Dillon Thieneman and Monroe Freeling have drastically boosted their stock since the start of last season. Who else has climbed the board?
"You're building it, essentially, for a year every year," Peters said. "From the spring to the season to the combine, pro days, visits and back around to the next spring, when the scouts are looking at the calendar to see the first places they're going to go.
The real movement for players and grades in that time probably comes long before people might think it does." That makes the concept of a March "riser" rarer than a no-doubt franchise quarterback. The actual rise of a prospect up draft boards is a multi-month process that consists of on-field production and predraft work. With the 2026 NFL draft less than two weeks away, we identified seven players who have gained the most ground since the beginning of the 2025 season.Day 2 pick by many scouts simply because of his measurables . But he's now a solid first-rounder after making 13 starts last season, holding up well against SEC pass rushers and presenting some high-quality work in the predraft windup.Scouts who monitor the SEC said they could see Freeling's pass-protection technique improve in real time. His hand placement got better throughout the season against some of the most explosive defensive players on this draft board. Games againstSome of it is physics. He has rare fluidity in his lower body for a player his size and should be able to add more strength since he won't turn 22 until July. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.93 seconds, has 34-inch arms and moves like a tight end in space. Freeling also showed quality ability to react to inside counters from rushers, recover, get his feet right and win the play."Honestly, yoga just really helps with injury prevention. It's huge on getting comfortable, just being flexible, and also the mindfulness part. Being mindful of your body and how you feel is really important on how you stay twitchy and play fast on the football field." --There are a few players in every draft with an extensive enough body of work to make league evaluators comfortable. Then there are the players who shake things up a bit at the Senior Bowl or the combine, forcing evaluators to take another look. Thieneman fits into the latter bucket and has likely moved from a mid-to-late Day 2 pick into the first round as part of a sturdy safety class.Thieneman has an extensive résumé as a three-year starter , with 302 tackles and eight interceptions in his career. That's a significant sample size. But then he uncorked a 4.37-second 40-yard dash and a 41-inch vertical at the combine at 6-foot, 201 pounds. That makes folks circle back."I just felt like his eyes are in the right spot and he doesn't lose that eye contact. Guy understands what routes can be run out of what the offense is in and what he can eliminate. And he can move." --Iheanachor has likely moved himself into early Day 2 consideration as a projection player who has improved quicker than expected. He moved to the United States from Nigeria as a teenager and did not play football until he enrolled at East Los Angeles College before transferring to Arizona State.The 6-foot-6 321-pounder started five games in his first season at Arizona State in 2023, but it's his complete résumé of 26 college starts that shows how far he has come. Scouts took note of Iheanachor's one-on-one work against Texas Tech's edge playersFor some, the draft is about potential over production, and Iheanachor is still an ascending player who needs to smooth out some rough edges. But with his size, mobility and 83-inch wingspan, he has the qualities offensive line coaches want in a tackle."I would mainly say defense, for real. Like, the slide in, boxing out, all that stuff. I feel like, as an offensive lineman, you need good feet ... I mean, that's one of the biggest standards." --Hurst has worked himself from a late Day 3 player to one who could hear his name on Day 2. A three-year starter -- one at Valdosta State and two at Georgia State -- after being a zero-star recruit as a prep player, he has been a regular on the top-30 visit circuit in recent weeks.It has been a steady rise, as his play caught up to his 6-foot-4, 206-pound measurables. Hurst had 1,004 receiving yards in a season that Georgia State had 3,049 passing yards; in other words, he accounted for about one third of the Panthers' passing offense.With a 4.42-second 40 at the combine at his size, Hurst presents as an intriguing option for offenses. What teams must figure out is how he will fare against professional defensive backs, while Hurst must learn how to implement his size to win the ball in tight places."You'd like to see more against the best corners, but I like the arc. He's got a lot of good football waiting for him." --It varies among evaluators, because there are some rough edges to Caldwell's game and his route tree needs be more robust. But he has likely shown enough in one season at Cincinnati with his high-end measurables to potentially move from late Day 3 into early Day 3 consideration.Folks noticed Caldwell's final season at Lindenwood in 2024, when he averaged 19.5 yards per reception with 11 touchdowns and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award as the top FCS player. He flashed in his season with the Bearcats -- his six touchdown catches came in five games -- and his work at the combine was hard to dismiss.Offenses in search of matchup wins in the red zone will always notice Caldwell's size/speed combination. He was the tallest receiver at the combine at 6-foot-5, and his 4.31-second 40 was the second fastest among receivers who ran."I look at the board, and you don't see many guys with that kind of length who run like that. He needs work, he needs coaching, he needs to attack the ball, but the traits are there." --There is a smattering of evaluators who said they could see the 6-foot-7, 228-pound Gentry sneaking into the late fourth or fifth round. The biggest questions are what his body will look like after going through an NFL strength program for a year or two and where he would fit. And that might take significant crystal ball skills.He worked out with the defensive linemen at the combine, and his measurements are tempting for teams that feel he can add strength and additional mass to improve his ability to get off blocks. He has an 86-inch wingspan and ran a 4.6 in the 40 at his pro day , which presents pass-rush options. Gentry was also productive, with five forced fumbles last season and nine in his college career."He's a unique body type, but he's played a lot of games , has some sacks, knocks the ball down, gets the ball out. If he'll put in the work, there are snaps for him, the kind of wingspan to attack the ball." --Kpeenu exploded as a senior, with 1,005 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns last season, to emerge as a potential priority free agent. But some in the league say he has the potential to squeeze into the draft late on Day 3.The Bison are known for producing offensive linemen who give running backs a tidy yards-before-contact cushion, but Kpeenu averaged 5.3 yards per carry over his career. That type of production always gets a look from scouts, and evaluators like his consistency and willingness to pass protect. He also had seven games last season with at least two rushing touchdowns.While his 4.68-second 40 at North Dakota State's pro day will cause some to pause, Kpeenu gained 10 or more yards on 17% of his runs this past season. He had two 100-yard rushing games last season in which he carried the ball fewer than 15 times (14 carries for 116 yards againstLive updates: No deal with Iran after 21-hour negotiations, Vance says
Caldwell-Jeff Iheanachor-Max Georgia-State-Panthers Oregon-Ducks Cincinnati-Bearcats Georgia-Bulldogs North-Dakota-State-Bison College-Football Nfl-Draft Kpeenu-Barika Risers Gentry-Eric Nfl Freeling-Monroe Arizona-State-Sun-Devils Usc-Trojans Thieneman-Dillon Hurst-Ted 18874641
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Cincinnati Native Luke Kuechly Reveals His Top Linebacker in 2026 NFL DraftIt's no secret the Bengals have a major need at the linebacker position. They didn't sign one in free agency. The 2026 NFL Draft is just 13 days away. Lineback
Read more »
Broncos 2026 NFL Draft position preview: Denver looking at RBs to complement J.K. Dobbins, RJ HarveyThis is the second in a series of NFL Draft previews assessing the Broncos’ positional needs.
Read more »
Jets Biggest Weakness Just Before 2026 NFL DraftThe New York Jets have one roster hole above all else heading into the 2026 NFL Draft.
Read more »
Bengals Meeting With Elite Edge Rusher Prospect Ahead of 2026 NFL DraftBengals Meeting With Elite Edge Rusher Prospect Rueben Bain Jr. Ahead of 2026 NFL Draft
Read more »
2026 NFL Draft: Ranking and Evaluating the Top 10 Running BacksFormer NFL scout Bucky Brooks ranks Notre Dame star Jeremiyah Love and the other top running backs in the 2026 draft.
Read more »
Five Best Fits for Oregon Safety Dillon Thieneman Before the 2026 NFL DraftFormer Oregon Ducks safety Dillon Thieneman is becoming one of the highest coveted prospects in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.
Read more »