Everyone knows the names: Arch Manning, Jeremiah Smith, Julian Sayin, Trinidad Chambliss, Ahmad Hardy, Ryan Williams, Sam Leavitt and Cayden Green. Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve been hearing about these names and the same ones over and over again but what about the under the radar prospects?
Well, that’s where I come in, to give you a few names you may have forgotten, slept on or never heard of entering this 2026 season.
We know the NFL Draft is a while away (April 29th – May 1st) but here are some NFL Draft sleeper names that you need to know for the upcoming season.
Three to five years from now, analysts, and fans will look back on this list and thank me for this list of top names that no one seems to be discussing.
DJ Lagway, QB (Baylor)
The 6-foot-3 247-pound signal-caller landed in Waco, Texas this season after an up and down career in Gainesville, Florida with the Gators the past two seasons.
As a true freshman in 2024, Lagway was “the savior” as he went 6-1 as a starter while throwing for 1,915 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Last season, Lagway and the Gators’ season was abysmal. In 12 starts he completed 213 of 338 passes for 2,265 yards and 16 touchdowns against an FBS-leading 14 interceptions.
The former National Gatorade Player of The Year in 2023-24 still has all the tools to become a top-tier quarterback in the 2027 or 2028 NFL Draft. His elite size, arm talent and skill set make him have all the traits to be a first-round quarterback in April.
Chris Peal, CB (Syracuse)
The long and rangy Georgia transfer had a huge first season with the Orange recording 47 tackles and seven pass breakups in his first full season as a starter.
Peal would be Syracuse’s first NFL Draft first-round pick since 2013, when offensive tackle Justin Pugh was selected by the New York Giants.
At Georgia, his current head coach Fran Brown developed a ton of NFL DBs, notably Houston Texans corner Kamari Lassiter, who Brown said he thinks is the best at his position in the NFL. Defensive backs coach Perry Eliano coached former top draft picks Sauce Gardner and Chicago Bears safety Coby Bryant at Cincinnati, as well as NFL All-Pro Quinyon Mitchell and 2026 second-round safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren at Toledo.
Peal could be next in line in this upcoming NFL Draft in 2027.
Zach Lutmer, CB/S (Iowa)
Lutmer is the star of the Iowa Hawkeyes defense in 2026. The Rock Rapids, Iowa native played slot corner, safety and even logged snaps on the defensive line for the Hawkeyes in 2026 making him one of the more versatile players in the nation returning.
Lutmer totaled 71 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and three interceptions. Lutmer is drawing comparisons to Cooper DeJean who was a second-round pick in 2024 and now Super Bowl Champion of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Wyatt Young, WR (Oklahoma State)
“He has a first-round grade from me at the moment and could finish as high as WR2 if he keeps on the upward projection that I think he is capable of.” stated Andrew Harbaugh of the Vikings Wire in his latest scouting report of the former North Texas wideout.
All Young did last year was rank 3rd in the FBS in total receiving yards (1,264) and earned First-Team All-American Conference honors. Drew Mestemaker’s favorite target is a perfect “Z” wide receiver off the ball and will torch defenses in the Big 12 and at the next level.
Young should be viewed as a top 50, potential day 2 prospect in this upcoming NFL Draft.
Solomon Tuliaupupu, EDGE (Montana)
Solomon Nokeakua-Stroud Tuliaupupu graduated high school in 2017, yes he was on Mater Dei’s 2017 national championship team that went 15-0. That team included: J.T Daniels, Bru McCoy and Detroit Lions All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Tuliaupupu is a 26-year-old prospect who is injury prone but was granted a ninth year of NCAA eligibility. He by no means is a perfect prospect but he is a former four-star prospect that has an elite skill set regardless of his age and injury history.
The former USC Trojan now plays his football at Montana for the Grizzlies and he made a name for himself last season. Tuliaupupu, recorded 43 tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles while starting in all 14 games.
The 6-foot-3, 251-pound edge rusher is the best edge rusher in all of FCS and has a high motor, mixed with excellent rush defense which should make him an early day 3 pick in 2027.
Conner Weigman, QB (Houston)
The former Texas A&M Aggie and former five-star quarterback from Cypress, Texas thrived in year one at Houston under Willie Fritz.
Weigman is coming off the first healthy season of his college career, throwing for 2,705 yards and 25 touchdowns in 13 games. The dual-threat star also rushed for 700 yards and a team-high 11 rushing touchdowns.
The senior signal-caller is in a deep quarterback class full of stars. I have 9 quarterbacks within the top 50 prospects of the 2027 NFL Draft. It’s one of the deepest classes at the position in NFL history but Weigman is in that top 10 range. He is viewed as a late day 2 or early day 3 pick as of the start of the season.
Honorable mentions include: Lance Heard, OT, (Kentucky) Andrew Sprague, OT (Michigan) Evan Tengesdahl, IOL (Cincinnati) and Cam Cook, RB (West Virginia)
