NFL Draft Prospects to Watch in College Football Week 7

There are so many Week 7 FBS prospects that have stood out, but defensively, there are some really impressive performances from guys who seem to be on the minds of NFL Draft evaluators everywhere.

As we transition into the second half of the college football season, where teams are fully entrenched in conference play, we should see the cream continue to rise to the top as competition and familiarity get higher.

Week 7 NFL Draft Prospects to Watch in College Football

Chris Cole | LB | Georgia

Cole is a prototype of the modern-day hybrid linebacker. At 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, he fits comfortably as a Will linebacker or big nickel in a substitution package. He also could drop down and be a ghost-nine edge rusher in obvious passing downs. He has good hip mobility and verified track-and-field speed. He does a great job of matching up in the slot, especially against the in-vogue big flex ends that are populating college football and the NFL.

Just like former Bulldog Jalon Walker, he plays off-ball linebacker during run downs, and in passing situations, he goes down and performs off the edge as a rusher. His play against high-quality competition like Alabama and other SEC opponents has him racing up draft boards, staking a claim as one of the best linebacker prospects in the 2027 class.

Xavier Gilliam | DT | Tennessee

Gilliam has been the name on several draft prospect evaluators' lips over the past few weeks. At 6-foot-2 and 305 pounds, he is your prototypical interior one-gap penetrator who has the ability to be disruptive at the point of attack or chase down ball carriers that are going away from him. His explosive first step allows him to make linemen open their gate and not be able to slide and cut him off. He has violent hands that jolt back blockers when they attempt to explode toward him in the run game.

It's not simply the pass-rushing potential he exhibits that gets scouts so excited about his potential. It's the consistency he shows in being able to change the line of scrimmage and force action to happen two, and sometimes three, yards in the backfield. Showing that over the past few weeks has him and his prospects as an NFL talent looking brighter and brighter by the day.

Ashton Hampton | CB | Clemson

The NFL is always infatuated by 6-foot-2, 204-pound cornerbacks. That's why Hampton excels on the boundary, where he can take advantage of his ability to press receivers and disrupt timing routes with regularity. He is a compact, densely built cornerback who just happens to possess exceptional length, especially with his wingspan. First is his ability to get his hands on the receiver and stay attached once connected. He steps on routes consistently. He understands how to press and bail, just as he does when he needs to stay sticky on the receiver.

He has the ball skills necessary to be a dangerous weapon on the outside. He tracks the ball well through the air, and with his wide catch radius and athleticism, he can disrupt passes, bat down balls and intercept passes thrown his way. He is also one of the most violent tacklers in college football. He consistently comes downhill and strikes ball carriers with ferocity. That's going to allow him to be successful in zone coverage as well as man.

Kingston Lopa | S | California

Kingston Lopa is an extremely versatile chess piece, in a similar vein to Kyle Hamilton for the Baltimore Ravens. At 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, he is an outlier in height and length for a defensive back, but it's also what allows him to be so versatile. He can play at the third level as a one-high safety or on the hash. He can play as an intermediate robber or hole sitter. And he can also come down to the line of scrimmage and play as an extra run defender or blitzer in high-pressure packages.

You would think someone so tall, with such a long stride, would have difficulty getting in and out of breaks and changing directions. It is the exact opposite for Lopa, who is surprisingly fluid in his movements, despite his freakishly long frame at the position. The place where he seems to garner the most praise is for his ability to erase the effectiveness of tight ends and big slots. Because he is a formidable matchup with his size, they can't just body him or box him out like a basketball power forward; they have to be tacticians in their route running, which allows him to use his fluidity to gain the advantage.

FCS Profile: Marquis Buchanan | WR | Rhode Island

Buchanan seems to be a prospect that many believe should transition to an X receiver at the next level, but his true gifts and where he stood out in his career have been as a slot receiver. He has been able to utilize his size and length to overpower smaller defenders covering the slot and outmaneuver or run away from bigger, less athletic or explosive slot defenders. At 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, he has typical X-receiver size and could show immediate effectiveness on the boundary, but his greatest upside could still be utilizing him in the slot.

He is highly productive at the position, producing multiple thousand-yard receiving seasons. He has a much more polished repertoire in his route running, and he still gives you the explosive high-point ability of a guy who grew up as a multi-sport athlete.

Published Oct 15, 2026, 4:13 PM ETUpdated Oct 15, 2026, 4:21 PM ET