Projecting Louisville's 2026 NFL Draft Class

We might be just a few days removed from the 2025 NFL Draft, but it's never too early to start looking ahead to next year.

The Louisville football program might not have been able to make a return trip to the ACC Championship Game, but year two under head coach Jeff Brohm still resulted in a 9-4 campaign, as well as their first bowl win since 2022. While several talented playmakers from last year's squad have departed, the Cardinals are certainly not lacking any talent heading into 2025, and multiple players have a very real chance to play themselves into a draft pick.

Here are some current Cardinals who are the most likely to be selected in the 2024 NFL Draft:

Top Candidates:

Wide Receiver Chris Bell

Bell has taken substantial strides forward in each of the past two offseasons, and now that he is taking over as WR1 for his senior season, he could be one of the best receivers in the ACC. He's coming off of a junior campaign where caught 43 passes for 737 yards and four touchdowns, all of which were career-highs.

Linebacker Stanquan Clark

Few players on Louisville's roster have as much raw talent and upside as Clark has, and that very well could turn him into a high round draft pick next year. Following a true freshman campaign where he saw plenty of on-field run, he broke out last season, logging 76 tackles, eight for loss, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.

Wide Receiver Caullin Lacy

Lacy is coming off of a year in which he was significantly limited by a collarbone injury (hence the reasoning for his later opt-out and redshirt), but when healthy, he is one of the most prolific receivers in college football. In 2023 while at South Alabama, he caught 91 passes for 1,316 yards and seven touchdowns, and has shown this version of himself in spring ball.

Other Names to Watch:

Safety JoJo Evans

Evans was one of Louisville's top transfer portal pickups during the winter window, and for good reason. Last season at FIU, the First-Team All-Conference USA safety logged 93 tackles, three for loss, two picks, seven pass breakups and a forced fumble. He also showed during the spring that he is more than capable of making the jump to the ACC.

Defensive Tackle Rene Konga

A midseason injury slowed down Konga a little bit, but there's no denying that he made a huge difference for Louisville last season. While he only logged only 20 tackles, three for loss and 2.5 sacks, he still made an impact when it came to disrupting opposing offenses. His PFF grade of 76.0 was sixth-highest on the defense (min. 100 snaps).

Defensive End Clev Lubin

Between the winter and spring portal windows, Lubin is Louisville's top transfer commitment in the current cycle at No. 27 overall (On3). Last season at Coastal Carolina, the First-Team All-Sun Belt edge rusher logged 12 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks and three forced fumbles, as well as 44 tackles overall. He bounced between the first and second team in the spring, but he's still in line to be a key contributor on the line.

Quarterback Miller Moss

Moss might not have the athletic intangibles and experience that Tyler Shough has, but Brohm has long proven that he can get guys to the next level, not to mention he looked good in the spring. Last season while at USC, Moss completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 2,555 yards and 18 touchdowns to nine interceptions in nine starts.

Center Pete Nygra

Nygra was Louisville's anchor on an offensive line that was much improved last season, and looked to be carrying that momentum into the spring as well. Last season, he allowed just one sack and 16 total pressures over 475 pass block snaps and 848 blocking snaps overall.

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