- Fernando Mendoza’s Gutsy Championship: While his 91.9 PFF grade against Ohio State wasn’t his flashy stat-line peak, it was his most impressive. Facing three other top-10 prospects, Mendoza successfully evaded the blitz on all nine occasions and recorded an 83.3% adjusted completion rate, proving he could lead an offense under maximum pressure.
- Jeremiyah Love’s All-Purpose Clinic: Against USC, the draft’s top running back exploded for 228 rushing yards and five receptions. This performance marked the only time Love eclipsed 200 yards on the ground and showcased his elite ability in gap-scheme runs, generating 15 first downs in a single afternoon.
Draft season has a way of pulling attention away from the tape. By the time the combine rolls around, 40-yard dash times and vertical jumps dominate the conversation, and a strong pro day can shift a prospect’s stock more than anything that happened on a Saturday afternoon in the fall.
With the 2026 NFL Draft now days away, it’s worth taking a step back from the measurables and revisiting some of the best college performances that catapulted these prospects to the top of the board in the first place.
These are the games evaluators return to in the final hours before making their decisions. When a general manager goes with his gut, usually it’s these kinds of performances that swing the pendulum one way or another.
These selections won’t necessarily be the highest-graded games for each prospect, but rather the best indicators for what these players can offer at the next level.
One ground rule before we get into it: Games against FCS competition are off the table. Putting up 300 yards against a team of players who will largely never sniff an NFL roster tells us nothing about how a prospect handles the level of talent they’re about to face every Sunday. Every game referenced below came against FBS opposition, and you can dive deeper into every game by clicking here.
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
vs. Ohio State: 91.9 PFF Grade
Picking my favorite Mendoza performance was more difficult than I thought it would be, despite having no shortage of choices. The Heisman trophy winner posted seven games with a PFF grade above 85.0, but thanks to Indiana’s sheer dominance, the likely first overall pick was left with relatively little to do in plenty of them.
I ultimately went with his gutsy display in the Big Ten championship game, despite it being nowhere near his best stat line of the season, and his offense mustered just 13 points. This was probably the most talented defense Mendoza faced all year, and it included three players who later appear on this list.
Mendoza posted an 83.3% adjusted completion percentage, and the interception, dragging his passer rating down to 93.0, came on a tipped screen pass and shouldn’t be blamed on the quarterback. He did an exceptional job of avoiding Ohio State’s blitz, which he successfully evaded on all nine occasions, gashing the Buckeyes for three big-time throws in the process.
In a season where Mendoza was largely able to play with the upper hand, a strong rushing attack and a dominant offensive line in front of him, this was one game where he really had to prove he can lead a team to victory by himself, even if it wasn’t pretty.
Arvell Reese, Ohio State
vs. Texas: 64.7 PFF Grade
At the opposite end of the spectrum from Mendoza is Arvell Reese, who has a surprising lack of “high” PFF grades throughout his relatively brief career at Ohio State.
This makes sense for a project like Reese. He likely won’t even play the same position when he gets to the pros. His grade against Texas in the 2025 season opener was dragged down by some lackluster reps in coverage, but that’s not what he is being drafted for.
Reese rushed the passer 13 times in this game (the most of any game all year) and came away with a season-high five pressures along with a sack. That sack was one of five defensive stops Reese made in this game — tackles that constitute a “failure” for the offense. His proficiency as a run defender is well-documented and represents a pretty nice floor, atypical for raw projects like Reese.
It may not have been his highest-graded performance in scarlet and grey, but the glimpses of excellent Reese displayed on the edge when holding Texas to 7 points back in late August is what evaluators will hark back to when pounding the table for Reese.
Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
vs. USC: 80.8 PFF grade
I can’t, in good conscience, include Love’s brief cameo against Syracuse, when he recorded eight carries for 171 yards and three touchdowns. As impressive as that performance was, it is too small a sample to evaluate his talent properly.
His game against USC — a stronger opponent — provided a more complete display from the draft’s top running back. He carried the ball 24 times for 228 rushing yards and added five receptions for 37 yards.
It was the only time Love eclipsed 200 rushing yards in his college career, and it also marked the highest number of gap-scheme carries he received in a single game. He generated 15 first downs in the contest as USC had no answers.
Sonny Styles, Ohio State
vs. Ohio: 89.8 PFF grade
This is our only performance against a non-Power Four opponent, but Styles was utterly exceptional in this game, regardless of the quality of competition.
This game saw Styles force his only fumble of the 2025 season, and he didn’t miss any of his seven tackle attempts. On 24 coverage snaps, Styles allowed one reception, which didn’t gain a single yard. He even hurried the quarterback on one of just three pass-rushing snaps.
Styles was also terrific against various Big Ten opponents, but this stands out as his highest-graded performance of the 2025 season and serves as a brilliant example of how a player with his athleticism can shine in all facets of the game.
Rueben Bain Jr., Miami
vs. Florida: 93.8 PFF grade
Despite recording multiple sacks in just two games during his 16-game 2025 campaign, Bain earned a PFF grade above 90.0 in five contests. One of those performances came against an FCS opponent, but the other four — Florida, Notre Dame, Stanford and USF — are all strong candidates.
Bain’s Week 4 performance against Florida stands out. The Gators’ offense was held to just seven points and 61 passing yards as Bain consistently disrupted quarterback DJ Lagway. He generated pressure on roughly one of every four dropbacks, recording seven pressures on 29 pass-rush snaps, despite finishing with just one sack.
He was also dominant against the run, recording six tackles and finishing as Miami’s highest-graded run defender. Bain primarily overwhelmed the right side of Florida’s offensive line but also generated a pressure against left tackle Austin Barber, who ranks 149th on PFF’s 2026 Big Board.
David Bailey, Texas Tech
vs. Houston: 93.8 PFF grade
Arguably the most productive pass rusher in college football last season gave no shortage of performances to choose from. Bailey recorded 23 total pressures across two games against Houston and Kansas, with the former standing out as his 12 pressures came on just 26 pass-rush snaps — a 46.2% pressure rate.
Bailey brought Houston’s quarterbacks down seven times in total, including two sacks and a forced fumble. He also held up against the run, earning his second-highest PFF run-defense grade of the season.
The Cougars chipped Bailey frequently in this game, but it did not matter. Houston should not be dismissed as an overmatched opponent, as the team finished the season 10-3 with a bowl victory over LSU.
Francis Mauigoa, Miami
2023 vs. Boston College: 74.9 PFF Grade
Mauigoa had plenty of strong performances this past season, but I wanted to highlight one from a few years ago that deserves more plaudits.
In the final regular season game of Mauigoa’s freshman season, he played 78 snaps against a blitz-happy Boston College defense coached by now-Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley.
On 40 pass-blocking snaps, Mauigoa didn’t allow a single pressure, and 27 of those snaps saw him line up against future second-round draft pick Donovan Ezeiruaku (who already looks like a promising piece for the future in Dallas).
Mauigoa’s only blip of the game was a holding penalty, a mistake easily excused for an 18-year-old facing top opposition. This performance is what initially put Mauigoa on the map for national NFL scouts, and he has continued to build on it over two seasons en route to becoming a top draft prospect.
Caleb Downs, Ohio State
2023 vs. Mississippi State: 90.7 PFF Grade
Downs became such a reputable force in the college ranks that opponents started doing everything in their power to stay out of his way as he developed into the leader of Ohio State’s secondary.
Some analysts have criticized Downs’ inability to make plays as a true difference-maker, so I wanted to highlight a game from before Downs became the notorious threat to opposing offenses.
The fifth game of Downs’ esteemed career was also his highest-graded outing. As a freshman starter on Nick Saban’s Alabama defense, Downs made 10 tackles and conceded only 29 yards in coverage on four targets.
Most notably, his fourth-quarter interception sealed the game for the Crimson Tide and began Downs’ upward trajectory, which would continue for two further seasons.
Mansoor Delane, LSU
vs. Arkansas: 86.5 PFF grade
Delane’s penultimate college football game left little doubt in the minds of evaluators that he is worth an early first-round pick. With two pass breakups along with an interception on five targets, Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green mustered a passer rating of just 10.9 when throwing in Delane’s direction.
On the two passes Delane did allow, he conceded merely 18 yards. He was flawless as a tackler (Delane didn’t miss a tackle in any of his final three games), and even contributed two defensive stops in LSU’s narrow 1-point victory.
While it’s always a plus when top cornerback prospects show out in games like these, it’s worth remembering the position is built on consistency more than any other. Delane never registered a PFF grade below 60.0 since transferring to LSU last year. He was arguably the most consistent cornerback in college football.
Carnell Tate, Ohio State
vs. Minnesota: 84.3 PFF grade
Playing alongside Jeremiah Smith meant Tate wasn’t the primary read on as many dropbacks as most other receiving prospects.
However, Tate managed to make a firm stamp on the game during Ohio State’s 42-3 obliteration of Minnesota last October. He caught nine passes (two of which were contested) for 183 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Tate showed off his dynamic ability with the ball in his hands in this game, with career-highs in yards after catch (66) and missed tackles forced (3). Tate’s grade wasn’t helped by his lowest run-blocking performance of the season, but franchises aren’t drafting a top-10 wide receiver with their rushing attack in mind.
It’s noteworthy that Tate is the only wide receiver projected to go in the first round without an elite single-game grade to his name throughout college, but his future NFL team will be optimistic that a new scheme catering to Tate with less competition for targets will unlock a new level of his game.