5 College Football breakouts who are shooting up NFL Draft rankings

Through five weeks of the College Football season, several College Football prospects have had good seasons. Plenty of them have improved their draft status as well. Most of these draft prospects were already on the NFL Draft radar but, they've quickly moved from the middle of the pack to early round consideration.

Fernando Mendoza had a solid season last year at California, but he has stepped up his game this season after transferring to Indiana. Playing in an Indiana offense that features a ton of RPO plays, Mendoza has been outstanding. Two weeks ago, when he played Illinois, he was 21/23 for 267 yards and 5 touchdowns. His ability to read the play and get rid of the ball quickly is outstanding.

Then, the following week at Iowa, he did not play his best game of the season, but he responded by making the play of the day. In the clip below, late in the game, he needed a big play for his team. He sat in the pocket and threw a dime to the receiver. Mendoza went into the year on the NFL radar, but he is climbing up draft boards, and he looks like a 1st round pick at this point.

Arvell Reese has exploded onto the scene as Ohio State's starting linebacker this season. Playing in Matt Patricia’s defense this season, Styles played at a high level all season. The biggest area that Patricia has utilized him in is as a pass rusher and a spy against athletic quarterbacks. As a pass rusher, he has great instincts, and he knows how to use his athleticism to be disruptive.

In the play below, you see him do a great job as a spy against Washington quarterback Desmon Williams. His ability to chase him down and make the tackle is impressive. Reese was on the NFL radar before the season, but most did not see this type of jump. He looks like he could be a top 15 pick and be the 1st linebacker drafted.

Dante Moore came into this season as someone who had fallen off the radar of the NFL. Two years ago, Moore started five games at UCLA, and he struggled; therefore, after that season, he transferred to Oregon. He then sat out last season. This year, nobody was sure how he would perform, but he has exceeded expectations with his performance this season.

This past week, playing against Penn State in a tough road environment, Moore was outstanding. He was 29 of 39 for 248 yards and 3 touchdown passes. He also rushed for 35 yards. It wasn’t just the stats or how he played; it was the calmness with which he played in a chaotic environment. Moore is climbing draft boards, and he could be a first-round pick, possibly a top 15 pick, the way he is playing.

Chris Brazzell had a solid year last season for Tennessee, but he has exploded onto the scene this year. Last season, he caught 29 passes for 333 yards and 2 touchdowns. This season, he has already surpassed those numbers through 5 weeks. He has caught 33 passes for 531 yards and 7 touchdowns.  He is also averaging 17 yards per catch. He has turned into the go-to receiver for Tennessee.

The physical traits are impressive for Brazzell as he has great size (6’5”) and speed for someone that size. He also has body control as he does a good job of catching the ball in traffic. Brazzell looks like he could make a huge leap this season and possibly climb up NFL Draft boards.

After playing for 3 years at Virginia Tech, Mansoor Delane transferred to LSU this past offseason. He has helped fill a huge void for the LSU defense; they needed help at the cornerback position. He has played at a high level and been a lockdown cornerback for them.

Delane has the perfect combination of speed and athleticism you want from a cornerback. In the pass-heavy offenses of the NFL, Delane has a great skill set that defensive coordinators love to have. His ability to lock down and cover wide receivers is at an elite level. He has a chance to be a 1st round pick in next year's draft.

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