Small school players have always been some of the most intriguing selections in the NFL Draft. So many fewer fans know them, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t good. Only the best of the best get drafted if you don’t play power conference football.
In recent years, the transfer portal has unfortunately thinned out the high level talent at small schools. If you look like a future NFL talent, you’ll likely transfer to a bigger school before your college career is over.
The problem is the NFL draft only attributes the final school to a prospect. Even if they played 4 years of FCS football, if the final year was at Texas Tech, they’ll forever go down as a Texas Tech draft pick.
In total, 128 of the 257 players drafted in the 2026 NFL Draft transferred at least once. 34 players transferred twice, and 7 more transferred three times. This does include transferring from a JUCO, which is a slightly different situation but a transfer nonetheless.
With that in mind, I broke down the numbers of how many players finished their careers, started their careers, or at any point played at any level of college football.
Small Schools will be broken into a few categories:
- Group of 5: These are D1-FBS schools, but they aren’t power conference schools. This means the American conference, Sun Belt, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, and the Independents minus Notre Dame.
- FCS: The second subdivision of D1 football, including teams like North Dakota State and Montana State.
- D2: The second division of college football, including teams like Ferris State and Harding.
- D3: The third division of college football, including teams like North Central (IL) and UW-Whitewater.
- NAIA: National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) teams, including teams like Grand View and Keiser.
- International: Players who didn’t attend an American University, which includes certain IPP players and the Canadian U SPORTS system.
- JUCO: Players at the Junior College level, playing at NJCAA schools like Iowa Western CC or Hutchinson CC.
With that being said, just as players change schools, schools have been changing conferences and divisions very frequently recently. There might be one or cases of a school currently being Group of 5, but having been FCS at the time the player attended it. I tried to address these but may have missed one.
Let’s go category by category breaking down the numbers of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Prospects by Conference (Overall)
Below is the breakdown of players drafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, showing quantity based on final school and starting school.
| Finished | Started Only | Played Only | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G5 | 15 | 29 | 7 | 51 |
| FCS | 4 | 11 | 2 | 17 |
| D2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| D3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NAIA | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| JUCO | 0 | 13 | 1 | 14 |
| INT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Finished: The player’s most recently school. Also includes players who both started and finished their career.
Started Only: These players started their career at that level, but transferred away before the end of their career.
Played Only: These players played at least 1 season at that level, but started at a different level and ended at a different level.
Total: The total number of players who played at least 1 of their college seasons at that level.
Group of 5 Players Drafted in 2026
Finish their career Group of 5: 15
Started their career Group of 5, but transferred away: 29
Played at a Group of 5 school, but didn’t start or end there: 7
Total 2026 draftees who played at least 1 season at a Group of 5 school: 51
There’s a little debate about what counts as a group of 5, with the argument surrounding the FBS Independents who don’t have a conference and the PAC-12. Traditionally there were 3-4 independents, and categorization would include Notre Dame as a Power Conference team, with all the others as Group of 5. This year, that means UConn only moves down to Group of 5. It feels a bit weird to split the two, but it feels more accurate. Before becoming Independent, UConn was a member of the American conference for 7 years, which is Group of 5.
The PAC-12 schools are also traditionally viewed with the other Power Conference schools, and players who started their career here certainly did so with the intention of playing Power Conference football. So Washington State and Oregon State are also viewed as power conference.
Draftees Who Finished Their Career Group of 5
There were only 15 players drafted who finished their career at a non-Power Conference FBS school, which is a particularly low number. Those 15 are:
| POS | NAME | COLLEGE | PICK | TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | Chris Johnson | San Diego State | R1 P27 (27) | MIA |
| S | Emmanuel McNeil-Warren | Toledo | R2 P26 (58) | CLE |
| WR | Ted Hurst | Georgia State | R3 P20 (84) | TB |
| OT | Kage Casey | Boise State | R4 P11 (111) | DEN |
| OT | Travis Burke | Memphis | R4 P17 (117) | LAC |
| WR | Skyler Bell | Connecticut | R4 P25 (125) | BUF |
| LB | Jaden Dugger | Louisiana | R5 P14 (154) | SF |
| WR | Anthony Smith | East Carolina | R7 P02 (218) | DAL |
| DT | Landon Robinson | Navy | R7 P10 (226) | CIN |
| LB | Jackson Kuwatch | Miami (OH) | R7 P11 (227) | CAR |
| RB | Eli Heidenreich | Navy | R7 P14 (230) | PIT |
| CB | Andre Fuller | Toledo | R7 P20 (236) | SEA |
| LB | Parker Hughes | Mid Tenn State | R7 P24 (240) | JAX |
| EDGE | Keyshawn James-Newby | New Mexico | R7 P36 (252) | PHI |
| LB | Red Murdock | Buffalo | R7 P41 (257) | DEN |
The majority of these picks came on day 3 of the draft, with only a trio of Group of 5 players going in the first 2 days of the draft.
Chris Johnson was a 1st round pick for San Diego State, and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren heard his name in the 2nd round.
Draftees Who Started Their Career Group of 5
There were quite a few players who started their career Group of 5 but transferred to a bigger school. There were 29 players in this category:
| POS | NAME | FINAL COLLEGE | PICK | TEAM | ORIGINAL SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | Keylan Rutledge | Georgia Tech | R1 P26 (26) | HOU | Middle Tennessee |
| EDGE | Cashius Howell | Texas A&M | R2 P09 (41) | CIN | Bowling Green |
| CB | D’Angelo Ponds | Indiana | R2 P18 (50) | NYJ | James Madison |
| EDGE | Keyron Crawford | Auburn | R3 P03 (67) | LV | Arkansas State |
| S | AJ Haulcy | LSU | R3 P14 (78) | IND | New Mexico |
| WR | Chris Brazzell II | Tennessee | R3 P19 (83) | CAR | Tulane |
| TE | Will Kacmarek | Ohio State | R3 P23 (87) | MIA | Ohio |
| G | Emmanuel Pregnon | Oregon | R3 P24 (88) | JAX | Wyoming |
| RB | Kaelon Black | Indiana | R3 P26 (90) | SF | James Madison |
| S | Jakobe Thomas | Miami (FL) | R3 P34 (98) | MIN | Middle Tennessee |
| S | Jalen Huskey | Maryland | R3 P36 (100) | JAX | Bowling Green |
| G | Febechi Nwaiwu | Oklahoma | R4 P06 (106) | HOU | North Texas |
| CB | Jadon Canady | Oregon | R4 P09 (109) | KC | Tulane |
| RB | Mike Washington Jr. | Arkansas | R4 P22 (122) | LV | Buffalo |
| EDGE | Trey Moore | Texas | R4 P30 (130) | MIA | UTSA |
| G | Fernando Carmona | Arkansas | R5 P02 (142) | TEN | San Jose State |
| WR | Reggie Virgil | Texas Tech | R5 P03 (143) | ARZ | Miami (OH) |
| TE | Justin Joly | NC State | R5 P12 (152) | DEN | Connecticut |
| EDGE | George Gumbs Jr. | Florida | R5 P16 (156) | IND | Northern Illinois |
| TE | Tanner Koziol | Houston | R5 P24 (164) | HOU | Ball State |
| LB | Keyshaun Elliott | Arizona State | R5 P26 (166) | CHI | New Mexico State |
| CB | Hezekiah Masses | California | R5 P35 (175) | LV | Florida International |
| WR | Cyrus Allen | Cincinnati | R5 P36 (176) | KC | Louisiana Tech |
| TE | Seydou Traore | Mississippi State | R5 P40 (180) | MIA | Arkansas State |
| QB | Taylen Green | Arkansas | R6 P01 (182) | CLE | Boise State |
| WR | CJ Daniels | Miami (FL) | R6 P16 (197) | LAR | Liberty |
| OT | Ethan Onianwa | Ohio State | R7 P15 (231) | ATL | Rice |
| LB | Aiden Fisher | Indiana | R7 P27 (243) | HOU | James Madison |
| CB | Michael Dansby | Arizona | R7 P39 (255) | SEA | San Jose State |
Noteworthy here is a trio of top-50 picks:
- Keylan Rutledge of Georgia Tech started his career at Middle Tennessee in the Conference USA
- Cashius Howell began his career at Bowling Green in the MAC
- D’Angelo Ponds began his career at James Madison in the Sun Belt
Draftees Who Played Group of 5 Football, but Didn’t Start or Finish
7 more players had a brief stop at a Group of 5 school before transferring once again. Those players include:
| POS | NAME | COLLEGE | PICK | TEAM | GROUP OF 5 SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | Eli Stowers | Vanderbilt | R2 P22 (54) | PHI | New Mexico State (2023) |
| WR | Elijah Sarratt | Indiana | R4 P15 (115) | BAL | James Madison (2023) |
| OT | JC Davis | Illinois | R6 P11 (192) | NYG | New Mexico (2022-2023) |
| DT | Skyler Gill-Howard | Texas Tech | R6 P24 (205) | DET | Northern Illinois (2022-2024) |
| G | Alex Harkey | Oregon | R6 P25 (206) | LAC | Texas State (2023-2024) |
| DT | Anterio Thompson | Washington | R6 P27 (208) | ATL | Western Michigan (2024) |
| RB | Seth McGowan | Kentucky | R7 P21 (237) | IND | New Mexico State (2024) |
Eli Stowers is the most notable name here. The combine record holder for vertical jump at the tight end position started his career at Texas A&M, but spent a year at New Mexico State before transferring to Vanderbilt. Stowers was a QB at Texas A&M, and transitioned to TE during his year with the Aggies.
Ex-New Mexico State standout tight end Eli Stowers will transfer to Vanderbilt, he tells @247Sports.
Stowers, a former Texas A&M top-100 recruit as a QB, moved to TE last year and had P4 teams intrigued after posting 35 catches last season. It’s Vandy that lands him, though.… pic.twitter.com/e9O3wb2pog
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) May 15, 2024
Elijah Sarratt is also a well known name. He spent a year with Coach Curt Cignetti at James Madison in 2023, but started his career at St. Francis PA, an FCS school.
FCS Players Drafted in 2026
Finish their career FCS: 4
Started their career FCS, but transferred away: 11
Played at an FCS school, but didn’t start or end there: 2
Total 2026 draftees who played at least 1 season at an FCS school: 17
Draftees Who Finished Their Career in the FCS
There were only 4 players drafted who finished their career at an FCS Conference FBS school, the lowest in the modern draft era. Those 4 are:
| POS | NAME | COLLEGE | PICK | TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DT | Kaleb Proctor | SE Louisiana | R4 P04 (104) | ARZ |
| WR | Bryce Lance | North Dakota State | R4 P36 (136) | NO |
| CB | Charles Demmings | Stephen F. Austin | R5 P23 (163) | MIN |
| QB | Cole Payton | North Dakota State | R5 P38 (178) | PHI |
All 4 of these players not only finished their career in the FCS ranks, but also started their careers at the same school. Zero transfers for any of these 4 players.
Kaleb Proctor was the first to get drafted, but all 4 FCS players were selected in the 4th or 5th rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Draftees Who Started Their Career FCS
The list of FCS talent in the 2026 draft expands if you look at the players who began their career in the FCS. 11 more drafted players began their career at an FCS school, including the following:
| POS | NAME | COLLEGE | PICK | TEAM | ORIGINAL SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | Jake Golday | Cincinnati | R2 P19 (51) | MIN | Central Arkansas |
| G | Keagen Trost | Missouri | R3 P29 (93) | LAR | Morgan State |
| WR | Elijah Sarratt | Indiana | R4 P15 (115) | BAL | St Francis (PA) |
| OT | Travis Burke | Memphis | R4 P17 (117) | LAC | Gardner-Webb |
| LB | Jaden Dugger | Louisiana | R5 P14 (154) | SF | Georgetown |
| WR | Kevin Coleman | Missouri | R5 P37 (177) | MIA | Jackson State |
| TE | Bauer Sharp | LSU | R6 P04 (185) | TB | SE Louisiana |
| LB | Jack Kelly | BYU | R6 P12 (193) | NYG | Weber State |
| CB | Andre Fuller | Toledo | R7 P20 (236) | SEA | Arkansas-Pine Bluff |
| S | Cole Wisniewski | Texas Tech | R7 P28 (244) | PHI | North Dakota State |
| G | Evan Beerntsen | Northwestern | R7 P37 (253) | BAL | South Dakota State |
There’s a ton of talent in this group, beginning with 2nd round pick Jake Golday who started his career as an edge rusher for Central Arkansas before transferring to Cincinnati.
We mentioned Elijah Sarratt earlier who had a mid major stop at James Madison before landing at Indiana, and my sleeper WR Kevin Coleman is also notable here, having played for 4 schools in 4 years, beginning with Jackson State in 2022.
Draftees Who Played FCS Football, but Didn’t Start or Finish
2 more players also played FCS football, but started at a different level and ended at a different level.
| POS | NAME | COLLEGE | PICK | TEAM | FCS SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | Karon Prunty | Wake Forest | R5 P31 (171) | NE | North Carolina A&T (2022-2024) |
| EDGE | Keyshawn James-Newby | New Mexico | R7 P36 (252) | PHI | Idaho (2023-2024) |
Prunty spent a year at Kansas before transferring down to North Carolina A&T, and eventually to Wake Forest to begin his career.
Keyshawn James-Newby, as will be mentioned later, spent a year in the NAIA ranks at Montana Tech before spending two years at Idaho, then transferring to New Mexico for the 2025 season.
D2 Players Drafted in 2026
Finish their career D2: 0
Started their career D2, but transferred away: 3
Played at an D2 school, but didn’t start or end there: 0
Total 2026 draftees who played at least 1 season at an D2 school: 3
No Division 2 players heard their names called in the 2026 NFL Draft. If you expand to where players started their career, that number expands to a more respectable 3 players.
Draftees Who Started Their Career D2
Despite no official D2 players being drafted, the following 3 players started their career at a Division 2 school, and I’m sure those schools will be happy to claim them. The players are:
| POS | NAME | COLLEGE | PICK | TEAM | ORIGINAL SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | Ted Hurst | Georgia State | R3 P20 (84) | TB | Valdosta State |
| DT | Skyler Gill-Howard | Texas Tech | R6 P24 (205) | DET | Upper Iowa |
| EDGE | Zach Durfee | Washington | R7 P17 (233) | JAX | Sioux Falls |
Ted Hurst was a solid player for Valdosta State, but actually performed even better statistically after transferring up to Georgia State in 2024.
Skyler Gill-Howard was also notable, having started his career at Upper Iowa before spending 3 seasons at Northern Illinois and eventually 1 at Texas Tech.
JUCO Players Drafted in 2026
Started their career JUCO, but transferred away: 13
Played at a JUCO school, but didn’t start or end there: 1
Total 2026 draftees who played at least 1 season at an JUCO school: 14
This is the one stop where I might have missed a player or two, because some NCAA schools are very bad at noting that a player started in the JUCO ranks. If I missed someone please let me know, and I’ll update the numbers.
Draftees Who Started Their Career JUCO
There were 13 players who began their careers in the JUCO ranks:
| POS | NAME | COLLEGE | PICK | TEAM | ORIGINAL SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OT | Max Iheanachor | Arizona State | R1 P21 (21) | PIT | East Los Angeles College |
| OT | Markel Bell | Miami (FL) | R3 P04 (68) | PHI | Holmes CC |
| S | Keionte Scott | Miami (FL) | R4 P16 (116) | TB | Snow College |
| WR | Kaden Wetjen | Iowa | R4 P21 (121) | PIT | Iowa Western CC |
| LB | Justin Jefferson | Alabama | R5 P09 (149) | CLE | Pearl River CC |
| DT | Bobby Jamison-Travis | Auburn | R6 P05 (186) | NYG | Iowa Western CC |
| OT | JC Davis | Illinois | R6 P11 (192) | NYG | Contra Costa College |
| WR | Malik Benson | Oregon | R6 P14 (195) | LV | Hutchinson CC |
| G | Alex Harkey | Oregon | R6 P25 (206) | LAC | Tyler JC |
| DT | Anterio Thompson | Washington | R6 P27 (208) | ATL | Iowa Western CC |
| LB | Namdi Obiazor | TCU | R6 P31 (212) | NE | Iowa Western CC |
| DT | Jordan Van den berg | Georgia Tech | R6 P32 (213) | CHI | Iowa Western CC |
| TE | Dallen Bentley | Utah | R7 P40 (256) | DEN | Snow College |
The list of former JUCO players drafted in 2026 includes first round pick Max Iheanachor, who spent 2 years at East Los Angeles College while he was still just learning the game.
1 more player falls in the category of players who had a temporary stop at a JUCO school in the middle of their career, not starting or finishing their career there before being drafted. That was Seth McGowan, who spent the 2023 season at Butler CC after dealing with a previous legal issue.
Other Draftees
The outliers to mention here include 1 international prospect, and 1 singular player who started their career NAIA. Both were drafted by the Eagles.
The international player was athletic freak Uar Bernard from Nigeria.
The NAIA player was 7th round pick Keyshawn James-Newby of New Mexico, who began his career at Montana Tech in the NAIA.
This data is important because high school prospects need to know that it isn’t power conference or bust for them when they’re getting recruited. It might feel like small school players don’t get drafted, but that’s mostly because they later transfer to bigger schools.
All this data was pulled manually by BNB Football throughout the course of building the 2026 NFL Draft database. If you see any drafted players who have a missing transfer, let me know and I’ll adjust the data.
