The first week of the college football season is in the books, so it’s time for Future Hogs. This is a series of articles during the college football season that looks at draft-eligible players that could improve the Washington Commanders. I’ll feature players each week whose play stands out and how they could fit on the Commanders’ roster.
While opening weekend of the college football season featured lots of players and coaches at new schools, it didn’t feature many ranked-on-ranked matchups. The
only one, #9 Ole Miss and #24 Louisville, turned into a shootout where Ole Miss needed a walk-off field goal to get the victory. Louisville was the only team in the AP Top 25 to lose, but Michigan almost carried that distinction. The Wolverines needed a last-second hail mary to beat Western Michigan. Oregon won, but Boise State made it close. LSU punished an unranked Clemson team, leading to the question of whether the program is still among one of the best in the sport.
Week 2 will feature two major Big 10-SEC matchups. Michigan will look to improve as they host Oklahoma. The Sooners will go into Ann Arbor after a shutout win over UTEP. The highlight of the week will be Texas visiting the Horseshoe to face Ohio State. Last year’s matchup was a defensive battle that featured inexperienced QBs, but Arch Manning and Julian Sayin now have a season’s worth of starts under their belts. It should be an exciting game that features several NFL prospects.
Here are a few players who had a good week and might be able to help out the Commanders. Let me know what you think about these prospects and feel free to comment with players that stood out to you.
Lincoln Kienholz | QB | Senior | Louisville
Jayden Daniels is the unquestioned starter for the Commanders at QB. With the weapons he has in the passing game, he’ll bounce back from a disappointing, injury-filled sophomore season. The Commanders should consider adding talent at this position as backup Marcus Mariota, who was injured in the preseason, gets older. He’ll also be a free agent at the end of the season. Athan Kaliakmanis is QB3 and may move into the role of QB2 if Mariota doesn’t re-sign.
Lincoln Kienholz was a backup QB at Ohio State that transferred to Louisville. He is a talented runner at the position that is still developing as a passer. He missed several easy throws during Louisville’s loss to Ole Miss. What stood out most was that when he needed to be his best in the game, Kienholz stepped up. Kienholz made accurate throws on the move and decisive runs that kept the Cardinals alive. If he can play that way consistently, he’ll have a good chance of getting drafted in 2027. Kienholz would be an interesting developmental prospect behind Jayden Daniels. The 6’2”, 215 pound signal caller went 18 of 29 for 309 yards and two touchdowns through the air and 69 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Kamari Moulton | RB | Senior | Iowa
The Commanders look to have a running back by committee this season with Bill Croskey-Merritt getting the majority of carries, Rachaad White and Jeremy McNichols handling third downs, and Kaytron Allen in the role of big back. White and McNichols will be free agents after the season, so running back might need reinforcement again next offseason.
Kamari Moulton was prolific in the Hawkeyes’ victory over Northern Illinois. He was over 100 yards by the end of the first quarter. Iowa uses a lot of outside zone runs, and Moulton sticks his foot in the ground and bursts through the line of scrimmage. He can make quick cuts to find open space or avoid defenders. Once in the open field, Moulton can go the distance thanks to his speed. For a back that is 5’9”, 211 pounds, he should be a little better breaking tackles and dealing with contact. Moulton finished the game with 183 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries.
KJ Duff | WR | Junior | Rutgers
Rutgers took it on the chin in Week 1, losing to a UMass team that had lost 16 games in a row. Maybe they’re missing Athan Kaliakmanis. Nonetheless, KJ Duff is an NFL talent and their lead receiver. If you’re a person that thinks the Commanders need a big possession receiver with the strength to deal with press coverage, look no further than the 6’6”, 225 pound Duff. At that size, Duff has more agility and fluidity than you might expect. He also has some of the best hands out there. What Duff won’t give you is a lot of speed or yards after the catch. He had nine receptions, 196 yards, and three touchdowns in the Scarlet Knights’ loss to the Minutemen.
Jamari Johnson | TE | Redshirt Junior | Oregon
After signing Chig Okonkwo to join John Bates, Ben Sinnott, and Colson Yankoff, tight end should not be at the top of the list of needs for the Commanders. If offensive coordinator David Blough plans to use a lot of 12 personnel, having multiple talented tight ends will help the offense.
Jamari Johnson has a chance to be the first tight end drafted in 2027. Similar to his predecessor Kenyon Sadiq, Johnson is an athletic tight end that will make more of an impact as a receiver. His hands are solid, making some impressive catches, and he has some elusiveness and speed after the catch. At 6’5”, 255 pounds, it’d be nice to see him run through more contact. He blocks well and has a lot of experience with it because he played more inline while Sadiq was moved around the formation. Johnson had four catches for 57 yards and a touchdown in a win over Boise State.
Drew Bobo | C | Senior | Georgia
The Commanders’ center situation can be described many ways. I’ll say that the position is unsettled. Nick Allegretti will be the starter at the position despite relatively little experience at the position in the NFL. Behind him is sixth-rounder Matt Gulbin, a player I was high on leading up to the draft but is entirely unproven.
Drew Bobo, son of Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, should finish the college football season as one of the best center prospects in the country. A foot injury that required surgery ended his season last year, but he looks healthy to start the new season. The fifth-year senior is 6’5”, 305 pounds. Bobo is strong, usually controlling defenders once he gets his hands on them. Bobo also moves well at his size. Georgia uses gap/power concepts in the run game, but Bobo will pull on some of those plays. He also looks good on the few outside zone runs I saw. Bobo can play high which will be taken advantage of more often in the NFL. He helped lead Georgia to 660 total yards in their win over Tennessee State.
Jordan Ross | EDGE | Junior | LSU
Although Odafe Oweh is signed for several years, K’Lavon Chaisson, Charles Omenihu, and Dorance Armstrong all have contracts that expire after this season. Edge rusher will be less of a need if Joshua Josephs and Javontae Jean-Baptiste show they are more than rotational players.
LSU dominated Clemson in every phase of the game. On defense, Jordan Ross set the tone early. His pick-six solidified a lead for LSU, and they never looked back. A transfer from Tennessee and former teammate of Joshua Josephs, the 6’5”, 254 pounder looks like an outside linebacker for a 3-4 defense. Ross needs to refine his skills as a pass rusher and get stronger as he mostly relies on speed and athleticism for success. That speed and athleticism helps him drop in to coverage effectively. Ross had four tackles, one sack, and an interception returned for a touchdown.
Sammy Omosigho | LB | Senior | UCLA
After drafting Sonny Styles and signing Leo Chenal to a multi-year contract, linebacker should not be a huge need at the end of the season. Frankie Luvu will be a free agent, but reserves Jordan Magee, Kain Medrano, and Ale Kaho are on rookie contracts beyond this season.
Do the Commanders have enough athletic linebackers from UCLA? Maybe, but maybe not. A transfer from Oklahoma, Sammy Omosigho is an athletic linebacker listed at 6’2”, 239 pounds. He flies around the field to make plays at the line of scrimmage or dropping into coverage. He’s better moving forward and attacking the backfield, but moves well laterally. He is a good blitzer, but he’d be more versatile if he acquired some pass rush moves. If Frankie Luvu leaves after this season, Sammy Omosigho’s style of play may help fill that void. Omosigho had 14 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble in UCLA’s win over Cal.
DJ McKinney | CB | Senior | Notre Dame
With Trey Amos’ health a bit of a question, the hot and cold play of Mike Sainristil in coverage, and the reliance on free agent signings Rasul Douglas and Amik Robertson, cornerback could be the Commanders’ biggest need at the end of the season. What’s worse is even with a healthy complement of cornerbacks, the team may still need to find a CB1.
DJ McKinney transferring from Colorado to Notre Dame made arguably the Irish’s strongest position group that much better. He’s 6’1”, 190 pounds, so a good size and length for an NFL cornerback. McKinney’s footwork and movement skills allow him to play sticky man coverage. His speed looks sufficient to carry receivers deep downfield. He is an aware zone defender and can even bait QBs into bad throws. Despite a slimmer build, McKinney has no aversions to tackling. McKinney had a pick-six in Notre Dame’s win over Wisconsin.
Peyton Bowen | S | Senior | Oklahoma
It’ll be interesting to see how defensive coordinator Daronte Jones will use the Commanders’ safeties. There will likely be a lot of three safety looks with Nick Cross and Quan Martin joined by either Tyler Owens, Jeremy Reaves, or Percy Butler. Martin, Owens, and Butler will be free agents at the end of the season, so the team may look to the draft to improve the group.
Oklahoma’s Peyton Bowen, at 6’ and 204 pounds, makes his presence felt at all three levels of the defense. The speed looks average, but he arrives quickly from depth to make plays at the line of scrimmage. He has good range in deep coverage, but shouldn’t be relied on to play single-high. He’s at his best in zone with his eyes on the quarterback where he can break on passes. His hitting power is NFL-caliber, but it looks like he might have shorter arms that make it harder to wrap up and tackle. Bowen had four tackles, one for a loss, a forced fumble, and a PBU in the Sooners win over UTEP.
Which college players caught your eye in Week 1 and could help the Washington Commanders?
