Lance's 2026 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings: Update 2

Here's my updated rankings right around the week 10 time period, and as I mentioned before the next one won't come until after the National Championship. However, originally I was going to get it done before the Combine invite list was posted, but I remembered how much difficulty I've had in past trying to find the names of players that have elected to turn pro or go back to school, so I'll probably wait until after the Combine invite list is posted.

If you're curious as to what the rankings looked like for the other two iterations, no need to track it down, here are the links:
Preseason
Update 1

Once again, the weekly performance rankings I've been putting out don't really weigh into these rankings, but they have helped me find players I wasn't previously looking at. Here are the boards:

Quarterback

Notes: Moore remains toward the top, Simpson climbed from 4 to 1, and Mensah is up from 6 to 3 (probably the biggest surprise to me). Mendoza made a big leap as well. And then there's Stockton, Pavia, Payton and King who all jumped in from unranked. I know the guys getting the first-round love right now are Mendoza, Moore, Simpson and LaNorris Sellers (Currently 45th on my board, the nagging injuries have not helped him). I wouldn't be surprised if Mensah makes some pre-draft noise if he were to come out.

Running Back

Notes: Love is officially back on top! He's also the only one holding a Day 1 grade as it stands right now. Hollywood Smothers joins the list as someone I wasn't looking at previously, but thanks to my weekly rankings I took notice. Emmett Johnson's recent play has had him making moves on my weekly rankings, and launched him onto my draft board. Justice Haynes at the bottom feels like a temporary thing with the way he's played this year. All Power 4 teams this go around, but some Group of 6 and FCS names to keep an eye on would be Jai'Den Thomas, Rayshon Luke, and Eli Gillman.

Wide Receiver

Notes: The two biggest surprises to me: Tyson slipping to 4th, and Kendrick Law cracking the top ten. I'm going to have to look into Law a little deeper. But now seems like a good time to mention that I've adjusted my formulas to take on a z-score format rather than the "raw" percentages format I was using previously. There were a few other minor changes too, but I'll explain that more with my official first draft board of the offseason. Guys just on the outside looking in: Skyler Bell, Caullin Lacy, Eugene Wilson III, and Zachariah Branch (the last two could fly up the board if they test as well as I think they will).

Tight End

Notes: Seems like it's going to be a race to the finish between Koziol and Carter in my rankings. I've seen a lot of Kenyon Sadiq love recently, and if what they're saying about his athleticism is true, he could definitely jump toward the top of my board post-combine. Kanak was a new addition thanks to my weekly rankings; however, this is his first year of real production, and if his listed size is accurate, it might be better for him to go back to school if he has a year of eligibility left. Lance Mason, Joe Royer and Jack Endries all fell off my board with this new update, they're also 11, 12 and 13 respectively.

Offensive Tackle

Notes: Good news everybody, Left Tackles have bounced back. They now make up 3 of the top 5 (Smith, Davis and Green). A pretty decent shift overall. Smith and Davis weren't on the last update and now they're 2 and 4. Siereveld is the other newcomer to the list. Dunker took the biggest tumble within the top 10, but it was Isaiah Jatta who fell the farthest overall, going from 4 to 27. Kadyn Proctor has bounced back, he's currently 11th, followed by Kage Casey, Trevor Lauck, and Blake Miller.

Offensive Guard

Notes: Pregnon launched from not on the list to 2nd. I would have to look back at it and see if that's due to the change in how I'm doing the formulas now, or how he's playing this year. Stephens and Pieper continue to represent that Iowa Offensive Lineman pipeline, maintaining top 3 spots. First man out is Keylan Rutledge, who has clawed his way up into my weekly rankings too.

Center

Notes: Speaking of Iowa Lineman representing, Logan Jones is also holding down a top spot. Drew Bobo just keeps climbing, not surprising with how he's been playing this season. An FCS Lineman snuck unto the list too in Ziebell. Just on the outside is a pair of Power 4 guys in Jackson Carsello and Gus Zilinskas, as well as a Group of 6 member in Elijah Fisher.

Edge Rusher

Notes: I'm surprised Bain slipped given the season he's having, I would be even more surprised if he doesn't move back up post-combine. Position board change for Jaishawn Barham. Michigan has had him predominantly playing off the edge this season and it seems to be the right fit for him. J'Mond Tapp and Quincy Ivory have been holding down the #1 spots for the weekly rankings for the Group of 6 and FCS for quite some time, so no surprise they managed to crack this list. Eric O'Neill, T.J. Parker and Mikail Kamara, were the next three.

Interior Defensive Line

Notes: Carlos Allen Jr. has taken over the top spot, and he's dominated the top spot for the weekly Power 4 player rankings. Three of the top six tumbled off the board (Will Whitson, Rene Konga and Keanu Tanuvasa), I'm going to attribute that to the formula shift. Caleb Banks, Rayshaun Benny, and Darrell Jackson Jr. are 11, 12 and 13.

Linebacker

Notes: It's worth noting that athleticism plays a big role in the overall score for this position. I mention that because a notable name missing from the top ten is Arvell Reese, who has a Day 2 grade as it stands right now, but is ranked 34th (out of the 100 off-ball Linebackers I'm keeping an eye on). I would expect a lot to change post-combine, including a significant trimming of the players with Day 2 and Day 3 grades. Rodriguez maintains the top spot for now though, and he's having the season to back that up. C.J. Allen and Anthony Hill have reappeared on the list, they were 10 and 2 on my preseason list. Daniel Wingate, Bryce Boettcher and Namdi Obiazor are the next 3.

Cornerback

Notes: Nestor had a pair of bad outings since the last update and it pushed him from 1 to 17 (out of 73). Jontez Williams is quietly having a really good season, but I'm still surprised he's above Mansoor Delane. Jermod McCoy remains in the top ten despite still having not played yet this year. Josh Moten, Jyaire Hill, and Chandler Rivers are just on the outside.

Safety

Notes: Huskey went from starting at Corner for Bowling Green in 2023, to playing some Corner and some Safety for Maryland last year, to almost exclusively playing Safety for them this year. Which is also why he went from 3rd on my Corner board with the last update, to 1st on my Safety board with this update. Genesis Smith disappeared from the top ten, he's fallen all the way to 28th. Nice mixed bag in the 11/12/13 spots, with Nick Hand (FCS), Dillon Thieneman (Power 4), and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (Group of 6) holding it down there.