Week 4 Scouting Notebook: Colin Simmons dominates Tennessee, Chris Marshall's career day and more

By Jack Brentnall

The 2027 NFL Draft picture is starting to firm up, and Week 4 did as much to move it as any weekend so far.

Some of that was players making their case in a big way. Some of it was prospects who entered the season with real hype giving cause for concern instead.

Here is what stood out from the Week 4 tape.

Chris Marshall delivers a career best against Tulsa

Chris Marshall produced the best game of his college career against Tulsa, finishing with nine receptions for 195 yards and a touchdown. The Golden Hurricane secondary had no answer for him, and it was the second week running that Marshall has looked like a genuine NFL prospect.

Talent was never the question. A former four-star recruit, Marshall arrived at Texas A&M with considerable expectations and was even in discussions to play basketball for the Aggies alongside football, but multiple suspensions derailed his freshman season. He transferred to Ole Miss in hopes of a new start and was dismissed from the program ahead of the season. A year in the JUCO ranks followed before he landed at Boise State.

Injuries limited him during the 2024 season, but he established himself as a meaningful part of the Broncos’ offense in 2025. Even then there were reasons for frustration. His explosiveness was obvious, averaging 19.1 yards per reception, but a 23.1% drop rate significantly undermined his consistency.

Now at Arkansas for his final season of eligibility, that inconsistency has gone. Through four games he has 29 receptions for 481 yards and a touchdown, averaging 16.6 yards per catch, with just one drop on 30 catchable targets. The Tulsa performance built on an equally encouraging showing against Georgia in Week 3, when he caught eight passes for 144 yards.

The character concerns and the injury history will follow him through the evaluation process, and neither is trivial. From a purely football perspective, though, Marshall is making himself increasingly difficult to ignore.

Colin Simmons' statement performance against Tennessee

Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons produced the most dominant individual performance of the weekend against Tennessee. He generated 10 pressures, including six sacks, on just 36 pass rushing snaps, while also recording eight defensive stops and forcing a fumble.

What stood out was the variety of ways that Simmons caused problems for the Volunteers’ offensive line. He dug deep into his rush arsenal, working a cross-chop, club-swim and rip, and his understanding of how to set tackles up rather than simply relying on his athleticism was on full display. He used his speed to threaten the corner before attacking inside, and on other reps he baited tackles with fake moves to force them into throwing punches.

Texas also found creative ways to deploy him. He had some success as a looper on stunts, and was used in a quasi-spy role to limit the escapability of Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon. One of those reps came with the game finely balanced, when Simmons closed rapidly on Brandon and forced a fumble to end a Tennessee drive. His pursuit ability showed up again on the final play, when he chased Brandon down in space as Tennessee attempted a Hail Mary.

There are still areas where Simmons can improve. His functional strength remains fairly average, and there were snaps where his attempts to convert speed to power stalled once an offensive lineman was able to absorb his initial momentum.

Performances like this are why Simmons entered the season as one of the headline defensive prospects in the 2027 class though, and he will have earned plenty of fans in NFL scouting circles off the back of this game.

Dylan Stewart's difficult season continues against Alabama

While Simmons continues to build momentum, Dylan Stewart’s start to the season has been considerably more uneven. He missed two games with a lingering back issue, has played limited snaps in the two weeks since, and has not looked like the disruptive force many were expecting. It all came to a head against Alabama.

Stewart threw a punch at Alabama’s Josh Ford during the game and refused to leave the field when South Carolina coaches attempted to substitute him. Head coach Shane Beamer labelled the punch “unacceptable”, adding that he was “embarrassed” by what happened. Stewart has subsequently been suspended for one game by both South Carolina and the SEC.

Even putting the incident aside, this was not particularly convincing tape from one of the most naturally gifted edge rushers in the class. Stewart struggled to make his impact felt and ended up on the ground on multiple occasions. He had several wins as a pass rusher but could not finish when the chance to make a splash arrived, and he was also flagged for roughing the passer on a hit that typified the afternoon.

The physical talent has not gone anywhere. Stewart is still the type of player who can take over a game in an instant, and one poor outing does not change that.

But the injury concerns, the underwhelming production, and now the temperament issues and the falling out with his coaching staff all point the same way. It feels increasingly unlikely that Stewart declares for the 2027 NFL Draft.

Jordan Seaton passes another test against Texas A&M

Jordan Seaton entered the season as my OT1, and four weeks in there has been little reason to reconsider that. After Week 1, I wrote about how impressively he handled Clemson edge rusher Will Heldt. This weekend brought another significant test against a talented Texas A&M defensive front, and once again Seaton came through it comfortably.

He was particularly impressive in pass protection, not conceding a single pressure across 30 pass blocking snaps. That continues an excellent start to the season. Through four games, Seaton has allowed only three pressures and has yet to surrender either a quarterback hit or a sack.

His matchup with Anto Saka came out firmly in his favour. He showed the anchor strength to hold firm when Saka tried to work through his chest, and when Saka instead tried to threaten around the outside with speed, Seaton had the foot quickness to match him and guide him past the quarterback. That ability to handle both speed and power is what makes him such a formidable opponent for opposing edge rushers.

The run game remains an area with room for development and this game was no different. There are impressive flashes, but the consistency does not yet match what he offers as a pass protector. At just 21 years old, NFL coaches will feel confident they can add that in time. The pass protection intelligence and athletic ability he already has are far harder to coach.

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.

Rated 5 out of 5
BoyleSports NFL