2026 NFL Draft Chatter

Who are 2026 NFL Draft’s biggest senior risers? NFL scouting director weighs in

By Dane Brugler
Dec. 10, 2025 6:00 am EST

As part of my end-of-year scouting process, I make a lot of calls and send a lot of texts to NFL scouts as they finish senior reports before their December deadlines.

On one of those recent calls with an NFL scouting director, he shared five senior prospects he considers draft “risers” over the last six months, from their preseason grades to now. He mentioned other names but picked out these five as the seniors who have made the “biggest jumps.”


Cashius Howell, edge, Texas A&M
No surprise here. Howell leads the SEC with 11.5 sacks and appeared in my mock draft last week (No. 25 to the Los Angeles Chargers). The summer feedback from scouts on the Bowling Green transfer was that he’d be a potential fifth- or sixth-rounder, but Howell has put himself in the top-32 conversation.

At 6 feet 2 and 249 pounds with shorter than 31-inch arms, Howell can be overwhelmed at times on the edge, especially as a run defender. But his initial burst and blend of power and flexibility throughout his pass rush (around the arc or inside) make him dangerous. I think the scouting director used the word “juice” a half-dozen times when talking about Howell’s pass rush, which is why Howell will get consideration on the first night of the draft.


Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State
Georgia State has combined for just four wins over the last two seasons, but Hurst has been one of the program’s bright spots since transferring in from Division II Valdosta State. Over two seasons with the Panthers, Hurst combined for 127 catches for 1,965 yards and 15 touchdown grabs.

At 6-3, 195 with 33 1/2-inch arms and 10-inch hands, Hurst is a good-looking athlete (and an alum of Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List”), with 4.4 speed to win vertically and efficient footwork to uncover at the top of routes. He needs to cut down on the drops, but he has the frame to climb the ladder and expand his catch radius. Hurst carried a “wait-and-see” priority free agent grade in the summer, but multiple teams now consider him a borderline top-100 prospect entering the pre-draft process.

Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
Another predictable name for this list. Rodriguez wasn’t considered a draftable prospect before the season, but he forced NFL scouts to rip up and change those grades based on his play in 2025. A four-sport athlete in high school, he was primarily a quarterback growing up. When he did play defense, it was mostly at safety. After giving offense a shot at Virginia in 2021, he moved to linebacker at Texas Tech and has looked better and better each season.


With his knack for executing the “Peanut Punch,” Rodriguez has been a turnover-forcing machine with seven forced fumbles this season, giving him 13 for his career. (He also has four interceptions this season). He doesn’t have special speed, but his backfield vision and reaction skills put him in position to make plays. Rodriguez will need to test well to get into the Day 2 conversation, but that we are talking about him that high is a stark difference compared to the preseason.


Cole Payton, QB, North Dakota State
The biggest college football upset of this past weekend came when Illinois State bounced North Dakota State from the FCS playoffs. The Bison offensive line had few answers for Illinois State’s pass rush, which consistently heated up Payton in the pocket and eventually knocked the quarterback out of the game late with a thumb injury.

However, a disappointing finish doesn’t take away from Payton’s impressive senior season. After four years as a backup behind Cam Miller, the lefty passer was responsible for 29 touchdowns (16 passing, 13 rushing) in 2025 and showed off a live arm reminiscent of Michael Penix Jr. (although, Payton has the same scattershot tendencies and inconsistent reactions to pressure Penix had).

At 6-2, 230, Payton is a raw, yet intriguing, dual-threat passer. According to the scouting director, Payton was considered a potential undrafted free agent and possible H-back convert before the season, but he’s now a “mid-round possibility at quarterback.”

Mike Washington, RB, Arkansas
A two-time transfer, Washington started out at Buffalo (near his hometown of Utica, N.Y.) before spending the 2024 season at New Mexico State. He transferred to Arkansas for his final season and became one of just six FBS players to surpass 1,000 yards rushing and average at least 6.4 yards per carry in 2025.

Washington (6-0, 225) is an impressive-looking athlete with physicality and spurts of explosiveness. Scouts already knew about his physical traits (and he is a “really high-character kid,” according to the scouting director), but his vision and run tempo following blocks have been pleasant developments. Considered a potential low-end undrafted free agent six months ago, Washington is now receiving Day 3 draft grades from NFL teams.
 
What Im seeing is that after the playoffs Jacob Rodriguez would be considered a 1st round pick.



I have the right to claim hyperbole at a future date.
 
Whatever we do, I hope we focus on guys who have good character and love football like this past draft.
 
Rev said:
What Im seeing is that after the playoffs Jacob Rodriguez would be considered a 1st round pick.



I have the right to claim hyperbole at a future date.
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He feels like the type you see go in the middle of the second round to late second round most years. I'm guessing his forty and measurements will matter more than the playoffs at this point.
 
Genghis Khan said:
I wonder if this will be better or worse for trades.
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My guess is worse. Feels like 8 minutes isn't much time to negotiate and work out a trade. But then again they do it in the late rounds with less time so it probably won't impact much.

What it will impact is them actually talking about a pick, showing highlights and that sort of thing. I hate when they fall behind and they are at pick 6 but still talking about pick 3. Like give them enough time to actually fucking talk about the player before the next pick has to be made. But anyway, just probably going to feel even more rushed.
 
I think it's great. Ten minutes was way too long. Most of that was just wasted anyway.
 
Cowboysrock55 said:
I love watching the draft. But I hate how everything has become about the presentation on TV amd not at all about the actual drafting of players. Now they are going to try and start rushing everything to fit it into this dumbass schedule they decided to get more views.
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I miss watching rounds 1-3 on Saturday and 4-7 on Sunday. It was perfect.
 
Chocolate Lab said:
Nah, this will just eliminate two minutes of inane Tom Rinaldi-style tear-jerking stories and/or tales of how his great aunt overcame a hangnail.
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No you'll still get that, you'll just get 2 minutes less of highlights and analysis of the players.
 
Chocolate Lab said:
Nah, this will just eliminate two minutes of inane Tom Rinaldi-style tear-jerking stories and/or tales of how his great aunt overcame a hangnail.
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Agreed. It's about the draft and the players' future. Not about a dog he lost to Lupus disease at age 13.
 
Round 1 - Pick 15



player headshot
Sonny Styles LB
Ohio State • Sr • 6'5" / 243 lbs
Projected Team
Dallas		PROSPECT RNK
30th		POSITION RNK
4th
Sonny Styles may get overlooked because of Arvell Reese's play, but Styles is playing as well as any other defender in the country. He has good size and could finally quench Dallas' thirst for impactful play at the linebacker position.





Round 1 - Pick 28


player headshot
Avieon Terrell CB
Clemson • Jr • 5'11" / 180 lbs
Projected Team
Dallas		PROSPECT RNK
19th		POSITION RNK
2nd
Dallas has invested a lot of resources into the game's most volatile position, and it has not paid off for them. The selection of Aveion Terrell allows the Cowboys to get younger and more inexpensive. Moving on from Trevon Diggs would save nearly $13 million towards the salary cap next season. The team addressed its need at linebacker earlier in the round.


www.cbssports.com

2026 NFL mock draft: New team takes over No. 1 pick in updated first-round projections after Week 14

At least two quarterbacks have been taken in the first round in 11 of the past 12 drafts.
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com
 
Bipo said:
Round 1 - Pick 15



player headshot
Sonny Styles LB
Ohio State • Sr • 6'5" / 243 lbs
Projected Team
Dallas		PROSPECT RNK
30th		POSITION RNK
4th
Sonny Styles may get overlooked because of Arvell Reese's play, but Styles is playing as well as any other defender in the country. He has good size and could finally quench Dallas' thirst for impactful play at the linebacker position.






Round 1 - Pick 28


player headshot
Avieon Terrell CB
Clemson • Jr • 5'11" / 180 lbs
Projected Team
Dallas		PROSPECT RNK
19th		POSITION RNK
2nd
Dallas has invested a lot of resources into the game's most volatile position, and it has not paid off for them. The selection of Aveion Terrell allows the Cowboys to get younger and more inexpensive. Moving on from Trevon Diggs would save nearly $13 million towards the salary cap next season. The team addressed its need at linebacker earlier in the round.



www.cbssports.com

2026 NFL mock draft: New team takes over No. 1 pick in updated first-round projections after Week 14

At least two quarterbacks have been taken in the first round in 11 of the past 12 drafts.
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com
Click to expand...



Styles would be a good pick. Not a fan of taking a corner in the first, though.
 
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