- CJ Carr strengthens his 2027 NFL Draft case: The Notre Dame quarterback earned an 89.3 PFF grade while accounting for five touchdowns and avoiding turnover-worthy plays.
- Kenyatta Jackson Jr. delivers a career-best pass-rushing performance: The Ohio State edge defender earned a 90.8 PFF pass-rushing grade, the highest of his five-year college career.
- Nyck Harbor’s production remains a concern: The South Carolina receiver has totaled 90 receiving yards over his past three games while earning a 54.8 overall PFF grade.
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Another week of college football is in the books, and every prospect has taken another step toward draft day. The picture is becoming clearer both in college football and in the NFL, where five teams remain winless, and some fan bases are already beginning to turn their attention to the draft.
Week 5 won’t be remembered for a huge number of shocks or upsets across the college football landscape, but one theme that has persisted all season continued: The sport’s biggest stars showed up once again.
Jeremiah Smith is exempt from the stock-up category until further notice. The No. 1 overall player on PFF’s big board completed the triple crown of Ohio State receiving records this weekend with yet another dominant performance. Smith was the second-highest-graded wide receiver in college football this week and continues to separate himself from the field this season.
Stock Up: QB CJ Carr, Notre Dame
Playing in adverse conditions against a Bill Belichick-coached defense, Carr proved why he belongs firmly in the conversation among the top passers in the 2027 class. With Arch Manning on a bye and Dante Moore sidelined by injury, Carr had the chance to make his case as a potential first-overall pick, and he delivered an 89.3 overall PFF grade.
Four passing touchdowns and an additional score on the ground highlighted what was an impressive all-around performance. Carr continued to push the ball downfield, as this marked his fourth straight outing with an average depth of target beyond 9.5 yards. It was also his third game this season without a turnover-worthy play.
Perhaps most impressive, Carr continues to get the ball out with NFL-level urgency despite playing behind a strong pass-protecting offensive line. His average time to throw this season is a rapid 2.46 seconds, the fastest of any quarterback on PFF’s draft board.
Stock Down: CB Christian Gray, Notre Dame
Notre Dame edge defender Boubacar Traore was also excellent in this game and narrowly missed out on a stock-up nomination this week. It wasn’t all positive for the Fighting Irish’s draft prospects, however. Christian Gray, the 91st-ranked player on PFF’s big board, is on course to tumble down the rankings if his below-par performances continue.
It isn’t easy playing alongside a blue-chip prospect like Leonard Moore, whom opposing offenses will understandably avoid, but Gray is now being actively targeted instead. The slot defender has gone from a potential Day 2 pick to a possible liability on an otherwise strong Notre Dame defense.
Gray’s 54.5 overall PFF grade through Week 5 is the lowest of any player among PFF’s top 150 prospects. He is also allowing a 105.2 passer rating in coverage. His ability to defend the run has been one of the few positives so far. Gray wasn’t particularly impressive last season, either, and optimism that he can recapture the strong play from his freshman and sophomore seasons is beginning to fade.
Stock Up: ED Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Ohio State
Jackson faced one of the toughest assignments of the week against an Iowa offense that boasts multiple top-50 prospects along its offensive line. He made his impact on the second play from scrimmage, forcing a fumble that his teammates recovered and that set Ohio State up in the red zone.
By forcing the Hawkeyes into a game script where they needed to pass more often to keep pace, Jackson put himself in position to take over as a pass-rusher. He finished with a 90.8 PFF pass-rushing grade, the highest of his five-year Ohio State career.
Jackson and 34th-ranked prospect Trevor Lauck battled to something of a stalemate over the course of the game, but Jackson found much more success against the right side of Iowa’s offensive line. This was an important performance for Jackson to prove he is more than just a starting pass-rusher for a top-level program. He can make game-changing plays in his own right.
Stock Down: WR Nyck Harbor, South Carolina
It was a strong week for the offensive prospects across PFF’s big board, with very few of our top 70 offensive players turning in poor performances.
Florida running back Jadan Baugh came back down to earth — as did his entire team — after an electric start to the season. Thirteen yards on 12 carries makes for grim reading, but I don’t see the performance as hurting Baugh’s draft stock. Rather, it simply pumps the brakes on his recent rise.
South Carolina’s Nyck Harbor doesn’t have the same strong performances to fall back on amid his recent anonymity within the Gamecocks offense. He has combined for just 90 receiving yards over his last three games, along with a 54.8 overall PFF grade.
Slot receiver Mazeo Bennett Jr. leads South Carolina in receiving, while the massive 6-foot-5, 239-pound Harbor has failed to come down with any of his five contested targets this season. He also struggles to separate consistently on the perimeter despite his jaw-dropping straight-line speed. Defenses appear prepared to take away the deep ball against Harbor, and he has struggled to find other ways to win.
Harbor’s freakish athletic traits will still appeal to NFL executives regardless of his production, but 2026 was supposed to be the season he turned his tantalizing combination of size and speed into a more complete product on the field. That simply hasn’t happened.
Stock Up: DI Ahmad Moten Sr., Miami (FL)
Moten ran the risk of landing in the stock-down category if his ho-hum performances to start the season continued. After exiting early during a poor showing against Wake Forest (48.4 PFF grade), Moten missed last week’s victory but returned with a statement performance against Clemson.
The 22nd-ranked player on PFF’s big board posted an 85.4 overall PFF grade on Saturday. He recorded a pair of sacks, one while pursuing a scrambling quarterback, highlighting his motor and athleticism. The other was a freakish instant win against Clemson’s right guard on third down, with Moten getting into the quarterback’s lap within 2.5 seconds.
We were bullish on Miami’s pass rush entering the season. Despite losing Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, the Hurricanes entered the year with three defensive linemen inside the top 32 of PFF’s draft board. So far, that group is living up to its reputation.
Stock Down: CB Ashton Hampton, Clemson
On the other side of Miami’s victory, Clemson cornerback Ashton Hampton, the fourth-ranked cornerback on PFF’s big board, left evaluators with more questions than answers about his ability to defend once the ball is in a receiver’s hands.
There’s no denying Hampton’s ability to stick to receivers in coverage, but Miami exposed his struggles both against the run and after the catch. Hampton allowed two receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown. One came on a wide receiver screen where he was completely taken out of the play at the line of scrimmage. The other was a quick throw to Malachi Toney, where Hampton whiffed on the tackle.
His run defense was even more concerning. Hampton missed three tackles against Miami’s running backs, resulting in a career-low 28.8 PFF run-defense grade. Hampton has decent size for a cornerback, so questions about his physicality as a run defender are growing.
Stock Up: QB Austin Simmons, Missouri
Just in case you felt there weren’t enough quarterbacks to sort through in the potential 2027 draft class, allow me to add another name to the list.
Simmons was a respected SEC quarterback entering last season at Ole Miss, but an early injury and the ensuing emergence of Trinidad Chambliss forced him to pivot in another direction over the offseason. He posted an 89.0 PFF grade in Missouri’s upset victory over Florida this weekend while averaging 11.3 yards per attempt. The left-hander also made one of the throws of the week on a wheel route to the end zone.
Simmons is not yet in PFF’s top-150 big board, which already features 14 quarterbacks. Of course, not all of those quarterbacks will declare for the draft. It’s entirely feasible that as many as half return as veteran signal-callers for marquee college programs, where they could earn more than double what they would receive on a rookie deal.
Simmons could fall into that category, but much will depend on where his draft stock stands by the end of the season. He has another year of eligibility if he wants to use it, but if he — or any of the quarterbacks in this class — plays well enough to earn first-round consideration, there will be plenty of incentive to strike while the iron is hot and declare for the draft.
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