2026 NFL Draft Notebook: The Texas A&M passing game weapons, an underrated ACC defender, and top prospect on the G5 level 

Risers and underrated 2026 NFL Draft prospects lead the conversation in this week’s mailbag. That includes a couple of dynamic Texas A&M wide receivers.

Ryan Roberts — National College Football Writer
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Sep 13, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver Mario Craver (1) runs the ball during the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

The 2025 college football season is already nearly a quarter of the way through, and the 2026 NFL Draft class is beginning to take early shape. We have seen some risers, fallers, and even more uncertainty in recent weeks, and that will continue moving forward. This 2026 class has a chance to be a good one, but there are some major questions that still remain for the time being. 

Each week, in order to gain more clarity for the potential class, I plan on putting together these notebooks with some random thoughts to consider. In this week’s edition, we talk about a 2026 quarterback more people need to talk about, a couple of dynamic SEC wide receivers, the top G5 prospect to know, and a fascinating defensive lineman who has taken a unique path to being a legitimate prospect. 

Let’s get into it.

Let’s start talking about Josh Hoover 

This 2026 quarterback class is a volatile one right now. There are a lot of names out there, a lot to love, and even more to be worried about. Whether you are a LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina), Drew Allar (Penn State), Garrett Nussmeier (LSU), Fernando Mendoza (Indiana), or Cade Klubnik (Clemson) fan, you have to admit that there are major flaws with each of them. There is no sure thing in this class right now, which is why patience is still needed as this group continues to figure itself out.

There is no telling if TCU quarterback Josh Hoover ends up being in the 2026 or 2027 class, but we should start talking about him regardless. While he isn’t the biggest quarterback of all time at around 6-1 and 210 pounds, Hoover has some of the best arm talent in college football. He is a loose thrower who is used to throwing from different arm slots and compromised platforms. The redshirt junior is also showing greater command of the Sonny Dykes’ offense and ability to work full field reads. There is a lot to work with here.

Top G5 prospect in 2026 class 

I am not sure what they are putting in the water in Toledo, Ohio, but they continue to attract a ton of next-level talent, especially on the defensive side of the football. We have seen cornerback Quinyon Mitchell and defensive tackle Darius Alexander go top 100 in each of the last two years, and now it is safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren’s turn. A bigger safety at over 6-3 and 209 pounds, McNeil-Warren can play down in the box and near the line of scrimmage. It is his range for a bigger safety, however, that makes him so excited. I would not be shocked if he is a top 64 selection when all is said and done.

The Texas A&M pass catchers 

He won’t be eligible until the 2027 NFL Draft, but I am absolutely infatuated with Texas A&M wide receiver Mario Craver. He may be small, but Craver is a dynamic mover, both in terms of long speed and short area quickness. The former Mississippi State pass catcher has been a revelation since coming to College Station. Craver is a home run threat every time he touches the football. You can be scared based on the size if you want. I want to score touchdowns, and Craver knows how to do just that.

Former NC State transfer Kevin “KC” Concepcion is eligible for the 2026 class. Another smaller pass catcher at about 5-11 and 190 pounds, Concepcion makes his living in the slot, possessing dynamic quickness and route running technique. He is also very good after the catch. There is a lot of Josh Downs in his game, and Concepcion should be a starting slot option in the NFL for some time.

Standing on the table for Rene Konga

The story of Rene Konga has been a pretty fascinating one. The 6-3 plus, 300-pound defensive tackle began his career at Rutgers, where he spent the first four years of his career. During that stretch, Konga played in 21 games, but only managed to collect 14 total tackles. Konga opted to transfer to Louisville following the 2023 college football season and has been a much more impactful player. If you watched the best 15 to 20 plays from Konga from last year, you may be convinced that he is a future top-100 selection.

The issue has been consistency for Konga. If he is able to stack games, he has clear starter upside from a pure movement skills perspective. Will he be able to put it fully together? That is the biggest question. If he doesn’t, talent won’t be the reason why. You won’t find many more naturally flexible interior defensive linemen than Konga.

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