Football
The eyes of the college football world were on Miami on Monday night, as No. 1 Indiana finished off a perfect 16-0 season with a win over the hometown Hurricanes in the national title game. But they weren’t the only ones: With potential first-round picks all over the field, NFL scouts were keenly interested as well.
With the confetti fallen and the 2025 College Football Playoff in the books, it’s officially 2026 NFL Draft season. But which players from Monday’s thriller will we see getting their names called in a few months’ time? And where will stars like Fernando Mendoza, Rueben Bain Jr. and others wind up?
QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Landing spot: Las Vegas Raiders (first round, No. 1 overall)
This one’s felt written in pen for weeks, and with Mendoza leading the Hoosiers to a national title and Dante Moore opting to spend another year at Oregon, you might as well turn in the card now. The Raiders are desperate to finally find their quarterback of the future. Mendoza is the clear and obvious choice in this draft class, with arm talent and mobility and loads of big-game experience. He’s not a perfect prospect — he can be a bit slow to process, particularly when it comes to pressure — but he’s the best bet among an imperfect group.
OT Francis Mauigoa, Miami
Landing spot: Cleveland Browns (first round, No. 6 overall)
In what’s generally regarded as a weak class for offensive tackles — he’s one of just three no-doubt first rounders, along with Utah’s Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu — Mauigoa could go much higher than expected. If Fano goes at No. 3 overall to the tackle-needy Arizona Cardinals, that could set Mauigoa up as an obvious fit in Cleveland, where the Browns miss out on the chance to draft another quarterback and pivot to finding Shedeur Sanders (or Dillon Gabriel, or whoever else) some help up front.
And boy, does Cleveland need it, with holes just about everywhere on what was once a stout unit. Mauigoa spent his entire collegiate career at right tackle, and his polished technique, long arms and 26 starts at Miami make him a very safe pick.
EDGE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami
Landing spot: Washington Commanders (first round, No. 7 overall)
Bain might be the single most polarizing prospect in this class. On the one hand, he was one of the most productive pass rushers in the country this season, and neither Ohio State nor Indiana could block him during the Canes’ run to the national title game. On the other, his acute lack of length (his arms would be among the shortest on record of any edge rusher taken this high) could give teams pause about his ability to succeed at the NFL level.
I think the production will win out eventually. His tape is just too good, and the floor he offers as a run defender should give teams enough confidence to take him in the top half of the first round. David Bailey figures to be the first EDGE off the board, potentially as high as No. 2 to the New York Jets, but the Commanders are in desperate need of help on the edge.
EDGE Akheem Mesidor, Miami
Landing spot: Buffalo Bills (first round, No. 26 overall)
Mesidor doesn’t have the juice that Bain does, but one of his biggest red flags (he’ll turn 25 in April) could be a strength for teams picking at the back end of the first round. He should be ready from day one to get after the quarterback, and that just so happens to be an area of need for the likes of the Chargers, Philly, Chicago, Buffalo, San Francisco and New England. Mesidor would make a lot of sense for the Bills, who have been trying to figure out their edge situation for years and will be saying goodbye to AJ Epenesa in free agency.
WR Elijah Sarratt, Indiana
Landing spot: Kansas City Chiefs (second round, No. 40 overall)
The Chiefs have Rashee Rice as a YAC maven underneath and Xavier Worthy as a vertical threat, but what this passing game still desperately needs is a certified ball-winner: a prototypical X who can line up on the outside, get physical and win contested catches. Sarratt doesn’t figure to be an elite separator in the NFL, but he’s got the body type teams will be looking for and he was a back-shoulder savant at Indiana. That sounds like something Patrick Mahomes could work with.
CB D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana
Landing spot: Jacksonville Jaguars (second round, No. 56 overall)
If Ponds were three inches taller, he’d be a slam-dunk first-round pick. Alas, he’s listed at 5-foot-9, and in reality he might even be shorter than that. For some teams, that will be enough to take him off their board entirely, especially considering that Ponds has spent basically his entire career on the outside rather than in the slot. But whoever takes a chance on him will be rewarded by a guy whose instincts and coverage ability allow him to play far above his listed height. Ponds’ limitations might drop him a bit, but he’s exactly the sort of versatile piece every secondary needs nowadays, and he’d look great next to Travis Hunter for a Jags defense that needs help at the back.
CB Keionte Scott, Miami
Landing spot: Minnesota Vikings (third round, No. 82 overall)
Scott won’t be for everybody. He’s a nickel only, and at times he looks more like a safety or a smaller linebacker than a cornerback. In the right scheme, though — one that can move him all over the field and blitz him from everywhere — he could wreak havoc, and that sure sounds like a player Brian Flores would know what to do with.
Of course, this is assuming that Flores remains in Minnesota, which is far from a sure thing right now. Assuming the two sides can work out a new deal, though, this would be a godsend for a Vikings secondary that’s grown long in the tooth and needs more impact talent.
WR Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana
Landing spot: Carolina Panthers (second round, No. 83 overall)
This is admittedly an aggressive comparison, but when you watch Cooper play this year you can start to see flashes of Deebo Samuel at South Carolina. He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s well-built, with tremendous body control and the ability to do serious damage after the catch. As Carolina looks to continue to build out its receiving corps around Bryce Young, Cooper feels like a great fit opposite Tetairoa McMillan, someone who can soak up underneath touches and provide Young with a YAC outlet.
OT Carter Smith, Indiana
Landing spot: Green Bay Packers (third round, No. 84 overall)
Smith just feels like a Brian Gutekunst lineman: polished, experienced and versatile, even if he’s not the biggest physical freak around. He played left tackle for the Hoosiers, but that doesn’t have to be his home at the next level, as he’d be capable of kicking inside to guard if needed. With Green Bay likely saying goodbye to Rasheed Walker and Elgton Jenkins in free agency, replenishing depth up front is a must, and Smith could push Jordan Morgan on the blind side while also filling any holes elsewhere as they arise.
QB Carson Beck, Miami
Landing spot: Los Angeles Rams (fifth round, No. 167 overall)
If you wanted to sum up Beck’s collegiate career, you could do a lot worse than its final play: With his team in position to drive down and score a touchdown that would win the national title, Beck forced a throw that was never a good idea — and that he didn’t have the arm talent to pull off — and threw a game-sealing interception.
There are tools to work with here, but the elbow surgery Beck underwent last offseason seems to have greatly diminished his arm strength and velocity, and he’s not the sort of elite processor who can compensate for that deficiency. Never say never in this QB class, but at this point, it’s hard to see any team sinking a Day 2 pick into him. More likely, he winds up as a developmental pick for a team that has its current passer and is looking to take fliers on the future.
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