The 2025 NFL Draft had some shocking twists and turns, and one that stood out the most was Colorado star quarterback Shedeur Sanders falling to the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round. A key reason Sanders fell was that the New Orleans Saints drafted former Louisville Cardinals star quarterback Tyler Shough.
Now, experts are shifting their analysis from 2025 to 2026 and are already ranking the best players available. Pro Football Focus recently put out a watch list for the 2026 NFL Draft and shined a bright light on the underclassmen for every position.
The Cardinals' Adonijah Green was the only player to earn recognition on this list, as he received high praise from PFF.
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Green was able to showcase why he was recruited so high in 2023, as the 4-star recruit was Louisville football's highest-rated commit in the 2023 cycle. He was ranked as high as No. 159 nationally, No. 21 in his position, and No. 14 inR the state of Georgia.
His production at Louisville started slowly in his freshman season, as he played in only four games, but he was able to redshirt. He played in the first three games of the season and against USC in the Holiday Bowl, logging three total tackles, including two solos.
Green then took a massive step forward, playing in all 13 games last season for Jeff Brohm and logging 12 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, and 1.0 sacks. He was able to earn three tackles in three separate games, including his best game against Virginia, when he logged three tackles and a sack.
""Adonijah Green has played just 201 snaps in two years, but he showed promise with a 76.6 PFF pass-rush grade and 20.4% pass-rush win rate in 2024, with the latter ranking 17th among all college football edge defenders.""PFF
The three other edge rushers listed by PFF on their 2026 NFL Draft underclassman watch list were Matayo Uiagalelei (Oregon), Keldric Faulk (Auburn), Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami FL.), and T.J. Parker from Clemson.
Related: Latest rankings pours cold water on Louisville football's ACC Title hype train
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