With the 2026 NFL draft now done and passed, the ‘Canes have added nine new draft picks into the Pro-Cane-Pipeline, with multiple undrafted free agents finding homes as well. It was a successful multi-day period for the players, their families, and the University of Miami.
But people love to think about next year, and who am I to blame you? I’m feeding into those conversations right now, as you’re reading this.
Who are some of the players who I expect to have their name called in 2027, and where do I see their current draft stocks?
Side Notes: I believe WR, Malachi Toney, would immediately be a top ten pick as a sophomore in 2027. Also, any early entry on this list is merely a prediction.
Darian Mensah, QB, Redshirt Junior
Mensah will have two years of eligibility remaining. After Miami sent a number-one pick to the NFL by way of Cam Ward, and another selection on day two, in Carson Beck, I expect a similar result (one-and-done) for Mensah due to his pure talent.
Before Miami, Mensah was first at Tulane, and lastly at Duke, where he put up 3,973 yards, 34 passing TDs, one rushing TD, and completed 66.8% of his passes. Behind a better line at Miami, I expect Mensah’s arm talent to shine from cleaner pockets, displaying a solid arm, sufficient escapability, and a great feel for the position overall.
He seems to have put on good weight during the offseason, maybe larger than his listed 6’3, 205 pounds, and that should help put to bed some of the durability and frame concerns that have been mentioned before.
Draft Stock: 1st Round, Top 15.
Comparison: CJ Stroud.
Ahmad Moten Sr., DT, Redshirt Senior
A South Florida native, Moten flashes on tape non-freaking-stop at 6’3, 325 pounds.
He is constantly in the mix, shedding defenders, and applying a solid pass rush bag for an interior lineman. Once his hands are on the ballcarrier, there is often nowhere for them to go, especially with the swarming nature of defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman’s squad.
Moten, in all honesty, could have been an early day-two pick this year had he gone through the draft process, which is a testament to both Moten’s personality and sheer love for the program, but also the coaching staff.
He waited for his opportunity and took advantage of it to accumulate the stats he did this season. He put up nine TFLs and 4.5 sacks this last season, but also found himself in the opposing backfields nearly every time he was on the field.
Draft Stock: Mid-to-late 1st - Early 2nd Round
Comparison: Jalen Carter/Fletcher Cox.
Samson Okunlola, OL, Redshirt Junior
The “Pancake Honcho” was a five-star prospect coming out of high school in Massachusetts and has patiently waited for his turn at Miami, developing more and more every year. He finally got his chance at significant snaps last season, mostly at guard with Markel Bell and Francis Mauigoa holding down the tackle spots.
Okunlola, originally, was a tackle, but has displayed versatility and may very well see snaps at tackle this season, but will likely stick at the left guard position, where he played very well at times last year in rotation.
Because he’s primarily a guard, Okunlola may opt to use his final year of eligibility, which would bode well for the ‘Canes, but I see him as someone who may work himself into the early 2nd round, or into the late 1st round, this season.
Draft Stock: 2nd-3rd Round
Comparison: Kyle Long.
OJ Frederique Jr., CB, Junior
Frederique Jr. is a South Florida native, and as a three-star – and frankly, brilliant evaluation – started as a true freshman for Miami, in what was one of the better campaigns for a freshman cornerback in recent memory.
Ups and downs are expected for a young player, and those hit toward the end of his first year. He was a different animal this season. He did struggle, at times, but being on an island comes with a lot of eyes when the mistakes are made, which he made a few of.
The College Football Playoff run for the ‘Canes was, in large part, due to stifling defensive efforts, and Frederique Jr. was a massive part of those efforts. Many may remember some of the coverage reps against star WR, Jeremiah Smith.
Defensive backs can be hard to project sometimes, but I see a bright NFL future for Frederique Jr. Stats hardly tell the story with a great corner unless they are often tested, but he did record seven passes defended and 19 total tackles.
At 6’, 185 pounds, he has an NFL body type (something head coach Mario Cristobal loves to recruit) and will probably hear his name called early on due to his ability in press-man coverage.
Draft Stock: Late 1st Round - Early 2nd Round
Comparison: Jaylon Johnson.
Damari Brown, CB, Redshirt Junior
Damari Brown, another South Florida native, is the prototype at defensive back, especially in an aggressive defensive scheme that isn’t afraid to play bump-and-run coverage, stifling opposing receivers with strength, length, and technique.
Brown’s biggest concern throughout his time at Miami hasn’t been his talent. Rather, it has been his ability to stay on the field consistently, which is no fault of his own, but he has unfortunately struggled with injuries in his four years with the ‘Canes.
If he plays at “100%” (is anyone really 100% by midseason at any level of football?) this season, I expect him to see his draft stock continue to rise, as he is as toolsy as they come at corner, with a 6’2, 195-pound frame, and exceptional arm length (though measurements aren’t available).
Brown showcased a lot of his talent in a mostly healthy season in 2025 and wasn’t often thrown at directly when he was mirroring receivers. He recorded one pass defended and put up 24 total tackles. His physicality alone will put him on NFL radars, and maybe at more than one position.
Draft Stock: 3rd-4th Round
Comparison: Slightly lesser Stephon Gilmore.
Damon Wilson II, EDGE, Senior
Wilson II is a Florida native who began his career at Georgia and then at Missouri before coming to Miami. He’s a prototype pass rusher at 6’4 250 pounds with a violence to him that fits Miami’s playstyle, which was evident last season.
He brings explosiveness and a variety of pass-rush moves that got him nine sacks last year at Missouri, 9.5 TFLs, and even an interception. His main holdup can be his consistency and strength in run defense, but he is, by many accounts, a high-IQ player.
Wilson II was hailed as a 1st-round prospect at times last season and opted to stay in school as his stock wavered at points. Still, a solid senior season at Miami will firmly keep him in those talks, and under the tutelage of Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, I foresee that being the case.
Draft Stock: Late 1st Round
Comparison: Yannick Ngakoue.
Mark Fletcher Jr., RB, Senior
Fletcher Jr. has all the makings of a workhorse, but has only racked up 433 carries to date at Miami. Another South Florida native, he came out of American Heritage as a coveted recruit, once committed to Ohio State, before Mario pulled off the flip, per usual.
Fletcher Jr. put up 1332 total yards and 14 touchdowns this last season, and was a gigantic part of Miami’s success in the College Football Playoff. Frankly, I thought he was going to hear his name called on day two in the 2026 NFL Draft.
He opted to return to Miami, though, and the way Mario Cristobal prefers to rotate running backs, he’s never taken on a workload that would negatively affect his draft stock in any way, either.
The obvious strength as a runner by Fletcher Jr. at 6’2, 225 pounds, is his size and power, but he showed exceptional long-speed, better than average burst for his size, and improved vision this season.
His draft stock is not really indicative of how talented he really is, but backs are often taken much later in most drafts, with some exceptions, of course.
Draft Stock: 2nd-3rd Round
Comparison: An All-Pro version of Latavius Murray, but not quite Derrick Henry.
Justin Scott, DT, Junior
Justin Scott is like a dancing bear on the football field. Cliche, sure, but he is as nimble and explosive as you can get at his listed 6’4, 303 pounds.
Scott was a five-star coming out of Chicago, Illinois, and is another former Ohio State commit before Mario Cristobal does what he does best — flip players.
Last year was Scott’s first year with starter-level playing time, but he was a ready contributor as soon as he stepped on campus in Coral Gables. Last season, he put up 26 total tackles, 6.5 TFLs, and one sack. But stats really aren’t truly indicative of his presence on the interior; he was a menace to deal with and to run against.
Scott, from a pure measurables standpoint, is an imposing player, but I fully expect him to wreak havoc as a junior this season and find himself in discussions about being the first defensive tackle taken in 2027.
Draft Stock: 1st Round, Top 20
Comparison: Quinnen Williams, maybe some Gerald McCoy.
Mohamed Toure, LB, Eighth-Year Senior
Mohamed Toure has had an incredible journey thus far, coming from Rutgers and dealing with multiple significant injuries throughout his career. I think when you see eight years, it can be alarming to see, and think it may affect draft stock, but not Toure’s.
Toure, in his time at Rutgers, looked like he could have been an NFL linebacker after the “traditional” amount of time in school, but injuries obviously derailed that trajectory.
It can take a while to trust your body again, but Toure really began to find his groove again by the end of last season and led me to believe he’ll find his way onto an NFL roster. He’s a smart player, and physically, he holds more than enough athleticism to run sideline-to-sideline as a pro linebacker at 6’2, 235 pounds.
He recorded 84 total tackles, two sacks, three TFLs, and six passes defended in 2025, and I expect similar, if not better production in 2026, which will surprisingly only be his sixth season, and fifth full season (only two games as a freshman) despite his age.
Draft Stock: 6th-7th Round
Comparison: Kwon Alexander with some Sean Spence in his game.
Cooper Barkate, WR, Redshirt Senior
Beyond football, Cooper Barkate has built up one **** of an academic resume. He’s gone from Harvard to Duke, and now to Miami. But he’s also a ****-good football player, too.
Barkate isn’t going to wow you with burner speed, but he’s exceptionally good at getting open and can act as a serious threat despite not having elite-level speed, just because he’s that elusive as a route-runner.
He put up 1106 yards and seven touchdowns on 72 catches in 2025 with Duke and QB Darian Mensah. He’s going to be extremely productive at Miami, but with the depth the ‘Canes have, I’m not sure he’ll surpass those stats, though. I hope he does, that’d bode well for Miami.
Barkate probably would have been selected, or at least signed to an NFL roster, had he declared for the most recent draft, but he opted to follow Mensah to Miami and will likely improve his stock this year.
Draft Stock: 4th-5th Round
Comparison: Brian Hartline.
Other Possible Draft Picks/UDFAs:
- Marquise Lightfoot, EDGE, Junior
- Matthew McCoy, OT, Redshirt Senior
- Ethan O’Connor, CB, Redshirt Junior
- Xavier Lucas, DB, Junior
- Armondo Blount, DL, Junior
- Chase Smith, LB, Redshirt Senior
- CharMar Brown, RB, Redshirt Junior
The Miami Hurricanes will put out another deep, talented draft class this season, and admittedly, some of the names mentioned, or not mentioned, may stay, or have meteoric rises in their development, and it could grow even deeper.
The proof is now in the pudding. Mario Cristobal and his staff put players in the league, and they are high-level, high-impact players. This class may contain more first-round picks than 2026.
