The portal giveth and the portal taketh! This portal season has continued to create chaos among draft boards, and today I wanted to take a look at a few P4 players and how recent news has affected their cost in Underdog Fantasy scoring drafts (0.5 PPR, 20 rounds). Let’s start with one of the most recent moves in college football…
Joey Aguilar, Tennessee, QB
Much debate has occurred in the company’s Slack channels about whether Aguilar is actually any good or not, but I don’t think it matters either way. This Tennessee offense is built for offense and usage, so Aguilar is 100% draftable. He had a down year in 2024, but don’t forget that he threw for 3,757 yards and 33 TDs in 2023.
The SEC will give him a rude awakening to at least some degree, but have you seen their schedule lately? The Vols get UGA at home (woof) and Alabama on the road, but otherwise see a mix of Florida, Vandy, Kentucky, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Mississippi State in conference. It could be much worse for an SEC quarterback.
I suspect that he’ll be taken ahead of guys like Kyron Drones, Fernando Mendoza, CJ Bailey, Darian Mensah, Miller Moss, Drew Allar and Thomas Castellanos (QB32-38 range in P4 only drafts), but behind guys like Jayden Maiava, Julian Sayin, Marcel Reed, Rocco Becht, Brendan Sorsby, and Jackson Arnold. This landing spot would have landed him around round 12 or so in the latest P4-only draft that took place in mid-April.
Seth McGowan, Kentucky, RB
When digging into McGowan’s background, I knew he was a former Oklahoma running back, but I had totally forgotten it was back in 2020! He’s made his way to Kentucky via New Mexico State, where he was RB1 but in a committee of sorts. Kentucky could give him bellcow usage if he wins the job. Dante Dowdell and Jamarion Wilcox are his biggest contenders.
Wilcox is a non-factor here in my eyes, Dowdell, on the other hand, was taken in the 11th round of this recent P4-only draft. With this transfer news, I see Dowdell losing a round or two of cost because of uncertainty, and McGowan’s value lies as a late-round dart throw until we hear more about the running back room.
Damien Taylor, Ole Miss, RB
Taylor’s addition to the P4 ranks is quite interesting as a former top 10 round pick in all FBS draft formats. The issue here is that he joins a crowded RB room at Ole Miss. Where does he stand in the pecking order? Is he a depth piece just trying to get one last paycheck? Is he primed for a big year in a great offensive system? Taylor’s competition is Kewan Lacy (Missouri transfer) and Logan Diggs (LSU transfer, post-ACL injury).
Lacy is the real wild card here as a former C2C favorite last offseason. He’s a bit of a mystery, as we only have limited action of him to go by. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit to see him pop off as the RB1 in 2025. He was a 15th-round pick in said P4 draft, which feels about right with Taylor on the roster. In this same draft, Diggs went in the 12th round! I’m not so sure about that cost personally. As for Taylor, I believe the murkiness of the room leaves him as a 15th-rounder or so as well. Until we hear more, we could see these three drafted in the same mid-teen rounds.
Jack Endries, Texas, TE
Jack Endries with the rare great fit decisions! Let’s all take a moment of silence for this historic moment….. Thank you. Endries was good for Cal last year, bringing down 49 passes for 562 yards and two touchdowns. With a few more touchdowns, Endries would have finished inside the top 10 for TEs instead of as TE16.
Last year’s Texas tight end, Gunnar Helm, ended the year as TE7 with five touchdowns and similar receiving production elsewhere. I don’t see why Endries can’t do something similar. And because he’s shown us his receiving ability in the past, there’s less projecting here. I wouldn’t draft him over the likes of Eli Stowers or Kenyon Sadiq, but I wouldn’t quibble with anyone taking him as the overall TE3. This would mean he’s a 7th- or 8th-round pick.
Emmett Mosley, Texas, WR
Not one, but two Longhorns players to discuss! Mosley is old news at this point, but there haven’t been many drafts since the Texas commitment. Mosley was a second to third rounder at Stanford, and I suspect we’ll see a drop off in him for him to the tune of 2-3 rounds.
This receiver room is loaded from a college perspective with Ryan Wingo and DeAndre Moore Jr also in the room. Both are banged up but appear to be fine for the 2025 season. This room now feels like a Clemson-level draft situation. Arch Manning remains a high quarterback pick (albeit not as high as Cade Klubnik), and then we get three receivers who should perform well in a high-scoring offense. Wingo and Moore were drafted in rounds 5 and 16 in this P4 draft, while Antonio Williams, TJ Moore, and Bryant Wesco were drafted in rounds 2, 4, and 7.
Considering the lack of rotation at receiver that we’re likely to see at both schools, there seems to be a discount on whoever that final Texas receiver is. With this news, I believe Mosley will be a 5th-rounder while Wingo and Moore will cost you only a 6th-7th rounder (Wingo) and a 12th-15th rounder (Moore).
