Windy City Gridiron
The College Football Playoff semifinals kick off tonight, with No. 6 Ole Miss taking on No. 10 Miami (FL). The action continues on Friday night, when No. 1 Indiana faces No. 5 Oregon in the second matchup of the year between the two Big Ten powerhouses.
As one could expect by each team’s postseason success, there are several players on each team worthy of getting selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. As of this writing, I have 373 prospects on my board for this year’s class. It’s a number that will surpass 400 by the time I get through all of the announced Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl-invited players, and my goal is to reach 500 players by the time I release my draft guide on my Patreon.
Of those 373 players, 33 of them come from the four schools who are still standing in the College Football Playoffs. That’s a pretty condensed portion of talent to come from just a handful of schools, which speaks to how talented each of these rosters are.
The biggest glaring exception from my list right now is Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who recently posted a waiver to obtain another year of NCAA eligibility. Should that waiver fail, I anticipate he’ll get a draftable grade on my board. That said, until he gets clear feedback one way or the other, I’m prioritizing watching prospects who have either run out of eligibility or have already declared for the draft.
Other players among the four semifinalists I have on my watchlist that I haven’t gotten around to yet are as follows:
Here are a few quick write-ups of a couple potential Bears targets to keep an eye on in the coming days, followed by full ranking of every prospect I’ve watched between Indiana, Oregon, Ole Miss, and Miami.
A standout safety at Purdue for his first two seasons, Dillon Thieneman has since made the jump to Oregon swimmingly. He finished as a first-team All-American in 2025, and he’s tallied eight interceptions over his three years in college.
Thieneman brings the versatility that NFL defensive coordinators will enjoy working with. He’s capable of covering as a deep safety, in the box, or in the slot at a high level. His versatile nature speaks to his football intelligence, which is also apparent in how quickly he processes route concepts and how he times his jumps onto a route. He won’t amaze you as a raw athlete, but he maximizes what he has with his quick mental trigger and high motor. Thieneman’s a physical downhill tackler, as well.
Dennis Allen has seemingly prioritized big-bodied edge rushers over his time in the NFL. Listed at 6’5” and 272 pounds, Matayo Uiagalelei certainly fits that bill. The standout junior has...
