SI's 2026 Big Board Names Daniel Sobkowicz, Bryce Lance Top FCS Prospects

Sports Illustrated’s FCS-focused big board singles out Illinois State wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz and North Dakota State wideout Bryce Lance as the class leaders among small-school NFL hopefuls, arguing the 2026 draft class contains roughly 10 FCS prospects who could be selected and a handful who might threaten top-100 status. The package also highlights pre-draft touchpoints that matter - Panini Senior Bowl exposure in Mobile and the NFL Scouting Combine - as immediate windows for these players to turn notice into draft capital.

Sobkowicz arrives with eye-popping production, though numbers differ by source: SI’s blurb credits him with 231 receptions for 3,172 yards and 38 touchdowns over the last three campaigns, including 19 scores in 2025, and lists him at 6-3, 205. TheAnalyst’s FCS prospects list gives a slightly different picture - 262 career receptions, 3,559 yards, and 41 TD catches while listing him at 6-2, 205 and projecting a 7th Round-PFA outcome. Both profiles emphasize route polish; SI calls Sobkowicz “a high-volume target,” a “smooth athlete” with “a high-level understanding of leverage as a route runner,” positioning him as a high-visibility candidate for late-round selection or priority undrafted free-agent attention.

Bryce Lance brings a different but complementary profile. SI identifies Lance, the younger brother of Trey Lance, as a 6-3, 210-pound pass-catcher who posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and scored 18 touchdowns in 2024. SI also cites Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List showing a 40-inch vertical last offseason, noting Lance “could make a huge impression at the NFL Scouting Combine.” The family name and explosive measurables give Lance both draft intrigue and marketable recognition that can alter how teams evaluate small-school prospects.

North Dakota State quarterback Cole Payton represents the analytic upside inside the FCS pool. Pro Football Focus graded Payton as the highest-graded FCS quarterback in 2025 with a 95.8 PFF offense grade, splitting into a 94.5 passer grade and a 90.0 rushing grade, and currently slots him at No. 217 on its Big Board. PFF underscores the leverage of pre-draft interaction: “As is always the case during Senior Bowl week, everything is evaluated - and for Payton, the interview process with NFL teams may matter even more than what he shows on the field during practices or the game.” A dated photo from Aug. 29, 2024 in Boulder captures Payton under game pressure; the image is credited to Ron Chenoy.

On the defensive side, the prospect known as Demmings shows the kind of production analysts covet: TheAnalyst cites 1,731 career snaps (per PFF), nine career interceptions and a school-record 35 pass breakups, while PFF reports coverage grades of 81.6 in 2024 and 80.4 in 2025, with four interceptions and six pass breakups last season and an NFL passer rating allowed of just 39.8 into his coverage. PFF notes Senior Bowl Week in Mobile is a major chance for him to prove he can match up with NFL-caliber receivers.

TheAnalyst’s extended list rounds out the depth chart: Michael Wortham Jr. (Montana) projects as a 5-8, 182 WR/returner with a 7th Round-PFA tag; Sam Hagen (South Dakota State) checks in at 6-6, 327, impressed at the Hula Bowl after a senior-year knee issue; Barika Kpeenu (NDSU) measured 5-10, 213 and tied for fourth in the FCS with 20 rushing TDs; Jarod Washington (South Carolina State) led the FCS with 23 passes defended and 21 pass breakups and is noted as a top-rated HBCU prospect.

The broader trend is clear in the numbers and evaluations: Sports Illustrated states that “the FCS has done a better job producing NFL-caliber players in recent years,” and its projection that roughly 10 prospects could be drafted underscores a shifting NFL scouting economy that values small-school production plus pre-draft exposure. Executive director Drew Fabianich earned praise for identifying and inviting FCS talent to the Panini Senior Bowl, a step SI says “they all took advantage of” to prove they belong on the biggest stage. For players like Sobkowicz, Lance, Payton and Demmings, the next three weeks - Senior Bowl practices, interviews in Mobile and the Combine - will likely determine whether FCS production converts into draft day stock or priority undrafted free-agent leverage.