- Julian Sayin and Arch Manning see their draft stocks fall: Sayin committed six turnover-worthy plays over his past two games, while Manning earned a career-low 43.4 overall PFF grade against Florida.
- Indiana prospects shine despite losing to Ohio State: Safety Amare Ferrell recorded two interceptions and allowed just 7 yards in coverage, while receiver Charlie Becker caught nine passes for 165 yards.
- Jordan Ross and Chase Sowell boost their draft outlooks: Ross produced three sacks and seven pressures for LSU, while Sowell earned a 91.0 overall PFF grade and gained 151 receiving yards for Penn State.
Week 7 of the college football season was undoubtedly the most surprising yet. Not a single team stayed in the same place in the AP poll, and what was already billed as an incredible slate exceeded expectations.
Losses by five of the top nine ranked teams have caused a major shakeup in how we view these programs as we enter the business end of the regular season. When top teams lose, it typically means much of the draft’s top talent has lost too. Over half of the top 32 players on PFF’s 2027 big board lost on Saturday — something we haven’t seen in any other week of the season.
However, not every draft prospect who came away on the losing side on Saturday necessarily worsened their stock, and likewise not every winner boosted their place on PFF’s big board. In fact, it can sometimes be the opposite, as proven by the first three players in this week’s report.
Stock Up: S Amare Ferrell, Indiana
We didn’t discuss Ferrell in our preview of Ohio State and Indiana – frankly, because there were so many other players worth highlighting. Ferrell isn’t currently on PFF’s top 150 big board, but he could easily find himself in those conversations after a career day against Ohio State.
With top Hoosiers cornerback Jamari Sharpe and others preoccupied with double and triple-teaming Jeremiah Smith, the onus was on Ferrell to stand firm against the rest of Ohio State’s passing talent.
He came away with two interceptions and forced two additional incompletions. His final stat line read one catch allowed for 7 yards on five targets. He was also a factor against Ohio State’s running backs, earning a 75.3 PFF run-defense grade, the highest of his four-year career.
Ferrell has now logged over 2,000 defensive snaps for a defense that operates at one of the sport's highest levels. He boasts strong grades across all four years and is experienced as a deep safety, in the box, and as a nickel cornerback. He likely won’t hear his name called on Day 1, but he’s surely growing into an attractive proposition for the middle rounds.
Stock Down: QB Julian Sayin, Ohio State
While Ferrell and the Indiana defense looked excellent in stretches against Ohio State, the opposing quarterback isn't free of blame. This was Sayin’s second consecutive overall PFF grade in the 40s. That’s something he had previously never done as a starter.
Sayin has committed six turnover-worthy plays over his last two games, as many as he committed throughout last season. His biggest play came on an underthrown prayer ball heaved into the general vicinity of Jeremiah Smith, who, of course, hauled it in for a touchdown.
To add insult to injury, Sayin will now miss several weeks of practice due to a shoulder injury he suffered on a strip sack in the fourth quarter. Other quarterbacks in this class aren’t exactly covering themselves in glory lately, but Sayin doesn’t have the elite intangible tools to fall back on as a prospect. He needs to be productive every single week to earn his place in the first round. Recently, his physical limitations have caught up with his output.
Stock Up: WR Charlie Becker, Indiana
Becker is the last player from this blockbuster Big Ten matchup to find his name on this list. Of the three wide receivers with first-round grades in this game, Becker had the best day, with nine catches for 165 yards.
His 84.8 PFF receiving grade was Becker’s highest since these teams met in last year’s conference championship game. He’s really yet to have a bad performance since that game.
Becker has yet to drop a pass in his collegiate career, and this was his second straight game making multiple contested catches. He appears to have mastered using his large frame at the catch point so far this season, and his chemistry with quarterback Josh Hoover looks just as strong as it did with Fernando Mendoza a year ago.
Hoover’s biggest limitation as a prospect will certainly be his lack of dynamic ability after the catch. There’s just not much he can do in this regard. Becker has forced just two missed tackles this season, though the Hoosiers offense doesn’t often put him in true YAC situations.
Stock Down: QB Arch Manning, Texas
After a promising opening to the season which saw Arch Manning attract Heisman consideration and become the favorite for the first overall pick in the draft, Manning’s stock has been tumbling ever since.
This past weekend’s loss to Florida was potentially a new low for the Manning hype machine. Despite posting a passer rating of 107.8 in this game, the underlying metrics paint a very different picture. His 43.4 overall PFF grade was his career low as a starter. Only four power four quarterbacks graded out worse this week.
Manning committed three turnover-worthy plays: a throw into double coverage and a pair of strip sacks, the second of which the Gators recovered to seal the upset. His pocket presence has been noted as a concern in the past and has shown no signs of improvement. Manning took six total sacks in this game, bringing his sack total to 18 for the season.
We simply haven’t seen the positive aspects of Manning’s game in over a month now. His overall PFF grade since his clutch victory over Ohio State is just 58.8, and the Longhorns have now lost two straight games. Manning still has six more SEC games to right the ship, and goodness knows the grandson of football royalty will be given the benefit of the doubt if he can salvage something from this season, but we really need to see it.
Stock Up: ED Jordan Ross, LSU
With everything happening across the rest of the college football landscape, Jordan Ross’ epic performance in LSU’s obliteration of Mississippi State may have gone unnoticed by most, but NFL teams in need of pass-rush help will certainly have taken note.
Ross was electric, finishing with three sacks and seven pressures. All of this on just 26 pass-rushing snaps. His 92.9 overall PFF grade was the highest of his career and the highest of any power four defender this weekend.
Without standout sophomore quarterback Kamario Taylor, replacement Parker Puckett was a sitting duck in the backfield for Ross to feast on.
On-field production was the biggest thing we needed to see from Ross this season, who we already knew possessed every trait you’d want in an edge defender. He came into this season with just two career sacks. Now, hitting eight sacks with five games still to go in the regular season bodes very well for his future potential.
Stock Down: LB E.J. Lightsey, Georgia Tech
Lightsey is a linebacker among the latter end of PFF’s big board but entered Saturday as someone expected to hear their name called in the middle rounds of the draft.
His reputation has taken a bit of a hit, however. His 30.3 overall PFF grade against Virginia Tech was the second lowest of any Power Four defender this past Saturday. Lightsey allowed 76 total yards in coverage. That’s more than his first five games of the season combined.
He missed two additional tackles in the game, which matches his missed-tackle tally over the rest of the season. Lightsey shouldn’t be totally discarded as a prospect after one brutal game, but truthfully he doesn’t flash the high upside to balance out the bad.
Lightsey’s appeal is that, up until now, he's been a remarkably steady presence in the middle of the Georgia Tech defense. In three years in Atlanta, he has just one career PFF grade above 80.0. And before Saturday, only one game graded below 50.0.
Stock Up: WR Chase Sowell, Penn State
Returning to the theme of players who didn’t win on Saturday but certainly boosted their draft status, Sowell had a career day despite his side’s defeat to Michigan. He’s not currently on PFF’s top 150 big board, but Saturday’s 151-yard performance is certainly a foot in the right direction.
He had an additional 37-yard gain chalked off for an offensive penalty. Overall, Sowell logged a 91.0 overall grade in this game, the highest of any offensive player in the FBS this weekend.
This wideout has spent the last five seasons in four different programs, his final transfer coming from Iowa State alongside head coach Matt Campbell. Adjusting to new surroundings is difficult, but Sowell has now posted four straight seasons with over 500 receiving yards.
NFL teams will see a player who can adjust to a new environment, with new teammates and still find a way to be productive. At 6-foot-3, Sowell has ideal size for teams not willing to invest a premium pick on wideouts like Charlie Becker or KJ Duff and instead look for a value acquisition in the later rounds.
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