Rook QBs Beck, King shine in HOF game … Truth be told the annual Hall-of-Fame game in Canton, Ohio, the kick-off to the pre-season schedule, usually turns into a snooze-fest as few of the players that actually play if the game are likely to make an NFL regular-season roster. However, with a couple of rookie QBs leading the way last night’s 33-30 Carolina win over Arizona was a half-way decent entertaining affair. The Panthers won the game on a 5-yard TD run by Haynes King, an undrafted rookie from Georgia Tech, with no time left on the clock. That capped a solid performance by King who completed 21 of 34 passes for 180 yards and 2 scores while chipping in another 39 yards on 3 runs, including that game-winning TD. And while they lost the game on the scoreboard, the Cardinals probably feel like the real winners as rookie QB Carson Beck, their 3rd round selection at the 2026 draft from Miami, looked more like a #1 pick. Playing into the 3rd quarter, Beck completed 15 of 19 passes for 188 yards and a TD that computed to a QB rating of 125. And while he was playing mostly against scrubs and we’ll see how he fares working against a real NFL pass rush, Beck did look really good throwing the ball last night as the ball was just jumping out of his hand and every pass was right on the numbers.
HOF game kicks off NFL pre-season … The NFL pre-season schedule gets underway later this evening when Arizona faces Carolina in the annual Hall-of-Fame game in Canton, Ohio. Kick-off is set for 8 PM ET with coverage on NBC. However, don’t expect any of either team’s projected starters to play much, if at all, this evening. That includes QBs Bryce Young and Jacoby Brissett. WE will get a first look in the pros, though, of Arizona rookie QB Carson Beck, the Cardinals’ 3rd round pick this past April, who is expected to start tonight’s game. The rest of the 30 NFL teams get their pre-season schedules underway next weekend including a half dozen games on Thursday night featuring Green Bay at Pittsburgh on the NFL Network.
Hoosier ER first to return for 5th year … Defending national champion Indiana has confirmed that rising DE/ER Stephen Daley has opted to return to the program for a 5th year. For those that haven’t been following developments in college football, players who had completed their 4 years of eligibility last fall, but did not sign with a pro team as either a draftee or free agent this off-season could return for a 5th year of college football and Daley is the first to take advantage of that ruling. Daley is an interesting prospect in that he’s an odd size at barely 6-1, but almost 275 pounds; plus he’s an unusually good athlete who was originally recruited as a TE out of high school where he was a relatively accomplished 100M sprinter with a PB of 10.85 seconds. Daley actually also made a couple of AA teams last fall after leading the country in tackles for loss with 19, including 5.5 sacks, as something of a rotational performer.
Top talent concentration? … Just a quick follow-up post regarding our list of the Top 15-20 draft classes for the 2027 draft posted late last month. We are not sure if it is a trend, but what that list points to is a rather pronounced concentration of the top talent in college football in just a few programs. Indeed, of the 52 players on our pre-season 2027 Big Board, for example, 42 or 81% play on one of the colleges listed among our top 15 draft classes, while another 3 are with the 5 honorable mentions. We’ll leave the discussion of whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing to others; as far as we’re concerned it is what it is these days. We could also note that 75% of those top 52 prospects play in either the SEC or B10 with 23 in the former and 16 in the latter, while 7 play in the ACC, three in the Big XII and three at Notre Dame.
Panthers 3rd rounder out for year … Rookie Carolina WR Chris Brazzell, the Panthers 3rd round pick this past April, will miss the entire upcoming season with a knee injury. Brazzell and the team had originally hoped that he would be back for the bulk of the 2026 season after suffering a torn LCL earlier in the week; however, after getting a second medical opinion it was decided that season-ending surgery would be the best option.
Vols LB Carter suspended 2 games … We kind of thought these kinds of things had gone the way of the dodo bird, but Tennessee LB Arion Carter has will miss the Vols first two games this year after being suspended by the NCAA for accepting improper benefits from an agent. Carter, a second-day type prospect for the 2027 draft who led the SEC in tackles per game last fall, originally declared for this past April’s draft and made a $427 flight on the agent’s tab. Carter, though, later re-aggravated an old injury, withdrew from the 2026 draft and paid the agent back. But rules is rules and players getting millions in NIL money are still technically amateurs so Carter will miss games against Furman and Georgia Tech.
‘Horns, Ducks, Bucks head list of top 2027 draft classes … As noted in an earlier report this week, we aren’t going to really know how good the 2027 draft class is going to be until later in the year because almost all the top prospects for next April’s draft will have remaining eligibility after the current season. The same goes for individual schools; however, at least on paper, Texas, Oregon and Ohio State would appear to have the most talented classes for the upcoming draft. It’s also interesting to note that each of the three has one of the top three consensus QBs in Arch Manning of Texas, Oregon’s Dante Moore and Julian Sayin of Ohio State, although each of the three teams also has plenty more talent. Texas, for example, has as many as 4 top ten prospects including Manning. For its part, Ohio State also features star WR Jeremiah Smith, the consensus best player in college football this year, while Oregon has what many consider to be the deepest overall 2027 draft class which includes arguably the best defensive front in the country.
Again, at least on paper and for now, Georgia and LSU round out the pre-season top 5 with Notre Dame 6th, Indiana 7th, Miami at #8, Alabama at #9 and Mississippi 10th. Here’s the full break-down of the top 15 2027 draft classes, along with 5 near misses. Also, as previously noted, the upcoming college season gets off with a bang as #1 Texas hosts #3 Ohio State on September 12th. Texas also plays at #5 LSU on November 14th, while the Buckeyes also travel to face defending national champion Indiana on October 17th and play #2 Oregon in Columbus on November 7th. In fact, November 7th could be the ‘day of the year’ in college football this fall as #6 Notre Dame plays at #8 Miami that day, while #5 LSU hosts #9 Alabama. and #4 Georgia plays at #10 Mississippi. For the record, UGA also plays at #9 Alabama on October 10th.
So just how good is the upcoming draft class? … By this time tomorrow evening, all 32 NFL teams will have opened their 2026 training camps. And come Saturday, NCAA teams will start opening their fall camps ahead of their schedules getting underway by the end of the first weekend in September. In that context, ESPN has an interesting article up this week asking whether the 2027 draft class is indeed as good as advertised. Of course in the end only time will tell, although it’s also pretty clear, at least on paper, that this year’s draft class is better – and in many ways much better – than the version that took place this past April. The QBs are better, the WRs are better, the OTs are better, the edge rushers are better and the corners are better. And those are the premium draft positions and clearly the strengths of the 2027 field. The one major caveat we would note at this time, though, is that almost all of this year’s top prospects will have eligibility remaining after the 2026 campaign so nobody is going to know for sure who’s actually going to be available until all the top guys have made their draft intentions known. The 2026 draft, for example, would have been looked on more favorably had QBs like Dante Moore of Oregon and Texas’ Arch Manning, who were eligible to turn pro this winter, declared for April’s draft. Time will tell.
Last of unsigned 2026 picks come to terms … In the end, there will be no training camp holdouts from the 2026 draft as the final three unsigned picks came to terms within the past day or so. QB Ty Simpson, the last remaining unsigned first-round pick, agreed to terms with the LA Rams, while New England signed second-round DE Gabe Jacas and Pittsburgh signed 3rd round QB Drew Allar. Perhaps the most surprising signing of the three is Jacas who was reportedly contemplating not signing at all for undisclosed reasons.
Ravens release UDFA QB Pavia … In something of a surprise, Baltimore has released undrafted rookie free agent QB Diego Pavia on the eve of the opening of its training camp. The Ravens reportedly needed the roster spot after signing veteran C Ethan Pocic. Pavia is coming off a remarkable season in which he led Vanderbilt to 10 wins, was named All-American on a number of prominent outlets, and was second in the Heisman voting to Fernando Mendoza. However, Pavia was only the #5 QB on the Ravens’ depth chart behind star starter Lamar Jackson and at barely 5-10 is hardly a prototype at the position. And once he clears waivers Pavia becomes a free agent free to sign with any team.
Top pick Mendoza signs … Las Vegas has reportedly come to terms with former Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, the first player selected at the 2026 draft. Mendoza was one of three unsigned QBs selected this past April leaving Ty Simpson of the LA Rams and Pittsburgh’s Drew Allar still to come to terms with their respective team.
Two rooks sign; 3-4 to go as camps open … A couple of more 2026 draft picks came to terms earlier today before the opening of training camp. Arizona, whose camp opened for veterans today, came to terms with former Miami QB Carson Beck, a 3rd round pick this past April, while Las Vegas signed former Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy, the first player selected in the 4th round. That leaves either 3 or 4 still unsigned rookie draft picks, depending on whose counting. A trio of rookie QBs including Fernando Mendoza, whom Vegas selected with the 1st pick overall this year, QB Ty Simpson, the 13th pick by the LA Ram, and Drew Allar, a 3rd round pick of Pittsburgh, all remain unsigned. Then there is the curious story of DE Gabe Jacas, whom New England traded up to select with the 55th pick overall. He also remains unsigned and there is growing speculation that he may not sign at all as he apparently deals with some health issues.
Cards, Cats open full camps … Carolina and Arizona, which play in this year’s Hall of Fame game in Canton, will be the first teams to open their full camps to veterans and rookies later today. The two meet in the HOF game on Thursday, August 6th. Seattle and New England, last season’s Super Bowl finalists greet their veterans on Friday, while San Francisco and LA Rams get underway on Saturday with all other teams open their full camps on the 28th. Courtesy of NFL.com, here are the camp opening dates for all 32 NFL teams.
Missou RB Hardy medically cleared … Star Missouri RB Ahmad Hardy reportedly has been medically cleared and is expected to make a full recovery from a gunshot wound to the leg according to program officials. At the same time, its not exactly clear what he’s actually been cleared for. According to head coach Eli Drinkwitz the actual timetable for Hardy’s return to football activities has yet to be determined. Hardy was shot in the leg after attending an outdoor concert in Mississippi back in May. Hardy had been considered to be the #1 prospect at the position for the 2027 draft after he ran for over 1,600 yards and 16 TDs last fall.
Pre-season Big Board posted … Not much of a surprise here as three QBs headline the GBN’s initial Big Board ranking of the top 50 or so prospects for the 2027 draft. Dante Moore of Oregon, Arch Manning of Texas and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin are 1st, 3rd and 5th respectively on our pre-season Big Board with another Buckeye, WR Jeremiah Smith at #2 and DEs Colin Simmons of Texas and South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart at #s 4 and 6 respectively. It should be noted that all that 6 of those guys will have eligibility remaining after the upcoming season so there is no guarantee that all, or any, will actually be in the 2027 draft class. Then, of course, we have a full season to go before the draft meaning there is still a ton of potential movement between now and the end of April next spring. And not sure if this is how the draft god’s planned it, but Ohio State and Texas, with 4 of the top 5 prospects on the board between them will face each other in Austin on September 12th!
Cards personnel exec suspended for gambling … The NFL has suspended Ryan Gold, Arizona’s director of college football scouting for violating the league’s gambling policy. The league’s investigation found Gold leaked information about the Cardinals’ supposedly confidential draft discussions while the draft was underway in April, while he also participated in parlay bets on NFL and college games.
Football is back as first training camps open!! … Well almost! The first NFL training camp does open later today as defending Super Bowl champion Seattle opens its training facilities foe rookies later today with San Francisco to do the same tomorrow, although veterans only have to report next week for both teams. In fact, Carolina and Arizona, which play in this year’s Hall of Fame game in Canton, will be the first teams to open their full camps next Wednesday, the 22nd, while every team will have their camps open by the 28th. Courtesy of NFL.com, here are the camp opening dates for all 32 NFL teams.
Pre-season 2027 draft preview: Safeties … Safety, of course, is generally not considered to be a prime draft position, at least in the early rounds. Indeed, no safety has been taken with a top 10 pick in almost a decade, although Dallas came close this past April when the Cowboys selected former Ohio State star Caleb Downs with the 11th pick overall. And that streak isn’t likely to be broken in 2027, although KJ Bolden of Georgia could get some mid-first consideration if the athletic 3rd year junior with reported sub-4.4 speed opts to leave school early with eligibility still on the table. And while the position isn’t likely going to have a major impact on next April’s opening round, there are a number of other safeties with at least second-day potential, including Koi Perich, the former all-conference star at Minnesota who transferred to Oregon for the upcoming season; Alabama’s Bray Hubbard and Keon Sabb; Ty Benefield, who moved from Boise State to LSU; underrated Zach Lutmer of Iowa; and Jelani McDonald of Texas. Here is our preliminary ranking of the top safeties for the upcoming draft.
Quick note on eligibility changes … Just a quick note in response to queries from several correspondents as to why we changed the Year/Eligibility column when we posted our pre-season CB rankings earlier this week. The simple reason is that, as reported earlier this summer, the NCAA has dramatically altered the eligibility structure for college athletes who now will have 5 years of eligibility starting either when they enter college or on their 19th birthday, whichever comes first. And players currently in school will have the opportunity to either stick with the old eligibility regime or switch to the new whichever better serves their interest. What that means, for example, is that 4th year seniors like Oklahoma QB John Mateer, who would have been out of eligibility at the end of the 2026 season, could now be eligible for another year as long as they were still under 24 years of age, while 3rd year juniors like Ohio State QB Julian Sayin, who would would have had one year of eligibility remaining after the upcoming season, will now have two years. And we’ll try to figure where all these guys stand as we go forward this season.
Pre-season 2027 draft preview: Cornerbacks … CB looks to be another interesting position for the upcoming draft. On the one hand and, at least at this time, CB does not look like it will be quite in the class of this year’s elite positions like QB, DE and WR; however, at the same time, it won’t necessarily be that far off with as many as a half dozen prospects with legitimate opening round potential. In fact, Notre Dame’s Leonard Moore, who has prototype length, speed/quickness, and agility, and ball skills, is starting to generate some top 10 buzz, while several other corners including Ellis Robinson of Georgia, Alabama’s Zabien Brown, Kelley Jones of Mississippi State and Moore’s Irish teammate Christian Gray. And they could ultimately be joined in the ranks of the very top prospects at the position by several others including Chris Peal of Syracuse, Ashton Hampton of Clemson, Texas Tech’s Bryce Pollock and OJ Frederique of Miami. Then there is a rather intriguing trio of veteran corners including AJ Harris, who transferred to Indiana from Penn State; DJ McKinney, the former Colorado star who has joined the talented secondary at Notre Dame; and Jyaire Hill of Michigan. Each of the three were thought of as likely first rounders at this last year, but for one reason or another ended up back at school this fall looking to rehab their reps. Here is our current listing of the top CBs for the upcoming draft.
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