College Football Week 9: 2026 NFL Draft prospects to watch
By Jack Brentnall
It’s Week 9, and the college football playoff picture is starting to heat up. This weekend features two massive SEC showdowns that NFL scouts will be keying in on: Oklahoma at Ole Miss and Texas A&M hosting LSU. These high-stakes matchups give draft prospects a crucial opportunity to either cement their stock or force scouts to take notice.
Here are five players I’ll be watching closely in Week 9.
John Mateer - QB, Oklahoma
The conversation around Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer was red-hot through the first month of the season, fueled by his excellent performance against Michigan in Week 2. He immediately established himself as a legitimate draft riser.
Unfortunately, a broken thumb, which required surgery, has since slowed his momentum. Mateer bravely made a rapid comeback, missing only one game before returning against Texas, but the injury to his throwing hand has clearly impacted his touch and production over the last two outings. His passing yards have dropped, and he has thrown three interceptions in his last two games.
Mateer’s competitive toughness to play through the injury is commendable and will earn him points in scouting rooms. However, the resulting poor tape risks overshadowing his early-season flashes. The pre-draft narrative will quickly pivot to whether his early form was a mirage or the injury is the sole cause of the decline.
This weekend, he faces a tough contest against a top-tier Ole Miss defense. Mateer needs to show NFL scouts that he has regained his accuracy and confidence, demonstrating that his excellent early-season form was his true ceiling, not a fleeting anomaly. A strong showing here is essential to get his draft stock back on track.
Cashius Howell - EDGE, Texas A&M
If you are strictly evaluating pass-rushing tape in 2025, Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell is among the very best. He is in the midst of a career year, already having recorded eight sacks in just seven games, including two separate contests with three-plus sacks.
Howell’s projection to the NFL is buoyed by his impressive athleticism and, more notably, his refined pass-rushing plan. His precise timing and placement of punches are elite, allowing him to keep opponents guessing and win with a variety of moves.
The main concern, and one that is unavoidable, is his historical outlier length. He is projected to have arms under 31 inches, which would make him the shortest-armed edge rusher prospect in the last decade. While this lack of length will cause some NFL teams to take him off their board, it is difficult to argue with the quality of his tape and high-level production against top-tier offensive linemen.
This weekend’s game against LSU is a big opportunity for him to keep the pressure on. The Tigers’ offensive line has shown recent vulnerabilities, and Howell has the potential for another disruptive outing that could solidify his status as a high-value Day 2 selection, despite the physical red flags.
Anto Saka - EDGE, Northwestern
While Anto Saka may not match Howell’s sack totals, he is having an impressive and efficient season in his own right, recording 17 pressures on just 98 pass-rushing snaps and collecting four sacks in his last three games.
Saka will garner serious attention in the pre-draft process because of his elite athletic profile. A former high school sprinter, he possesses an excellent first step, a reported 36.5-inch vertical, and a 10’4″ broad jump. That burst and fluidity make him a persistent threat around the arc and an effective defender on stunts and in pursuit.
The key question for Saka’s draft stock is proving he can be an every-down player. He has never exceeded 300 total snaps in a season and is still averaging only 27 defensive snaps per game in 2025. This limited usage raises questions about his stamina, run defense consistency, or role at the next level.
Games like the one this weekend against Nebraska are an excellent opportunity for him to see an increased workload and demonstrate the positional flexibility and durability that NFL teams demand from Day 1 difference-makers.
LJ Martin - RB, BYU
BYU has been one of the biggest surprise success stories of the 2025 season, largely due to a potent running game helmed by LJ Martin.
Through seven games, Martin has been highly productive, totaling 773 rushing yards and forcing 34 missed tackles, which ranks fourth among all Power Four running backs. He also leads the Power Four in carries of 10+ yards, highlighting his big-play ability.
NFL scouts will be drawn to Martin’s vision and patience. He shows real decisiveness behind the line of scrimmage, maximizing yardage in messy situations, and runs with the kind of consistent pad level required to finish through contact.
This weekend, he faces a solid Iowa State defense that has shown vulnerabilities against strong rushing attacks. This matchup is a critical test for Martin to prove his consistency against conference competition and further cement his standing as one of the most reliable and productive backs in the 2026 class.
Michael Trigg - TE, Baylor
There’s a growing consensus around Kenyon Sadiq being the TE1 in the 2026 class, but the race for TE2 is wide open. Baylor’s Michael Trigg is making a strong case. He is currently enjoying a career year, recording 495 yards and four touchdowns on 32 receptions.
Trigg’s physical profile is exceptional. He is a very talented athlete with the ability to win at all three levels, and his measurements are staggering: he is reportedly blessed with 34.5-inch arms (97th percentile) and an 84.5-inch wingspan, which would be among the biggest of any tight end prospect in the last 25 years.
While the tape screams top prospect, his off-field history will play a significant part in his evaluation. He was involuntarily dismissed from two previous programs (USC and Ole Miss). He will face tough questions from NFL scouts regarding his maturity, work ethic, and ability to be a professional.
If he can continue his stellar performance through the rest of the season—and successfully answer those difficult questions during the draft process—his athletic ceiling is high enough to make him one of the most intriguing (and risky) prospects in the class.
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.