2027 NFL Draft: College Game Recaps – Week 6

Georgia safety K.J. Bolden is one of the top safety prospects for the 2027 NFL Draft, and he was seeing a tough test from the Alabama defense. They have a dual-threat quarterback and a dangerous speed receiver in Ryan Coleman-Williams. Thus, this is an important tape for Bolden’s draft grade. It can be hard for safeties to get selected in the first round, so Bolden needed to show he is a clutch player against elite talent.

Midway through the first half, Bolden closed quickly on a receiver in zone coverage to slap a pass away. Later in the second quarter, Bolden came across the field to make a touchdown-saving tackle after a 58-yard gain. Later, just before the half, Bolden was slightly late to come over in coverage against Ryan Coleman-Williams, and Coleman-Williams made a leaping grab for yardage with Bolden getting a hit just after the ball arrived. In the third quarter, Bolden dished out a hard hit to Coleman-Williams and a Georgia cornerback to force the ball out for an incompletion. Late in the fourth quarter, Bolden got away with a pass interference in the end zone, and on the next play, Bolden blitzed and started a huge sack that knocked Alabama out of field goal range. However, Bolden was injured on the play and helped off by the trainers. Bolden finished with seven tackles, .5 sacks, and a pass defended.

For the NFL, Bolden looks like an interchangeable free or strong safety. In pass coverage, Bolden is a reliable deep center fielder to provide good coverage downfield. Bolden is an instinctive defender and helps his defense by preventing big plays deep downfield. He doesn’t take false steps, reads routes well, and covers up the receivers that come into his area. He is very good in zone coverage to react to the offense and break over to defend receivers he is responsible for. With quickness and good diagnosis skills, Bolden reacts quickly to close on receivers. Bolden times his reach well to break up passes and shows quality ball skills for a safety. With his quickness and athleticism, Bolden can play some slot corner and cover receivers in man coverage. Bolden is also a quality run defender, and he is a reliable tackler. While he is a quality tackler, he is not a physical force that is an intimidator in the middle of the field. It would help Bolden to gain weight and strength to tackle at the pro level. At the same time, Bolden is a willing tackler who comes downhill to make stops in the ground game and is adept at defending the perimeter screen game. Bolden looks like he could be a late first-round or second-round pick for the 2027 NFL Draft.

Alabama has a couple of safety prospects for the NFL with Bray Hubbard and Keon Sabb, but they both had some rough plays against Georgia. In the first half, Hubbard had a tight end run right by him for a 53-yard gain. The very next play, the slot receiver ran between Hubbard and Sabb to get open in the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown. Both Hubbard and Sabb were late to react and did not pick up the receiver. The next possession, Hubbard got into a throwing lane where he batted the pass up in the air and then caught his deflection for an interception. Overall, this tape won’t be helpful to Sabb and will be mixed for Hubbard. Hubbard could have day-two potential while Sabb could be a mid-rounder or day-three pick.

Alabama defensive tackle/end Devan Thompkins has been excellent this season at the point of attack. He has led the Crimson Tide in sacks with quickness at the point of attack and impressive strength to stack and shed blocks. Early in the second quarter, Thompkins pushed off a block to get a tackle for a loss. He repeated that later before halftime, pushing a blocker aside to get a tackle for a loss. Thompkins is versatile, as he can line up as a power base end on run downs and kick inside to rush from tackle in the sub package. He also can play full-time defensive tackle. This was another quality tape that will help his draft grade. Thompkins is having an impressive year and looks like a potential day-two pick for the 2027 NFL Draft.

Texas quarterback Arch Manning is in the running to be the top quarterback prospect for the 2027 NFL Draft, but Manning had a rough performance against Oklahoma that will hurt his draft grade with pro teams. On the first couple of Texas possessions, Oklahoma forced punts with good tackling and run defense. On the third possession, Manning climbed the pocket and then laid out a bomb to Cam Coleman for a 41-yard touchdown. It was a good throw and an even better leaping grab by Coleman. The next drive, Manning made a perfect pass deep down the field for Coleman, but the ball fell through Coleman’s hands. On the next couple of drives, Manning held the ball too long, and he took a pair of coverage sacks. Manning came back to find Ryan Wingo open down the middle of the field, and Manning put it on him for a 34-yard touchdown. Aside from those three passes downfield, Oklahoma did a nice job of keeping Manning from getting in a rhythm passing the ball through three quarters.

Early in the fourth quarter, Manning made a horrible play. He rolled out to his right and lofted a ball deep down the field. The ball went over his receivers and was in a crowd of Sooners defenders. It was easily intercepted by Peyton Bowen and returned for a 43-yard touchdown to give Oklahoma a 24-17 lead with 10 minutes remaining. Manning came back to throw an excellent deep ball to Cam Coleman over two defenders. It was a great throw as Manning stepped into a hit and delivered a bullseye. A couple of plays later, he connected with Jermaine Bishop Jr., and he darted into the end zone with a 15-yard touchdown to tie the game at 24.

Manning helped move the ball for a long field goal that was missed, and he got the ball back with about a minute remaining. He used his legs for a first down, but then Manning made a bad decision as a blitz was coming; he looked and threw late, moving across his progressions to his right, and that allowed a cornerback to easily step in front of a receiver for an interception. Manning completed 19-of-31 passes for 260 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Overall, this tape will be a net negative for Manning. While he threw some beautiful deep balls, Manning threw two fourth-quarter interceptions that gave the game away. Manning could stand to get faster at reading defenses and getting the ball out. Earlier in the game, he took some coverage sacks, but Manning was wise not to force the ball into some dangerous throws. He didn’t make those same decisions in the fourth quarter, and his turnovers lost Texas the game. Manning will need to bounce back in the weeks to come.

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer has had a massive collapse in play since the broken thumb he sustained last season. Mateer looked like a potential top prospect from his early tape at Oklahoma and the previous season at Washington State. But Mateer struggled in 2025 and has been dreadful in 2026. Taking on Texas, Mateer had an opportunity to help start rehabbing his draft stock to help himself for the 2027 draft.

For a lot of the first half, Mateer was struggling to read the defense and move the ball. In the second quarter, Mateer finally made a nice play rolling to his right and then firing an accurate pass to move the chains. Mateer had a few completions on the drive to move the chains, but Oklahoma missed a field goal on the only drive that Mateer was able to move the ball.

In the third quarter, Mateer had a nice play to dodge Colin Simmons in the pocket and then take off running for a gain of about eight. However, Mateer continued to sail some passes and was unable to get the ball into the end zone. At the start of the fourth quarter, some huge Texas penalties cued up a rushing touchdown for the Sooners. The defense scored to give Oklahoma a lead, but after Texas tied it, Mateer was unable to move the ball for more points. The Sooners' defense intercepted Manning again, and Mateer made a few completions to set up his kicker for the game-winning field goal. Mateer completed 18-of-26 passes for 155 yards with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions.

For the NFL, Mateer needs to show more anticipation, accuracy, and consistency. His anticipation is lacking, and his accuracy can be streaky, with some perfect throws followed up with misses. Mateer’s best attribute is his mobility and running ability. Mateer looks like a day-three pick and a backup quarterback at best for the NFL.

Texas edge defender Colin Simmons is a potential high first-round pick, and a couple of weeks ago he had a legendary game against Tennessee with five sacks. Simmons picked up where he left off immediately against Oklahoma. On the opening third down of the game, Simmons burned the Oklahoma left tackle with a speed rush to get a blindside strip-sack of Mateer. The Sooners recovered the loose ball. On the next drive, Simmons had a tackle for a loss to help force a punt from the Sooners. Midway through the first quarter, Mateer had Isaiah Sategna open along the sideline, but Mateer missed him high for an incompletion. In the third quarter, Mateer dodged Simmons for a sack. On the next play, Simmons chased down Mateer for a sack, but it was nullified by Simmons lining up offsides. After his hot start, Simmons was around the ball and had some pressure but did not make impact plays.

For the NFL, Simmons looks like a dynamic edge rusher to hunt the quarterback off the edge. He has a burst off the snap with agility to weave through trash and vision to adjust to scrambling quarterbacks. Simmons is fast around the corner with the ability to get underneath tackles. Simmons is a quality pursuit defender in the ground game and has versatility to line up standing up off the edge or behind the line as a linebacker. Simmons is superb at playing contain on the edges, reading the quarterback, and then firing his gun to chase down the quarterback as the play evolves. Simmons is having an excellent 2026 season to help him be a first-round pick next April.

Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker has had a mixed start to the 2026 season with some highlights, including a signature win over Oregon in early September. Some in the media, like analysts at ESPN, have rated Mestemaker as the top quarterback prospect for the 2027 NFL Draft. Some team sources are not as high on him as that, and Mestemaker has had issues with interceptions this season. Taking on UCF, Mestemaker showed his good skill set, and that he needs development for the NFL.

On their second possession, Mestemaker converted a fourth down with a slant, including a pump fake to help get his receiver some separation. Mestemaker finished the drive with a touchdown run from a dozen yards out as Mestemaker was untouched to paydirt on a zone-read run. Shortly later, Mestemaker lofted an 18-yard touchdown to a wide-open receiver along the sidelines.

In the second half, Mestemaker had some completions to some wide-open receivers to set up a pair of field goals. After a defensive touchdown, Mestemaker used his legs again to score a two-point conversion. He added an easy touchdown pass that was behind his receiver in the end zone after the defense all bit on a play-action fake to get the wideout wide open. Mestemaker finished completing 19-of-28 passes for 304 yards with two touchdowns.

For the NFL, Mestemaker has a good skill set with arm strength, size, and mobility. He can throw some well-placed passes downfield with plenty of arm to fire fastballs through the secondary. Mestemaker can really spin it with easy arm strength. While Mestemaker has good physical talent, he needs development and refinement for the NFL.

Mestemaker's footwork needs improvement for the NFL, as he is inconsistent with his feet. Improving his footwork will make him more accurate for the pros as well. Mestemaker also could stand to improve his mechanics, and sometimes he drops his arm low. Mestemaker will have to improve his field vision for the NFL and work on making progressions through receivers. At North Texas and now at Oklahoma State, he has played in a simple college offense that had a lot of zone reads, screens, swing passes, pop passes, and quick throws to the primary receiver. Mestemaker is going to need to be taught to read coverage, work through his progressions, and get comfortable operating a professional offense. It also would not hurt for Mestemaker to add some weight and fill out his frame some more. Mestemaker has a lot of talent, and he might be a first-round pick next April, but he should return to school to develop, get more reps, and improve