Today’s post focuses on Part 3 of the Summer Scouting Series covering the next 8 Prospects, Julian Sayin, Drew Mestemaker, Jayden Maiava, Kewan Lacy, Justice Haynes, Jeremiah Smith, K.J. Duff, & Omarion Miller. The fourth episode with the final 9 Prospect Profiles will be due out next week.
Like always, the Fantasy for Real podcast is the best place to find my detailed notes & thoughts on these prospects.
Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State
6’ 1” 208 lbs || (22.02)
GRADE: QB Tier 2 (QB3-8 || QB3)
Are the tools enough? As the Cons show, Julian Sayin’s 2025 performance was far from flawless, but if Sayin didn’t just have the prospect pedigree but had the size, athleticism, & arm talent of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, or even C.J. Stroud, then Sayin would be likely the QB1 of this class with an argument to be a Tier above Manning & Moore. Instead, Sayin’s lack of size & mobility combined with an arm that might just be “good enough” put a lot of pressure on Sayin’s 2026 performance. If Sayin has similar struggles against better Defenses, his status as a 1st Round Prospect may be controversial, with potential that he returns to Ohio State to prove what he can be without Jeremiah Smith.
Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State via North Texas
6’ 3” 211 lbs || (21.08)
GRADE: QB Tier 2 (QB3-8 || QB4)
The most interesting prospect in College Football? While there are differences, Mestemaker’s journey to this point is reminiscent of former 1st Overall pick Cam Ward – but not from when Ward was at Miami. On paper, Mestemaker’s move to Oklahoma State more resembles Ward’s move to Washington State three seasons before his eventual ascension to the #1 Overall Pick. 2025 gave Mestemaker enough of a foundation that he could rise enough throughout the 2026 Season to become a 1st Round Pick, but right now that seems a bit more far off, which is why Mestemaker is my QB most strongly projected to return to college targeting the 2028 NFL Draft. However, Mestemaker – a HS back-up QB who walked on to North Texas – remains one of the most fascinating prospects and stories to follow this year in College Football.
Jayden Maiava, QB, USC
6’4” 225 lbs || (23.05)
GRADE: QB Tier 2 (QB3-8 || QB8)
Can Maiava continue to take the next step in his development? Between his size, solid mobility to extend plays, and touch passing, Jayden Maiava has a good foundation to improve on, and has improved consistently throughout his career. However, Maiava has performed far more like a Day 2 QB to date, and so he’ll need to continue to improve & develop throughout the 2026 Season.
Summer Scouting QB Rankings (Part 3)
Arch Manning, Texas
Dante Moore, Oregon
Julian Sayin, Ohio State
Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma St. via North Texas
C.J. Carr, Notre Dame
Darian Mensah, Miami (FL) via Duke
Jayden Maiava, USC
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Kewan Lacy, RB, Ole Miss
5’ 11” 205 lbs || (21.02)
GRADE: RB Tier 1 (RB1-3 || RB2)
Makes the first guy miss. He may not be as big as Baugh or quite as skilled as Hardy when it comes to breaking tackles, but Lacy successfully makes the first defender miss at a fairly high rate. As a potential 3-Down back, the only question will be how highly his athletic upside profiles.
Justice Haynes, RB, Georgia Tech via Michigan (FULL PROFILE SAMPLE)
5’ 11” 210 lbs || (22.10)
Eligibility Remaining (including 2026): 2 Years*
Pros:
Highly touted prospect from HS who broke out in Year 3 with Michigan
Big play threat who is dangerous in space or with a clear running lane
Haynes started & finished 6 Games for the Wolverines, and in each game, Haynes had at least 100 Rushing Yards and 1 Rushing TD. Considering his former prospect status and big play upside, a full season with that kind of performance may have made Haynes extremely interesting heading into the 2026 NFL Draft.
Cons:
Struggled to find footing in first two years with Alabama
While the consistency of Haynes’ performance this year for Michigan is impressive, not only is it ultimately a 6 or 6.5 Game sample, but back-up RB Jordan Marshall also stepped in and had 133/1, 185/3, & 142/2 in the first 3 Games Haynes missed due to injury, failing to reach 100/1 only against Ohio State – a game where he struggled to play through injury and was actually very efficient with 61 Yards on only 7 Carries. Haynes’ film and prospect status dating back to HS can certainly define who he will be at the NFL level, but when it comes to proof, Haynes proof is not only limited in the size of the sample, but it is difficult to really know how much the production at Michigan last year says about Haynes.
Haynes caught only 13 Passes for 50 Yards in 2025. While he does project to be a RB who catches the ball out of the backfield more, this is yet another area where Haynes lacks significant proof
Some advanced metrics like Missed Tackles Forced fairly mediocre
GRADE: RB Tier 2 (RB4-10 || RB4)
After a breakout half-season, Haynes is poised to be one of the top Fantasy players in the ACC. It would not have been surprising if Justice Haynes stayed in College OR left Michigan, but doing both was a bit of a surprise. While that is a risk, it gives us a huge opportunity to see Haynes in a second environment where he should be the focal point of the Offense, hopefully getting work as a Receiver as well.
Summer Scouting RB Rankings (Part 3)
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Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss
Nate Frazier, Georgia
Justice Haynes, Georgia Tech via Michigan
Ahmad Hardy, Missouri
Antwan Raymond, Rutgers
L.J. Martin, BYU
Isaac Brown, Louisville
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Mark Fletcher Jr., Miami (FL)
Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State
6’ 3” 223 lbs || (21.09)
GRADE: WR Tier 1 (WR1)
Nobody’s perfect. Don’t get me wrong – there are still areas of route nuance and development that Smith can improve upon – but that’s less a negative and more the reality of the NFL being more difficult than College Football. The NFL is so difficult that anyone can fail, but Smith is as good of a prospect as we’ll likely ever see – particularly if he lands the plane with a final season that matches his first two.
K.J. Duff, WR, Rutgers
6’ 6” 225 lbs || (21.09)
GRADE: WR Tier 3 (WR3-10 || WR8)
Yes, he’s a “contested catch” guy – but he’s also very good at it. While bigger, faster, quicker, stronger is typically the right direction, there is something to be said about how few players at the highest level are Duff’s size or archetype. Despite those concerns – which are a major reason that he finishes ranks towards the bottom of this wide Tier – Duff scores very highly in all the areas typically seen as most important; Duff plays in the Big Ten, and has produced early (played most of last season at 19 YO), at a high level (1,000) & with strong efficiency (2.47 Y/RR).
Omarion Miller, WR, Arizona State via Colorado
6’ 2” 210 lbs || (23.08)*
GRADE: WR Tier 3 (WR3-10 || WR10)
The “wide-awake” sleeper of the 2027 NFL Draft. Miller’s overall production has been hampered by injuries (2023-2024) & an awful Offense (2025), but any deep evaluation of the numbers (Career Y/RR, Colorado Passing/Team Stats 2025) shows a player who by all accounts has performed well enough to be a highly-productive CFB player. Age is an objective factor and one that Miller clearly scores negatively in (presuming my listed age is correct), so he does have a bit of an uphill battle analytically at least in some ways, but there is a huge target vacancy at ASU with Jordyn Tyson graduating to the NFL. If he can make the most of that opportunity, Miller has strong enough height/weight/speed potential to get in the 1st Round conversation.
Summer Scouting WR Rankings (Part 3)
Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
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Bryant Wesco, Clemson
Nick Marsh, Indiana via Michigan State
Ryan Coleman-Williams, Alabama
T.J. Moore, Clemson
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K.J. Duff, Rutgers
Ryan Wingo, Texas
Omarion Miller, Arizona State via Colorado
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Final Episode: LaNorris Sellers, Trinidad Chambliss, Sam Leavitt, Jadan Baugh, Wayshawn Parker, Cam Coleman, Charlie Becker, Mario Craver, & Jamari Johnson
One small adjustment to next week’s episode, I am including Sam Leavitt, so the Summer Scouting Series will cover 33 Players in total prior to part 5. Next will be Part 4, featuring the players listed above.
No creative changes, but there also may be some changes to the Podcast/Substack in the near future. Stay tuned to this Substack & the podcast for any and all updates.
Thanks,
C.J.
