2026 NFL Draft Notebook: LaNorris Sellers early favorite for QB1, Peter Woods hype, TJ Parker, and a sleeper offensive weapon
There is no rest for all the draftniks out there, and the page has already turned to the 2026 NFL Draft class. While doing my early film work, I already have a lot of takes for this extremely interesting 2026 group. That includes some early quarterback talk, the Clemson potentially elite defensive line, and an […]
There is no rest for all the draftniks out there, and the page has already turned to the 2026 NFL Draft class. While doing my early film work, I already have a lot of takes for this extremely interesting 2026 group. That includes some early quarterback talk, the Clemson potentially elite defensive line, and an outlier skill position player that I am betting on.
To give as much context as possible over the next few months, these notebooks will be a regular thing. It is early, but this class feels like one that is going to have a lot of varying opinions on it. Let's talk 2026 NFL Draft.
Early QB1 favorite
The 2026 quarterback class brings a lot more excitement for the 2025 class. The big reason for that is you are convincing yourself of ceilings compared to floors in last year's group. That is, obviously, a lot more exciting, and there are tools everywhere. Depending on who you talk to, there are a lot of early opinions on the class, and who will eventually ascend to the top spot.
There are Drew Allar (Penn State) fans out there, as well as some Cade Klubnik (Clemson), and Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) love out there. As of today, I do not expect Texas signal caller Arch Manning to enter the class, but anything is possible. When it comes to predicting who ends up being the top quarterback in the class, my money is on South Carolina star LaNorris Sellers. He is an impressive blend of physical gifts and upside as a pocket passer.
When you look at Sellers physically, it is hard not to get excited. At 6-3 and 242 pounds, he has the look of a young Dante Culpepper, both as an athlete and big time tools as a passer. For a bigger quarterback, Sellers is an incredibly strong athlete who has outstanding overall athleticism. He also has the tools to become a very good pocket passer, and if he takes a huge jump, Sellers will be a hot commodity next April.
Clemson defensive line
Seeing the amount of talent on the defensive side of the football for Clemson, and considering how up and down that unit was in 2024, is the ultimate indictment on former defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin. Head coach Dabo Swinney opted for a change this offseason, and brought in former Penn State DC Tom Allen to help get that group back to an elite level. They have all the tools necessary, especially on the defensive line, to make that type of ascension quickly.
The player most people are going to talk about most of all is star defensive tackle Peter Woods. At around 6-2 and 315 pounds, Woods is a bowling ball of energy. The sophomore was very productive last season (28 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, and three sacks) despite him having to play a lot on the edge. If Woods is moved inside more this year in 2025, he has a chance to be a top ten draft pick. He is that talented.
Another member of the 2023 recruiting class, defensive end TJ Parker is a really impressive power-oriented pass rusher. When Parker is on his game, he is very good (just go watch the Pitt game). His first step is good, and he has some outstanding ability to create speed to power. When that first step is good, he is a lot to handle at 6-4 and 255 pounds. Consistency is the name of the game for Parker, especially because he isn't the bendiest outside pass rusher.
Coming into the 2024 season, many expected defensive tackle DeMonte Capehart to take a massive step forward. Consistency still eluded Capehart, who was also banged up by the end of the year. When he is on his game, he is an incredibly explosive and powerful point of attack player who isn't easy to get moved off of the football. There is upside as a plus nose tackle if he takes a nice step forward this fall.
Clemson dove into the transfer portal this offseason, which has been against the ideology for Coach Swinney. They were able to land former Purdue standout Will Heldt, who was able to collect 56 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and five sacks. At 6-6 and 265 pounds, he has some outstanding explosiveness for his size. Heldt comes into the season a bit underrated, but that won't last long. I expect him to be a huge breakout this season.
Buying stock in Desmond Reid
In the scouting space, betting on outliers is a necessity sometimes, but it also isn’t something we shouldn’t choose to do too often. Size thresholds and historical data is designed to eliminate risk as much as possible, and eliminate bias. An earlier outlier I am buying into is Pittsburgh running back Desmond Reid.
While he’s a smaller back at around 5-8 and 175 pounds, Reid possesses the feel for space and pass catching ability to overcompensate for that lack of size. The Western Carolina transfer came to the Pittsburgh program prior to the 2024 season via the transfer portal. Reid excelled in that first year, accounting for 1,545 yards of total yards and nine touchdowns.
Due to that lack of size, Reid is going to be a bit limited in terms of early down upside. His skill set, however, does fit tremendously in a third down role. Reid’s ability to create big plays in the modern space game is a huge sticking point for him.
LaNorris Sellers, Jeremiyah Love, CJ Allen, Jermod McCoy, and other early 2026 NFL Draft prospects to know
Early 2026 NFL Draft prospects to know and a mock
