2027 Watch List

[mayoclinic]

Notre Dame 2026 Player Profile: Defensive End Bryce Young

Boasting elite efficiency and a massive 6-6 frame, this rising junior edge rusher is primed to transform flashes of potential into a dominant breakout season in South Bend.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[mayoclinic]

Notre Dame 2026 Player Profile: Defensive End Bryce Young

Boasting elite efficiency and a massive 6-6 frame, this rising junior edge rusher is primed to transform flashes of potential into a dominant breakout season in South Bend.

roundtable.io

 

[mayoclinic]

Williams Nanweri and Bryce Young both 6'6"+ 260#+ highly athletic former 5-star recruits. Guys to watch to see if they can start producing.

 

[mayoclinic]

Notre dame could have two first round defensive backs in the 2027 NFL Draft

Ryan Roberts breaks down the early draft grades both Leonard Moore and Tae Johnson received ahead of the 2026 college football season

sports.yahoo.com

 

[mayoclinic]

 

[mayoclinic]

 

[mayoclinic]

 

[manxman2601]

Some insight on prospects that are viewed highly by the scouting agencies.

some of note but not a definitive list:

I believe all of these have first round pre-season grades.

Sam Leavitt, QB, LSU
Tae Johnson, S, Notre Dame
Ashton Hampton, CB, Clemson (higher grade than Kelley Jones).
Kade Pieper, C, Iowa (up to 298lbs)
Trevor Lauck, OT, Iowa
Greg Johnson, OG, Minnesota
Yhonzae Pierre, EDGE, Alabama
Will Heldt, EDGE, Clemson
Ryan Coleman-Williams, WR, Alabama
Charlie Becker, WR, Indiana

It's a shame there was nothing on linebackers.

 

[mayoclinic]

It's a shame there was nothing on linebackers.

Hope it stays that way.

 

[mayoclinic]

Tae Johnson 2027 NFL Draft: scouting report for Notre Dame, S

Notre Dame S Tae Johnson has become a popular early name for the 2027 NFL Draft. What does Johnson bring that has NFL evaluators excited about?

sports.yahoo.com

 

[mayoclinic]

Some insight on prospects that are viewed highly by the scouting agencies.

some of note but not a definitive list:

I believe all of these have first round pre-season grades.

Sam Leavitt, QB, LSU
Tae Johnson, S, Notre Dame
Ashton Hampton, CB, Clemson (higher grade than Kelley Jones).
Kade Pieper, C, Iowa (up to 298lbs)
Trevor Lauck, OT, Iowa
Greg Johnson, OG, Minnesota
Yhonzae Pierre, EDGE, Alabama
Will Heldt, EDGE, Clemson
Ryan Coleman-Williams, WR, Alabama
Charlie Becker, WR, Indiana

LOL, Joe Deleone loves small, shifty QBs. Be my guest.

OTOH, he says he has 1st round grades on KJ Bolden, Tae Johnson, and Jelani McDonald

Sam Teets currently has a mid-round grade on Ashton Hampton, says he may need to move to safety. Apparently Hampton played safety in HS. Interesting to see diverting assessments.

Agree with Ryan Roberts - Will Heldt is a good player and will be productive, but I do not see him as a 1st round talent. I feel the same way right now about Damon Wilson and Quincy Rhodes, they they have more upside. Agree with Roberts that Yhonzae Pierre is a 1st round talent, and far better than Malachi Lawrence. If Pierre had come out in 2026 and been available at 28, he would have been my trade up target.

 

[mayoclinic]

The Roberts-Deleone video is a good watch.

I think for me, a unquestioned 1st round prospect needs both good film and production, + 1st round traits and athleticism - they should make Bruce Feldman's freak list and be productive. Guys like Yhonzae Pierre, Kade Pieper, Jelani McDonald, Jamari Johnson and Charlie Becker stand out for me. So do Chris Cole, KVA, Sammy Brown, and KJ Bolden. The tape "pops", and the traits are there.

 

[mayoclinic]

2027 NFL Draft Summer Scouting Report: Damon Wilson II, edge, Miami

After a breakout season at Missouri, Damon Wilson II heads to Miami looking to turn elite traits and pressure production.

bucswire.usatoday.com

 

[manxman2601]

LOL, Joe Deleone loves small, shifty QBs. Be my guest.

OTOH, he says he has 1st round grades on KJ Bolden, Tae Johnson, and Jelani McDonald

Sam Teets currently has a mid-round grade on Ashton Hampton, says he may need to move to safety. Apparently Hampton played safety in HS. Interesting to see diverting assessments.

Agree with Ryan Roberts - Will Heldt is a good player and will be productive, but I do not see him as a 1st round talent. I feel the same way right now about Damon Wilson and Quincy Rhodes, they they have more upside. Agree with Roberts that Yhonzae Pierre is a 1st round talent, and far better than Malachi Lawrence. If Pierre had come out in 2026 and been available at 28, he would have been my trade up target.

I can see the Zion young comp for Will Heldt. not necessarily as a player for player comp but in terms of usage and draft value. I can see a top 50 player which is not far from a first round pre-season grade. And don't forget, these are scouting agency grades, not Deleone's or Roberts' grades.

In fact, I quite like a Zion Young and Gabe Jacas comp for Heldt. Young in terms of strength and run defense, Jacas in terms of effort and character.

 

[manxman2601]

Is Faletau Satuala of BYU this year's VJ Payne? 6'4", 215lbs with 33.5" arms.

Satuala also has only 9 career missed tackles. That's 91st percentile according to the video.

Some questions about his hips and range and they estimate his speed at 4.60 but he has potential as a hybrid safety.

"he's a great tackler"

 

[manxman2601]

KJ Bolden

"clean and patient....it's something we said about Malachi Starks and Caleb Downs. They just let the game come to them and there's never any panic...you see so few big mistakes, if any from KJ Bolden."

 

[manxman2601]

On Koi Perich

"There were so, so many blown assignments in coverage last year. He bites hard on play-action, he loses his man downfield and his reactions and processing speed were slow"

He needs coaching up at Oregon but it's a good place for him to go. High ceiling but his floor is too low for me right now.

 

[mayoclinic]

Is Faletau Satuala of BYU this year's VJ Payne? 6'4", 215lbs with 33.5" arms.

Satuala also has only 9 career missed tackles. That's 91st percentile according to the video.

Some questions about his hips and range and they estimate his speed at 4.60 but he has potential as a hybrid safety.

"he's a great tackler"

It still hurts me that we passed up VJ Payne. And Jordan Van den Berg. And Micah Morris.

 

[manxman2601]

"first and foremost, Chris Cole is a hell of an athlete that can play in space. When he opens up, turns his hips and runs he can really really run. In coverage he's a dangerous asset...He can athletically do anything you want on a football field"

"If he can improve as a run defender, He has the makings of being a first round pick in next years draft"



The versatility of Cole and the pure run defending* of Ray Coney could be a dream combo.

* I think run defense is the weakest part of Cole's game. not that he's bad at it, but I didn't see a pure MIKE in him.

Both Dalton and Max commented on his ability to cover receivers 40 plus yards downfield. They were both gushing about him outside of his run defence. If you watch one video, this might be the one.

 

[mayoclinic]

Cole is not a pure MIKE. He could be a good one, but that would probably not be his best fit.

Pair him with a hood MIKE, and you have an elite LB duo.