10 NFL Draft Prospects To Watch In College Football Playoff National Championship
It's time for the finale...
The 2026 College Football Playoff concludes on Monday.
It’s time for perhaps our most improbable national championship yet, as the suddenly surging 10-seed Miami Hurricanes will meet the unlikely powerhouse No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers — with the game featuring some top prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft.
I’ll be keeping eyes on a few:
#15 Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
Fernando Mendoza will be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft — the only thing standing in the way is time and potential draft board maneuvering.
Mendoza was superb in his lone season at Indiana, where he is one victory away from college football’s first 16-0 season after already securing the Davey O’Brien, Walter Camp and Heisman Trophy. The Hoosiers have helped him develop into this class’ most proficient passer, with questions regarding his precision, touch, coverage manipulation and overall arm strength being wiped away.
It’s no secret how well-liked this guy is, it’s just a matter of time before we find out who likes him the most.
Pro Comp: Jared Goff (DET)
Best Fits: LV
#4 Rueben Bain Jr., DL, Miami
Rueben Bain Jr. is one of college football’s most disruptive defensive players, and has been ever since he stepped foot on campus in Coral Gables, Fla.
Bain boasts 19.5 total sacks and 31.0 total tackles for loss across his three seasons, but took things up a notch by reaching 80 total pressures this season, according to Pro Football Focus. Myles Garrett and Aidan Hutchinson can’t even claim to have made that much noise in a single season, and they led the NFL with 53 and 50, respectively, in 2025.
If you want someone to make the other team’s life a living hell, this is the guy.
Pro Comp: Tuli Tuipulotu (LAC)
Best Fits: NYJ, ARI, CIN
#13 Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana
Elijah Sarratt might be the third best option on his own team (Omar Cooper Jr. and Charlie Becker), but he’s as interesting an evaluation as anyone…
Sarratt has been extremely productive across stints at Saint Francis, James Madison and Indiana, but it’s mostly about the time in which he produces (90 of his 115 receptions went for first downs or touchdowns across 2024 and 2025). The Hoosiers will continue to rely upon him heavily in the biggest game of the season, which will serve as a showcase.
Pro Comp: Tyler Boyd
Best Fits: BUF, CLE, KC
#61 Francis Mauigoa, OL, Miami
Francis Mauigoa is still unlocking his full potential, but his size and mobility make him an ideal offensive tackle prospect for gap-blocking schemes — which are starting to come back around.
Mauigoa will benefit from being among the top options in a relatively underwhelming class at offensive tackle, meaning he could go as early as the middle of the first round. It’s always difficult projecting where scheme-specific players will land, but in a perfect world, this young man will hear his name called very early.
Pro Comp: Cam Robinson (CLE)
Best Fits: WAS, GB, DET, NE
#65 Carter Smith, OT, Indiana
Carter Smith has held up against Ohio State’s Caden Curry and Kenyatta Jackson, Alabama’s YhonzaePierre, and Oregon’s Teitum Tuioti and Matayo Uiagaleilei.
If he can do the same against Miami’s vaunted duo, we’re talking about the difference between being a second- or third-round pick.
Pro Comp: Luke Goedeke (TB)
Best Fits: CLE, NE, ARI, LAR
#3 Akheem Mesidor, DL, Miami
Akheem Mesidor isn’t your typical No. 2 — much like his buddy Rueben Bain Jr., he was one of the most dominant pass-rushers in all of college football in 2025.
Mesidor can play from all over the defensive line, and is equally as effective no matter where he lines up, carrying a 30% pass-rush win-rate throughout the CFP.
I’d draft that guy.
Pro Comp: Dre’Mont Jones (SEA)
Best Fits: ATL, CAR, CIN
#6 Mikail Kamara, DL, Indiana
Mikail Kamara is undersized, but there have been some serious flashes throughout his four seasons.
Kamara flashed with 7.5 and 10.0 sacks, respectively, over the course of 2023 and 2024. It’s been difficult for him to reach those same heights now that he’s facing double teams on a regular basis, however, so let’s see how he stacks up in what is expected to be his final collegiate game.
Pro Comp: Calija Kancy (TB)
Best Fits: IND, JAX, NO
#0 Keionte Scott, CB, Miami
Keionte Scott is part of the new age, where perhaps the most impactful defensive players can’t be tied to one position or role.
Jalen Pitre has been exactly that for the Houston Texans, serving as an extremely versatile piece in the secondary that contributed to six turnovers this season. Derwin James does the same thing for Los Angeles Chargers. Kyle Hamilton does it for the Baltimore Ravens.
Scott could be the next in line, and you will hear his name called consistently throughout the 2026 CFP National Championship Game.
Pro Comp: Jalen Pitre
Best Fits: BUF, LV, MIN, WAS
#5 D’Angelo Ponds, CB, Indiana
D’Angelo Ponds is rather diminutive, but he plays much larger than his listed size (5-foot-9, 170 pounds) — drawing assignments that include the likes of Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Alabama’s Germie Bernard.
Ponds is a former track star — which allows him to stay in phase against anyone on the outside — and displays a physicality that makes him the one of the most difficult players to play against in all of college football.
It’s rare that someone so small can stick on the outside, but that will be the expectation as he makes the transition into the NFL.
Pro Comp: Upton Stout
Best Fits: MIA, GB, CIN
#7 CJ Daniels, WR, Miami
If you’re looking for someone to make a spectacular catch, keep your eyes on No. 7.
CJ Daniels has bounced around from Liberty to LSU to Miami, where he has slowly built that reputation. The NFL has no problem taking chances on talent, so expect him to get a chance late in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Pro Comp: Luke McCaffrey
Best Fits: NO, NYJ, SF
Honorable Mention: #3 Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana; #78 Pat Coogan, OL, Indiana; #1 Roman Hemby, RB, Indiana; #8 Jakobe Thomas, WR, Miami; #11 Carson Beck, QB, Miami; #2 Damari Brown, CB, Miami
