College Football’s All-NFL Draft Prospect Team

Traits and physical capabilities are often discussed as the biggest factors when it comes to draft value, but on-field performance matters as well. These are the prospects who’ve balled out better than any others at their respective positions this season.

Quarterback: Michael Penix Jr., Washington

Honorable Mention: Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

No one played better football with more volume than these two Pac-12 quarterbacks. Penix, though, has been dropping bombs, making good decisions, and avoiding negative plays better than anyone else in the country this season. His 24 deep completions are tied for the FBS lead at the moment, while his 2,581 passing yards leads outright. Maybe more impressive than both those stats, however, is that he’s taken only four sacks all season long. Usually a deeper passing offense comes with more sacks, but Penix’s unwillingness to succumb to pressure is one of his best traits.

Running Back: Ray Davis, Kentucky

Honorable Mention: Jonathan Brooks, Texas

This is not a banner running back class, but Davis has done his best to work his way into the Day 2 mix at the position. He’s racked up 778 rushing yards on 110 carries for the Wildcats after transferring from Vanderbilt last season. The only thing seemingly holding Davis back is volume. He ranks 12th in the country in rushing yards despite checking in at 34th in rushing attempts. His blend of size, light feet, and vision could make him a Day 2 pick even if he is on the older side for a running back (he turns 24 in November). 

Wide Receivers: Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State; Malik Nabers, LSU; Rome Odunze, Washington

Honorable Mentions: Tory Franklin, Oregon; Brian Thomas, LSU; Xavier Legette, South Carolina

What a year it’s been for these three. Nabers currently leads the FBS with 981 receiving yards while Odunze is fifth (818) and Harrison is eighth (766). All three are averaging more than 100 yards per game and 17.0 yards per reception. Those are nothing short of elite figures when it comes to their production profile. The tape has been nothing short of elite for all three as well.

Harrison will obviously be the first of the receivers drafted, but the competition for who will be second has heated up considerably as the season has worn on. Nabers is much more of a YAC-weapon than Odunze, but both guys can take the top off a defense and create big plays.

Nabers may be a little more solidly built while Odunze has the height to go up and get it. In this year’s class, you may not be able to go wrong.

Tight End: Brock Bowers, Georgia

Honorable Mention: Cade Stover, Ohio State

There was truly only one answer for this even if Bowers isn’t likely to play another down this season due to his ankle injury. He’s the only tight end in the country that was the true focal point of a passing offense, so much so that he had opposing defensive coordinators taking to Twitter postgame to proclaim how much they were double-teaming him. After Bowers had eight catches for 157 yards and a score against Auburn, Tigers defensive coordinator Ron Roberts quote-tweeted a fan complaining about the game plan saying “don’t know what game u [were] watching! He was bracketed most of the day” (unfortunately, he deleted it shortly after). Even with those brackets, Bowers still did this:

Left Tackle: Joe Alt, Notre Dame

Honorable Mention: Olu Fashanu, Penn State

Flip a coin to pick who you want to put here. Both Alt and Fashanu are playing as well as I’ve seen a collegiate left tackle play since at least Penei Sewell in 2019. According to PFF, Alt has allowed only three pressures on the season while Fashan has allowed seven. If you need help in pass protection with a top-10 pick, either will get the job done.

Left Guard: Cooper Beebe, Kansas State

Honorable Mention: Clay Webb, Jacksonville State

Beebe is a bulldozer. He’s the kind of guard you’re going to try to go around, not through, and he makes that pretty difficult with his hand usage. Beebe has been starting for four years now at three different positions (left tackle, right tackle, and since 2022 left guard). Don’t be surprised if he’s the first interior lineman off the board next April.

Center: Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon

Honorable Mention: Sedrick Van Pran, Georgia

Powers-Johnson has burst onto the scene in his very first year as a full-time starter and established himself as my top center prospect in the class. He’s got a fire-hydrant build and power throughout his frame to move nose tackles off the line of scrimmage one-on-one. He can play either guard or center at the next level at 6-foot-3, 320 pounds. The only question is, will the true junior even declare?

Right Guard: Christian Haynes, Connecticut

Honorable Mention: Zak Zinter, Michigan

Haynes was a bit of a surprise to return to school after a breakout 2022 campaign, but it’s looked like a shrewd decision with how dominant he’s been on tape. He’s on the shorter side for the position, but has longer arms than you’d expect for a 6-foot-2 guard. That combination means one thing: leverage. He’s consistently the low man engaging blocks and has the kind of quick feet to mirror NFL-caliber quickness in pass protection. Haynes has given up only four pressures on 249 pass-blocking snaps this year according to PFF.

Right Tackle: Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State

Honorable Mention: J.C. Latham, Alabama

Fuaga has been an absolute joy to watch progress this season. The 6-foot-6, 334 pounder packs an unbelievable punch on contact; he overpowers nearly everyone he goes against. It’s his improvement in pass protection, however, that makes him a likely first-round pick if he declares.

Defensive Tackles: T’Vondre Sweat, Texas; Johnny Newton, Illinois

Honorable Mentions: Leonard Taylor, Miami-Fla.; Howard Cross, Notre Dame

The skill development from both Sweat and Newton has been outstanding over the course of their careers. They’ve become two of the craftiest defensive tackle prospects you’ll see in any draft. Sweat has a lot of tricks up his sleeve for a 362-pounder and even at that size he still looks to have played his way into a possible second-round selection.

Newton on the other hand is going to be a first-rounder at this rate. He already has 31 pressures on the season and is tailor-made for a penetrating 3-tech role at the next level.

Edge: Jonah Elliss, Utah; Laiatu Latu, UCLA

Honorable Mentions: Dallas Turner, Alabama; Kaimon Rucker, North Carolina

No edge in college football is making more of a consistent impact right now than Elliss. He rarely comes off the field and already has almost as many snaps played this season (392) as he had in all of 2022 (394). On those snaps, he’s racked up 10 sacks and 13 stops against the run. With quick feet and quick processing, Elliss makes it extremely difficult for opposing tackles to even get their hands on him.

Latu on the other hand hasn’t been asked to play nearly the same workload. His job description has been simple: Hunt quarterbacks. And Latu has done just that. He had double digit pressures against Washington State and Coastal Carolina this season. When he gets a mismatch, he wins every time. 

Linebacker: Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M; Payton Wilson, N.C. State

Honorable Mention: Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma; Deontae Lawson, Alabama

This is one rangy linebacker duo. Cooper has taken a massive step forward in Year 4. He’s cleaned up a lot of his overpursuit issues and is playing a much steadier brand of football. The Texas A&M linebacker has the kind of high-cut, long frame that everyone is looking for at the position. 

So does Payton Wilson which makes his 2023 tape so intriguing. The sixth-year linebacker has been plagued by injury throughout his career, but now he’s fully healthy and arguably the biggest difference maker at the position in college football. At 6-foot-4, 238 pounds, Wilson can rush the passer like an edge, chase down ball-carriers like a safety, and take on blocks like a true MIKE linebacker. Injury history will factor in, but Wilson has first-round tape.

Cornerbacks: T.J. Tampa, Iowa State; Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama; Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri

Honorable Mentions: Josh Newton, TCU; Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo; Denzel Burke, Ohio State

This was by far the most difficult position to settle on the first-teamers. All six corners listed above have been playing lights-out football this season. All three that made the first-team cut have allowed 15 or fewer catches and under 150 yards on the season. On top of that, though, all three have been awesome tacklers and willing in run support. They’ve all missed three or fewer tackles on the season. Tampa has been especially impressive in that regard with his 6-foot-2, 200 pound frame able to deliver some impressive blows. 

McKinstry has just been asked to play press-man every single week and yet hasn’t allowed 50 or more yards in a game this season. 

Abrams-Draine may not have the physical traits of the other two at only 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, but his ball production is unmatched in college football. The Missouri corner already has four picks and eight pass-breakups on the season.

You can pencil in Tampa and McKinstry to the first-round with Abrams-Draine somewhere on Day 2.

Safeties: Calen Bullock, USC; Tyler Nubin, Minnesota

Honorable Mentions: Jaylin Simpson, Auburn; Flip Dixon, Rutgers

The two starters here are lab-built safety prospects; from their lanky frames to their high-end range, there’s not a lot to dislike about either. What Bullock is doing has flown under the radar a good deal because of the admittedly shoddy USC defense he plays on. Don’t point the finger at him for the Trojans’ struggles, as the 6-foot-3 safety already has two picks and five pass-breakups on the season.

Nubin’s ball production is right there with Bullock’s (three picks and two pass-breakups). Both are tremendous tacklers with wingspans to secure ball carriers well outside their frame. The only thing standing in the way of both being first-rounders is the devaluation of the safety position around the league.