Week 7 Scouting Notebook: Colin Simmons' best game, Jordan Ross' breakout and more

By Jack Brentnall

Texas’ loss to Florida gave the weekend its biggest draft storyline, with Arch Manning struggling again and Colin Simmons leaving the field injured. There was plenty elsewhere worth tracking, from a pass rushing breakout in the SEC to another heavy workload against Alabama.

Here is what stood out on tape.

Colin Simmons produces his best game of the season against Florida

Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons has been building towards this all season, and Florida got the most complete version of him yet. He generated five pressures, including a sack, on 26 pass rushing snaps and posted a 19.2% pass rush win rate, taking him to 26 pressures and 10 sacks on the year. That already matches his entire 2025 sack total.

Texas moved him around the front throughout, even aligning him as an off-ball linebacker for a handful of snaps. That caused problems for Florida’s offensive line and allowed the Longhorns to get creative with their stunt paths.

What really stood out though was Simmons’ impact as a run defender. He consistently set a reliable edge and was physical at the point of attack. Several of his best snaps came in pursuit, where his closing speed allowed him to chase plays down from the backside.

The one note of caution is that Simmons left the game with a lower-leg injury in the second half. There has been no news yet on the severity but it is a situation worth monitoring.

There is still room for Simmons to develop his power profile as a pass rusher, but assuming the injury is not significant, this was the sort of game you want to see from a player widely regarded as one of the best defensive prospects in the class. The question now is how high he can go and whether he will be the first defensive lineman off the board in April.

Jordan Ross puts together his best pass rushing day of the season

Jordan Ross’ Week 1 performance against Clemson immediately stood out, but his outing against Mississippi State was his most productive as a pass rusher this season. He generated six pressures and three sacks on just 26 pass rushing snaps, posting a 16.7% win rate, and added four defensive stops.

His athleticism drove that production. Ross had the quickness to threaten tackles around the outside and enough flexibility to corner towards the quarterback. Once Mississippi State’s blockers tried to shut down the speed rush, he attacked their inside shoulder. There were also flashes of a developing power rush, with Ross converting speed to power and working through the chest of Miles McVay.

Most encouragingly, he is beginning to marry his athletic gifts with a more refined and varied approach. Nowhere was this more evident than on the first drive, where he deployed a two-hand swipe and rip combo to get around the edge, work back to the quarterback and force a fumble. This is Ross’ first season as a starter, and the growth in his game since his time at Tennessee is clear.

There is still room for him to develop as a run defender, where his impact remains inconsistent, but Mississippi State showed he can take over a game as a pass rusher. 

I think there is still a chance that Ross takes advantage of NIL and returns for another season, but if he can stack a few more performances like this down the stretch then he could be a premier name in the upcoming edge class.

Amare Thomas has a statement performance against Oklahoma State

Houston receiver Amare Thomas’ production has been uneven through the opening weeks of the season, but his performance against Oklahoma State was a reminder of how dangerous he can be with the ball in his hands. He finished with seven catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns, and it was what he did after the catch that stood out.

He averaged more than eight yards after the catch per reception and forced four missed tackles. Once he had the ball, he ran with the compact build, contact balance and acceleration of a running back. The best example came early in the third quarter, when he turned a short catch on a hitch route into a 51-yard gain.

That ability to manufacture explosive plays is the most intriguing part of his NFL projection. Thomas did not need to be targeted downfield to create chunk yardage on Saturday. Given the ball in space, he did the rest himself.

The challenge now is turning performances like this into something more consistent week-to-week.

Hesitancy defines another underwhelming day for Arch Manning

Texas’ loss to Florida produced another frustrating outing from Arch Manning, and it may have been his most disappointing of the season so far. He completed 14 of 20 passes for just 173 yards and a touchdown. Texas never got their passing game going, and Manning was a big part of the reason why.

Hesitancy was the defining issue. On several occasions, Texas’ scheme presented Manning with an answer, only for him to hold onto the ball and let the throwing window close. Rather than playing with anticipation and trusting what he was seeing, he too often appeared reluctant to pull the trigger.

That was most painfully apparent on Texas’ final offensive play. Manning had Emmett Mosley open in the flat but passed up the throw, held the football and was eventually sacked, fumbling for the second time.

Texas’ offensive line struggled with Florida’s pressure packages and left Manning in several difficult situations, and that is worth mentioning. But this is now the second consecutive week in which the conversation has centred on Manning playing well below expectations.

Through seven games, he has thrown for 1,292 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 63.5% of his passes. Those numbers are hardly disastrous, but they fall well short of what was expected of a quarterback discussed as a potential No. 1 overall pick over the summer.

The arm talent and athleticism still show up, and I’m not ready to abandon Manning as a prospect. That said, he feels like a quarterback heading in the wrong direction, and needs to address this slide in play very quickly. If he doesn’t, I think there is a real chance he returns to Texas for the 2027 season.

DeSean Bishop keeps producing against SEC defenses

DeSean Bishop’s production against SEC opposition is becoming difficult to dismiss. The Tennessee running back carried the ball 32 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns against Alabama this weekend. That takes him to 517 yards and six scores over his last three games, and 837 yards and 10 touchdowns through seven.

The manner of that production is more interesting than the workload. He forced 13 missed tackles and generated 118 yards after contact.

Bishop was decisive throughout, wasting little time at the line of scrimmage. His ability to quickly identify the crease, make his cut and get downhill was very impressive. His contact balance and lower body strength have been on display all season and it was no different this weekend against the Crimson Tide.

He also had some nice moments on passing downs. His three catches for 16 yards were unspectacular, but he looked comfortable when called upon, and his work in pass protection was similarly solid.

I have question marks about his top-end speed and what that means for his NFL projection, but there is a lot to like about his game. The fact he’s able to produce so consistently against top competition is notable too, and his résumé warrants considerably more attention in the 2027 running back conversation.

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.

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