SnapJolt

In the transfer portal era, college football players changing teams has become the norm. For some, that change of scenery has translated into a boost to their NFL draft projection.

Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders has become a Heisman contender and one of the best-known players in the sport. Sam Hartman was super productive at Wake Forest, but what he is doing this year at Notre Dame has been more impactful in the eyes of NFL scouts. Florida State’s Keon Coleman and Texas’ Adonai Mitchell have flashed dominant receiving traits in their first year at new schools. The list goes on and on.

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But most already know about the high-profile transfers. This list is for the lesser-known NFL prospects moving up from late-round to mid-round possibilities — or even potentially undrafted prospects who now have a chance to be drafted.

(This list only includes draft-eligible players and transfers from this past offseason.)

WR Xavier Weaver (6 feet 0, 180 pounds)

South Florida → Colorado

Weaver certainly has benefited from all the attention on Colorado this season. Graded as a free-agent prospect after last season, he is moving into draftable territory as Sanders’ go-to target. Despite being banged up the last few weeks, Weaver still leads the Pac-12 in receptions (41), and his play speed makes him a threat before and after the catch.

WEAVER THE RECEIVER@CUBuffsFootball ties the game once again 🦬🔥 pic.twitter.com/H87HcdbpXn

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 17, 2023

DT Braden Fiske (6-4, 295)

Western Michigan → Florida State

Primarily an offensive lineman in high school, Fiske moved to defense at Western Michigan and showed gradual improvement each year before transferring to Florida State for his final college season. Aside from Fiske’s relentless motor, he moves well for his size to get off blocks and rally to the football. He is another prospect with undrafted grades over the summer who is now changing that projection.

Read more: 2024 NFL Draft roundtable: Brock Bowers in the Top 5? Which QBs could stay in school? 

RB Ray Davis (5-9, 216)

Vanderbilt → Kentucky

One of the best running back tapes this season comes from what Davis did to the Florida defense this past Saturday (280 rushing yards, four total touchdowns). With his instinctive run style and athletic urgency, he created several explosive plays and left missed tackles all over the field. Davis has overcome a considerable amount of adversity in his life and is one of the best success stories in this year’s draft class.

WR Isaac TeSlaa (6-3, 218)

Hillsdale (Mich.) College → Arkansas

A Division II All-American, TeSlaa faced a large jump in competition in the SEC but hasn’t looked out of place. He is an above-average athlete for his size (one NFL scout compared him to Justin Watson) with impressive hand-eye coordination to make impressive grabs at the catch point.

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RT Ajani Cornelius (6-4, 311)

Rhode Island → Oregon

Coming from the FCS, Cornelius was a hot commodity this offseason, and he hasn’t disappointed in his first month with the Ducks. The Harlem native has done a nice job on the move in the run game but has been at his best in pass protection, not allowing a sack. Cornelius versus Bralen Trice will be a fun matchup in the highly anticipated Oregon-Washington showdown next weekend. Add in safety Evan Williams and defensive lineman Jordan Burch, and the Ducks have done really well adding impact transfers this season.

Edge Javontae Jean-Baptiste (6-5, 250)

Ohio State → Notre Dame

Watching the Ohio State-Iowa tape from last season, Jean-Baptiste consistently jumped off the screen. But with a crowded defensive end depth chart in Columbus, the New York native transferred to Notre Dame for his final season of eligibility to get more playing time. Jean-Baptiste has already played more defensive snaps through six games in 2023 than he did in 13 games last year, and he ranks second on the Irish in pressures. He’s put himself in draftable territory.

WR Jamari Thrash (6-0, 181)

Georgia State → Louisville

Thrash went over 1,000 yards last season at Georgia State, but his arrow is pointing up with his production in Jeff Brohm’s offense for the Cardinals. With his route speed, he makes getting behind the defense look easy. Thrash is one of only three FBS receivers with 400-plus yards and a per-catch average of better than 20.0 yards.

Jamari Thrash is bringing the wow factor to the game! 💥@LouisvilleFB | @Jamari_Thrash pic.twitter.com/nWcnaaXjmb

— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) September 20, 2023

NT Cam’Ron Jackson (6-6, 335)

Memphis → Florida

A former LSU commit, Jackson didn’t meet the academic requirements for his “dream school” and instead wound up at Memphis. With the Tigers, he developed into a physical run stuffer and put himself on the NFL map. Jackson transferred to Gainesville in the offseason and has played really well (even in Kentucky’s drubbing of the Florida run defense last Saturday). He is now considered a Day 3 prospect by scouts.

WR Tre Harris (6-2, 206)

Louisiana Tech → Ole Miss

Harris put himself on the NFL radar last season and hasn’t disappointed in his new home. There are 11 FBS players with at least six receiving touchdowns in 2023, but Harris is the only one who has done it in three or fewer games, and he has averaged 113.7 receiving yards per contest. He plays with the quickness and coordination that leads to production.

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C Drake Nugent (6-1, 300)

Stanford → Michigan

A two-year starter at Stanford, Nugent moved to Ann Arbor for his senior season and has played his best football. Aside from a penalty in the opener against East Carolina, he has been nearly flawless in 2023. Nugent isn’t overpowering and lacks ideal length, but he wins with technique, leverage and overall efficiency. Considered a free-agent prospect entering the year, he is on his way to changing that. Michigan has done well landing centers in the transfer portal with Olu Oluwatimi last year and now Nugent.

Three must-see NFL prospects this weekend

1. Tyler Guyton, RT, Oklahoma (vs. Texas, noon ET, ABC): The No. 31 player on my preseason top-50 board, Guyton has looked terrific through five games in 2023. I don’t think he has been truly tested yet this season, but that will change Saturday against Texas in the Red River Shootout. Although still undisciplined with his technique, Guyton is an impressive mover for his size and has high-end traits that are easy to spot.

2. Beau Brade, S, Maryland (at Ohio State, noon ET, FOX): After Minnesota’s Tyler Nubin, there are a few names in consideration for the second safety spot among the senior prospects. And Brade is certainly in the mix. The fourth-year senior leads the Terrapins in tackles and has three passes defended over the last two weeks. Thanks to the explosive nature of Ohio State’s offense, the Buckeyes — coming off a bye week — are three-touchdown favorites.

3. Trevin Wallace, LB, Kentucky (at Georgia, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN): One of the more promising linebacker prospects in the country, Wallace is a fast and physical player, and his skill set has gotten the attention of NFL teams. He currently leads the Wildcats in tackles for loss (5.0), sacks (3.5), forced fumbles (one), and he notched his first interception last week against Florida. If Kentucky is going to pull the upset in Athens, Wallace will need a statement game.

GO DEEPER

The weirdly competitive, yet one-sided, series between Georgia and Kentucky

Stat of the Week

Among draft-eligible FBS quarterbacks with at least 140 pass attempts this season, there are only six with one or fewer interception. USC’s Caleb Williams and Texas’ Quinn Ewers both threw their first INT of the season last Saturday, and Oregon’s Bo Nix has been picked off once as well. Williams is the favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick, while Ewers and Nix are both competing for first-round status.

The three quarterbacks left without an interception? Hartman, Washington State’s Cameron Ward and Missouri’s Brady Cook. Ward is playing like a much more confident player and has cut down on his reckless mistakes. Hartman is the consummate veteran, and his experience has been swaying NFL scouts. Cook is the surprise name here. Not considered a draftable NFL prospect over the summer, he has played well so far — but tougher tests are on the horizon, starting with LSU this Saturday.

Prospect trending up …

Understandably, Malik Nabers received most of the attention among LSU’s pass catchers entering the season. But junior WR Brian Thomas Jr. has created a buzz with his fast start. After his three-touchdown day against Ole Miss, he is tied for the FBS lead in receiving touchdowns (eight) with Michigan’s Roman Wilson. Listed at 6-4, 205, Thomas is an impressive-looking athlete who’s capable of dropping his weight or accelerating by defensive backs. He also uses his size and body control to give his quarterback a strong target who will win 50-50 balls. Nabers and Thomas is the only pair of teammates who have both eclipsed 500 receiving yards this season — and both are strong NFL prospects.

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Prospect trending down …

Illinois has been a nice NFL pipeline for defensive backs, but the program has also produced several draft picks on the offensive line in recent years — Ted Karras, Nick Allegretti, Doug Kramer, Kendrick Green and Vederian Lowe. It appeared that the Illini would have two more offensive line draft picks in the 2024 class with LT Julian Pearl and RT Isaiah Adams. However, both have struggled thus far in their redshirt senior seasons and are trending in the wrong direction.

Though he has been solid as a run blocker, Pearl has had a tough time in pass protection, especially against Penn State. Normally a left guard, Adams kicked out to right tackle the last three games and has looked like a fish out of water. Both Pearl and Adams have the talent to be drafted, but they need to cut down on the mistakes over the final two months of the season.

Rookie Revisited

It was a little surprising to see CB Devon Witherspoon drafted in the top five this past spring, but he was one of the best players in the 2023 class and has played like that in his three games for the Seahawks. He made history on “Monday Night Football” against the Giants, becoming the first defensive back in NFL history with multiple sacks and a pick six in the same game.

DROP THE 🥄 RIGHT NOW Y'ALL

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/21UWsZ2Ft9

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 3, 2023

Here is the summary from his scouting report in the 2023 NFL Draft Guide:

A three-year starter at Illinois, Witherspoon played outside and inside cornerback in former defensive coordinator Ryan Walters’ scheme, playing primarily man with some zone coverage mixed in. After only two years of high school football, he was a recruiting steal for the previous Illini coaching staff and showed steady improvement each season, becoming a consensus All-American and the Big Ten Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year in 2022. Witherspoon, who loves the challenge of man-to-man, has excellent read-and-drive reaction quickness and uses his eyes and physicality to shut down passing windows (26 passes defended in 22 games the last two seasons). Although he doesn’t carry an ideal weight, he has functional length and competes much bigger than he looks both in coverage and run support. Overall, Witherspoon needs to walk the fine line of being aggressive without drawing flags, but his fiery play personality is a positive, along with his cover athleticism, ball skills and finishing toughness. He projects as an immediate NFL starter with scheme versatility.

GO DEEPER

Which 2023 NFL Draft picks have excelled so far? Our early All-Rookie Team

Quotable

“Who could argue there’s a better football player anywhere in the country — just football player? The guy has the greatest toughness and grit that I’ve been around. … He’ll do whatever you ask him to do for this team.”

— Georgia head coach Kirby Smart on junior tight end Brock Bowers after Saturday’s win over Auburn. Because of the position he plays, there will be plenty of debate about how early Bowers should be drafted, but I’ll be floored if the NFL lets his playmaking talent fall out of the top 10.

GO DEEPER

NFL Draft Watch: Mike Sainristil, Jer'Zhan Newton and other 'outliers' in 2024 class

(Photo of Xavier Weaver: Dustin Bradford / Getty Images)

The Football 100, the definitive ranking of the NFL’s best 100 players of all time, goes on sale this fall. Pre-order it here.

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