How did Trinidad Chambliss, other key prospects fare in Week 1?: NFL Draft film room

The first full weekend of college football closed Monday night (eventually), and there was plenty to learn, especially given this was our first glimpse at most 2027 NFL Draft prospects.

Here are a few of my thoughts and scribbles on the players who stood out after working through the tape:

Trinidad Chambliss, QB and Deuce Alexander, WR, Ole Miss

The Ole Miss offense exploded in the second half against Louisville, as Chambliss finished with 336 passing yards and three touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns came on 62-yard passing plays to Alexander, who posted 159 yards on just five catches. This is the first of those TDs, which gave the Rebels a third-quarter lead:

Two main takeaways from this play: the arm confidence of the quarterback and the speed of the receiver.

Ole Miss shows a 1×3 nub (isolated tight end opposite trips receivers) against Louisville’s zone. Alexander runs the deep crosser from the slot, which creates the high-low read to the boundary.

Once Chambliss sees the safety rotate to the deep middle third post-snap, he knows Alexander can exploit the void behind the linebacker and rips a beautiful throw just as the pass rush arrives. The timing and pinpoint placement of the delivery are the difference between this being a first down or a touchdown. Chambliss hits Alexander in stride, allowing the speedy receiver to outrace pursuit to the end zone.

The Chambliss evaluation isn’t squeaky clean, but there is a lot to like. He anticipates at a high level, both pre- and post-snap. The ball screams off his hand, and I love his audacity to drive throws into tight windows. And his athleticism is a weapon that allows him to buy time or pick up positive yardage. This is an NFL quarterback; the debate among scouts will be over his ceiling.

I had Alexander ranked No. 9 among underclassmen receivers over the summer. He is a buzzy prospect that scouts would bring up when discussing De’Zhaun Stribling and Harrison Wallace III during last year’s draft cycle. His speed was evident against Louisville, and his training numbers, as noted in “Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List,” back it up.

Ty Benefield, S, LSU

LSU didn’t pinch pennies in adding to its roster this offseason, an approach that included prying Benefield from the blue turf of Boise State. Though NFL scouts are currently divided on him as a pro prospect, Benefield is hoping a productive year in the SEC will vault him into the first round — and his Tigers debut on Saturday was a good step in that direction.

Benefield was controlled as a tackler against Clemson and showed why length matters in coverage, forcing a pass breakup on this third-down attempt (the only target he saw all night):

At 6 feet 2 1/4 inches tall with almost 33-inch arms, Benefield has the rangy frame and athleticism that translates well to the field.

Devin McCuin, WR, Ohio State

McCuin is one of my “flag plants” for the 2027 NFL Draft, and he got off to a promising start against Ball State. The UTSA transfer posted six catches for 97 yards and a touchdown in his Buckeyes debut.

His six catches resulted in five first downs and the touchdown you’ll see below. Lining up in the slot, McCuin makes the first man miss and finishes strong into the end zone.

McCuin has only good speed and ordinary size, but his route savvy, ball skills and competitive toughness separate him on tape. He will benefit from the heavy attention Jeremiah Smith (understandably) receives from defenses, which should translate to a productive senior season. McCuin has the talent to establish himself as a top-100 pick.

Bear Alexander, DT, Oregon

Boise State almost left Eugene with an upset win on Saturday, but Oregon had too many explosive options on offense and its defense made just enough plays.

While the Ducks appeared vulnerable at times defending the pass, their run defense was stout for most of the game — led by Alexander, who finished with eight tackles and helped limit the Broncos to only 2.6 yards per carry.

At 6-3 and 311 pounds with 34-inch arms and 10 1/8-inch hands, Alexander is a physical presence in the trenches who can shred blocks or hold his ground versus double teams. A former top recruit, he had stops at Georgia and USC before transferring to Oregon, where he is realizing his potential. With his size and ability, Alexander started his senior season as a top-100 prospect and is competing to be in the top-50 conversation.

Ryan Wingo, WR, Texas

Wingo is an impressive size-speed athlete with the upside to be an impact NFL wide receiver. The hang-up from evaluators has been the inconsistent elements to his game, primarily drops — on throws of 20-plus yards last season, he had a 25 percent drop rate and made zero catches on contested targets.

Against Texas State in the opener, Wingo posted seven catches for 121 yards and one touchdown. He showed off his speed to get open vertically and made two deep grabs along the left sideline.

He caught seven of his eight targets on Saturday, but the one incompletion came on a drop in the end zone.

This isn’t an easy catch, but for a receiver with first-round aspirations, you want to see him finish this well-placed Arch Manning pass:

Regardless, Wingo appeared to be playing with more confidence in his 2026 debut. Hopefully, that continues next week against the Buckeyes.

Darian Mensah, QB, Miami

There are tougher challenges on the horizon, but Mensah aced his first test in a Hurricanes uniform against Stanford. He finished 27-for-30 passing (90 percent completions) for 401 yards and five touchdowns.

Mensah is at his best identifying vulnerable matchups and delivering with accuracy. On this touchdown toss, the moment he sees Cooper Barkate out-leverage the defensive back on the slot-post, Mensah puts the ball out in front for his best friend and fellow Duke transfer.

Mensah debuted at No. 41 in my preseason top 50 and certainly didn’t hurt that projection on opening weekend. Aside from a matchup with Notre Dame in November, Miami won’t face a ton of resistance on its 2026 schedule (which will be a talking point on several levels over the next few months).