2026 NFL Mock Draft Risers & Fallers

The college football season officially kicked off last week. As we know, with any college football slate, there were a plethora of games with a ton of prospects on the field. Below are the biggest risers and fallers from Week 1 of college football.

2026 NFL Mock Draft Risers & Fallers

2026 NFL Mock Draft Risers

Gabe Jacas (EDGE – Illinois)

It was an impressive start to the 2025 season for Illinois EDGE Gabe Jacas. Against Western Illinois, we saw Jacas tally four tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks. There were plenty of plays where Jacas didn’t have to load the stat sheet. His impact was felt through his physical style of play. He handled blocks with a good pad level and a strong lower half and, most importantly, he ate up rushing lanes with ease.

Additionally, Jacas was productive as a pass-rusher due to his ability to drop his pad level, rip under offensive tackles and run the arc to the quarterback. The senior pass-rusher has started 32 games throughout his career. With his 6-foot-3 and 270-pound frame, I’d expect him to continue to garner attention as we inch toward the 2026 NFL Draft.

Garrett Nussmeier (QB – LSU)

All eyes were on Clemson and LSU on Saturday night. Rightfully so, there was a great amount of talent on the field from the quarterbacks for both teams to Clemson’s highly touted defensive line. That said, nobody played better than LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.

Nussmeier may have been the top quarterback prospect. He played under control and made plenty of high-caliber throws that featured good touch and accuracy. His final stat line against Clemson: 28-of-38 for 231 yards and a touchdown.

Consistently playing calm, cool and collected, there’s great composure with Nussmeier, and there are steady signs of his ability to lead and manage games. Throughout his career, he’s played in 31 games with 14 starts and is coming off a season where he threw for over 4,000 yards. Plenty of focus will be on Nussmeier and the third-ranked LSU Tigers team.

2026 NFL Mock Draft Fallers

Kadyn Proctor (OT – Alabama)

It was a brutal start to the 2025 season for the Crimson Tide. They were beaten convincingly by the Florida State Seminoles. Contributing to the 31-17 loss was a lackluster performance from offensive tackle Kaydn Proctor. According to Pro Football Focus, Proctor allowed six pressures, two sacks and had a penalty. The pressures that Proctor allowed were a career high for him at Alabama.

Proctor struggled with inside moves and was not always effective with his punches. By not landing consistently with his hands, this allowed pass-rushers to stay on their path and either run the arc or their counter moves. Listed at 6-foot-7 and 369 pounds, Proctor is labeled as a freak athlete. He landed in second place on Bruce Feldman’s Freak List, and it’s mentioned that “Proctor has 274 pounds of lean muscle mass with 26% body fat. His strength numbers are awesome. This summer, he squatted 815 pounds, benched 535 and power cleaned 405.”

Wait and See

Carson Beck (QB – Miami)

Rather than put riser or faller, we’ll stay neutral for this one by taking the wait-and-see approach. It’s been a long eight months for Carson Beck. The reason is that he sustained a UCL injury in his elbow and ended up transferring from Georgia to Miami (FL). Despite having early success in his Bulldog career, things started to fall apart, and it started to feel like Beck was all sizzle and no steak.

It was a very encouraging start to Beck’s career with the Hurricanes. In Week 1 against Notre Dame, he was 20-of-30 for 205 yards and two touchdowns. He showed good pocket movement and was able to place throws accurately while throwing from different angles. Impressed by his arm strength and touch (at times), there’s much to be intrigued with Beck as he resets his college career in Miami.