Week 10 SCOUTING NOTEBOOK: RJ Maryland goes off, Seminoles defense disappoints and more

By Jack Brentnall

Week 10 provided another opportunity for some of the top prospects in the 2027 NFL Draft class to test themselves against high-level competition, with LSU-Alabama, Georgia-Ole Miss and Miami-Notre Dame among the weekend’s marquee matchups. Here is what stood out on tape.

Jackson Harris continues his rise against Alabama

LSU did not get the result it wanted against Alabama, but Jackson Harris continued to look like one of the fastest-rising wide receivers in the 2027 NFL Draft class. He caught 11 passes for 166 yards, his second consecutive game with more than 150 receiving yards.

His route running stood out. Alabama’s corners struggled to match him in man coverage, as Harris consistently created separation with the detail of his routes, manipulating defenders before accelerating out of his breaks.

One of his best plays came on a double move, where he created enough separation for what should have been a touchdown, only for the pass to be underthrown. Even so, Harris showed the concentration and body control to adjust back to the ball and make an excellent catch.

The game also showcased his ability after the catch. Harris gained 54 yards with the ball in his hands and forced four missed tackles, showing both the acceleration to get upfield quickly and the contact balance to survive first contact.

He now has 47 receptions for 800 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 17 yards per catch. He has generated 345 yards after the catch, while his 2.89 yards per route run ranks fourth in the SEC.

It feels like we’re past the point of asking whether Harris is going to be a first rounder. At this point it is more about how early he comes off the board and which other receivers go ahead of him.

Jordan Hall controls the point of attack against Ole Miss

It seems strange to describe a former five-star recruit playing at Georgia as overlooked, but Jordan Hall is not getting anywhere near the attention his play warrants. He has produced several impressive performances this season, including against Alabama in Week 6, and was excellent again against Ole Miss.

His impact was most evident against the run. Hall repeatedly held his ground and controlled his gap, giving the Rebels very little room to move him from the point of attack. At 6’4″ and 320 pounds, with arms measuring over 35 inches, he pairs that size and length with excellent lower body strength.

He was not simply eating space, either. Hall generated four pressures, including a sack, on 26 pass rushing snaps, showing off his first step quickness in the process.

That is what makes his projection so interesting. Hall has the size, length and power that teams covet on the interior, but he also possesses enough quickness to offer upside as a pass rusher.

The biggest concern is experience. Injuries have disrupted Hall’s college career and he has played fewer than 700 snaps. That limited body of work will matter, as will whatever medical questions teams uncover during the pre-draft process.

But the NFL drafts traits, and there simply are not many defensive tackles with Hall’s combination of size, length, strength and movement ability. If he continues to perform like this down the stretch, you can expect to hear him mentioned a lot more in draft conversations.

Cooper Barkate steps up against Notre Dame

Miami’s matchup with Notre Dame provided an excellent test for Cooper Barkate. With Malachi Toney out, the former Duke man was set to be the centrepiece of the Hurricanes’ offense.

Notre Dame’s secondary contains several legitimate NFL prospects, and Barkate’s battle with the Fighting Irish corners produced plenty of competitive reps on both sides. He more than held his own, finishing with nine receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns on 11 targets.

His biggest impact once again came after the catch. Barkate generated 76 yards after the catch against Notre Dame, forcing three missed tackles in the process. That fits with what Miami has asked of him throughout the season, regularly manufacturing touches through screens and quick throws to give him opportunities to create in space. He is averaging 7.2 yards after the catch per reception this season, with more than 50% of his yardage coming with the ball in his hands.

There is more to his game than manufactured touches, though. Barkate showed some nice detail as a route runner against Notre Dame and made several secure catches in traffic.

This felt like a statement performance, and with Toney out for several weeks, Barkate has an opportunity to raise his stock further.

Trinidad Chambliss struggles to solve Georgia's defense

I initially turned on Ole Miss-Georgia wanting to study a different matchup. Deuce Alexander against Ellis Robinson was one of the battles I highlighted before the weekend, so seeing Alexander finish without a reception naturally made me curious about how Georgia had taken him out of the game.

The tape told a different story. Alexander was not really the problem – he actually looked pretty good for a player with no catches. Instead, it was quarterback Trinidad Chambliss who repeatedly caught my attention, often for the wrong reasons.

Chambliss completed just 18 of his 34 passes for 170 yards, with no touchdowns and an interception. More concerning than the numbers was how uncomfortable he looked trying to decipher Georgia’s defense.

The Bulldogs gave him a lot to process, and they deserve considerable credit for it. They regularly presented all-out pressure looks before dropping defenders out, with a heady mix of simulated pressures and coverage rotation behind it. It was an excellent gameplan designed to make Chambliss question what he was seeing before and after the snap, and he never really found an answer.

There were several occasions where throws were available over the middle of the field and Chambliss failed to take them. At other times, easy completions were sitting in the flat but he inexplicably looked elsewhere. Even when he did find the right option, his ball placement was inconsistent.

His worst mistake came when pressure arrived and he attempted to throw the ball away rather than take a sack. Chambliss failed to get enough on the throw and instead put it directly into the hands of KJ Bolden.

Georgia gave him a much more complicated picture than he is accustomed to seeing, but that is precisely why the game was useful from an NFL Draft perspective. Chambliss looked out of his depth when forced to consistently diagnose what was happening around him. He has shown enough this season to feel like an intriguing mid-round pick, but this game is exactly why I can’t get on board with some of the first round hype I have been seeing.

Yhonzae Pierre's struggles continue against LSU

I highlighted Yhonzae Pierre in my Week 10 preview as a player in dire need of a big performance this weekend. Despite plenty of excitement about him coming into the season after a strong finish to 2025, he has struggled to find any consistency this year and his production has been underwhelming.

He had another quiet outing against LSU. Although he recorded four pressures and a sack, those numbers painted a considerably more flattering picture than the tape. His sack came on a stunt working over the center, and he struggled to make a consistent impact when asked to work as a true edge.

The issues were familiar. Pierre still lacks refinement with his hands and too often rushed without the detail required to turn his explosiveness into meaningful pressure. He could threaten blockers initially, but there was rarely a convincing secondary plan when that first approach failed.

Jordan Seaton handled him comfortably on the snaps where they matched up, but Pierre’s struggles were not limited to LSU’s left tackle. At this point in the season that is becoming increasingly difficult to overlook. The selling point during the summer was that he remained a relatively raw player with the traits to take a significant step forward if his technique developed. That step has not come, and while the traits remain promising, they aren’t enough on their own for him to be considered a top 50 pick.

Pierre has one year of eligibility remaining and I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes advantage of it.

Arion Carter shows up against Kentucky

Arion Carter might not be the flashiest linebacker in the 2027 NFL Draft class, but there is a lot to like about the reliability of his game, and that was on full display this weekend against Kentucky.

Carter was consistently quick to diagnose what was happening in front of him and took an effective first step towards the football. He did a good job of keeping his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage, maintaining his leverage and staying disciplined. There were also several impressive reps where he used his quickness to slip around blockers and arrive at the ball carrier.

He finished well too. Carter recorded eight tackles and seven defensive stops without missing a tackle. His tackling has been one of the strongest aspects of his season, with only four misses on the year and a missed tackle rate of 6.5%.

He also made one of the biggest plays of the game as a blitzer. With Tennessee leading 20-6 in the fourth quarter, Kentucky faced fourth-and-one with an opportunity to keep the game alive. Carter timed his rush perfectly and came away with the sack, effectively ending any realistic chance of a comeback. He finished with five pressures and two sacks from only 12 pass rushing snaps.

From an NFL perspective you would still like to see more from Carter as a coverage defender. He doesn’t have the quick twitch or instincts to be a playmaker at the catch point. He can also struggle to consistently stack and shed at the point of attack, relying more on block avoidance than destruction.

That said, there is always a place on NFL rosters for linebackers who are instinctive, disciplined against the run and quick to close on the football. Carter plays smart, assignment-sound football and continues to make himself useful in multiple phases, and those players tend to find roles on Sundays.

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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