College Football Week 10: 2026 NFL Draft prospects to watch
By Jack Brentnall
It’s Week 10, and the pressure is ratcheting up for teams and prospects alike. While the rest of the country looks at the rankings, our focus is on the crucial one-on-one battles happening across the country- the matchups that will determine who hears their name called in April.
This weekend provides the perfect stage for several top prospects to make a statement. We have an exciting Big 12 matchup between Cincinnati and Utah, as well as the Big Ten showdown between Penn State and Ohio State.
Here are five players I’ll be watching closely in Week 10.
Jayce Brown - WR, Kansas State (6-0, 197, Junior)
After some initial doubts, the 2026 wide receiver class seems to be emerging as an incredibly exciting group. There are at least three players deservedly earning top-15 pick discussions, but the depth of the group, which includes Kansas State’s Jayce Brown, also looks promising.
Brown has caught my eye a few times this season. He featured in my first scouting notebook after a strong outing against Iowa State and excelled last week against Kansas, posting a phenomenal 160 yards and a touchdown on just four catches.
Brown is a true deep threat who has maintained a career average of 16.7 yards per catch. His track background shows on tape; he has the legitimate juice and long speed to burn NFL defenders downfield once he gets moving.
The key question for Brown is centered on his frame and consistency. Listed at 6’0″ and 179 lbs, he is physically slight, and scouts will want to see him fill out his frame to withstand the physicality of the NFL. Crucially, he needs to show more game-to-game consistency in his production, but his fit on an NFL depth chart as a high-value vertical threat is easy to project.
This weekend, he goes up against a good Texas Tech defense that will challenge his ability to get off the line and win contested deep shots. A strong, consistent performance here is essential for him to cement his status as one of the better mid-round options in this deep receiving class.
Hollywood Smothers - RB, NC State (5-11, 195, rs-Sophomore)
It’s been an up-and-down season for NC State, but their running back Hollywood Smothers has been consistently impressive. The former Oklahoma man has been one of the most productive backs in the country through the first nine weeks of the season. He leads the ACC in rushing yards, forced missed tackles, explosive carries, and breakaway carries.
As a prospect there is a lot to like. While he might not have a prototypical NFL-ready frame (listed at 5’11” and 195 lbs), he possesses many of the other traits teams look for in a versatile back.
His plant-and-go quickness is excellent, and he shows impressive lateral agility when he needs to bounce runs or evade tacklers in space. He has the open field speed to rip off explosives, as evidenced by his 464 breakaway yards, a mark that leads all Power Four backs.
This weekend, Smothers and the Wolfpack host unbeaten Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets have struggled to stop the run this season, ranking 113th in EPA allowed per rush. This is a great opportunity for Smothers to deliver a statement performance that evaluators will be watching closely, proving his high-level production can translate to a dominant showing against a ranked opponent.
Brendan Sorsby - QB, Cincinnati (6-3, 235, rs-Junior)
There aren’t many teams in college football in better form than Cincinnati, who are on a seven-game winning streak. A big part of that success has been their quarterback, Brendan Sorsby.
Sorsby, who is in his second year as the Bearcats’ starter, is having a breakout campaign. He has been incredibly productive, throwing for 1,826 yards, with 19 touchdowns and just one interception, with a further 428 yards and seven touchdowns as a runner. His 26 total touchdowns rank second in the FBS.
The last few weeks have seen Sorsby getting more NFL Draft buzz, and it is easy to see why. He’s got good size (listed at 6’3″, 235 lbs) and athleticism, a noticeably live arm, and is a consistently good decision maker – he has a turnover-worthy play rate of just 1.2% and is riding a streak of nearly 180 consecutive pass attempts without an interception.
The concerns surround his wildly inconsistent accuracy and funky mechanics. His adjusted completion percentage of 72.6% ranks just 86th in the FBS and there are too many easy throws left on the field as a result.
This weekend he has a tough test against a very good Utah team. The Utes’ defense ranks fourth nationally in passing yards allowed per game (147.4) and ninth in scoring defense (15 points allowed per game).
This feels like a big opportunity for both Cincinnati and Sorsby himself. If he can have a big game and lead the Bearcats to victory – and maintain his poise against an aggressive front that averages over three sacks per game – he’s going to start earning even more attention and solidify himself as one of the top quarterback risers in the 2026 class.
Chris Brazzell - WR, Tennessee (6-5, 200, rs-Junior)
One of the breakout stars of the 2025 season so far has been Tennessee wide receiver Chris Brazzell. He first caught my eye after an electric performance against Georgia in Week 3 – where he racked up 177 yards and three touchdowns – and he heads into Week 10 after another excellent performance, this time against Kentucky, where he posted 138 yards and a score.
The former Tulane receiver, listed at an impressive 6’5″ and 200 lbs, has formed a strong connection with quarterback Joey Aguilar, racking up 740 yards and eight touchdowns on his 43 receptions through eight games. His eight receiving touchdowns are tied for the FBS lead, and his 17.2 yards per catch average highlights his big-play potential.
Tennessee receivers have an iffy history when it comes to translating to the NFL level, but Brazzell is different to most of the players who’ve come out of the school in recent years. Josh Heupel’s scheme may be famous for its ultra-wide alignments and simplistic route trees, but Brazzell shows real nuance in both his releases and stems to create separation like a pro. He combines that technical skill with the size and speed to win contested catches and stretch the field vertically.
This weekend’s game against Oklahoma will be a good test for him and gives him another good opportunity to impress in front of NFL scouts. While Oklahoma’s total defense ranks fifth nationally and their scoring defense is sixth, their pass defense has proven more susceptible, particularly against quality opponents. If Brazzell can put up a few more big games like the ones we saw against Georgia and Kentucky he’ll solidify his position as one of the top wide receiver prospects in the class and play his way into the first round conversation.
AJ Harris - CB, Penn State (6-1, 186, rs-Junior)
It’s been a rough season for Penn State, who come into this weekend’s clash with Ohio State off the back of four straight losses and with their starting quarterback out for the season. While this game might not carry the excitement it promised at the beginning of the season – the Ohio State-Penn State matchup still features multiple high-profile draft prospects.
Harris came into the season as one of the highest profile prospects on the Nittany Lions defense, following a strong 2024 season that saw him earn Third Team All-Big Ten honours. As with many of their players, his season so far has been a mixed bag. The junior cornerback, listed at 6’1″ and 186 lbs, has recorded 20 total tackles and seven defensive stops through seven games.
Defenses haven’t tested Harris much this season, but when they have he has struggled to make an impact. He’s allowed 11 catches for 149 yards and two touchdowns on 13 targets, conceding a concerning passer rating of 154. He doesn’t yet have a single interception or pass breakup to his name.
As a prospect, scouts will like Harris’ reliability as a tackler and run defender – a trait he displayed consistently in 2024 and in his early games this season, with zero missed tackles. However, they will be keen for him to show more in coverage, particularly in terms of ball skills and consistency.
This weekend he has his toughest test of the season as he’ll be tasked with covering Ohio State’s talented wide receiver duo of Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. This feels like a game that could really swing his draft stock.
JACK BRENTNALL
HEAD OF NFL DRAFT CONTENT
Previously the founder of The Jet Sweep, Jack joined The Touchdown as head of Draft Content in 2024. A Scouting Academy alumnus, Jack has been Covering the NFL Draft since 2020. Follow him on Twitter @Jack_Brentnall.