Another week of college football is behind us, so here are some players who improved their draft stock and some who had solid performances. Don’t want to highlight players who had bad games, because it’s hard to produce solid performances week to week.

We’ll make this a series every Thursday for the rest of the college football season, as the season winds down and talk of the NFL Draft starts to heat up.

Here are the players who stood out in Week 9 of college football.

Stock up

Audavion Collins, CB, Penn State

Collins has started to move up the cornerback rankings with strong, strung-together performances. Against Purdue, he was targeted five times, giving up one reception and having one pass breakup.

What stood out was his recovery speed in coverage; he got beat off the line on a rep, but quickly regained position on the receiver’s back hip. His acceleration flashed as well in his one-back breakup, with him undercutting on an over route to create the breakup. Not only that, but he’s crafty with his hands in press. Showed the ability to punch the shoulder of receivers as they work to get parallel to him on routes.

LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina

The hype for Sellers in the first round is back after he’s had strong performances over the past month. Against Oklahoma, that train didn’t slow down. Sellers threw the ball multiple times throughout the day, showcasing his arm strength and ability to target receivers deep downfield. The footwork and anticipation of these throws look a little shaky at times, but the traits are no doubt there. The best throw of the day was him rolling out to his left, then flipping his hips around to make a throw on a deep post route that went for a touchdown.

It’s not only the arm strength, but the type of athlete Sellers is as well. He had 96 rushing yards against Oklahoma, repeatedly hurting them on zone reads. Not only that, but he took a counter run for two touchdowns as well.

The mechanics still could use work, and the anticipation lacks at times for Sellers, but you can’t deny the traits. When it comes to the draft, traits over everything else, there’s no denying Sellers has the traits.

Emmett Mosley V, WR, Texas

When you play in an offense with Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo, it’s hard to get attention. Mosley has repeatedly popped on film this year with his explosive route running down the field. What impressed most was Mosley’s acceleration throughout the game, especially on his releases. He’d have nice little jabs towards the inside, then accelerate past the defensive back, showing the speed he has.

Mosley ran a post corner route against Mississippi State, and you can see the violence with which he cuts as a route runner. His balance and ability to keep his weight within his frame while running routes is special, even though his production isn’t “elite” this season. He should get more targets as a receiver because of his technical skills on the field.

Jordan Hall, DT, Georgia

The appreciation for run-stuffing tackles just isn’t there as much as it should be. The Georgia defense held Florida running back Jadan Baugh to 38 rushing yards on the day. While the entire defense deserves a shout-out, one player who kept popping was Hall.

What stands out about Hall’s game is the heavy hands he plays with. He does a great job jabbing guards in the chest and making his strength felt. He had two tackles and two pressures in this game due to his inability to get knocked off his track. One of his tackles came against a zone running play, where he showed good understanding by slanting down and cutting off the lane.

Hall won’t get much talk in the early rounds of this draft due to his lack of juice as a pass-rusher, but he has the frame and strength to be molded into a five- to six-sack-a-year tackle who’s elite at stopping the run.

Demello Jones, CB, Georgia

Jones had a strong day in pass coverage against Florida and even caught an interception off of a deflection (he would’ve had two, but one got called back due to roughing the passer). The one that got called back was a great showing of his eyes in pass coverage and ability to attack the ball while in the air. Jones did a great job undercutting a route to make the play, but the penalty obviously brought it back.

Jones’s understanding of zone coverage and routes was great to watch in this game, too. He took away a corner route in this game and didn’t even have eyes on it. He just got the necessary depth to be in the passing lane, which made the route unavailable to the quarterback. Jones also had a good rep down the sideline where he was patient off the line of scrimmage, then opened up nicely, trailing the receiver and getting his hand up to force an incompletion.

Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss

Chambliss had a strong day against Auburn last week, despite the two interceptions (one being a dropped pass from a receiver). The biggest takeaway from this game was the overall pocket presence from Chambliss in the pocket. Multiple times, he stepped up and adjusted his lower half to make throws all across the field. Not only that, but the ball still just zips out of his hands whenever he decides to let it rip.

Throughout the game, his legs also gave the Auburn defense problems. He’s a better athlete than people give him credit for. Still, I think he can be better under pressure. He looks to scramble too fast instead of staying calm and either stepping up or getting to his checkdown. Regardless, Chambliss to me is still the most NFL-ready quarterback in this class in terms of IQ. The measurables will be the main conversation around his draft stock.

Marquise Lightfoot, Edge, Miami

Lightfoot tied his season-high in pressure with seven against North Carolina. He finished the day with two sacks and a forced fumble. Lightfoot has a lighter, more slender build at around 240 pounds, which will limit his draft stock to a Day 3 pick. His frame just won’t allow him to be a three-down defender in the NFL, and he’s being relegated to a pass-rush specialist at the next level.

With that being said, Lightfoot showed growth in his pass rush game against North Carolina with a nice double swipe move that won him a rep against the right tackle. He also tried to long-arm the left tackle and managed to collapse the pocket to some degree. It’s nice to see Lightfoot not just rely on athleticism to win around the edge as a pass rusher, but also show the flexibility and overall bag to win in multiple ways.

What’s limiting him as a prospect is the overall lack of bend in his game. I don’t know if he can finish plays at a consistent level because he can’t fully get around the edge at the top of the pocket.

Jelani Thurman, TE, North Carolina

Thurman had two touchdowns against Miami, and showed his 6-foot-6 frame on one of them going up to get it. Thurman will be an interesting prospect in the draft because he’s such a unique athlete. He doesn’t pack the same burst as other tight ends in this class like Jamari Johnson, but he’s pretty close.

Throughout the game, he showed smooth route running down the middle of the field and on corner routes. He won’t have the most explosive route, but he moves well for his size. He also showed willingness to block in this game, which is key for a player like him and for the direction the NFL is going.

Griffin Wilde, WR, Northwestern

The Northwestern offense lost steam late in the game against Oregon, but Wilde stood out. He’s got a well-built frame that’s more slim than bulky. With it, he’s a smooth route runner that knows he has the acceleration out of his quick cuts to gain separation. He isn’t the most fluid or loose route runner in terms of getting hip sink or decelerating at the top of his routes, but he knows how to win for his frame, which is key.

Wilde’s best rep came when he stemmed his route vertically just before breaking on the sideline, then re-routed vertically when his quarterback was in trouble. Those small things may not matter much in the long run, but his IQ matters to NFL evaluators.

Solid Outings

A’Mauri Washington, DT, Oregon

The lack of pass-rush juice has started to drop Washington in consensus rankings, but the quick first step flashed against Northwestern a bit. While the pass rush is a concern, Washington’s overall strength and stack-and-shed ability popped up repeatedly in this game.

Washington is a heavy-handed tackle who has the size and power that screams Day 2 defensive tackle.

Kingston Lopa, S, California

Lopa isn’t scared to fill the run, which is key for a safety. Not only that, but his burst was strong in this game, forcing a pass breakup as well. The eyes in zone coverage stand out the most with his ability to keep his eyes on the quarterback, but also scan the field for potential routes coming into his vicinity of the field.

The one area Lopa struggles in at times is the deep half, and there was some uncertainty in this game that led to NC State getting a touchdown. Lopa came downhill to cover an out route, but saw the outside receiver running a deep post. He hesitated and stayed in the middle of both, which let CJ Bailey rip the post route. It’s a small negative, but something Lopa can improve on.

Justin Scott, DT, Miami

Scott hasn’t had the season a lot of us thought, but the athleticism popped against North Carolina. The pad height is still way too high for him, but his quick first step showcased itself throughout this game. He got in for a sack with Lightfoot, and Scott used his hands quickly to swat away the hands of the lineman and get into the backfield.

In 2026, Scott has seven total pressures for the year, but has four in the last three weeks. It could be a sign he’s on his way up as a pass rusher.

Tobi Osunsanmi, Edge, Indiana

Osunsanmi just racks up pressure for this Indiana front. He’s the only player on the line who has real juice, and it shows up every single week. He got into the backfield multiple times, but what mattered in this game was his ability to stunt inside, showing nuance in his rushes. He doesn’t have to win on the outside; if the tackle gives up the inside, Osunsanmi can win inside.

Chris Jones, LB, Florida State

I haven’t seen much love for Chris Jones, and I can understand why. He’s shaky in pass coverage, but in run defense, he’s a great athlete to make it happen. He had 10 tackles against Clemson this past weekend and showed his acceleration to get downhill and make plays against the run. What stood out was his strength to handle blocks at the second level while keeping his head up to get in for the stop. He’ll fire too quickly at times and over-scrape runs, but for the most part he’s an intriguing player to keep an eye on.

Khalil Barnes, S, Georgia

Barnes can play in the slot or as a safety at the next level. He’s a scary defender when he can attack downhill. He blew up a screen play against Florida this past weekend, showing the knack he has to come downhill and make plays. Pass coverage is where he struggles; I think his lower-body fluidity and flexibility are lacking.

Kenny Johnson, WR, Texas Tech

Johnson would get more attention if he had a quarterback who could get him the ball. He scored on a nice sluggo route, showing the violence he has as a route runner, but there were multiple times in this game when he had opportunities downfield and the ball didn’t find him.

Throughout the game, he showed nuance in his releases and, once again, created separation while running routes; the ball just couldn’t find him.