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What makes Bruce Feldman’s annual installment of the Freaks List unique is how anticipated it has become not only among college football fans and NFL Draft observers — but actual NFL teams as well.
In a world where data is king, the early peek into what some of these guys may be capable of physically can be tape-confirming material for scouts across the league. This year is no exception, featuring another slew of prospects for the 2027 NFL Draft (and beyond).
From a football perspective, not all Freaks are built the same. South Carolina’s Nyck Harbor, for example, is truly a world-class blend of size and athleticism — hence his status as the only back-to-back No. 1 player on the list. As an athlete, I’d grade Harbor somewhere close to an Olympian. As an actual football player, I’d grade him between a third- and fourth-round prospect (as of today).
With that in mind: Here’s a look at my favorite 2027 draft prospects who made this year’s Freaks List.
1. Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State
The best player in college football this year, last year and every day ending in “y,” Smith is simply 1 of 1. It’s difficult to scout the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Ohio State phenom and truly find anything resembling a critical flaw. He’s as dominant a college prospect at the catch point as I’ve seen, and his ability to go from 0-to-60 in a heartbeat is otherworldly. His 1.44-second 10-yard split is one of the most remarkable stats on Bruce’s list this year.
The “generational prospect” tag is often abused. But Smith’s the genuine article. The 2027 draft could well be a quarterback party. But Smith will be this class’ alpha no matter who shows up.
2. Dylan Stewart, edge, South Carolina
The 6-5, 245-pound Stewart moves, bends and explodes like a man at least 50 pounds lighter and six inches shorter. Nothing about Stewart’s tape is normal, from his ability to sink and explode through tackles in the run game to the ease with which he gets the corner as a pass rusher.
Stewart’s ability to close on ball carriers also gives him the type of front-seven hybrid potential every NFL team covets.
Stewart’s been an impact player since the beginning of his true freshman season — but can still play with more pass-rush efficiency and polish off the edge. As good as he’s been, Stewart hasn’t come close to his efficiency ceiling as a rusher.
Bruce Feldman’s 2026 Freaks List
Bruce Feldman
3. Colin Simmons, edge, Texas
The 6-3, 250-pound Simmons, just a true junior, has put himself in position to challenge former Alabama star Will Anderson’s SEC record of 34 1/2 career sacks. Simmons (21 sacks in two years) doesn’t have Anderson’s frame, but he does move like the current Houston Texans’ standout. Simmons plays with electric foot speed off the snap. He doesn’t cut from a tackle’s outside shoulder to the outside hip of a guard — he teleports there. He doesn’t close ground on a quarterback in the pocket — he pounces on him, like some rocked-up mountain lion.
Simmons has size limitations in ways Stewart does not, which makes it hard for the Texas standout to top this year’s edge class. It’s not impossible, though. We often see more pass-rush polish from edge defenders with compact bodies, and Simmons is no exception. If he tops himself in sacks again this year and Stewart is still so-so production-wise, you’ll see a few teams consider him as edge1.
4. Sammy Brown, LB, Clemson
A chiseled 6-2, 235-pounder with absolutely electric speed in the middle of the field, Brown is the definition of an old-school sideline-to-sideline run defender — capable of lining up in the middle of a formation and simply out-running the offensive back to the corner. One of the fastest pound-for-pound football players in America, Brown’s 4.41-second 40 and 38-inch vertical jump as a near 240-pound linebacker give him the type of juice we saw from 2025 rookie dynamo Carson Schwesinger.
Brown has work to do as a coverage defender, though, as most of his impact there collegiately has been on pure instinct. If Brown can show an improved feel for RB/TE route concepts, he’ll flirt with the first half of the first round.
5. Ryan Coleman-Williams, WR, Alabama
“Graceful” is the word that comes to mind whenever I think of Coleman-Williams and his ability to float through the air, adjusting his body to the ball in ways no artificial intelligence or video game character can mimic.
There are parts of the 6-foot, 175-pounder’s game that remind you of former Alabama (and current Eagles) WR DeVonta Smith — as Coleman-Williams boasts a jaw-dropping 44-inch vertical jump.
As a receiver, Coleman-Williams has been a walking big play since showing up as a 17-year-old true freshman. He’s also had pretty sizable issues with drops. For a player his size, hand consistency cannot be a question moving forward.
6. Kade Pieper, IOL, Iowa
For my money, Pieper will be the best NFL center prospect we’ve seen since fellow former Hawkeye Tyler Linderbaum in 2022. A truly elite athlete at 6-4, 298, Pieper has a short shuttle time (4.13) and 10-yard split (1.52) that tell quite a story about a player who can reach multiple gaps with ease and finish with power in space.
A tremendous mover in the run game, Pieper’s not a dominant gap-run hammer, but he’s a zone scheme’s dream over the ball. It’s always hard to project a center into the first round, but Pieper is talented enough.
7. A’Mauri Washington, DT, Oregon
Dante Moore isn’t the only returning Oregon Duck who could’ve been drafted in the first round last year. Washington was one of the country’s most gifted defensive tackles a year ago and will be exactly that again in 2026. The 6-3, 319-pounder is an explosive pocket pusher over the ball, capable of bullying centers and guards with his lethal punch and tremendous upper-body strength.
Washington was No. 3 on the Freaks List this year, having jumped 35 inches in the vertical while hitting 20.7 miles per hour on the GPS. His first step, and the power he brings with it, can be a game-wrecker at the college level.
Rutgers wide receiver KJ Duff, ranked No. 22 on Bruce Feldman’s 2026 Freaks List, celebrates after catching a touchdown pass against Penn State. (Vincent Carchietta / Imagn Images)
8. KJ Duff, WR, Rutgers
This guy’s awesome. A lifetime member of the First-Guy-Off-The-Bus club, Duff has a physical presence at 6-6, 225 pounds that’s intimidating enough on the outside if you’re a cornerback. Then you watch him run a comeback and see how low he can sink his body and how quick he can snap off a route — not unlike a 6-foot, 180-pounder.
His 22 contested catches a year ago (in the Big Ten, no less) ranked No. 1 nationally. He doesn’t have elite speed, and we have to see another year of production before going too crazy here — but Duff’s NFL potential is as high as any player Greg Schiano’s ever had at Rutgers.
9. Zach Lutmer, DB, Iowa
It’s almost like Kirk Ferentz knows what he’s doing. Players like this do not grow on trees — unless they’re planted in Ferentz’s Kinnick Stadium garden. The 6-foot, 203-pound Lutmer is the latest in a long line of outstanding Iowa safety prospects. A former dual-threat quarterback, Lutmer is Central Lyon High’s all-time leading rusher (4,417 yards) and scorer (630 points, 67 TDs).
Per the Freaks List, Lutmer set an Iowa record this offseason with a ridiculous 3.81-second shuttle time. Better than Cooper DeJean, Bob Sanders, Desmond King, Micah Hyde and the gaggle of other Hawkeye legends in the secondary. On the field last year as a do-everything safety, Lutmer forced eight incompletions and broke up six passes, per PFF.
10. Anthonie Knapp, OL, Notre Dame
A college tackle who’ll likely make his NFL money inside, Knapp won’t have to make much of an adjustment mentally as he already plays the game with the demeanor of a road-grading guard. He’s a serious football player who has overcome size deficiency at his position all his life, powering through it with relentless work ethic and the type of explosive power that allows him to be a nasty finisher on the field.
At 6-4, 300 pounds, Knapp allowed just 11 pressures and one sack, per PFF, as a sophomore starter last season. Knapp was Joe Alt’s replacement as a true freshman left tackle in 2024 and has been up to the task every day since.
Best of the rest: Bray Hubbard, DB, Alabama; Arion Carter, LB, Tennessee; Francis Brewu, DT, Notre Dame; Quincy Rhodes, edge, Arkansas; Jeremiah Hasley, TE, Duke; Kemari Copeland, DT, Virginia Tech; J’Mond Tapp, DE, Memphis; Makilan Thomas, OL, Virginia; Shadre Hurst, OG, Houston.
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