James Foster's Week 1 Scouting Notebook and Film Room

Every week this season, I’ll be breaking down the key performances from draftable prospects across the country. With Week 1 tape study complete, here are my thoughts and takeaways. I’ve grouped each player into tiers based on how I rated their performance.

This story contains significant video content. On mobile, this may cause some difficulty for users. If so, consider accessing the site via desktop.

After two years at left tackle, Anthonie Knapp made his first career start at left guard and had the best individual performance of the week. He entered the season as a top-40 player on my board but is rapidly ascending to a strong first-round grade.

Knapp played with excellent hand placement and strike timing in pass pro, producing teach tape-caliber reps with a wide range of techniques. He used the flash-bait to draw out moves prematurely before clamping his opponent with a firm punch. Knapp’s heavy hands and elite grip strength allow him to end reps on first contact. His independent hand usage is top-tier, and he could have won most of his reps with one hand tied behind his back.

The biggest negative to his game was referee error; Knapp was incorrectly penalized for using a snatch-trap. He got his outside edge pried open once by a long-arm, but his anchor was incredibly sturdy for the most part. He has the hip-sink and ankle flexion to curb speed-to-power and uses upward strikes to lift his opponent’s pads and create leverage. When he didn’t have a one-on-one matchup, he looked for work and helped out his teammates.

Knapp was equally dominant in the run game, clearing out enormous lanes on stretch/wide zone. He has exceptional torque as a zone blocker to uproot defenders or leverage them out of gaps. He took a perfect angle to the second level and sprung an explosive run. His nasty demeanor was on full display, and he routinely finished blocks in both phases.

Darian Mensah posted a nearly flawless stat line (27/30, 400 yds, 5 TD, 0 INT) vs. Stanford, establishing himself as a Heisman frontrunner and potential first-round pick. Because of his lack of arm talent and athleticism, I’m still skeptical of his NFL upside, but if he maintains this level of play against better competition, I’ll be forced to reconsider.

He threw with good timing and anticipation, although it wasn’t hard to anticipate Malachi Toney getting open on sail routes vs. single coverage. His touch and ball placement were excellent, and he repeatedly delivered while taking a hit. He didn't have to move off of his first read very often, and Stanford refused to deviate from their questionable strategy of playing man coverage every snap.

In just 28 snaps, Francis Brewu recorded four pressures, a sack, and two run stops. I expect his playing time to increase, as he’s clearly Notre Dame’s most talented and impactful interior defender. He launches out of his stance and crosses the guard’s face in a blur. He has the burst to win the outside track from a 1-tech alignment and the arc speed and bend to finish quick wins.

He’s a skilled hand-fighter with a clean rip move to clear the edge. When a blocker makes early contact, he uses a push-pull to soften his grip & disengage. He usually had run-first responsibilities but was able to transition to counters and apply late pressure. His secondary moves are instinctive and precisely executed. While he has rare juice as a speed rusher, he didn’t show much of a power profile in this game.

At 280 lbs, Brewu will be physically outmatched on early downs at the next level. However, his Week 1 run defense tape was outstanding. He beat a double team with a textbook corkscrew technique and made a stop for a short gain. On this rep (play #3 in the cutup), he dropped his post leg and hit an absurd shin angle, allowing him to establish leverage and withstand the combo.

Arch Manning was very crisp in Week 1, which should be expected against G5 competition. The most encouraging aspect of his performance was how consistent his footwork and mechanics looked compared to last season. His ball placement was sharp at every level of the field, and he didn’t have any technical lapses that caused him to spray easy passes.

While he made a few tough throws under pressure, he usually had plenty of time in the pocket and was able to focus solely on execution. It’s critical that he maintains this improvement against better competition with fiercer pass rushes. He stared down a Stick Nod and threw a rough interception in the red zone, but corrected this later in the game, using his eyes to manipulate the split safety and create space for the in-breaker.

Deuce Alexander posted his first 100-yard receiving performance vs. Louisville, catching two 62-yard touchdowns and establishing himself as one of the most dangerous vertical threats in college football. He has elite speed and acceleration to stack man coverage or burn pursuit angles after the catch.

On his first touchdown, he caught a deep over, instantly hit the jets, and left multiple defenders in the dust. A couple of drives later, he burned press-man down the sideline and tracked the ball over his shoulder for his second score. He used a filthy rocker step to uncover on a deep post but wasn’t targeted. His route tree consists almost entirely of verticals and stops. He understands how to attack blind spots vs. Cover-3 corners, but occasionally stumbles when attempting to sharply decelerate.

I wasn’t impressed by D.J. McKinney’s Colorado tape, but he’ll convert me into a believer with a few more performances like this. McKinney excelled in press-man, off-man, and zone coverage. He has a firm punch and patient footwork at the line of scrimmage, and his light backpedal and easy vertical transitions allow him to match the entire route tree from depth.

He read and played a post/wheel concept perfectly, carrying #1 vertical, driving on the wheel from #2, and breaking up the pass. He also got a pick-six on an overthrown stop route, which was more of an offensive error than great defensive play.

Oregon had another sloppy season opener, but Dante Moore wasn’t the problem. His ball velocity seems to have improved from last season, as stop routes from the far hash arrived a beat earlier. He identified a Cover-3 rotation, held the safety with his eyes, and hit Jamari Johnson down the seam for a touchdown, but sprayed another seam touchdown opportunity near the red zone.

He made an accurate throw down the deep sideline and hit a wheel route in a tight window with perfect ball placement. He was late to progress to a backside dig and missed the open window, resulting in an incompletion.

Chambliss’ Week 1 performance was a tale of two halves. After a rocky start, he eventually found his footing and willed his team to victory. For a 5117 quarterback [Editor’s Note: this means 5’11⅞”], he has a rare ability to see and attack the middle of the field. Early in the game, however, his anticipation and spatial awareness were lacking. He misjudged the linebacker’s angle and telegraphed a deep stop, resulting in an interception. He also got away with an interceptable pass on a Sail concept.

But in the second half, Chambliss did a much better job using his eyes to manipulate underneath zone defenders and hit several impressive backside digs. As per usual, he generated enough zip to hit curls and out-breakers from the far hash. He threw with consistent ball placement down the seam and deep sideline but sprayed a couple of short/intermediate throws. He also showed his elite escapability against a talented group of edge rushers. He ran the ball well but lost a fumble on QB power.

I didn’t watch Amare Thomas over the summer, but he made a great first impression in Week 1, recording eight receptions, 133 yards, and a touchdown. He made a spectacular contested catch on a slot fade, working back to the ball through contact. But he also dropped a pass that could have easily resulted in an interception.

His contact balance, creativity, and reactive athleticism make him difficult to bring down after the catch. He bounces off of tackle attempts, spins away from reckless pursuit angles, and stiff-arms smaller defenders in the flat. His route running is unrefined, plagued by rounded cuts, inefficient footwork, and a poor feel for setting up his breaks. However, he has decent lateral quickness and could develop into a capable intermediate separator with more technical polish. Against zone, Thomas showed very good coverage IQ and spatial awareness. He’s also a physical run blocker who can be trusted at the point of attack.

A former five-star recruit, Samson Okunlola wasn’t able to crack the starting lineup until his fourth year at Miami. He played 493 snaps in 2025 as a rotational guard, and his drive power and anchor caught my attention. But his first career start at left tackle was eye-opening, and it’s easy to envision him playing his way into the first round.

Okunlola has rare foot speed for a 330-lbs tackle. His pass sets are explosive and repeatable, and he reaches his set points with time to read the opponent’s move and brace for contact. He showed the ability to open his hips and expand his set points, but I’ll need to verify his pocket range against better competition, as Stanford has one of the most juiceless edge rotations in the Power-4. He also has adequate slide quickness to redirect with inside moves, and he pairs that with a heavy but precise outside hand punch and arresting grip strength to stay connected through counter moves, though he needs to refine his scattershot inside hand placement.

He didn't create as much displacement off the line of scrimmage as he did last year and got stood up on the frontside of wide zone several times. But he used his powerful upper body to uproot edge defenders and widen the B-gap when he couldn’t drive them with his legs. He launches smaller targets into orbit when he connects, but whiffed on a few blocks in open space.

I was very impressed with Boubacar Traore’s Week 1 tape. He looks stronger and more athletic than he did last year, and his pass-rush plan was noticeably more refined. He recorded seven pass-rush wins with a variety of moves, including a cross-chop, hook-rip, and long-arm. He also dusted the right tackle with his signature outside spin.

He tried this move a second time but didn't present a convincing enough threat towards the B-gap to shorten the corner. He attacks run blocks with heavy hands and has a stingy anchor at the point of attack. He made an incredible one-armed TFL while being held. He beat a double team but missed the tackle in the backfield.

Buy Jordan Ross stock while you still can. As a rotational player at Tennessee, Ross flashed the athletic traits that made him a five-star recruit. But in his first career start, he confirmed that he should be taken seriously as a top-50 prospect. He got a pick-six dropping into zone coverage and looked like an off-ball linebacker on his way to the end zone.

Ross further showcased his elite athleticism through his closing burst on an unblocked sack and TFL. He won the outside track cleanly with a cross-chop and beat the right tackle with a long-arm, but struggled to push the left side of the pocket. Adding weight will be critical for the next level, though he had an impressive stack-and-shed rep vs. a tight end.

E.J. Lightsey doesn’t have much hype at this point, but I’m intrigued by the upside he showed in Week 1. He has thunderous hands to jolt blockers and shed cleanly. He’s patient and disciplined, avoiding false steps or overpursuit, but his eyes are underdeveloped, and he was at times a beat late to key and trigger.

Matt Rose was one of the few Stanford defenders who looked like he belonged on the field with Miami. He keys and triggers quickly in the run game, and has a good feel for weaving or slipping around blocks. While he didn’t have any direct take-on reps in this game, he diagnosed quickly enough to stay ahead of the block development.

Aside from two missed tackles, Rose had a very strong performance in run support and was a major reason Miami struggled to move the ball on the ground. He ran with Cooper Barkate on a deep over, maintaining leverage all the way to the sideline. He needs to speed up his reaction to slide/flat routes, however.

TJ Dottery stuffed the stat sheet in Week 1, recording three stops, five pressures, and a pass breakup. He abruptly identifies the blocking scheme, fits his gap in run support, and has a relentless motor and very good pursuit speed from the backside.

But he wasn't asked to take on many blocks, and might struggle to play through contact at 228 lbs. For the most part, he plays with good spacing and leverage in his zone drops, though he abandoned the hook-curl when the quarterback broke the pocket and would've allowed a third-down conversion if the throw was accurate. He picked up and leveraged a deep over perfectly in zone coverage but dropped the interception. Most of his pressures were unblocked, but he got a clean win vs. Clemson’s right guard with a euro-step crossover.

Over the summer, I viewed Leonard Moore as a nearly perfect cornerback prospect, with tackling and run defense as his only minor weaknesses. But he seems to have identified and addressed those issues over the offseason. This was the best run-support performance of his career. He had a career-high four stop tackles and played with more physicality and discipline than I’ve seen from him.

He broke up a back shoulder fade and almost came down with a spectacular interception. The fake jam remains an effective changeup in press-man, letting him disrupt the timing of the release without overextending. He played with good eye discipline vs. play action, staying connected to his assignment rather than biting on the play fake. But he struggled to match stop routes and decelerate without losing his footing.