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In a college football season full of calamity, Week 9 may have been the tamest slate thus far. No top-10 teams lost for only the second time this season, and each of the top 14 teams either won or were idle.
It felt, to a degree, like the calm before the storm. Now, the calendar flips to November. There’s a five-week sprint to conference championship weekend and the College Football Playoff selection show.
Several 2026 NFL draft prospects are hitting the home stretch of their college careers. The clock is ticking for statement performances, ones that NFL scouts can put on video screens this spring as reasons to validate drafting players.
Five prospects delivered particularly impressive performances in Week 9. Two others fell short of the mark.
Here’s Sports Illustrated’s risers and fallers from the final full week of October.
RISERS
Denzel Boston, WR, Washington
In his 39th college appearance, Boston enjoyed the most productive game of his career, as the Huskies blew past Illinois, 43–25. Boston caught 10 passes for 153 yards, both career-highs, and he scored two touchdowns—one as a receiver, the other as a passer on a trick play. The 6' 4", 210-pound Boston is physical, has quality ball skills and enough route nuance to separate despite average long speed and suddenness. Boston, the No. 39 player on Sports Illustrated’s midseason big board, projects as an early second-round pick.
Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas
Hill was a tremendous pressure piece for Texas last season, but hadn’t made much of a mark in opposing backfields this fall. He flipped the script against Mississippi State, registering three-and-a-half tackles for loss and two-and-a-half sacks to go along with nine pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. Hill entered this season as the top off-ball linebacker in the draft, and while Ohio State’s Arvell Reese has seized the crown, the 6' 3", 238-pound Hill has the size, range and rush versatility to sneak into the back of the first round.
Caleb Tiernan, OT, Northwestern
Perhaps underappreciated in an offensive tackle class with more prominent names at the top, Tiernan is physical, nasty and experienced—he’s made 38 starts at Northwestern. Tiernan’s most recent start was among his most impressive, earning a 90.1 pass-blocking grade after not allowing a single pressure in 61 snaps at left tackle against Nebraska, according to Pro Football Focus. The 6' 7", 325-pound Tiernan is a solid athlete with good body control in space to displace defenders at the second level, and his strength and technique lend to consistent anchors in pass protection. He looks like a Day 2 pick who can start early as a pro.
Deontae Lawson, LB, Alabama
Lawson endured a difficult first month of the season after an offseason spent rehabbing a torn ACL sustained last November. He returned to form in grand fashion against South Carolina, forcing Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers to fumble with less than two minutes remaining in the Crimson Tide’s comeback win. Lawson made seven tackles and added four pressures on nine pass-rushing snaps, according to PFF. Lawson’s evolution as a blitzer is akin to how Alabama used first-round pick Jihaad Campbell last season. As he’s gotten healthier and more confident, he’s looking more like the projected Day 2 pick he was before his injury.
Skyler Bell, WR, UConn
Bell has been one of the nation’s most productive receivers this season—he’s second in the FBS with 66 catches for 845 receiving yards, and he’s tied for fourth with eight receiving touchdowns—and he starred again Saturday vs. Rice. Bell caught eight passes for 158 yards, the sixth-most in the FBS, and one touchdown in a 37–34 loss in double overtime. The 6' 0", 185-pound Bell, a Wisconsin transfer, is explosive and nuanced, and he’s played his way into the late Day 2 discussion.
FALLERS
Taylen Green, QB, Arkansas
Green threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter of the Razorbacks’ 33–24 loss to Auburn, in which the Tigers scored 17 unanswered points to end the game. Green did a lot of good things—he went 14-of-22 passing for 268 yards and one touchdown, averaging 19.1 yards per completion—but he’s struggled to make big plays in key moments this season. Arkansas has lost four games by one possession to ranked teams this season, which stems from a blend of factors, but Green hasn’t been able to get the Razorbacks over the hump. Green’s blend of size (6' 6", 235 pounds), arm talent and mobility make him an intriguing Day 3 swing, but he needs to find consistency.
Quintrevion Wisner, RB, Texas
While Arch Manning delivered the best performance of his young career under center, Wisner and the Longhorns’ running game struggled to find their groove. Wisner, the SEC’s lone returning 1,000-yard rusher, had 12 carries for 41 yards, while catching six passes for only 17 yards. The 6' 0", 194-pound Wisner missed three games with a hamstring injury earlier this season. While he’s performed well against Ohio State and Oklahoma, he hasn’t eclipsed 50 rushing yards or averaged better than 3.5 yards per carry in his other three outings. Wisner, a junior who entered the year as a potential Day 2 pick, may be better suited returning to school.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Five Prospects Who Improved Their 2026 NFL Draft Stock in Week 9.