NFL Draft Stock Risers: 10 College Football Players Who Boosted Their NFL Prospects in Week 3
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Trinidad Chambliss delivered against LSU, Darian Mensah was nearly perfect and several emerging prospects gave NFL scouts more to consider Saturday.
Three weeks into the college football season, the 2027 NFL Draft picture is beginning to take shape.
Some of the biggest names entered the season already carrying first-round expectations. Others are playing their way into the conversation.
That’s what Sportsnaut’s NFL Draft Stock Risers will track each week: college football players whose performances gave NFL evaluators another reason to move them up their draft boards, reconsider their ceiling or simply take a closer look.
Week 3 provided plenty of candidates, including two quarterbacks who made particularly loud statements.
1. Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss
Week 3: 33-of-48, 363 passing yards, 2 TDs; 1 rushing TD vs. LSU
Chambliss is rapidly moving beyond being one of college football’s best stories. He’s becoming a legitimate NFL Draft story.
Against No. 7 LSU, the Ole Miss quarterback delivered exactly the type of performance scouts want to see: production against an SEC defense in a high-pressure game. Chambliss threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns and added the decisive 14-yard touchdown run as the Rebels knocked off LSU 32-24.
Through three games, Chambliss has thrown for 924 yards and seven touchdowns while accounting for nine total scores. More importantly for his NFL evaluation, he continues to demonstrate mobility, toughness and the ability to create when the original play breaks down.
The questions surrounding his age and projection to the NFL aren’t disappearing. But every performance like Saturday’s makes Chambliss increasingly difficult to dismiss.
Stock impact: Chambliss is playing his way into a much more serious 2027 NFL Draft conversation.
2. Darian Mensah, QB, Miami
Week 3: 30-of-34, 220 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs vs. Wake Forest
There is accuracy, and then there is what Mensah did Friday night.
The Miami quarterback completed his first 24 passes against Wake Forest, setting an ACC record for consecutive completions before finally throwing an incompletion. He finished 30-of-34 with three touchdowns and no interceptions in Miami’s 33-20 victory.
Mensah’s transfer to Miami gave him an opportunity to prove that his production could translate to a program with national expectations. So far, he’s taking advantage of it.
NFL teams won’t draft a quarterback because he completes a bunch of short throws. They’ll care about ball placement, anticipation, processing speed and what happens when defenses force him beyond his first read. But completing 88.2% of your passes while protecting the football is a pretty convincing way to get scouts to keep watching.
Stock impact: Mensah continues strengthening his case to be included among the top quarterback prospects in the 2027 class.
3. Michael Hawkins Jr., QB, West Virginia
Week 3: 10-of-17, 190 passing yards, 2 TDs; 123 rushing yards, 3 TDs vs. Virginia
Few players did more for themselves Saturday than Hawkins.
The Oklahoma transfer accounted for 313 yards and five touchdowns as West Virginia upset No. 25 Virginia 38-27.
Hawkins threw two touchdown passes without an interception, but it was his running ability that transformed the game. He rushed 18 times for 123 yards and three scores, repeatedly stressing Virginia’s defense with his speed.
Dual-threat quarterbacks have to prove they can win from the pocket at the NFL level, so Hawkins still has plenty to establish as a passer. But his athletic ability creates an intriguing developmental ceiling.
A five-touchdown performance against a ranked opponent is exactly the type of game that gets a prospect noticed.
Stock impact: Hawkins belongs on the NFL Draft radar after one of Week 3’s most dynamic performances.
4. Duce Robinson, WR, Florida State
Week 3: 6 receptions, 135 yards, 1 TD vs. Alabama
Florida State lost 50-36 at Alabama, but Robinson looked every bit like an NFL receiver.
The 6-foot-6 wideout produced six catches for 135 yards and a touchdown against SEC competition, giving him the sixth 100-yard receiving game of his career and pushing him past 2,000 career receiving yards.
Robinson’s physical profile has never been the issue. NFL evaluators are going to be fascinated by a receiver with his combination of size and athleticism.
The question is whether he can consistently turn those traits into high-level production.
Saturday provided another encouraging answer.
Stock impact: Robinson’s rare size and athleticism were already intriguing. Producing 135 yards at Alabama gives scouts stronger evidence that the traits translate against NFL-caliber competition.
5. Kenny Minchey, QB, Kentucky
Week 3: 252 passing yards, 2 TDs vs. Texas A&M
Winning at Kyle Field gets attention.
Doing it against the nation’s No. 9 team gets even more.
Minchey threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns as Kentucky stunned Texas A&M 31-21, handing the Aggies their first regular-season home loss since 2024.
Quarterback evaluation is about far more than the final stat line, and Minchey isn’t suddenly going to vault to the top of the quarterback class because of one upset. But performances in difficult road environments matter.
NFL scouts want evidence that quarterbacks can function when the pocket gets uncomfortable, the crowd gets loud and the opponent has superior athletes.
Minchey just gave them another important piece of tape.
Stock impact: One of the biggest wins of Week 3 puts Minchey squarely on the list of quarterbacks worth monitoring.
6. LJ Martin, RB, BYU
Week 3: 15 carries, 176 yards, 3 TDs vs. Colorado State
Martin didn’t need much work to wreck Colorado State.
The BYU running back averaged 11.7 yards per carry, rushing for 176 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 attempts in a 41-23 victory. Remarkably, 173 of those yards came in the first half.
Martin’s combination of size, contact balance and explosiveness gives him traits that should translate well to the NFL. Running back draft value has also become increasingly dependent on whether prospects can create explosive plays rather than simply accumulate carries.
Martin showed that explosiveness Saturday, including a 56-yard touchdown run.
Stock impact: Martin continues building a case as one of the more intriguing running backs NFL teams will evaluate in this draft cycle.
7. Keyjuan Brown, RB, Louisville
Week 3: 10 carries, 163 yards, 2 TDs vs. SMU
Good luck producing a more efficient afternoon than this.
Brown needed only 10 carries to rush for a career-high 163 yards and two touchdowns as No. 23 Louisville defeated No. 16 SMU 41-31.
That’s 16.3 yards per carry.
Brown ripped off touchdown runs of 58 and 51 yards, displaying the acceleration and home-run ability NFL teams covet.
The next step is showing that he can consistently handle the less glamorous parts of playing running back — pass protection, receiving and creating yards when the blocking isn’t perfect.
But explosive speed gets a player noticed.
Brown certainly got noticed Saturday.
Stock impact: Brown turned a nationally relevant matchup against a ranked opponent into his NFL Draft introduction.
8. Mario Craver, WR, Texas A&M
Week 3: 11 receptions, 119 yards vs. Kentucky
Texas A&M’s loss shouldn’t obscure Craver’s performance.
The junior receiver established a career high with 11 catches and finished with 119 receiving yards despite Kentucky knowing where quarterback Marcel Reed wanted to go with the football.
Volume production matters for a receiver, particularly when he remains productive after becoming the defense’s primary focus.
Craver demonstrated the ability to consistently uncover and provide his quarterback with an available target. That’s a valuable NFL skill even without a highlight-reel touchdown attached to the performance.
Stock impact: Craver showed he can function as a high-volume No. 1 target rather than simply an occasional big-play receiver.
9. Tre’Dez Green, TE, LSU
Week 3: 4 receptions, 60 yards vs. Ole Miss
Green’s final numbers won’t jump off the page, but his tape should.
At 6-foot-7, Green already possesses the physical dimensions NFL teams want to develop at tight end. Against Ole Miss, he caught four passes for 60 yards before leaving the game with an injury.
More significant than the numbers was the matchup problem he created.
Defensive backs surrender size. Linebackers can struggle with his athleticism. That type of mismatch potential has become increasingly valuable in NFL offenses.
His health will obviously need to be monitored after Saturday, but his performance before exiting offered another glimpse at why Green could become a fascinating prospect.
Stock impact: Green’s combination of enormous size and receiving ability continues to make him one of the more intriguing tight ends in the 2027 class.
10. Jayden Maiava, QB, USC
Week 3: 277 passing yards, 2 TDs vs. Rutgers
Maiava didn’t produce the gaudiest quarterback numbers of the weekend. What mattered was another efficient performance in a conference road game.
The USC quarterback threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns as the Trojans survived Rutgers 42-35 in their Big Ten opener.
Maiava entered 2026 needing to demonstrate consistency. NFL teams already know about the arm talent and athletic ability. The question is whether he can repeatedly make good decisions, operate the offense and avoid the volatility that can sink talented quarterback prospects.
USC is 3-0, and Maiava keeps giving evaluators reasons to watch.
Stock impact: Maiava’s physical talent was never difficult to see. Continued efficient production could turn him into one of the more interesting quarterback evaluations of the 2027 draft cycle.
Who just missed the NFL Draft Stock Risers?
Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith became the school’s career receiving-yardage leader Saturday, finishing with five catches for 85 yards against Kent State. But Smith enters a feature like this with one problem: his stock is already about as high as it can get.
Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell was excellent against Florida State, completing 23 of 30 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. His NFL Draft moment, however, is further down the road.
SMU running back Kendrick Raphael also deserves recognition after rushing for 197 yards and three touchdowns against Louisville.
Those performances illustrate what this weekly feature is designed to identify. The biggest college football star isn’t necessarily the week’s biggest NFL Draft riser.
Sometimes it’s the player who forces scouts to go back to the tape.
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