Analyzing Bruce Feldman's Freak List: NFL Draft 2026

Zak Drapeau
Aug 7
6 min read

by Zak Drapeau 8/7/2025 FansOnlySportz

Bruce Feldman's Freak List is an annual holiday around the beginning of August and one of the first steps in preparing for Draft Season. Making things a bit more interesting is the crowning of a new #1 on the list after South Carolina's Nyck Harbor reigned atop for the past two seasons. The #1 on the list is also the best player in all of college football so his crowning isn't all that surprising but it is monumentally important.

The Freak List goes all the way to #101 and also features several first round talents within it's Top-50. Some names you'll recognize but a lot will have you asking "WHOO?"

That is the best part of the list though especially for people like me who have hundreds of prospects already scouted but get introduced to more every year because of Feldman. This article won't be for everyone and will actually, probably be one of my least viewed but it's for the hardcore fans and that's who I'm targeting.

Have to give a shoutout so make sure you check out my 2026 Way Too Early Mock Draft I posted about a week ago before this list came out.

Let's get to my main points...

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Jeremiah Smith is #1

Jeremiah Smith lit up the College Football World last year and has even been named #1 Freak ahead of his 2025 campaign. The 6'3"-225 pound Wideout shattered already-high expectations last year with 76 catches, 1,315 yards and 15 TDs as a true Freshman.

His speed and agility combined with his size already make him one of the freakiest people in the sport but when combined with the fact he is only 19 it gets freakier. Smith made waves when he benched (combine weight) 225 lbs. 20 times this offseason. He would also measure a 38" vertical jump and record a sprint at 23.5 mph.

Smith checks every single box. Speed? Elite. Jump? Elite. And now he's even building more muscle. Smith was already the best WR prospect I've seen since Randy Moss and he's on his way to surpassing the ORIGINAL Freak.

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2. Nyck Harbor Drops to #3, below Kadyn Proctor

The only back-to-back #1 on Feldman's list in it's history dropped two spots to #3 this year and that speaks volumes to the numbers 1 and 2. Harbor took home 2nd-team All-American Honors for Track and Field last year and stands at 6'5"-245 lbs. His size and speed has legitimately NEVER been seen in CFB or the NFL. He would even sharpen his skills last year on the field, with a 26-376-3 stat line. His status as WR1 in South Carolina should see those number improve drastically.

So why isn't he #1? Well we already talked about Jeremiah Smith who's on his way to being the 2nd back-to-back #1 on the list for next year, so let me introduce you to Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor. Proctor is ranked #2 and may be in my Top-3 freakiest O-lineman I've scouted in my 8 years doing it. Proctor stands 6'7"-366 lbs, benching 535, squatting 815 and vert jumping 32 inches. Proctor's lateral quickness on the field is unbelievable for someone his size and has made him the best run blocker in a great 2025 O-line class.

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3. This is a Freaky Tight End Class

Last year's TE class was very deep and while there isn't as many pure pass catchers in 2025, the class as a whole has more potential than even its predecessor.

Starting with Eli Stowers and Kenyon Sadiq, these men have legitimate NFL-size but move like running backs. Stowers will head his class before the season starts and may have the best catching ability as well. Saddiq is more of a strongman benching 435 and cleaning 365 at 255 pounds but has incredible fluidity in his routes.

Other top talents like Toledo's C.C. Ezirim, Michigan's Marlin Klein and Connecticut's Alex Honig make the list for their superior size, (all at 6'6"-250 lbs or more) but can move well too.

This TE class is full of athletes and could end up seeing multiple guys go in the first 2 days off of potential alone.

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4. Dominick McKinley #1 in 2026?

The highest rated sophomore on the list, LSU's D-Tackle is ranked 6th on the 2025 list and at 20-years old is leading expectations for next year's list.

McKinley's coaches capped the 20-yaer old's max squat at 650 but said, "he could probably do 100 more" afterwards. He also recorded a 1.53 qo-yard split and 35" vertical jump at over 300 pounds.

For his first years starting on LSU's D-line, McKinley seems ready to take the world and next year's draft class by storm.

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5. 6 First-Round Prospects in Top-20

The top-talents in the 2025 class are as follows:

Freak Rank My Class Rank

2. Kadyn Proctor #1

3. Nyck Harbor #22

5. Peter Woods #7

9. Keldric Faulk #6

16. Francis Mauigoa #5

20. Parker Brailsford #29

Noticeably the biggest "Freaks" are also among the best of the class as pairing raw athleticism and size with skills on the field usually a top prospect make. Harbor is the biggest outlier because his skills as a receiver are well below the rest's skills at their position, (showing how much of an athlete he really is.)

Top projected picks I believe could've also made Feldman's Top-30 Freaks include, LB Suntarine Perkins, RB Jeremiyah Love and WR Zachariah Branch. These players are fast and agile beyond the norm for their postions and are all in my Top-30 prospects for the class.

As of right now these are the only projected-1st round prospects in the top 30. Other 2025 eligible players include A'Mauri Washington, (#4) Logan Jones, (#7) and Sonny Styles (#10) but these players will all likely be 2nd and 3rd round picks come April.

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6. Daniel Hinshaw Jr. is Underrated

The #21 ranked Freak and Feldman's only RB until 45 on the list, Kansas' Daniel Hinshaw Jr. is one of the most dynamic RBs of his class and could even deserve to be closer to the Top-15.

At only 5'10" but 220 pounds, Hinshaw's speed, balance and strength make him a modern day-Doug Martin. Squatting 540 pounds and vertical jumping 43.4 inches, I'm confident he's the only player in the entire nation that can post both of those stats.

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7. Another Elite DL Class?

The DL Class of 2024 is the best I've ever seen and time will tell if it is the best ever but the 2025 class is very close to matching it's predecessor at least in athleticism.

A total of 11 D-lineman make Feldman's Top-30 'Freaks' this year and mainly include interior D-Tackles. While not at the level of 2024's prospects, players like Clemson's Peter Woods, Cincinnati's Dontay Corleone and Penn State's Zane Durant headline both Feldman's and the position's best and could push for 1st round status.

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8. LaNorris Sellers #1 QB

Sellers is the "Anthony Richardson" of the class. At 6'3"-242 pounds, Sellers is a real dual threat, recording 674 yards and 7 TDs on the ground in 2024. Ranked #33 on Feldman's list, Sellers will be paired alongside #3 'Freak' Nyck Harbor in South Carolina again this year in what could be the most dynamic duo in all of college football this season.

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9. Logan Jones Should be Top 5

This may be hard to stand ten toes-down on but I will do it. Iowa Center Logan Jones is the latest and one of the greatest of Iowa's O-line pipeline and is one of the most athletic Center's I've ever seen.

At 6'2"-303 pounds, Jones squatted over 700 pounds this offseason, more than any other lineman on this list other than Proctor. His true freakiness comes from his agility though, with a 4.09 shuttle and 1.53 10-yard split. At 23 years old, Jones is one of the freakiest and most experienced linemen in the country and his current ranking of #7 is elite but also somehow too low. Jones should easily play himself into a 1st-round pick by the end of the year an elite, all-around Center.

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10. 2024 Class Was 'Freakier'

As much as I've gushed over this year's class, the total truth is that last year's list including the 2024 draft class was better. Outliers like Kadyn Proctor and Nyck Harbor do a lot of heavy lifting.

The class as a whole is solid and would rank around the middle if you were to compare the last 5 or so classes on 'freakiness' but the 2024 class would be topping that list.

To further compare each class, CFB rules state that players with 3 years in college are draft eligible and the amount of people on Feldman's Top-30 that either have only 2 years of experience or 4+ years are 16. Meaning less than half of the players at the top of this list are "truly" in the 2024 class.

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