Rising prospects and games to watch

Hello, hello!

It’s definitely been an exciting week getting this newsletter off the ground and being able to share my midseason Top 50 Big Board with all of you! So you got a bit of a taste of what my thoughts are and who I perceive to be the top players in this class at this point in the process.

I also dropped the Diehard Draft Guide 2026, which features my scouting reports on over 150 prospects and counting. If you’re an ALLCITY Diehard in Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver, Dallas or Phoenix, you already have access to that guide on your local market’s website.

If you’re a fan of one of the remaining 27 teams? Sit tight. We’ll have a way for you to access the Draft Guide soon.

In the meantime, if this is your first time here, enter your email address below this post to get this in your box every week leading up to the draft in April!

/

OK, let’s get into this week’s newsletter …

My newest addition to my Top 50 after finishing up my early evaluation on him earlier this week? Notre Dame backup RB Jadarian Price. If you watched the Irish in their win over USC on Saturday night, you know why. This guy is a stick of dynamite — so explosive, and his abilities in space as a runner, receiver and returner (he had a huge kick return TD vs the Trojans) are special.

The player I thought of most while studying him? Former Cowboys first-round pick Felix Jones. Ironically enough, Jones was a part of a dynamic 1-2 punch in college as well alongside fellow top pick Darren McFadden. I don’t know if I’d take Price as high as Jones went … but he’s a really talented player. He’s currently sitting at RB2 on my board.

Another new player I studied this week was San Diego State CB Chris Johnson. Those of you that have followed my work will get why he’s my type of corner. He’s really instinctive. The ball skills are there. He’s tough and can defend the run — all traits that I value.

I am a bit worried about the top-end speed, though. It didn’t show up as a big issue against some of the top competition on the schedule (I watched the Cal and Washington State games), but there were a few plays where I thought he really struggled to close late. He’s a guy I am excited to see run in the pre-draft process.

The New York Jets (0-7) are currently in the pole position for the No. 1 pick in April’s draft, and I would imagine that there will be pressure for them to take a quarterback in that spot. What are the odds that we’ll be adding them to this list I tweeted earlier this year?

Every spring we hear people in the media talk about how drafting a quarterback can bring patience to ownership. History has not been on the same side as that opinion.

Each week I’ll pick one matchup from one game in each major timeslot to focus on.

In the noon window, Ole Miss vs Oklahoma will garner a lot of eyeballs. Ole Miss LT Diego Pounds has a nice matchup against the Oklahoma defensive front and namely their pass rusher R Mason Thomas. I haven’t directly studied Pounds, but he has flashed in crossover tape against other pass rushers. Thomas is currently my EDGE10; he’s a really athletic speed rusher.

In the afternoon slate we have another Top 15 matchup between Missouri and Vanderbilt. One guy I just cannot quit is Missouri S Jalen Catalon. His injury history is terrifying — he’s a seventh-year senior — but whenever he’s on the field healthy he looks like an impactful NFL starter. It’s been that way since his sophomore season. He’ll see plenty of Vanderbilt senior TE Eli Stowers, a mismatch weapon in the pass game for the Commodores.

At night, the time is now for LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier to start righting the ship. Clearly hampered by this oblique injury in the first half of the year, I’m hoping that he can begin looking like his normal self, physically, while trying to cut down on the untimely interceptions. I still have faith in him as a starter, but this grade is volatile in my mind.

He’s going up against a Texas A&M defense that has prospects at all three levels. Pass rusher Cashius Howell is one of the leading sack artists in the country. Linebacker Taureon York has been all over the field. Corner Will Lee is a big, physically imposing boundary corner. This is a big matchup for Nussmeier.

By the way, a number of you reached out by just responding to the initial email — it’s been great to interact with you! If you haven’t let me know your favorite team, now’s the time to do so. Filling out this quick three-question survey will really help inform my coverage from now through April.

Enjoy the weekend of games!

Best,
Fran Duffy