5 NFL Draft prospects worth watching on Friday, Sept. 4

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5 NFL Draft prospects worth watching on Friday, Sept. 4

Mark Fletcher Jr. — 2025 College Football Playoff First Round Game - Miami v Texas A&M | Alex Slitz/GettyImages

Dominick Petrillo · FanSided

Fri, Sep 4, 2026 ·

6 min read

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Although it is a small college football slate on Friday, there are still plenty of major programs playing - with plenty of athletes who could well hear their names called at the 2027 NFL Draft next April.

Oklahoma, USC and Miami are all in action on Friday night. While the best pro prospect taking the field, Canes receiver Malachi Toney, will not be eligible for the 2027 draft, plenty of others are. It's a list that includes several of Toney's teammates, but certainly doesn't stop there.

Cooper Barkate, WR, Miami

After three seasons at Harvard, where he put up 63 receptions for 1,084 yards and 11
touchdowns as a junior, Barkate transferred south to Duke for his fourth season ofcollege football. He quickly became the favored target of QB Darian Mensah, posting 72
receptions for 1,106 yards and 7 touchdowns for the ACC champion Blue Devils.

Now the pair have both headed to Miami in the transfer portla, hoping to help the Hurricanes get over the national championship hump. Barkate does not have the speed or the separation ability of new teammate Toney. But this is why he is going to be the compliment, a role in which he can provide important production.

With polished route running and easy movement, Barkate will get just enough
separation to get the ball. He also has reliable hands, which allows quarterbacks to trust
him when a catch is needed. Currently, Barkate is ranked in the range of WR20 according to most draft analysts, making him a Day 3 prospect. But don't be surprised if his skill and smarts help him carve out a role at the next level.

Mark Fletcher Jr., RB, Miami

Fletcher Jr., who originally committed to Ohio State before flipping to Miami, is currentlyplaying in his fourth season at Coral Gables.

During his first two years on campus, Fletcher Jr. combined for 1,123 rushing yards and 14touchdowns for the Hurricanes. He broke out in his first full season as the starter in 2025, with 1,192 rushing yards, 12 touchdowns and some monster performances in the College Football Playoff.

Fletcher Jr. is the prototypical size for a running back in the NFL at 6-foot-2 and 225
pounds. He runs with balance and is rarely tackled by the first defender. Although not a
speedster, his size allows him to bully opponents and push forward for added yardage.
With Mensah spearheading a dangerous passing game, Fletcher Jr. may find more gaps to exploit this season. He's currently considered a top-three running back in the 2027 draft class,
although this is flexible based on cleaning up any concerns of scouts as a senior.

Jayden Maiava, QB, USC

NCAA FBC USC vs SJSU | Ronaldo Bolanos/GettyImages

The best thing going for Maiava is that managed to get out of UNLV and workwith Lincoln Riley at USC.

Returning for his second season as starter in 2026, Maiava will look to cut down on mistakes while also showing off his arm talent and mobility - something he was able to do in 2025, when he finished with 10 rushing touchdowns.

At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, Maiava brings good size along with his athleticism. But while his arm talent and physical tools put him near the head of the loaded 2027 QB class, GMs will want to see him work on avoiding negative plays after he threw 10 picks and took 14 sacks last year.

Maiava finished his first game of this season with 283 passing yards and 2 touchdown
passes in an easy win over San Jose State in front of a reported 51,277 fans (which
looked a lot like 5,277 fans). On Friday, USC will be taking on a Fresno State team which is favored alongside Boise State to win the new-look Pac-12 Conference. It will be important to watch how Maiava does against some better competition.

As games get better so will the fan support. NFL scouts will also start to show up, and if
he can refine his decision-making and ball security, Maiava will have a good chance to
get into the first round of the NFL Draft given the premium placed on the QB position.

John Mateer, QB, Oklahoma

Mateer is a completely different prospect if you look at his healthy tape and forget about all theinjury to his hand that waylaid his first season at Oklahoma in 2025.

In 2024, his first year as a starter with Washington State, Mateer led the nation with 44
total touchdowns - 29 through the air and 15 on the ground - while also
rushing for 826 yards to add to his 3,139 yards passing. While dealing with injuries during 2025 with Oklahoma, Mateer finished with 431 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on top of 2,885 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions through the air.

His stock was at an all-time high when leaving Washington State, but life in the rugged SEC has taken its toll a bit. Currently, Mateer in the range of QB25 for the 2027 draft. But Oklahoma has put more talent around him this season than he had in 2025, and he has all the tools at 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds to move into ta draftable range. Don't look for Mateer to go No. 1 overall like Baker Mayfield or Kyler Murray before him;. but, with a great season, he can get into the middle rounds rather than winding up as an undrafted free agent.

DT David Stone, Oklahoma

Right now, Stone is by far the best player on this list . A five-star recruit coming out of high school, Stone was the first big recruit landed by Brent Venables after his return to the Sooners as head coach. He has more than made good on that hype and is the only player on this list with a chance to go higher than Maiava in next year's draft.

Stone, who finished high school at IMG Academy in Florida, returned to his home state for college
and has taken over on the defensive interior at 6-foot-3 and around 300 pounds. He isa menace shooting gaps and getting after the passer and a tone-setting run stopper as well. There's good reason he's a consensus top-10 defensive line prospect in the 2027 draft, and ESPN currently has him going at No. 15 overall to the New York Jets .

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This article was originally published on www.fansided.com as 5 NFL Draft prospects worth watching on Friday, Sept. 4 .

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