The 2026 NFL season is just one week old.

But it is never too early to start thinking about the 2027 NFL Draft.

Soon enough you will see mock drafts coming from us here at SB Nation, but while we wait a little while longer to see how things shake out at the NFL level, we can look each week at how the prospects are faring in the college game. Week 3 of the college football season is led by the massive game between Ole Miss and LSU, and while there are no shortage of storylines in that contest, there are enticing matchups to watch all over the slate.

Including some with early NFL Draft implications.

A huge game in the Big 12 awaits viewers and fans on Friday night, as No. 13 Texas Tech hosts No. 22 Houston in the conference opener for both teams. The Red Raiders are coming off a closer-than-anticipated 35-24 win over Oregon State, while Houston knocked off Southern 77-6 a week ago after beating Oregon State 33-20 back in Week 1.

There are prospects to watch on both sides of the field Friday night, but keep an eye on Houston running back Makhi Hughes, and how he fares against a Texas Tech defense led by senior linebackers Ben Roberts, Austin Romaine, and John Curry. Hughes, an Oregon transfer, has 142 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns this season, while that linebacker trio has combined for 37 total tackles over just two games.

Friday, September 18, 8:00 p.m. ET (FOX)

An intriguing matchup kicks off the Saturday SEC slate. The Bulldogs are off to a 2-0 start after beating up on Tennessee State and Western Kentucky by a combined score of 133-23, but things will get tougher in their first conference game Saturday in Fayetteville. Arkansas is 1-1 through two weeks, with a win over North Alabama and a 33-point loss to Utah on the road a week ago.

Keep your eye on the trenches in this one. Georgia center Drew Bobo — son of offensive coordinator Mike Bobo — anchors the Bulldogs offensive line in the middle. Bobo is a fifth-year senior, who made his first career start back in the 2024 campaign. He is stout as a pass blocker, having given up just six charted pressures last season. Georgia left tackle Earnest Greene III is a player to watch as well, a solid pass blocker and a true force in the run game, on both power and zone designs. Watch Nate Frazier’s 16-yard run early in the first quarter against Western Kentucky to see Greene work his magic on the edge on a zone running play.

Those two will be tested up front by pass rusher Quincy Rhodes Jr., and defensive tackle David Oke. Rhodes nearly entered the 2026 NFL Draft after recording 15.5 tackles for a loss last season, as well as 20 pressures in SEC action. Oke, a transfer from Abilene Christian, has flashed so far for Arkansas but this will be his first taste of SEC football.

Saturday, September 19, 12:00 p.m. ET (ABC)

The headline here might be the job security of Florida State head coach Mike Norvell, who entered the 2026 season on the hot seat and only saw things get hotter after the Seminoles lost to SMU 27-24 over Labor Day Weekend. Not only was that game delayed due to a power failure at Doak Campbell Stadium — which was certainly not in Norvell’s control — but consider this:

Norvell had some control there, however.

There are several players to watch in this game, including Alabama WR Ryan Coleman-Williams (who could see a fun matchup against FSU cornerback Ja’Bril Rawls) and Crimson Tide safeties Bray Hubbard and Keon Sabb. Rawls had a great pass breakup working in zone coverage in Florida State’s Week 0 win over New Mexico State. Alabama pass rusher Yhonzae Pierre is another player that could be a Day 1 selection.

But the matchup to watch in this game is Florida State wide receiver Duce Robinson against Alabama cornerback Zabien Brown. Robinson has incredible size for a WR, as he is listed at 6’6 230 and is fearless over the middle. Just watch his catch on a slant route in the first quarter against SMU. But the former top baseball recruit — he was the 30th-ranked player nationally in his class — brings some athleticism to the table, as he did on a catch along the sideline against New Mexico State.

As for Brown, he was a member of Nick Saban’s final recruiting class, and stepped into the starting lineup as a true freshman in 2024, recording three interceptions on his way to Freshman All-SEC accolades. Last year he became the first Alabama corner to return a pair of interceptions for a touchdown since Antonio Langham in 1992, including this 99-yard return against Tennessee:

Brown has aligned on both sides of the field this season, so he could travel with Robinson on Saturday afternoon. This game has lots of prospects to watch, but if we get these two locking horns, that will be must-see television.

Saturday, September 19, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)

Oh boy …

This game has enough storylines without injecting the 2027 NFL Draft into the mix. Lane Kiffin’s departure from Ole Miss, and his return to Oxford, tops that list. But do not ignore the ongoing legal strife between LSU and the SEC, the Ole Miss lawsuit against Princewill Umanmielen and Devin Harper, which alleges that both players transferred to LSU after signing new NIL deals with Ole Miss, LSU QB Sam Leavitt popping up as Doubtful on the first injury report on Wednesday, and the fact that we also get a SEC matchup between a pair of top-ten teams.

But there are NFL prospects on both sides of the ball.

LSU OT Jordan Seaton and TE Trey’Dez Green could both be first-round picks next spring. Leavitt is a member of a very crowded quarterback class, but we know how QBs rise during the draft process. Ole Miss defensive tackle Will Echoles is another potential Day 1 pick, and Suntarine Perkins could rise as well, as the pass rusher has ten total tackles and a half-sack so far this season.

But what I want to see is Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss against this LSU defense, including prospects like Umanmielen and Jordan Ross off the edge. Umanmielen already has five sacks over just two games this year — his inside swim move in the second quarter against Clemson was flat-out nasty — and Ross has 1.5 sacks so far. LSU safeties Dashawn Spears and Ty Benefield are also players to watch.

However, Chambliss remains one of my favorite quarterbacks to watch at the collegiate level, and if he can execute his game against this defense (particularly when he targets the middle of the field, which he likes to do) it would go a huge way towards boosting his draft stock. Of course, it helps to have a back like Kewan Lacy alongside, who already has three touchdowns this season.

Set some time aside to watch this one, for all the reasons outlined above.

Saturday, September 19, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)