• Jeremiah Smith projects as a generational receiver: The Ohio State superstar is already the best player in college football as just a true sophomore.
• A potentially elite quarterback prospect: Florida’s DJ Lagway has all the arm talent to become a No. 1 overall pick in 2027.
• Get a head start on the 2026 class first: Try PFF’s best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.

Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

There tends to be a “grass is always greener” syndrome when it comes to scouting prospects in drafts that are at least a year out. Many players may seem like blue-chip prospects on the surface but when they’re put under the microscope, their flaws become much more evident. Therefore, future drafts usually aren’t as special as they appear at first glance.

Now disregard that entire first paragraph because the 2027 NFL Draft projects to be incredibly good. The 2024 college football season was the year of the true freshman, as many players have shown superstar ability immediately out of high school. 

The two cover athletes of EA College Football 26 are rising sophomores in Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Williams. Three second-year players are the No. 1 players at their respective positions in PFF’s rankings. That’s only happened five other times in the history of our rankings. 

Players who entered their true sophomore seasons as the No. 1 player at their position:

Our No. 2 running back, No. 2 wide receiver, No. 2 edge defender and No. 2 safety are also true sophomores. In total, 12 second-year players made the top-10 of their position ranking as well.

While we’re still about 10 months away from the 2026 NFL Draft, here’s a breakdown of those 12 players in what could be a historic 2027 class. 

(Texas quarterback Arch Manning will not be included in this piece because while many expect him to remain with the Longhorns past this season, he is eligible for the 2026 draft if he chooses to declare. And right now, he projects as the top quarterback prospect in next year’s class.)

WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State

PFF Position Ranking: 1st

Jeremiah Smith is essentially the Trevor Lawrence of wide receivers in terms of how quickly they hit the ground running in college. Both entered college with an immense amount of hype as the No. 1 overall recruit from their respective classes and were among the highest-rated recruits ever. Both immediately lived up to the hype as true freshmen and helped their team win national titles in their debut seasons. Lawrence went first in the 2021 NFL Draft, and Smith could go No. 1 in 2027.

As a true freshman, Smith was the most valuable receiver in the nation according to PFF’s wins above average metric. His 89.8 receiving grade was third in the nation and over four points higher than any other returning wideout. He also led the Power Four with 15 receiving touchdowns while his 1,311 receiving yards trailed only Tetairoa McMillan in that same group.

Smith is an athletic freak at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds with an incredibly refined skillset for someone who turned 19 years old in November. Not only is he the best returning receiver in the country, but he’s the best returning player in college football. Smith is a generational receiver who has already garnered comparisons to all-time greats like Julio Jones, Terrell Owens and Andre Johnson.

CB Leonard Moore, Notre Dame

PFF Position Ranking: 1st

Moore finished his true freshman season as the third-most-valuable corner in college football according to PFF’s wins above average metric, trailing only Jahdae Barron and Travis Hunter. He was especially good in Notre Dame’s man-heavy scheme, as his 82.5 grade in man coverage was third among all corners in the nation. The former three-star recruit is a smooth athlete at 6-foot-2 who mirrors receivers at an elite level already. In fact, he only allowed 16 of his 42 targets in single coverage to be caught. 

EDGE Colin Simmons, Texas

PFF Position Ranking: 1st

Simmons was the sixth-most-valuable edge defender in the nation according to PFF’s wins above average metric. He trailed only Abdul Carter, Jack Sawyer, Mike Green, Josaiah Stewart and JT Tuimoloau in that metric. Simmons ended up winning the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award, given to the best true freshman in America.

His 18.6% pressure rate was a top-15 mark in the nation, and he was no slouch as a run defender either, posting a 73.4 run-defense grade. Simmons’ elite combination of bend and advanced pass-rushing moves is reminiscent of Von Miller. 

EDGE Dylan Stewart, South Carolina

PFF Position Ranking: 2nd

Stewart is the freakiest athlete the Gamecocks have had at edge defender since Jadeveon Clowney was launching helmets over a decade ago. And like Clowney, he has the upside of becoming a No. 1 overall pick if he keeps up this trajectory.

The former five-star recruit earned a 91.4 pass-rush grade as just a true freshman, tied for sixth among all edges in America. His 51 pressures were tied for second among returning Power Four edge rushers as well. Stewart needs to get a bit stronger so he can set the edge better in the run game, but he’s already the most fearsome pass-rusher in college football thanks to his physical gifts.

WR Ryan Williams, Alabama

PFF Position Ranking: 2nd

While it wasn’t the greatest true freshman wide receiver season of all time like Smith had, Williams was still incredible in his first year of college football. 

The former top-five recruit’s 865 receiving yards weren’t just second to Smith among FBS true freshmen this season, they’re second over the last three seasons. Williams also led all true freshmen this past season with 170 receiving yards after contact while trailing only Smith in yards after the catch (397), receiving touchdowns (eight) and yards per route run (2.51).

He has elite speed and body control at 6 feet, 175 pounds. And did you know he was 17 years old for all of his freshman season?

QB DJ Lagway, Florida

PFF Position Ranking: 7th

It wouldn’t be a special draft class without at least one potential franchise quarterback. Lagway showed why he was the top quarterback recruit in the 2024 cycle, leading the Power Four with an 8.8% big-time throw rate. Lagway’s 95.6 passing grade on deep throws stood third in the country as well. He’ll need to become more precise as a sophomore, though, as his 59.7 passing grade on all other throws was the second-worst mark in the Power Four. 

It was still a very encouraging freshman year for Lagway, though, considering how brutal Florida’s schedule was. He may have more arm talent than anyone else in college football and just needs to fine-tune his footwork and accuracy to potentially become the best quarterback in the nation.

WR Cam Coleman, Auburn

PFF Position Ranking: 6th

Coleman was one of three wide receivers who were among the top-five overall recruits in the 2024 class, joining the aforementioned Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Williams. While it took him a bit longer to get going than those two, he still showed off his absurd potential down the stretch. 

During the final three weeks of the regular season, the true freshman led the nation with six receiving touchdowns while his 306 receiving yards were sixth. It’s also worth noting that Coleman had to deal with the worst quarterback play of anyone in this top 10, which could be fixed with Oklahoma-transfer Jackson Arnold coming in. 

Coleman scored near the 100th percentile of our Game Athleticism Score metric as he has ridiculous movement ability at 6-foot-3, 197 pounds to go along with a large catch radius. Expect a monstrous breakout campaign from him as a sophomore. 

OT Jordan Seaton, Colorado

PFF Position Ranking: 4th

Colorado’s inability to protect Shedeur Sanders in 2023 was a major reason why the Buffaloes could only go 4-8. In response, head coach Deion Sanders signed the top-ranked offensive tackle recruit in Seaton who was immediately tasked with protecting his son’s blind side at left tackle. 

The former five-star recruit did just that, earning a 75.3 pass-blocking grade that was over 13 points higher than any other true freshman tackle. In a seven-game stretch from Week 3-11, he earned an 85.5 pass-blocking grade with no sacks and only one hit allowed on 317 pass-blocking snaps. Seaton is already one of the better pass protectors in college football at just 19 years old. He played his freshman year at a very light 285 pounds. Seaton is now listed at 330 pounds as a sophomore, which is legitimate NFL size.

S Koi Perich, Minnesota

PFF Position Ranking: 2nd

The Golden Gophers lost one of college football’s best safeties in Tyler Nubin and immediately found another in Perich. The true freshman’s five interceptions this past season trailed only Xavier Watts among FBS safeties while his 88.9 PFF grade was seventh. He was also one of only seven safeties in America who earned 80.0-plus grades both in coverage and in run defense.

Perich doubles as a dangerous return man and is athletic enough to win and free safety while simultaneously being physical enough to succeed in the box as well.

RB Isaac Brown, Louisville

PFF Position Ranking: 2nd

Brown wasn’t even one of the top-40 running back recruits coming out of high school. The former three-star recruit disproved that immediately and is now the runner-up for the title of “best running back in college football”. 

He ran for 1,168 yards as a true freshman, the most of any returning Power Four tailback. Brown’s 7.2 yards per carry also led all Power Four running backs, returning or not. What he lacks in size (5-foot-9, 190 pounds), he makes up for with game-breaking speed and quickness. 

S KJ Bolden, Georgia

PFF Position Ranking: 5th

The Bulldogs may have just lost one superstar safety in Malaki Starks, but they have another waiting in the wings in Bolden. He was a top-15 overall recruit and the No. 1 safety in the 2024 class and immediately showed why in his freshman season. 

Bolden finished this past season as the eighth-most-valuable returning Power Four safety according to PFF’s WAA metric while his 13 coverage stops was tied for fifth among all safeties in the country. He has great speed for the position and is a strong tackler despite only weighing 185 pounds. 

WR Bryant Wesco Jr., Clemson

PFF Position Ranking: 7th

The Tigers have two star sophomores at receiver between Wesco and T.J. Moore, but we’ll highlight the former here. Wesco’s 707 receiving yards trailed only Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Williams among true freshmen wideouts while his 2.21 yards per route run were fifth and led the Tigers this season. He showed off his upside most in Clemson’s ACC Championship win over SMU, where he caught eight passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns.