The biggest storylines coming out of Week 4 of the 2026 college football season include Texas surviving against Tennessee behind five sacks from Colin Simmons, Florida knocking off Ole Miss after Jadan Baugh scored three TDs, Oregon getting past USC even after Dante Moore was forced out of the game and Iowa coming back to top Michigan on the final play. Mississippi State also defeated Missouri on a big Kamario Taylor day, Wake Forest upset Louisville and Wisconsin edged Penn State.
What about the top 2027 NFL draft prospects? Who stood out? Yes, the draft is still about seven months away, but our analysts are always looking down the road, taking early notes on top players and starting to stack their rankings for an exciting class.
With that in mind, Mel Kiper Jr. and Jordan Reid will size up CFB action through a draft-centric lens on Sundays all season long. They are answering lingering questions on the best 2027 prospects, sharing insights from scouts, picking out risers to watch and pulling back the curtain on their evaluation process. Here is what they saw and heard through Week 4.
Jump to: Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2
Sept. 27
Is Colin Simmons the runaway top edge rusher in this class?
Reid: The scouting trail continued for me this week in Knoxville, Tennessee, where I had a front-row seat for Simmons' five-sack performance against the Vols. It tied the Texas single-game record set in 1990. Outside of an excessive sack celebration from Simmons, it was one of the best defensive performances that I've ever seen. At 6-foot-3 and 246 pounds, his combination of upfield burst and closing speed make it challenging for blockers to keep pace with him. Most impressive was how many different spots he got pressure from. Simmons not only rushed from both edges but also reduced down inside on late downs and wreaked havoc from there, as well.
I got to see South Carolina's Dylan Stewart last week against Mississippi State, and he should be a top pick, too. It's likely going to be a "traits against production" debate between the two; Stewart is the more explosive athlete with better size (6-foot-5, 250 pounds), but Simmons continues to produce at an elite level (seven sacks this season). But yes... Simmons is the clear top player at the position at this point in the season.