As All-Juice Team moments go, this one might as well have a bronze statue.
Fourth-and-5 with 9:27 left in the national championship game — holding a collar-tightening 17-14 lead over the Miami Hurricanes — the Indiana Hoosiers went for it. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza took a shotgun snap at the Miami 19-yard line and inexplicably ran. But he didn’t just run. He cut right, jumped over an offensive lineman sprawled out throwing a block, caromed off two Miami defenders who had sandwiched Mendoza with a simultaneous hit at the 4-yard line, spun and dove into the end zone, stretching the ball and his torso over the goal line, where he got rocked in the back with another hit.
If you want a dictionary definition of what having all the juice means — epitomizing the standards of effort, attitude and performance — this was the moment.Thisplay, on the biggest stage, with the ball in the hands of the biggest rags-to-riches quarterback in college football, this is whyTerez Paylor came up with the All-Juice Team12 years ago. To honor not only the players with the talent and mentality and almost undefinable gravitas, but to recognize those among them who will lay everything they have on the line when everyone on their shoulders requires it.
That’s what Mendoza did on Jan. 19, completing arguably the most improbable story in college football history, while giving up every ounce of himself in a game that literally left several parts of his body bleeding.
On a team and in a process that has always sought quarterbacks who could lead and elevate the players around them, Mendoza’s inclusion became a no-brainer. With that in mind, we give you the 12th installment of the All-Juice Team, an annual continuation of seeking to creatively draft a college football team with a roster epitomizing players who blend elite levels of effort, attitude and performance.
Before we get to the team, a recap of Terez’s approach when choosing an All-Juice roster: The team is based on NFL talent evaluators and coaching staff feedback, choosing two players per “shelf,” building a full 22-man team plus one priority free agent. The one extra player is a shoutout to an earlier edition of one of Terez’s All-Juice teams where he added an extra defensive player to account for a nickel spot while also maintaining a traditional seven-man box. We have chosen to use the additional spot to add a preferred free agent who was put onto our radar by sources, putting this year’s selection in the offensive category despite his special teams designation.
With that in mind, enjoy the 12th annual All-Juice Team. As always, we hope Terez would have approved of the work. Here are the shelf breakdowns based on where each prospect was projected to go.
Please help us keep the memory of our late friend and colleague Terez Paylor alive and pick up one of theAll-Juice Team T-shirts or hoodies, with proceeds going toHoward Universityand theUniversity of Missouri. The funds will support a scholarship for journalism students in Terez’s name, helping to provide some of the same opportunities that Terez had on his trek to becoming an influential NFL reporter in Kansas City and on the national stage.
Top 10 picks
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana QBRueben Bain Jr., Miami Edge
Picks 11-20
Monroe Freeling, Georgia OTJordyn Tyson, Arizona State WR
Picks 21-32
Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State GKC Concepcion, Texas A&M WR
Top of Round 2
Blake Miller, Clemson OTCaleb Banks, Florida DT
Bottom of Round 2
Keionte Scott, Miami CBJacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech LB
Top of Round 3
Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State EdgeMike Washington Jr., Arkansas RB
Bottom of Round 3
Kyle Louis, Pittsburgh LBJake Slaughter, Florida C
Round 4
Bud Clark, TCU SDomani Jackson, Alabama CB
Round 5
Zane Durant, Penn State DTBrenen Thompson, Mississippi State WR
Round 6
Micah Morris, Georgia GWill Kacmarek, Ohio State TE
Round 7
Jakobe Thomas, Miami SJaden Dugger, Louisiana LB
Priority free agent
Jaffer Murphy, UTSA PK
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana (QB) — Captain
He went from a Yale commit to parlaying two seasons at Cal into a transfer to Indiana last season, where he smashed through his ceiling, throwing for 41 touchdowns and rushing for seven more. Mendoza has the quintessential size (6-foot-5 and 236 pounds) of a prototype quarterback, as well as the leadership qualities NFL teams love at the position. As mentioned in the All-Juice Team lead-in, his touchdown run against Miami in the national title win for the Hoosiers was a pure All-Juice moment. If you want to see how he ended up on this team, watch that championship game. It encapsulated Mendoza’s ability to take a beating and keep coming back, as well as make the critical play when it had to happen.
Even his critics laud his grit, with one high-ranking AFC executive who was nitpicking Mendoza at the scouting combine said, “He’s tough as s***. I can’t deny that.” An NFC executive, who voted for Mendoza’s All-Juice inclusion, added: “He’s big, smart and tough, and those are usually the kinds of quarterbacks who figure it out [on the NFL level].” Another talent evaluator likened his determination to last year’s No. 1 overall draft pick, Cam Ward, who like Mendoza waslargely a recruiting afterthought coming out of high schoolbut managed to claw his way to the top of NFL draft boards. That and his resiliency in the face of mistakes or adversity put Mendoza over the top for our All-Juice quarterback and the captain of our offense. —Robinson
Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas (RB)
Another transfer portal climber who leveled up from Buffalo to New Mexico State and finally Arkansas last season. Washington seemed to get better with each transfer, bringing it all together in 2025, when he ran for 1,070 yards and caught 28 passes for another 226. If you want to see a rep that will get you excited, check out his 22-yard touchdown run against Texas, when Washington lowered his shoulder and absolutely planted a Longhorns safety on his way to the end zone. That might have been his All-Juice highlight.
Washington produced some big games against big-time SEC opponents, despite playing on an Arkansas team that didn’t have much NFL talent around him. League talent evaluators who liked Washington see him as a potential three-down running back, even with some work to be done on his pass protections. He’s big (6-1 and 223 pounds) and left some jaws wagging at the combine with a 4.33 40-yard dash. He’s more of a one-cut-and-go player who fits a zone running scheme. An NFC talent evaluator likened him to a less nifty version of Jonathan Taylor. —Robinson
Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State (WR)
Tyson at his best might be the wide receiver in this class with the cleanest chance to grow into a true No. 1 receiver in the NFL. He has incredible ability at the catch point to leap over defensive backs and make plays in traffic and has enough juice when he’s healthy to be a threat in the open field. With Mendoza, Monroe Freeling and Tyson on the squad, the framework of a potential high-octane offense is here on the All-Juice team.
Tyson’s extensive injury history, including a hamstring ailment that plagued him during the season through the pre-draft workout circuit, will ding him on draft day, but if he can get healthy or stay healthier, there’s big-time potential here from a playmaker standpoint on the outside. —McDonald
KC Concepcion, Texas A&M (WR)
Yet another portal maximizer, Concepcion spent two seasons at North Carolina State before transferring to Texas A&M for the 2025 season, catching 61 passes for 919 yards and nine touchdowns. He can also be a lethal returner and was a first-team All-American as an all-purpose offensive player. He didn’t run a 40-yard dash at the scouting combine, but talent evaluators love his speed, especially against some NFL-level defensive backs. He dropped seven passes last season, but he showed up at the combine vowing to showcase his focus and impressed teams with his drill work. Check out his rep in the gauntlet from the combine. It was fast and clean and showcased his determination to fix the drop issues.
One evaluator billed Concepcion as a blend of Jayden Reed and some Luther Burden III, with an ability to play various roles in an offensive scheme and also provide big plays on special teams. “He doesn’t have to just be a slot player — he can definitely play all over and a little bit behind the line of scrimmage. You want to create ways to just get the balls in his hands and let him do his thing.” Concepcion also drew admiration from teams with a social media post standing up for individuals afflicted with speech impediments, after some fleabags made comments about Concepcion’s stutter during a podium appearance. “He’s a great kid,” an AFC evaluator said. “He was a lot of fun to meet with.” —Robinson
Brenen Thompson, Mississippi State (WR)
We had to find a top value receiver in the fifth round who does at least one thing well, and Thompson drew votes from talent evaluators because there’s no denying his straight line speed. He ran a blazing 4.26 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine — no surprise considering he also notched multiple 100-meter dashes that came in under the 10.4 second mark as a track athlete. He’s not big, coming in at 5-foot-9 and 164 pounds, but he’s also not going to be the type of NFL player who is asked to do a wide array of things. As one NFC area scout said, Thompson’s usage will be to “get deep and let you take big shots.” He did that in college, where he was another portal bouncer, going from Texas to Oklahoma to Mississippi State, where he blossomed with 57 catches for 1,054 yards and a gaudy 18.5 yards per catch.
Despite not having ideal size, he handled the load as the centerpiece of Mississippi State’s passing offense — and he put up numbers that stood out in the SEC. Interestingly, one evaluator noted that despite spending only one year in Starkville, Thompson was still lauded by the coaching staff for quickly becoming a leader in the locker room. Given that he only scratched his potential in 2025, he might have more ceiling to access with the right coaching staff. Check out his second game at Mississippi State against Arizona State. Everyone had an eye on Sun Devils wideout Jordyn Tyson and it was Thompson who stole the show. —Robinson
Will Kacmarek, Ohio State (TE)
Kacmarek came out of the weeds a bit when we were looking for a sixth-round tight end who offered good value and the ability to make a 53-man roster. Multiple personnel men pointed to Kacmarek, with one NFC West evaluator raving that Kacmarek will “crack your ass as a downfield blocker.” That’s the rub with him in his All-Juice role — he’s being selected for the team for being a high-end blocker in his class. Throw on the tape of his game against Michigan and you will see him rag-dolling a couple NFL-caliber defenders. The more you watch him as a blocker, the more you’ll really like him. And he’s unbothered with physical contact as a receiver, too, although he’s not the type who is going to run away from guys.
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While we took Kacmarek in the sixth, don’t be surprised if he ends up going a couple rounds higher. Some evaluators with the power to draft him were really high on him as essentially a player who can basically be a legit sixth offensive lineman with room to fill out as a physical and opportunistic pass catcher. Think a ceiling of Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington, who really started to come into his own as both a high-end blocker and sneaky target for Aaron Rodgers last season. While Kacmarek isn’t quite the athlete and doesn’t bring all of the size Washington does, you can see some of the same nasty physicality. Sign us up. —Robinson
Monroe Freeling, Georgia (LT/OT)
There might not be a more improved player in college football this past year than Freeling. Following a rough performance in the CFP against Notre Dame a year ago, he was able to right the ship and harness his unreal physical gifts to put himself in a position to be a first-round NFL Draft pick. To say Freeling is a good athlete would be underselling. Like many offensive tackles in this class, Freeling showed off elite measurables and then backed that up in the testing drills where he confirmed his status as a player dripping with the potential to become dominant in the NFL.
Freeling was a huge reason why Georgia’s rushing game had a resurgence in 2025, routinely showing off otherworldly athleticism and flexibility to be a weapon as a second-level blocker for the Bulldogs. He’s not done polishing his game, but his rapid improvement over the past year suggests he may reach that ceiling as he continues to grow. It’s not the most important piece of his talent evaluation, but the fact that Georgia put him on the punt team as the personal protector, lining up in the backfield, is wild because theoretically the Bulldogs would have trusted him to make a tackle in open space. Someone will roll the dice high and the recent rapid improvement should give confidence that he can continue to grow into a franchise left tackle. —McDonald
Blake Miller, Clemson (OT)
As the draft has approached, the idea of taking Miller at the top of the second round has gotten to be little more of a stretch, but that speaks to what he brings to the table. He has the size, weight and strength (32 bench reps at the scouting combine) of an ideal offensive tackle. A talent evaluator who framed Miller as “an instant starter” at the next level put us onto his tape versus All-Juice Team edge Dani Dennis-Sutton (and future high-round draft pick) when Clemson faced Penn State. It was superb. It completely lived up to what made Miller a high-end recruit and translated into a highly impressive 54 college starts. This is NOT one of the college offensive tackles who will need to be taught how to play the position in the NFL. He knows. He’s ready.
He’s smooth in his play and sets up in a way that showcases his 6-7, 317-pound frame and length. He’s got some nasty to him, too. He’s got a ton of length that is very obvious when you watch him. He’s been durable and handled blocking on a fairly balanced offense over the course of his collegiate career. An AFC evaluator who put Miller’s name on his All-Juice submission labeled him the most “steady” and “experienced” tackle in this draft, while noting the number of high-level games he’s played over his four years at Clemson. As that evaluator put it, “He started as a freshman and went four years in that lineup. Big, big program. That instantly catches my attention. I wish we had 20 of him in every draft. It just doesn’t happen.” —Robinson
Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State (LG/G)
Ioane stands out as a potential first-round offensive guard in a draft otherwise lacking elite interior offensive line talent. He possesses the athletic traits and "mean streak" necessary to succeed in the NFL. However, he needs to improve the consistency of his fundamentals. Paired with Freeling, Ioane forms the foundation of the All-Juice team's offensive line, offering significant physical upside and the ability to immediately create running lanes.
While theideaof Ioane might currently be more appealing than his present skill level, a common theme in this draft class, his upside is undeniably real, and offensive line importance is paramount. Due to the lack of competition among potential impact interior blockers, there's a strong chance Ioane is selected earlier than expected, as he has the potential to be one of those impact players. —McDonald
Micah Morris, Georgia (RG/G)
The overall interior offensive line depth is lacking in this year’s draft class, so we decided to take the super athletic, punishing guard from Georgia as a dart throw. Morris had a tremendous performance at the scouting combine, showing developable athletic traits in a 325-pound frame. He was a big reason for the resurgence of the Bulldogs’ run game and the plan is for him to do the same thing for the All-Juice Team. —McDonald
Jake Slaughter, C, Florida
A three-year starter and two-year captain who earned All-American honors his final two seasons at Florida, Slaughter anchored the Gators’ offensive line. He faced plenty of good defensive line talent during his career and is as pure as you can get from the center spot, taking all of his college snaps there. He got some reps at guard at the Senior Bowl but talent evaluators said he was most comfortable at center in practices. Basically, Slaughter is what he is positionally and we didn’t make this pick because he offers interior line flexibility. When we were looking for a middle-round center, Slaughter got a handful of votes from evaluators as a smart, consistent competitor who could end up being a player that an NFL team can plug into the starting lineup inside of his first two years and then not worry about the position for the next decade.
While he’s limited as an athlete, he makes up for it with the kind of football IQ that will allow him to make pre-snap reads and help set protections. Center is always a tricky pick for this team because it’s rarely packed with the best athletes and the upside that gives prospects the ability to relocate to guard in the NFL. Slaughter is a consistent technician who will have enough movement ability to play in most schemes, including zone-heavy looks. While he excelled in pass protection, he also comes from a program that had a balanced offense, making him a solid cog opening the point of attack in a running play. —Robinson
Jaffer Murphy, UTSA (PK)
The priority free agent (someone we think will be undrafted) is one of our favorite exercises on the All-Juice Team. There is NEVER a shortage of talent evaluators who have some hidden gem player they love for this spot. The best of which — in All-Juice history — was probably Carolina Panthers rising wideoutJalen Coker, who was tapped as our priority free agent in 2024on the advice of evaluators. Coker is now the standard for finding a player who can become a key and talented starter who didn’t require a draft pick. This is Terez Paylor’s legacy team and I can tell you confidently that finding a quality undrafted free-agent rookie would have been his pinnacle.
With that in mind, we give you Murphy, who is the first kicker in history to be added to the All-Juice team. An NFC evaluator first submitted him “just because he obliterated his pro day,” but we ended up with a handful of other NFL scouting sources concurring. Check any social media platform and you can find the Murphy hype. He ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash, an otherworldly 45-inch vertical and crushed 12 of his 13 field-goal attempts for scouts, including a 70-yarder that lit up the internet. Oh, and just for the full view, among those kicks he also converted from 57, 61 and 65 yards. He’s cut out of marble and appears to have a tremendously high ceiling for whatever team wants to devote the time and patience. UTSA used him as only its kickoff specialist, taking advantage of his cannon leg. You want a player with an wild ceiling who requires just coaching and to make football his life’s primary priority? This is the guy. —Robinson
Rueben Bain Jr., Miami (EDGE) — Captain
Bain burst into national stardom this past college season as the anchor on one of the best defenses of 2025, blowing up offensive lines en route to a tightly contested loss to Indiana in the national championship game. Bain’s performance in the College Football Playoff showed why he’s going to be among the first names drafted this month. There have beenquestions about his arm lengthand this weekend a report surfaced on hisinvolvement in a fatal auto accident in 2024. It’s unclear how the latter will affect his draft standing, although multiple media reports have indicated the incident is widely known among NFL teams. As for his on-field shortcomings over his arm length and how that will translate to the next level, he’s already shown enough elite skills to overcome those perceived setbacks at a high level.
Bain didn’t test in the standard drills that measure athleticism, but he is seriously athletic and powerful with the way he’s equally effective against the run and pass. He’s probably going to be a classic “hand in the dirt” defensive end in the NFL, but that shouldn’t hurt him too much on draft day.
It’s hard to find players with an all-around game this strong, and he should be an impact player from Day 1 for his new NFL team. —McDonald
Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State (EDGE)
Sensing a theme here for the All-Juice team defensive linemen this year? Dennis-Sutton is another twitched-up athlete who quietly has checked a lot of boxes that teams look for in top defensive line prospects. Dennis-Sutton is a rarity in today’s college football landscape: a non-redshirt, four-year contributor for a major college football program. Dennis-Sutton played in 55 games for the Nittany Lions, racking up 25 tackles for loss and 17 sacks over his final two seasons.
At the scouting combine, he ran a 4.63 40-yard dash, jumped 39.5 inches in the vertical jump and had elite scores in the broad jump and three-cone drill — at 6-6 and nearly 260 pounds. That’s the athletic profile of a Pro Bowl defensive lineman, with big-school experience without the higher-end age we normally see from prospects who play this many collegiate games. This could be a serious diamond in the rough, and with the right defensive line coach, Dennis-Sutton could wind up being a long-term starter in the NFL. —McDonald
Caleb Banks, Florida (DT)
Banks has one of the most fascinating profiles this year. He had very little production last year at Florida while he was dealing with an injury, playing in only three games and finishing with two sacks. However, there’s a reason why Banks is being discussed as a potential first-round pick. First, his athleticism is out of this world. Even with a broken foot, he put together an incredible performance at the NFL scouting combine and had several elite performances in the drills to showcase his athleticism at 6-6 and nearly 330 pounds.
Beyond the athleticism, Banks has the conceptual abilities to understand exactly what offensive lines are throwing at him, including the techniques required to defeat blocks and disengage within the defense’s structure. Unfortunately, he is not a good enough tackler to take advantage of the penetration that he’s able to generate for himself. In the three games he played last season, he set himself up for a litany of tackles in the backfield that he didn’t finish. Health and tackling aren’t exactly small things to sneeze at, but he does so many things well as a player that someone will roll the dice with a substantial draft investment. —McDonald
Zane Durant, Penn State (DT)
Another Penn State player! Durant was another winner from the scouting combine, running a 4.75 40-yard dash and showing off elite athleticism that put him on the map as far as notable defensive line prospects this year. Durant doesn’t have great production given his athletic profile, but there’s enough on tape where there’s a realistic shot for him to grow into a consistently playable rotation piece with upside as a playmaker. —McDonald
Kyle Louis, Pittsburgh (LB)
Is he a true linebacker? Or is he a big inside-the-box safety? Whatever team drafts Louis is going to have to figure that out for themselves. That means whoever drafts Louis likely has a plan for him. Think of the Nick Emmanwori conversation we were having at this time last year. GREAT player, but what do we do with him given his size and skills? This is very much a similar conversation about Louis this season.
As one talent evaluator offered when promoting Louis as an All-Juice linebacker, “[He] can cover in a passing situation like he’s a [defensive back]. You will have to work to figure out what he is in your setup, but it will be worth it. We’ll be talking about him a couple years from now.” Whatever the scenario, Louis has shown he can adapt. Picking off passes in coverage, tackling, sacks, tackles for a loss, he has illustrated an ability to do whatever is asked. —Robinson
Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech (LB)
A former quarterback who plays his linebacker spot like you’d think a former quarterback would: super instinctive but also with the ability to diagnose what’s happening before it unfolds. He was one of the top All-Juice vote-getters, with talent evaluators simply loving his football IQ and nonstop motor. An NFC scout said Rodriguez “isn’t a super elite athlete, but he cranks out production and doesn’t have a lot of wasted snaps getting caught up in trash.” Maybe the only weakness in his game is the spare few instances that he gets matched up in man coverage, but evaluators felt like he put together some clean reps in that area during a good week at the Senior Bowl.
He was essentially a starter for his last three years at Texas Tech and dominated the awards circuit, taking home the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Butkus Award, the Lombardi Award, the Chuck Bednarik Award, Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, first-team All-American — you name it, and he won it. He was also fifth in Heisman voting. If you want to watch some fun tape, throw on his game against Utah from September. He was everywhere. The guy is a machine and easily could have been the All-Juice defensive captain. —Robinson
Jaden Dugger, LB, Louisiana
We needed to fill out our linebacking unit with an end-of-the-draft type of pick and Dugger got a few votes as a late-round or undrafted gem with an ability to make a roster. At nearly 6-foot-5 with a big wingspan, his stature is long and he has a physique that will remind you of brick house basketball type of player. He played safety at Georgetown before transferring to Louisiana, where he eventually converted to linebacker. He’s still rounding into the position, but we liked him for a ceiling that has yet to be tapped.
He had a good week of practice at the Shrine Bowl, where it was evident he’s still very raw at his position. But talent evaluators noted he is hard to miss on tape against some programs with better overall talent. If you want to see a game where Dugger was all over the place, pull up his tape against Missouri last season. He flashed a little bit of everything in a game where his team was completely outmatched. —Robinson
Keionte Scott, Miami (CB)
It’s somewhat of a trope, but it’s good to find defensive backs with a nose for the ball. Scott is an older prospect, who will turn 25 during his rookie training camp, but he was a real force in the slot for Miami’s championship-caliber defense this past season. The former JUCO and Auburn product immediately turned into a game-changing playmaker for the Hurricanes and followed up his impressive season with a strong performance at Miami’s Pro Day.
If outlier age wasn’t a factor here, Scott would likely be among the first 32 players drafted later this month, but someone might wind up getting real value here if he can slide into the starting lineup of his new team. Any team that has the outside cornerback spots locked down should be trying to get hands on Scott to complete a trio that can carry a defense. —McDonald
Domani Jackson, Alabama (CB)
After being one of the most touted high school football prospects in the country during his recruitment, Jackson started to live up to that reputation over his two years at Alabama. At USC, he didn’t find his groove (like most defensive players there during the Alex Grinch era), but he was productive for the Crimson Tide, having his most outstanding year in 2024 as a junior. Considering he was talented enough to be considered afive-star cornerback prospect, and improved mightily with better coaching at Alabama, there's a real chance that he continues to grow into a capable NFL starter. —McDonald
Jakobe Thomas, Miami (S)
Thomas had a productive season on the back end of Miami’s defense and might be able to contribute as a special teamer and a third safety in the NFL. The fifth-year senior had the most productive season of his college career with five interceptions, six passes defended, two forced fumbles and 3.5 sacks. He has the size to be a contributor as an overhang/slot type of defender, but the lack of top-end speed is probably going to push him down the draft board. That may end up working in favor for the team that ends up taking Thomas because he can be productive when he’s placed in the right spots to take advantage of his strengths. —McDonald
Bud Clark, S, TCU
It might be a bit of a stretch to tap Clark in the fourth round. Don’t be surprised if he goes at least a full round earlier. A few talent evaluators floated Clark for the All-Juice Team for the versatility they see in him, with an ability to potentially cover the slot at the next level. Operating from safety, he got high marks for his balance against the pass and run. “He’s got a knack for playing the ball really well,” an AFC personnel man said. “Whether it’s skill or just intuition as a defender, he knows how to get a hand on the ball and be disruptive.”
He led FBS in interceptions over the last three years, notching 15. But he lives up to the free safety role, putting the wood to runners, too. If you want to see an impressive interception that shows his awareness, pull up his pick against Colorado in October. Trailing 14-7, he was operating in space while flowing across the field into the flat and perfectly anticipated a throw and stabbed an interception that looked like it could have been a catch-and-run touchdown to a wideout running behind Clark. The moment helped turn the game, which ultimately became a 35-21 TCU win. —Robinson
