College football season has hit its stride, so players are settling into their new schools and roles now that conference games are in full swing. That means that the Las Vegas Raiders can now evaluate the 2027 NFL Draft class more earnestly, without fluke games against inferior opponents tainting things.
Most of Raider Nation has the draft buried in the back of their mind amid a 3-0 start and with the Kansas City Chiefs on tap in Week 4. But to continue with our holistic approach to covering this team, we will do the research and make it easy for you all to know next year's prospects come spring.
It wasn't a tremendous week for wide receivers at the college level, unless you want us to continue rambling on about the generational Jeremiah Smith, who Las Vegas is already out of position for with three wins. But several players proved that the Silver and Black should have eyes on them in Week 5.
Anthony Evans III, WR, Mississippi State
Evans doesn't have prototypical No. 1 wide receiver size, but at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, Klint Kubiak could surely work with him. He dominated a good Alabama secondary on Saturday with 12 catches for 166 yards and 2 touchdowns, operating mainly out of the slot.
He is a significant deep threat, as Evans' average depth of target was 11.7 yards, and he racked up 69 yards after the catch against the Crimson Tide. The high school track star had a 45-yard touchdown as well, racing past the Alabama defense using pure speed up the seam.
Luke Montgomery, G, Ohio State
Montgomery is a big guard prospect at 6-foot-5 and 313 pounds. He continues to be a stalwart on the Buckeyes' offensive line; against Iowa on Saturday, he did not give up a pressure for the third straight contest. In the run game, Montgomery paved lanes in both zone and gap concepts.
Dejuan Lane, SAF, Tennessee
Lane is a big and versatile safety with ball skills, which sounds like Rob Leonard's dream. At 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, Lane can play both safety spots and occasionally line up in the slot or on the edge. He also has good special teams experience.
On Saturday against Auburn, Lane had nine tackles, including six solo, 2.0 sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss, five stops and an interception that he returned for 32 yards. Lane also gave up just three catches for 13 yards, so it was a dominant SEC showing for him.
Luke Talich, SAF, Notre Dame
Talich is a lot like Lane: big and versatile with some special teams chops. At 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds, the Notre Dame defensive back logged snaps deep, in the box, in the slot and out wide against North Carolina, and he had a tremendous showing.
Although his three tackles and one for a loss don't jump off the page, Talich also made three stops and picked off a pass. His coverage was tremendous, giving up just three catches for a measly 7 yards. Talich is allowing just a 52.5 passer rating when targeted this year and helps against the run.
Santana Hopper, DT, Colorado
Colorado got slaughtered by Texas Tech, but Hopper was a bright spot for the Buffaloes. He had 10 tackles, including five for a loss, and recorded six pressures and a quarterback hit. Hopper can slide to the nose a bit as well at the college level, but he'd purely be a 3-tech in the NFL at 265 pounds.
Weekly Studs
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