ClutchPoints
The 12-team College Football Playoff allows for more time for NFL Draft prospects to boost their stock. March Madness leads to breakout performances in basketball, and football’s postseason can serve a similar function. The opposite can be true, too, because if players falter under the bright lights of the biggest football games of the season, their draft stock may pay the consequences. This year’s College Football Playoff is loaded with NFL-caliber talent.
There will be a bunch of premier quarterbacks, edge rushers, receivers, and linebackers in the 2026 NFL Draft, and many of them will be playing in the postseason tournament. So, who are some of the best prospects in the College Football Playoff, and who are some sleeper prospects who could make their name during the upcoming games?
Dante Moore isn’t the consensus number one pick for the 2026 NFL Draft. Fernando Mendoza is the most commonly picked player to go first overall. Moore is certainly in the running for 1-1, though, and some have him atop their big board. Moore is a gunslinger with a killer arm. Despite commonly throwing the deep ball, Moore remained uber accurate throughout the year, evidenced by his 72.5% completion rate.
Kenyon Saddiq is the best tight end prepped to be in the 2026 NFL Draft. Moore’s favorite target combines fluid movement skills with a big catch radius. That combination makes him more of a deep threat than most tight ends, but also a possession option who thrives in the red zone. Sadiq has eight touchdown catches.
Jacob Rodriguez racked up the hardware this season. He was named the Butkus Award winner as the best linebacker in the nation, and he won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the Defensive Player of the Year in college football. The linebacker can do it all, as he thrives stuffing the run, dropping back in coverage, and getting after the quarterback. Despite not being one of the four Heisman finalists, Rodriguez actually received more first-place votes to be called the best player in the nation than Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin.
While Rodriguez is Texas Tech’s star, David Bailey may end up as the higher draft pick. Bailey is an elite sack artist who uses speed and a variety of pass-rushing moves to get after the quarterback. His 13.5 sacks were the second most in the nation. Bailey added 74 pressures to boot.
At 6-foot-7, 366 pounds, Kadyn Proctor is a hulking left tackle. Some scouts are concerned about his ability to block twitchy edge rushers at the next level, but he has done a good job protecting Alabama quarterbacks over his last two seasons. His sheer size and strength seem likely to land him in the first round.
The 2026 NFL Draft will be deep at the quarterback position, and a number of the...
