While Indiana were tested on the scoreboard last week, Week 7 sees their first true test as they host Ohio State. Can Indiana receiver Nick Marsh dominate as he did last week? More on him and which other NFL Draft prospects to watch in Week 7.
2027 NFL Draft Prospects to Watch in Week 7
Matchup of the Week – Ohio State at Indiana (12:00 p.m. ET, Fox)
The main NFL Draft prospects matchup to watch in this one is Indiana left tackle Carter Smith against Ohio State edge rusher Kenyatta Jackson Jr. This will be a fun matchup as Jackson’s strength (his length) should give him the edge against Smith’s weakness (lack of length). Smith is as tough as nails, though, and won’t back down.
The Indiana wide receiver duo of Nick Marsh and Charlie Becker were both highly rated coming into the year, and they have started the season well. Marsh was outstanding in the close win against Nebraska last week. Can they both show up against a talented Ohio State secondary featuring star safety Jaylen McClain and cornerback Jermain Mathews Jr.?
Offensively for the Buckeyes, barring injury, elite receiver Jeremiah Smith has little to prove. His quarterback, Julian Sayin, is productive, but the question is how do his physical traits project to the NFL? This kind of test may help provide the answer to that question.
2027 NFL Draft Prospects to Watch in Week 7: Will Notre Dame be Tested?
It’s fair to say the Notre Dame schedule so far has been on the easy side. This week sees them on the road at undefeated Brigham Young. The road environment will be a test, but it remains to be seen if the hosts can really stress the visitors so we can learn something about their NFL Draft prospects.
Quarterback CJ Carr will need to be the calm in the eye of the storm. He has found his way onto several “risers” lists this year, but the lack of tests is a huge caveat to that. He’ll be looking to find his talented receiver Jordan Faison, who was dominant against North Carolina, but only had three catches against Stanford.
Hopefully Notre Dame linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa will play in this one. He didn’t play against Stanford due to an injured thumb, but per WNDU indications are that he will be back. His tape last year was outstanding, and it’s fantastic to see him back so soon after tearing his ACL in November 2025.
Also for the Irish, look out for guard Anthonie Knapp and edge rusher Boubacar Traore, both top 50 candidates.
For Brigham Young, running back LJ Martin was earning positive reviews, but, per ESPN, he is out for four to six weeks with the infamous hockey- style report of a “lower body injury”.
Other 2027 NFL Draft Prospects to Watch in Week 7 (All Times Eastern)
While Texas Tech doesn’t have the level of prospects they did last year, they still have draftable talent. They host Arizona State (3:30 p.m., Fox) as they look to remain undefeated.
The game pits Tech cornerback Brice Pollock against the two Arizona State receivers. Reed Harris particularly has been impressive this season, but also look for Omarion Miller.
If you go back two years, then Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman was on top of many a first-round mock. After losing the starting job at A&M, Weigman is now at Houston and playing well, with just one interception so far this season. It’s well worth watching him this week as they host Oklahoma State (7:30 p.m., Fox).
Of course, the star quarterback on show in this one is Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker. With Arch Manning consistently inconsistent and Dante Moore suffering a concussion, Mestemaker has been pushed up mock drafts. Let’s see how he deals with the road test.
The Austin Simmons buzz is getting louder. The Missouri quarterback lacks starting experience (just four starts before this season), and that alone may make him elect to stay in school for another year. A road test at Ole Miss (3:30 p.m., SEC Network) should be revealing.
For Ole Miss, defensive tackle Will Echoles should shrink the pocket for Simmons, as he looks to build on his impressive start to the season. The Ole Miss edge rushers should also make it interesting for Simmons, as Missouri left tackle Cayden Green tries to keep his signal caller clean.
2027 NFL Draft Prospects to Watch in Week 7 – Small Schools
There’s an exciting small school matchup this week. Rhode Island travels to face Yale (12:00 p.m., ESPN+) in an out-of-conference matchup. This matchup features two names from the Shrine Bowl 1,000 Watch List, who were also mentioned as draftable by NFL.com’s Chad Reuter.
Rhode Island wide receiver Marquis Buchanan (who has 36 catches on the year already) will be facing a Yale secondary headlined by safety Abu Kamara. Both will be pushing for All-Star Game invitations to answer the age-old level of competition question for small school prospects.
The Last Word
When putting together final scouting reports after the season concludes, it’s easy to pick the best matchups. In-season, patience is required for some schools’ prospects. That’s been the case for Indiana, but there’s no question that the Ohio State test should be worth the wait.
Nick Marsh has been on “risers” lists aplenty; let’s see how he plays against a talented secondary. If he can show up as he did last week against Nebraska, he can be penciled into the first round.
Smith against Jackson Jr. matchup is the best 2027 NFL Draft prospect matchup this week. Jackson does drop inside at times, so they won’t be up against each other every play, but there will be enough reps to enjoy.
Whether Notre Dame is going to be truly tested this week remains to be seen. Should they win comfortably, there’s always November 7 when they host another largely untested team in Miami.
Weigman is the poster boy for how early mocks can look preposterous all too soon. He’s rebuilt his stock outside the national spotlight. The visit of Oklahoma State and Mestemaker will mean a good number of NFL scouts will be in attendance, and he has a chance to impress.
More NFL Draft News:
- 2027 NFL Draft Watch: Evaluating Prospects in Week 6
- Biggest 2027 NFL Draft Risers Through the First Half of the Season
- 4 NFL Draft Risers From Week 6
Main Photo Courtesy of Joseph Maiorana – Imagn Images