MHSS College Football Players to Watch

MILE HIGH SPORTS SYMPOSIUM 2026 College Football: Guys to Watch The Full MHSS Board — Our 2027 NFL Draft Watch List Orange & Blue Network | Future Stars, Today Fifteen names, three boards, one loaded class. Heights and weights are current listed measurables. Here's the full MHSS crew's guys to watch heading into the 2026 college season. Chris' Guys to Watch

1. Colin Simmons | Texas | EDGE | 6-3, 245 Freshman of the Year with nine sacks, then 12 sacks and 15.5 TFLs as a sophomore. Shot out of a cannon off the snap with rare bend, sitting around No. 4 on most boards with top-10 upside. Needs to add counters and a bit of mass, but I think he has a better feel for the run game then the next name on this list.
2. Dylan Stewart | South Carolina | EDGE | 6-5, 245 The 1B to Simmons at edge. A long, twitchy rusher who's been disruptive since his freshman year, with elite ankle flex and closing burst. Needs to add weight to hold up better against the run, but the ceiling is enormous. Stewart has been destroying the SEC even as a freshman. This is could be a special edge class which Simmons and Stewart leading the way.
3. Carter Smith | Indiana | OT | 6-5, 313 He's a Consensus All-American and Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, anchoring the O-line of the defending national champs. He exceeds in the run game as well as pass protection. The thing I love about him? His nasty disposition. He has shown the ability to finish blocks with an attitude.
4. A'Mauri Washington | Oregon | DT | 6-3, 320 A preseason first-team All-American and the keystone of an Oregon defensive line stacked with picks. Elite power and explosiveness inside after a breakout first year as a starter. Also has a wicked first step. Has the makings of being a really high upside DT.
5. Jeremiah Smith | Ohio State | WR | 6-3, 223 A candidate to be the top overall player in the entire class, quarterbacks included. A Julio Jones-style WR. Can truly do it all on the football field. He’s fun to watch.
   JT's Guys to Watch
6. Jordan Seaton | LSU | OT | 6-5, 330 The consensus top offensive lineman in the class. A former No. 1 tackle recruit who started as a true freshman protecting Shedeur Sanders at Colorado and allowed just one sack in 2025 before transferring to LSU for a pro-style look. Elite athleticism, a strong anchor and vice-grip hands.
7. Justice Haynes | Georgia Tech | RB | 5-11, 210 One of the top backs in the class after a well-traveled career (Alabama to Michigan to Georgia Tech). Ran for 857 yards at a blistering 7.1 per carry at Michigan last year before a foot injury ended his season including five games of 115-plus before being shut down. Proven as a receiver too (30 career catches). Needs to prove he can stay healthy
8. Darian Mensah | Miami | QB | 6-3, 205 Fresh off an ACC Championship at Duke where he threw for nearly 4,000 yards and 34 TDs against six picks, he transferred to Miami the pipeline that produced Cam Ward and Carson Beck. A poised, accurate pocket passer widely tabbed QB1 entering the season; Bleacher Report even mocked him No. 1 overall.
9. Sammy Brown | Clemson | LB | 6-2, 235 The consensus LB1 and a freak athlete. He’s a former five-star who won a state 400m title and wrestled at a high level. An All-ACC producer both years, going for 106 tackles, five sacks and a pick in 2025. A dangerous blitzer with the range and physicality NFL teams covet in a modern off-ball linebacker.
10. Will Echoles | Ole Miss | DT | 6-3, 315 Has a legitimate case as the top interior defender in the class. Several boards have him as the best run-defender in the trenches. A first-team All-SEC pick coming off a five-sack year, he's a load to move inside. The pass rush is still a work in progress, but the arrow is up. Doc's Guys to Watch
11. Jamari Johnson | Oregon | TE | 6-5, 257 The upside pick. Athletic tools are off the charts. He made Kenyon Sadiq, a top-16 pick, look tiny. Flashed in the Playoff run with two TDs and 190 yards over three games and projects as a top target for Dante Moore. The question is whether he develops into a complete two-way tight end rather than just a big receiver. Exactly the matchup-problem TE Denver's been chasing since Sharpe and Graham.
12. Kade Pieper | Iowa | C | 6-4, 290 The football-nerd pick. A Joe Moore Award winner and arguably the most athletic O-lineman in the class. He moves like a linebacker in space, with a real shot to be the first center off the board in Round 1 since Tyler Linderbaum in 2022. Watch the intelligence, communication, leverage and anchor. Under Sean Payton, interior linemen who can diagnose and move people always have value.
13. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa | Notre Dame | LB | 6-3, 229 The defensive tone-setter, and maybe the guy Doc spends the most time on. A former five-star anchoring the Notre Dame defense who stepped up as a sophomore with 48 tackles and three sacks. Watch the instincts, closing speed and tackling. The big question: traditional linebacker, or the three-down LB the modern NFL covets? That's the line between good college player and premium prospect.
14. Peter Clarke | Temple | TE | 6-6, 265 The sleeper/the "write this name down" pick. A London native out of the NFL Academy, he broke out in 2025 with 30 catches for 483 yards and six TDs and earned second-team All-American honors. Likely a Day 2 or Day 3 name, which makes him a higher-floor, lower-pizzazz option. Watch how he holds up against better competition.
15. Peyton Bowen | Oklahoma | S | 6-0, 203 The playmaker, and an easy one to tie back to Denver. Second-team All-SEC in 2025 with two picks and seven pass breakups, plus special-teams value (four blocked kicks as a freshman). Watch the range, ball skills and positional versatility. The key isn't the highlights. It's whether he becomes a dependable, complete safety. Fits a Broncos secondary built to play aggressive. Mile High Sports Symposium • Orange & Blue Network • @MHSSWhit