One of the biggest talking points of Week 2 of the college football season was the play of Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor, who already looks like a future NFL starter. But while he won’t be eligible to hear his name called until the 2028 NFL Draft, he is certainly one to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
Looking closer to the 2027 NFL Draft, the marquee matchup of the week — Ohio State vs. Texas — unsurprisingly carried major implications. The game featured eight of the top 32 players on the 2027 NFL Draft Big Board, more than any other regular-season matchup this season.
The contest lived up to expectations, with many of the biggest stars delivering. The biggest name of them all led the Longhorns’ comeback, earning the first spot on this week’s list.
Stock Up: QB Arch Manning, Texas
This was the brightest spotlight Manning has faced since taking over as Texas’ starting quarterback, and he delivered. Despite falling to an early deficit, Manning remained composed despite numerous mistakes by his wide receivers on otherwise accurate throws. Five of his 28 on-target passes were dropped.
His interception was about as unfortunate as it gets for a quarterback. A downfield shot deflected off Cam Coleman’s hands and into those of a defensive back who had been trailing the open receiver by around five yards at the catch point. Manning didn’t allow this, or Ryan Wingo’s dropped touchdown pass, to affect his composure. He patiently chipped away at the Buckeye’s defense until they eventually had a game back on their hands.
Manning earned an 85.2 PFF passing grade in the second half and proved he can lead a comeback against top-tier opposition. He wasn’t perfect, but this was a game that could have been detrimental to his overall perception, making top-level play in big moments necessary after he disappointed in this fixture last season.
Stock Down: DI David Stone, Oklahoma
Stone was the No. 9 overall player on PFF’s 2027 NFL Draft Big Board entering the season and the consensus top interior defensive lineman in the class, but he has had a disappointing start to his third year in Oklahoma’s defense.
Stone has now recorded back-to-back overall PFF grades in the 50s to begin 2026, something he did just once all of last season. A quiet 29-snap outing during a routine 50-point dismantling of UTEP in Week 1 could be easily dismissed, but a similarly anonymous showing in a high-stakes matchup on the road against Michigan is more concerning.
Western Michigan’s defensive front had its way with the Wolverines’ offensive interior a week earlier. While it’s possible the maize and blue raised their level after that sluggish start, Stone failed to make an impact against either the pass or the run.
He finished without a tackle, missing his only attempt at one, and failed to register a pressure against Michigan’s quarterback for the second straight season — although he was far more disruptive against the run in last year’s meeting.
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Stock Up: QB Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State
Mestemaker bounced back emphatically after appearing in the “Stock Down” category last week following an embarrassing loss to Tulsa. In Oklahoma State’s stunning upset of Oregon, he earned a 77.9 PFF grade and scored one of the gutsiest rushing touchdowns you will ever see from a top quarterback prospect.
The pocket passer is not known for his mobility. The 102 rushing yards he gained Saturday were equivalent to half of his entire output on the ground last season at North Texas. It’s yet another box scouts can check off in their evaluation.
Through the air, Mestemaker was once again a roller coaster. He made throws that arguably no other quarterback in college football can make, with some egregiously poor decisions sprinkled in. Both of his big-time throws were touch passes delivered off his back foot with defenders in his face, and both led their intended targets perfectly downfield.
We won’t be raising and lowering Mestemaker’s draft stock every week, as this stark contrast between his highs and lows will likely continue throughout the season. However, his performance was worth including as a reminder of why NFL scouts will be so intrigued by his physical tools. Mestemaker is the closest thing the 2027 class has to Josh Allen.
Stock Down: WR Ryan Coleman-Williams, Alabama
Coleman-Williams’ draft stock began trending in the wrong direction late last season, when Alabama struggled to get the ball to its star wideout. He closed out 2025 with fewer than 55 receiving yards in seven consecutive games.
He snapped that streak with a 130-yard performance against East Carolina in Week 1, but two drops on nine catchable targets served as a reminder of why Kalen DeBoer may not fully trust the former freshman breakout.
This week, Coleman-Williams faded back into anonymity. Four receptions for 43 yards across 28 receiving snaps made for a stat line strikingly similar to those Alabama fans endured last season. Few players are more dangerous with the ball in their hands, so finishing with only 7.0 yards after the catch against one of the SEC’s weakest opponents represented a significant missed opportunity.
After beginning his college career with seven touchdowns in his first seven games, Coleman-Williams has scored just five in 22 games since. He is currently mired in an eight-game touchdown drought.
Click here to view Coleman-Williams' Premium Stats Pro profileStock Up: WR Reed Harris, Arizona State
Harris entered the season unranked on PFF’s big board, and understandably so, as there was little expectation that the junior transfer from Boston College would declare early for the NFL draft. That could all change if he maintains his current pace.
The Sun Devils lost standout receiver Jordyn Tyson to the draft after last season, but Harris has picked up where Tyson left off, amassing 326 yards and four touchdowns through two games. In Arizona State’s loss to Texas A&M this past weekend, Harris produced 189 receiving yards — three times as many as the rest of his teammates combined.
At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, Harris is a man-mountain on the perimeter. He hauled in two contested catches against the Aggies, bringing his career total to 20. Harris hasn’t dropped a pass since 2024, and quarterback Cutter Boley has recorded a perfect passer rating when targeting him this season.
This is a prime example of elite traits and production being married together at just the right time. Harris is certainly one to keep on your radar throughout the remainder of the season.
Stock Down: LB Rasheem Biles, Texas
Biles flashed his trademark ferocity a couple of times against the Buckeyes, but it was ultimately a performance to forget for the second-highest-ranked linebacker on PFF’s 2027 NFL Draft Big Board.
His 45.2 overall PFF grade Saturday was the lowest of his 24-game career. Two run stops and some disruption as a blitzer kept the outing from being a complete disaster, but it felt as though Biles’ coverage was the intended target any time Julian Sayin dropped back to pass.
Biles ultimately allowed seven receptions for 90 yards. The only throw into his coverage that did not find its target was dropped by Jeremiah Smith rather than broken up or disrupted by Biles.
Ryan Day did an excellent job of stretching Texas’ linebackers laterally and forcing them to chase elite receiving threats toward the sideline. The result was some ugly tape for Biles, who had previously looked comfortable in coverage during two seasons as a starter at Pittsburgh.
Stock… Up? WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
You could say Smith improved his draft stock against Texas on Saturday, but in truth, it couldn’t get much higher. His 81.5 PFF receiving grade marked only the ninth-highest graded performance of his immaculate college career.
It was the first time Smith had been targeted more than 15 times in a game, and his 164 receiving yards were his most since the 2024 Rose Bowl against Oregon. He dropped just the fourth pass of his Ohio State career on Saturday, but the rest of his spectacular performance comfortably overshadowed that.
There was little doubt entering the season that Smith was the best receiver prospect in the class. From now until draft day, the discussion will center on where he ranks among the greatest wide receiver prospects in NFL draft history, rather than his current peers.