The college football season is underway, and each week is an opportunity for NFL Draft hopefuls to make an impression on league scouts. A year ago, most would have scoffed at the idea of Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese and Stanford edge rusher David Bailey being top-five overall picks. The term "breakout" is subjective.
In some cases, it is as simple as a young prospect taking on a larger role. In others, it may be a name-brand prospect elevating his craft or a transfer making the most of a new situation. Who could be some of college football's breakout stars this season and parlay that into earlier NFL Draft consideration?
CJ Carr's inclusion on the list may be an oddity, but there is a disconnect between how he is being discussed as a prospect and what he showed on his 2025 tape. Through summer scouting, he is my No. 43 overall prospect. The grandson of former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr has great size but looked like a player in his first season as the starting quarterback.
His footwork often disrupted the timing of routes. He looked uncomfortable when the walls began to close around him. He would drift in the pocket or throw off-platform unnecessarily because the escapability and mobility just were not where they needed to be yet.
Having said that, CJ Carr looks like a more confident quarterback this offseason. A year ago, he was competing with Kenny Minchey, who is now the starter at Kentucky, and the book on Carr was that he was trying to be perfect in practice. With more snaps under his belt and banked time as the team's starter, he should be able to play faster this season.
If that occurs, Carr could legitimately become one of the best quarterbacks eligible for the 2027 NFL Draft and a top-10 overall pick. Illinois' Katin Houser could fall into the Graham Mertz/Joey Aguilar category: a player who has played a lot of college football and is overlooked because he does not have any overwhelming qualities but ends up being drafted. The feature back is returning to the NFL, and Matt Fuller has the size (5-foot-11, 221 pounds) to handle the workload.
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