person shown they will stake connected earthy diversion devices on nan violative statement successful nan first information alternatively than pursuit method proficiency. There are only truthful galore group who are large capable and diversion capable to support up pinch nan likes of Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons swooping successful disconnected nan edge. The method specifications are essential, but they tin beryllium taught. What Iheanachor has is unteachable size, athleticism and strength. And he is already ahead, technically, of wherever Jordan Mailata, Amarius Mims and Patrick Paul were erstwhile they entered nan league.
There will beryllium increasing pains. Iheanchor sewage by successful assemblage mostly owed to his earthy talent, and his method is shaky. As a comparative newbie to nan sport, soaking up a pro playbook while trying to hone his trade will return time. But this draught people lacks linemen pinch prototypical size and agility for a tackle. Iheanachor is 1 of nan fewer that checks those boxes. If he sneaks into nan first round, it wouldn’t beryllium a shock.
Caleb Banks, DL, Florida
If you’re looking for large chemoreceptor tackles successful this year’s class, you tin return your pick. The draught is filled pinch heavy-footed run-stuffers who tin past successful nan mosh-pit that is an NFL statement of scrimmage connected early downs. But uncovering players who tin problem nan backmost connected 3rd downs is tough. It’s moreover trickier to find prospects who tin capable some roles, playing each 3 downs and offering conscionable arsenic overmuch listen against nan tally arsenic unit they make connected opposing quarterbacks.
The astir apt campaigner is Banks, a 6ft 6in, 335lbs bundle of size, velocity and power. Banks is arsenic disruptive arsenic they come. He is nan astir people talented protect lineman successful nan class, creating changeless disruption acknowledgment to his size and agility. Rarely do you find a lineman truthful large who tin play truthful debased to nan crushed who is also explosive disconnected nan ball. Not since Jordan Davis entered nan draught has a 6ft 6in protect lineman tested truthful good athletically.
But he besides happens to person Joel Embiid’s feet. Banks missed almost each of nan 2025 play pinch a ft injury. After a breakout play successful 2024, he fractured his ft successful Florida’s finale. He made it backmost for nan team’s 3rd crippled of 2025 against LSU, and past collapsed his ft again. Banks was capable to return for Florida’s last 2 games of his last assemblage season, but collapsed his ft again before he tested astatine nan combine. A large man pinch persistent ft injuries will ever make teams queasy.
Add to that, for a subordinate who was bigger, faster and stronger than everyone he played, Banks’ accumulation was comparatively muted. He started conscionable 24 games complete his 3 seasons astatine Florida and was much disruptive than productive.
The upside, though, is done nan roof. Every franchise successful nan convention is chasing disruptive players on nan interior. And connected a per-snap basis, nary 1 successful assemblage shot lived successful nan backfield arsenic often arsenic Banks. He had a unit complaint of 21.4% connected 3rd down successful 2024, which would spot him successful nan 90th percentile among each DTs drafted successful nan past decade. And it would beryllium by acold nan highest fig for immoderate protect lineman drafted complete that span who weighed 320lbs aliases more. Tack connected rock-solid tally defense, and you’re looking astatine personification who could person a Dexter Lawrence, Chris Jones aliases Leonard Williams type impact.
No imaginable has a wider scope of outcomes. Injuries could unit him retired of nan convention early, aliases he could beryllium a foundational piece. The aesculapian concerns will astir apt push him into nan 2nd round, but his imaginable whitethorn beryllium excessively overmuch for teams precocious successful nan first information to walk up.
Uar Bernard, DL, NFL International Player Pathway Program
In a anemic wide draught class, teams will usage their precocious picks to propulsion darts astatine nan champion athletes, hoping they tin create them into shot players. Taking a chance connected a stash-and-develop subordinate can output a Mailata.
Enter: Uar Bernard, nan 21-year-old Nigerian imaginable from nan NFL’s IPP. Bernard weighs 306lbs, barely an ounce of which is fat, and has arms truthful agelong he tin necktie his footwear laces opinionated up. At a caller pre-draft showcase, he collapsed each known jumping records for a protect statement prospect. He wide jumped 14 inches much than immoderate protect tackle that tested astatine nan harvester and leapt 39 inches connected nan vertical jump, which was higher than almost each wide receivers who person tested this cycle. Oh, and he besides ran a 4.63 2nd 40-yard dash, a hairsbreadth distant from tying pinch Notre Dame wide receiver Malachi Fields, a statement second-round pick.
“Hands down, he is nan astir explosive jock I’ve ever seen successful my life,” Jordan Luallen, who trains prospects for nan combine, told The Athletic. “I’ve ne'er seen thing for illustration it.”
Can he play football? Who knows? The crippled is played successful pads, not shorts. And Bernard has already said training pinch pads has been an adjustment. It is besides a interaction sport, not an diversion showcase. Plenty of teams person whiffed connected diversion phenoms pinch small consciousness for nan game. But is each squad successful nan convention racing to meet pinch Bernard? You bet.
Bernard is moving retired arsenic a protect lineman, but he could move positions depending connected which squad drafts him. And personification will take a flyer successful nan seventh round. Being a personnel of nan IPP brings Bernard added value. Players from nan programme are fixed a roster exemption, meaning they do not return up a spot connected nan team’s 70-man roster. For a precocious seventh-round draught pick, a squad will efficaciously snag a free deed connected 1 of nan astir diversion players successful nan league.
