Who’s Stock is Up from the NCAA Playoffs?
RISERS
Even if it’s important to not over-emphasize short stint production, shining against a gauntlet of the best opponents the NCAA has to offer doesn’t hurt your resume. A stellar playoff performance can positively tilt a prospect’s draft board — with Matthew Golden being a recent example. 2026 isn’t any different. Even if Indiana dominated all their matchups, there were a few players helped their position ahead of pre-draft process from all corners. We’ll take a look a few prospects who played well (or dominantly) when their exposure was at its highest.
Number 1
Even if it’s important to not over-emphasize short stint production, shining against a gauntlet of the best opponents the NCAA has to offer doesn’t hurt your resume. A stellar playoff performance can positively tilt a prospect’s draft board — with Matthew Golden being a recent example. 2026 isn’t any different. Even if Indiana dominated all their matchups, there were a few players helped their position ahead of pre-draft process from all corners. We’ll take a look a few prospects who played well (or dominantly) when their exposure was at its highest.
It’s hard to fathom anyone made more of their CFP appearances than Akheem Mesidor. At 24 years of age, he’s part of one of the oldest draft classes at EDGE in memory. But he made his sheer dominance the central narrative, not his age. Mesidor almost matched his 2024 production (5.5 sacks) during a playoff run that also included 12 pressures and another 4 tfls. What is best for Mesidor is how good his tape looked. He flashed power. Speed. Independent hand usage. And a series of counters to go with a relentless drive to get the quarterback.
Lined up between 6 and 9, Mesidor dips at B gap. He crosses back over Demetrious Crownover’s numbers and clubs his outside shoulder. The massive OT is sent to the ground. Mesidor has physical ability, but it’s technical execution we see above has himself firmly in the mix as an early day-2 candidate. going from a trend north of pick 70 to a trend of pick 33.
Number 2
If it weren’t for fellow Hurricane Akheem Mesidor, you could argue Mark Fletcher Jr won the post-season prospect lottery. He entered December as a UDFA – in the Bermuda triangle of draft talk. He has ended the playoffs in the middle of the dance floor. He’s a day 2 prospect after posting 540 yards of offense and 3 scores on the Hurricane’s championship run.
You could also make an easy case that Fletcher did more than Beck or even Malachi Toney to keep Miami in the hunt until the last minute of the season. The Canes use Fletcher in every possible run protection/ But he’s got the best tape in man zone, and from the gun. The big guy is a load to bring down. But Fletcher has quick feet for a bigger back. The most impressive part of Fletcher’s game is how he ran away from tier-1 NCAA defenses at his size (6’2” 225lbs).
The clip below is a good example of the RBs throttle. Outside zone from shotgun is not the easiest run the break, especially on the bounce, and not the cutback. Be he shows a bit of patience, and a lot of burst hitting the eight gap hard and he doesn’t stop running until he scores.
Number 3
You could argue Sarrat’s rise has been a steady climb since he was a 3rd round sleeper in November. But his peak followed the National Championship game, and he won’t look back. He’s a well built WR, who played WR1 for the Hoosiers and did so in a number of splits. He’s held the boundary. He’s worked the middle. And he’s been injected into offense with screens and other designed touches. Sarrat is a high floor day 2 pick, but he also has a very high ceiling in an offense looking for a rugged, play anywhere type wideout who has few weak points.
His physicality and savvy stick out in this endline/crosser rep against Oregon safety Dillon Thienman. Sarrat takes a split off in his stem taking Thieneman inside with him. When Sarrat breaks back the the post, he’s ready to slash Thienman’s contact away. Sarrat wins uncontested endzone turf in the hardest place to find it, the playoffs.
Number 4
We aren’t even positive if Trinidad Chambliss is going to be a prospect for the 2026 NFL draft. If his lawsuit against the NCAA goes as he’s planned, he’ll be recommitting to Ole Miss for next season. But if the NCAA prevails and an injunction doesn’t keep him in Mississippi, then the draft board gets the best post-season performer of the class. He was accurate. Calm. And athletic when he had to be.
Totaling a 67.9% completion rate, 921 yards, 4 TDS and a 104.8 nfl rating. He added 2 scores on the ground, to boot. And lest we forget, he was the only quarterback in the playoff, Fernando Mendoza included, to look good against the Hurricane’s defense. Chambliess posted a valiant 277 yard and 1TD effort against a Canes unit that allowed a cumulative 700 passing yards and a single passing touchdown to 4 interceptions during the remainder of the playoffs.
As situational football goes, 4th and 3 down 21-12 late in the 3rd quarter, qualifies as the best possible play to start off your draft tape. And Chambliss’ best is on display here. He’s flushed from the pocket on dover-cross, but his eyes are locked on the backside dig. When he’s forced out of the pocket he looks down to his flat but takes a big chance on the scramble mechanics that bring Wallace across his face 25 yards deep.
Number 5
The Georgia Bulldogs playoffs really started in the SEC championship against Alabama. And down the stretch, Zachariah Branch knocked at least a couple rounds off his average draft position (moving 100 adp to 40 adp to be precise). He didn’t amass yardage, but his tape was better than his stat-line. And he finished the season strong, scoring in his last three games. One could wonder why the Bulldogs didn’t do more to get Branch involved. But he certainly showed off his route running chops. He’s a slot prospect, so the scout expects to see quickness and speed. But he showed physicality and vision as well.
Screens aren’t usually the best highlight reps, but the pass here from Gunner Stockton is late and off-target. Even when the ball brings Branch inside his blocker he taps the breaks and outflanks the Crimson Tide defense to the end zone. Inasmuch as this kind of rep is going to be critical for his resume, it’s a nice piece of tape to have out there for NFL GMs to see.
