Jordan Reid says NFL evaluators are coming around on Trinidad Chambliss’ size, and he compares Tennessee defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam to a 2025 first-round pick, in the Week 7 college notebook he and Mel Kiper Jr. posted on Sunday, October 18.
It followed one of the wildest Saturdays of the season. Georgia, Notre Dame, Indiana, Alabama and Texas, ranked first, second, fifth, sixth and seventh, all lost. The pair go through the college slate each week with a 2027 draft lens, and this edition is heavy on prospects moving up.
Chambliss: “an exception to the rule”
Chambliss is listed at 6 feet and 205 pounds and will be a 25-year-old rookie. Reid says scouts were “pretty mixed” on that coming into the season, with “plenty of skepticism,” but that in talks with evaluators over the past two weeks “the consensus has gone more toward him being an exception to the rule because of his consistent ability to overcome adversity.”
“Chambliss is simply a gamer; nothing fazes him,” Reid wrote after the Ole Miss quarterback threw for 241 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a fourth against Missouri. “I still believe that Chambliss will be selected in Round 1, and more teams will see him as a blend of Bryce Young and Russell Wilson from a skill set standpoint.” Kiper already has him sixth overall and third among quarterbacks on his first 2027 Big Board.
Gilliam “arguably playing like the best defender in the country”
Reid watched Tennessee’s win over Alabama in person, his second live look at Gilliam this season after the Texas game. The 6-foot-2, 305-pounder “wasn’t really on my radar coming into the season,” he wrote, but now “he’s arguably playing like the best defender in the country.” His first-step quickness, explosiveness and constant disruption remind Reid of Walter Nolen III, who went 16th overall in 2025. Gilliam had half a tackle for loss, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery against the Crimson Tide. Kiper ranks him the No. 2 defensive tackle in the class behind Ole Miss’ Will Echoles.
Two more Volunteers caught Reid’s eye. Safety Dejuan Lane, a Penn State transfer, has thrived in Jim Knowles’ defense, and edge rusher Tyree Weathersby has 5.5 sacks in his past four games after one in his career before this season. Reid puts both “firmly in the middle-round picture.”
Becker’s WR2 case, and an Indiana corner
Indiana lost to Ohio State, but Charlie Becker caught nine passes for 165 yards and showed a wider set of routes than in the first six games, when he was mostly a deep threat. Reid wrote that Becker “continues to make a strong case for WR2 in this class” behind Jeremiah Smith and “has top-15-pick potential.”
Kiper singled out Hoosiers cornerback Jamari Sharpe, 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, who is comfortable in man or off coverage. “I love how comfortable Sharpe is with his back to the QB,” he wrote. The only blemish was a touchdown on which Sharpe had the receiver covered but did not find the ball. “Sharpe is looking like a second-round pick.”
Day 2 and Day 3 risers
| Prospect | Pos. | School | Who noted him | Grade or projection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trinidad Chambliss | QB | Ole Miss | Reid | Still a Round 1 pick; skill set like Bryce Young and Russell Wilson |
| Xavier Gilliam | DT | Tennessee | Reid | Compared to Walter Nolen III (No. 16 in 2025) |
| Charlie Becker | WR | Indiana | Reid | Top-15-pick potential; WR2 case behind Jeremiah Smith |
| Jamari Sharpe | CB | Indiana | Kiper | Looking like a second-round pick |
| Kewan Lacy | RB | Ole Miss | Kiper | Third-round grade |
| Amare Thomas | WR | Houston | Reid | Top-100 prospect for scouts he spoke to |
| Sammy Omosigho | LB | UCLA | Reid, Kiper | Strong Day 2 grade |
| Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace | EDGE | Kentucky | Reid | Fringe Round 3 grade |
| Tavion Gadson | DT | Kentucky | Kiper | Probably a second- or third-rounder |
| Dejuan Lane | S | Tennessee | Reid | Middle rounds |
| Tyree Weathersby | EDGE | Tennessee | Reid | Middle rounds; 5.5 sacks in four games |
Kiper said Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy “sort of made everything go” against Missouri with 122 yards on 16 carries and gave him a third-round grade. Reid said Houston receiver Amare Thomas, who had seven catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns against Oklahoma State, came into the year with early-to-mid Day 3 grades, but “scouts that I’ve talked to have him graded as a top-100 prospect now.”
UCLA linebacker Sammy Omosigho, an Oklahoma transfer with five forced fumbles, had another standout game against Wisconsin. Reid says Georgia’s Chris Cole is “the clear top linebacker in the class” but evaluators are split on who is next, and he calls Omosigho “a huge stock-up candidate with a strong Day 2 grade.” Kiper added that he likes his versatility, with UCLA using him both off the ball and on the edge.
At Kentucky, Reid has edge rusher Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace on the fringe of Round 3 after three sacks in three games, including 1.5 against Oklahoma. “Great call, Jordan,” Kiper replied, before pointing to defensive tackle Tavion Gadson, who also had 1.5 sacks in that game. At 6-foot-5 and 303 pounds, Gadson “moves like he’s 260,” Kiper wrote, and is “probably a second- or third-rounder.”
For how the pair saw the previous week, including Reid’s Day 2 grade on Arch Manning, see their Week 6 notes.
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