2026 NFL Draft: College Game Recaps – CFP Quarterfinal

Georgia wide receiver Zachariah Branch is a dangerous speed receiver who has the ability to hurt defenses out of the slot. On top of his receiving ability, Branch is a dangerous returner. While the Ole Miss defense did a nice job of defending the Bulldogs’ offense, Branch came up with some clutch plays to help his team in the fourth quarter when they were attempting a big comeback. In the fourth quarter, Branch adjusted to an underthrown pass and was able to make a falling catch in the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown. Shortly later, Branch got open in zone coverage for 17 yards to convert a fourth-and-9. Branch finished catching eight passes for 67 yards and a touchdown.

For the NFL, Branch could be a dangerous slot receiver who is capable of hurting defenses downfield. He has speed to burn and is a sudden route-runner. Branch does not have the size to be a No. 1 outside receiver, but he could be a nice weapon out of the slot. He could also be a good contributor as a returner. In the 2026 NFL Draft, Branch could be a day-two pick.

Ole Miss senior wide receiver Harrison Wallace III had the game of his life, hauling in nine receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown. He ate up zone coverage from Georgia, finding the spots in zone and hauling in some clutch catches with defenders bearing down on him. Wallace also showed some suddenness and speed to separate from man coverage. The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder has quality size, to go with shifty route-running and suddenness out of the break. This tape will definitely help his draft grade, as he had his way with a secondary that has a lot of future NFL competitors.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is the favorite to be the top quarterback prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft, and this game will only serve to help Mendoza become the first player drafted next April. Mendoza cruised over Alabama, and they were overwhelmed by the Hoosiers’ offense.

The opening drive went nowhere as Mendoza was sacked twice. On the second possession, Mendoza made a key third-down conversion backed up deep in his own territory. He rolled out and threw a strike for a conversion, and then lofted in a 30-yard completion to Charlie Becker along the sideline. That led to a field goal for Indiana. After Alabama gave Indiana a short field, Mendoza made them pay with Becker getting open on a post route for a 21-yard touchdown on third-and-8. Late in the first half, Mendoza led a drive that started with good field position again, and it ended with a one-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper.

In the third quarter, Mendoza used his legs to move the chains, and the Hoosiers were running on the Crimson Tide. That set up Elijah Surrat to run a slant-and-go and get open in the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown. Mendoza lofted in a perfect strike to open up a big lead on Alabama. Mendoza finished completing 14-of-16 passes for 192 yards with three touchdowns.

For the NFL, Mendoza looks like a pro starter. Mendoza has a strong arm, a quick release, and is accurate in passing at all levels of the field. This year, he has shown improvement in his pocket presence, reading coverage, working through progressions, and manipulating the pocket with his feet. He is smart and reads the field well. Mendoza throws accurately with good timing and anticipation. This tape will help Mendoza become a high first-round pick next April.

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson had a breakout season after a rough start against Florida State. Simpson dominated in the middle portion of the year and carried his team to the playoffs as the Crimson Tide had an abysmal rushing attack all season. Simpson did not play as well to close out the season, but he bounced back somewhat in leading a win over Oklahoma in the opening round of the playoffs. However, Indiana shut down and knocked Simpson out just past the halfway point of the quarterfinal game.

In the first half, the Indiana defense was doing a good job of getting off the field and putting pass pressure on Simpson. Alabama had no running game to help Simpson, and they were unable to get him into any kind of rhythm as a passer. Late in the second quarter, Simpson scrambled for a first down, but he took some bone-rattling hits from two defenders, and he fumbled the ball away. After that play, Simpson was with the trainers and getting treatment during halftime. He tried to play in the third quarter, but Simpson couldn’t throw the ball normally, and the backup came into the game. Simpson completed 12-of-16 passes for 67 yards. Indiana’s defense did a tremendous job of tackling and not allowing yards after the catch.

Simpson looks like a future starter in the NFL. He has tremendous accuracy, makes good decisions, and has functional mobility. It sounds like it is 50-50 on if Simpson returns to Alabama or enters the draft. This tape won’t help his grade with pro teams, but it should not hurt it significantly.

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore could be a high first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and he has enjoyed a breakout season for the Ducks. Moore has a good skill set with natural passing ability, but he needs development for the NFL, and that was illustrated in the Orange Bowl

In the first half, Moore threw some precision strikes on a few drives to get third-down conversions. However, the Red Raiders’ pass rush was getting some sacks and drawing some holds that limited the Ducks’ offense. Moore had a beautiful deep ball along the sideline to Malik Benson to get inside the 15, but on a fourth-and-goal, Moore did a sprint out and had his pass batted by David Bailey. Moore had another promising drive killed by a bad shotgun snap for a huge loss, and that led to the Ducks being held to just six points in the first half.

Early in the third quarter, on a fourth down, Moore had tight end Kenyon Sadiq running open down the seam for a 33-yard touchdown, but Moore did not see him or hesitated and ended up getting tackled short of the first down when trying to run for it himself. Later in the third quarter, Moore was pressured by David Bailey, and he threw inaccurately for an interception. Moore finished completing 26-of-33 passes for 234 yards with no touchdowns and an interception.

For the NFL, Moore has a good arm, pocket presence, some functional mobility, and some natural passing ability. Moore has accuracy and good ball placement while throwing a very catchable ball. He is a young player and needs more experience. Moore needs to improve his field vision, including reading defenses, understanding coverage, and working through progressions. Moore could be a high first-rounder if he enters the 2026 NFL Draft, but he needs

There was a great draft matchup in this game with Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey taking on Oregon left tackle Isaiah World and right tackle Alex Harkey. Bailey looks like a top-16 pick for the 2026 NFL Draft, while World could be an early-rounder, and Harkey has mid-round potential. Overall, this tape will help Bailey, as he had his way with both Oregon blockers.

Early in the first quarter, Bailey used his speed to blow by right tackle Alex Harkey and rip down Moore for a third-down sack. On the next possession, Bailey showed his explosiveness with a leaping pass breakup. Late in the second quarter on a fourth-and-goal, Bailey read a stretch play well flowing with the line and then made a leaping pass breakup to deny Oregon points.

In the first quarter, World tackled a pass rusher to draw a holding penalty. On the next possession, a defensive end chopped World’s hands away and tracked down Moore for a sack. On a third down, World was beaten by a spin move that helped chase Moore out of the pocket. Bailey had other plays getting the better of the World with a speed-to-power pressure, got past him with speed around the corner, and contributed to some stops in the ground game.

In the third quarter, Bailey had a good run tackle to set up a third down. In the next play, Bailey used a bull rush to push through World, and Bailey hit Moore just after the ball was released. While Bailey didn’t get the sack, he hurried the throw, and it was intercepted by Texas Tech.

Overall, this tape is going to help Bailey, as he was too fast, strong, and athletic for the Ducks’ tackles. They were holding on for dear life constantly, and Bailey made some huge plays to help keep his team in the game. Bailey limited the Ducks’ offense with sacks, batted passes, and pressures that created turnovers. This tape was phenomenal for Bailey and could help him to go in the top-10 next April.

This tape will hurt World. He really struggled with Bailey and looked almost incapable of blocking him. World has a good skill set with size, strength, quickness, and athleticism. But he played at Nevada for years and has not had a lot of tests against elite NFL-caliber competition. This tape showed that World needs development and is more of a backup to start out his career with the potential to develop into being a starter. This tape will cause more projections of World as a day-two pick from pro teams.

This tape makes Harkey look more like a guard for the NFL. He could be a mid-round or day-three pick. Harkey needs to block much better at the Senior Bowl to help his grade.

Oregon edge rushers Teitum Tuioti and Matayo Uiageleli helped themselves versus Texas Tech. In the third quarter, Uiagelelei had a strip-sack and recovered the fumble in the air. He rumbled inside he 10, and that set up a touchdown run for the Ducks.

Tuioti was active all game with big plays. In the early going, he had a bull rush through the right tackle and took down Behren Morton for a coverage sack. He also made a big play on special teams, catching a pass on a fake punt for a conversion. Tuioti had tackles in run support and pressures. In the fourth quarter, he hustled to a check-down and made a key third-down tackle. The very next play, Tuioti fought through his block to get a fourth-down sack that essentially killed any hopes of a comeback from Texas Tech. Tuioti does not have a high first-round skill set, but he plays extremely hard with a relentless motor. Tuioti also has functional quickness and strength to beat blockers. This tape will help Tuioti in the 2026 or 2027 NFL Draft.

Miami’s defensive end tandem of Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor was very good in 2025, and they kept up their excellent play in the playoff game against Ohio State. On the opening drive, Mesidor looped to the inside to get a third-down sack with Bain being a step behind him. Shortly later in the first quarter, Bain pushed through the Buckeyes’ left tackle to get a tackle for a loss. Early in the second quarter, Bain worked off the left guard to get a coverage sack of Julian Sayin. Shortly later, Sayin broke two tackles and kept retreating, but Mesidor cleaned up the scramble after getting by the right tackle to get his second sack of the first half.

In the second half, the Buckeyes did a better job of neutralizing Bain and Mesidor by attacking the Hurricanes’ defense up the middle on the ground. Mesidor made a tackle in the fourth quarter, chasing down a back out of his gap. Later on that possession, Bain tripped rushing the quarterback and was close to a sack, but caught a lucky break when the referee called a non-existent hold on Ohio State. A couple plays later on a critical third down, Mesidor and Bain put pressure on Sayin to force a check down.

For the NFL, Bain looks like a prospect for the middle of the first round. He is strong and quick at the point of attack. Bain shows a nice ability to shed and scrap with offensive linemen. On top of his functional strength, Bain has some speed to close, and he plays hard. Bain has an excellent motor, and he gets some sacks based on his effort. However, Bain is a tweener, as he lacks the height and length to be an NFL defensive end and the weight to be an NFL defensive tackle. Thus, some sources have him lower than others in the media.

Mesidor has speed off the edge and plays with good leverage. He is quick to close and shows an ability to use his hands and feet at the same time. With agility and loose hips, Mesidor can redirect and weave through traffic. Some team sources have said they think Mesidore could be a day-two pick. However, Mesidor could rise in the lead-up to the draft and may end up being a candidate for the back half of the first round.

Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese and safety Caleb Downs could be among the first non-quarterbacks drafted in the 2026 NFL Draft. In the early going, they were both active and showed their special skill sets for the NFL.

Early in the first quarter, Reese made a tackle in the ground game. On the next possession, Reese beat the Hurricanes’ left tackle with a speed rush but was a split-second too late to get a sack on a third-down completion. After that, Reese was pretty quiet the rest of the game. He had a good tackle on Carson Beck in the fourth quarter to stop Beck a few yards short of a first down.

In the first quarter, Downs was very active, getting a tackle near the line of scrimmage to set up a third-and-long. The next possession, he came over from zone coverage to make a tackle along the sideline. Downs had a strong tackle on a receiver and forced a fumble that Miami recovered. However, the next play, Downs had a missed tackle on a Hurricanes ball carrier. Early in the third quarter, Downs had a touchdown-saving tackle at the second level on Fletcher as Downs took the legs out from underneath the power back. Later on the drive, Downs dished out a bone-rattling hit on Malachi Toney that forced a fumble that Toney recovered.

This tape will help Downs, as he was all over the field. He was physical as a tackler, forcing multiple fumbles, and contributing some clutch tackles on backs and receivers. He covered ground in zone coverage and was always around the ball. This tape won’t do a lot for Reese. It won’t hurt him significantly, but he was not overly impressive. Reese has a freaky skill set with size, speed, and athleticism.

Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles could join Reese and Downs in the first round as well. He has had an excellent season for the Buckeyes and has been a superb tackler in 2025. Styles had some rough moments against the Hurricanes, including having some issues getting off blocks.

In the first quarter, Styles got run over by Hurricanes running back Mark Fletcher Jr. Early in the second quarter, Styles took a false step on a play-fake of an interior run, and that was all Fletcher needed to get open for a nine-yard touchdown reception. Styles came back to get a tackle for a loss of six yards as he read a jet sweep and fired into the backfield to get the tackle. In the third quarter, Styles blitzed off the left side and was unblocked as he chased down Beck to get a sack started for the Buckeyes.

Overall, this tape won’t help Styles. It won’t be a huge negative, but it showed that Styles is a better fit as a Will (weakside) linebacker, as his issues getting off blocks would be a problem playing as a Mike (middle) linebacker.