Inside the Grit Index: 8 NFL Draft prospects to watch in Week 1
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It’s Week 1 of the college football season, which means it is time to start tracking which 2027 NFL Draft prospects could be the best fits for the Detroit Lions.
Unlike most NFL Draft-centric college football previews, the primary focus here is not to tell you which players are the top, most athletically gifted prospects. Of course, talent, athleticism, and draft-worthiness are part of the analysis; the focus is on which prospects best fit the Detroit Lions and the culture of high-intangible, strong football character built during the Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes era.
This is the Grit Index.
The Grit Index
In 2023, Erik Schlitt and I developed the Grit Index as a metric to quantify what grit means for the Detroit Lions through intangible traits. Since then, we’ve seen increasing success in predicting which players the Lions will covet as we continue to fine-tune our criteria. This is one reason we were able to identify Blake Miller as a fit early in the offseason this past draft cycle.
The inaugural Grit Index was simply a list of players with strong intangible profiles in Dane Brugler’s annual The Beast. That inaugural list included Lions draft picks Jack Campbell, Sam LaPorta, and Brian Branch.
In 2024, the Grit Index evolved into a tiered system, identifying Lions selections Sione Vaki and Mekhi Wingo as Tier 1 prospects, along with Terrion Arnold and UDFAs Isaiah Williams and Kingsley Eguakun in Tier 3.
Then in 2025, the Grit Index took another step forward by assigning prospects a numerical score from 0-100. That version identified several future Lions, including Tate Ratledge (86.3), Ahmed Hassanein (79.35), Isaac TeSlaa (77.36), and Dan Jackson (76.33).
The most recent evolution came in 2026, when we refined the scoring system to a 0-10 scale and incorporated positional considerations to better compare players across the board. That refinement identified Blake Miller with a 9.67 score, placing him in the “upper elite” tier. Keith Abney (9.07) and Skyler Gill-Howard (9.42) also ranked highly.
Below is a breakdown of the Intangible Qualities (IQs) used to determine a player’s Grit Index score.
Now, with the 2026 college football season beginning, it’s time to start looking at the next group of prospects.
Local spotlight
Michigan State v. Toledo
Friday, Sept. 4 at 8 p.m. on FS1
Jordan Hall, linebacker, Michigan State
Hall is a two-time captain and is now playing for his third head coach in four seasons.
His leadership extends beyond the football field. Hall is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, was a Michigan State nominee for the AFCA Good Works Team in 2025 and 2026, and is on the Wuerffel Trophy watch list, which recognizes excellence in community service, leadership and achievement.
Toughness also won’t be a question for scouts. Hall battled turf toe and a strained, then subsequently torn, oblique throughout the 2025 season, yet he played in all 12 games while leading the team in tackles.
Draft projection: Day 2-3
Michigan v. Western Michigan
Saturday, Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m. on NBC
Rod Moore, safety, Michigan
Moore is the first three-time captain in Michigan football history. That alone signals he has the football character that fits the Lions’ culture. Beyond his leadership accolades, Moore’s collegiate career has had its share of adversity. In March 2024, Moore suffered an ACL injury that kept him out all of the 2024 season as well as most of 2025. The road to recovery was not a simple one as it required three surgeries and extensive rehabilitation.
“I mean the big thing for me is that you can tell Rod loves football,” said Tyler Stockton, Moore’s position coach. “People who don’t love football and go through what he’s gone through kind of start thinking about what’s next in my life, or is it time to stop playing football? Like he would not be here if he doesn’t truly love the game.”
Draft projection: Day 3
Week 1 national spotlight
LSU vs Clemson
Saturday, Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m. on ABC
Ashton Hampton, cornerback, Clemson
The son of Arkansas-Pine Bluff head coach Alonzo Hampton, Ashton Hampton is regarded as a technically sound man-coverage corner who flashed high-end ability as a freshman in 2024 before becoming a full-time starter in 2025. Hampton was an All-ACC Academic Team selection as a true freshman and recently completed a micro-internship at NFL headquarters this past Spring.
“I am really pleased with just his maturity,” said Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney. “I think he shows up every day like he is playing in the Super Bowl. That is just the mindset he brings every day, and I love it.”
Draft projection: Day 1
Ty Benefield, safety, LSU
A recent transfer from Boise State, Benefield is an established playmaker joining the LSU secondary. The jump from the Mountain West to the SEC is one that he earned not just on gameday, but through his work ethic on the practice field.
“I met with multiple NFL scouts, and they’ve told me he’s one of the best practice players they’ve seen,” said Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson
A Vancouver native, Benefield moved to California at age 15 to pursue football and developed an underdog mindset along the way:
“I’m not the fastest. I’m not the biggest. I’m not the most athletic… I had to work harder than anybody.”
Draft projection: Day 1
Notre Dame vs Wisconsin
Sunday, Sept. 6 at 7:30 p.m. on NBC
Austin Kawecki, center, Wisconsin
Kawecki is a graduate transfer from Oklahoma State after enduring a 1-11 season in 2025.
Despite being new to the program, he’s already made an impression on Wisconsin’s coaching staff, with offensive line coach Eric Mateo stating, “The most important thing we did was get him.” Kawecki earned Academic All-Big 12 honors in both 2024 and 2025, and that intelligence, combined with his football IQ, appears to be a major part of his game.
Draft projection: Day 3/UDFA
Jordan Faison, wide receiver, Notre Dame
Faison’s journey is a classic Grit Index storyline.
A former walk-on and two-sport athlete (lacrosse) at Notre Dame, Faison earned his keep by producing on offense, special teams, and has been at the center of multiple trick plays. Now, Faison stands as one of four team captains for the 2026 season.
His coaches have nothing but praise for him. Wide receivers coach Mike Brown said, “That dude is a pit bull, man. Like anything you ask him to do, like he can do it.”
Draft projection: Day 2
Louisville vs Ole Miss
Sunday, Sept. 6 at 7:30 p.m. on ABC
Clev Lubin, EDGE, Louisville
Lubin has taken an unconventional path to Louisville.
He began his college career at Army in 2022 before moving to Iowa Western Community College in 2023, Coastal Carolina in 2024, and Louisville in 2026.
Off the field, Lubin was nominated for the 2025 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team and named to the 2026 Wuerffel Trophy watch list,
On the field, he is the kind of player coaches trust. Co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach said, “Anytime I needed something emphasized, I would leave the linebacker group real quick, go right down there to number 50, and tell them what I needed, and I didn’t have to worry about it happening. The guy has a lot of emotional energy.”
Fun fact: Lubin recorded a sack against Lions offensive tackle Blake Miller, one of only two sacks Miller allowed in his final season at Clemson.
Draft projection: Day 2
Suntarine Perkins, EDGE/linebacker
A leader on the Ole Miss defense, Perkins was awarded the 2026 Chucky Mullins Courage Award, an Ole Miss honor given annually to an upperclassman defender who represents courage, leadership, perseverance, and determination. As a versatile EDGE/linebacker, his fit within the Lions’ defense would likely be in the SAM linebacker role.
Draft projection: Day 2
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