NFL Overreactions Week 4: Cowboys-Packers tie, Dart shines
USA TODAY Sports’ Lorenzo Reyes ‘overreacts’ to some of the best games from Sunday’s Week 4 slate.
Sports Seriously
A new era potentially began for the New York Giants in Week 5. Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart led New York to a win over the previously undefeated Los Angeles Chargers in his regular season debut.
Dart was the second quarterback selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft after Cam Ward at No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans. Ward’s still yet to get a win as the Titans‘ offense has struggled through the first four games of the season.
New York turning the page to a rookie may be an attractive proposition for other fanbases looking for a change at quarterback. Week 5 of the college football season wasn’t the best for these draft-eligible quarterbacks, though.
LSU‘s Garrett Nussmeier – who we had at No. 1 last week – had a rough game against Ole Miss as the Tigers lost for the first time in 2025.
His performance sees him fall from the top in this week’s rankings. Penn State‘s Drew Allar, another highly-touted prospect entering 2025, also fell down the order following the Nittany Lions’ loss to Oregon at home.
This week sees plenty of changes ahead of Week 6 of the college football season. Here’s how the top eight rank out:
2026 NFL Draft QB prospect rankingsWeek 5 at Iowa: 13-23 (56.5%) passing, 233 yards, two touchdowns, one interception; eight carries, 26 yards
Mendoza and the Hoosiers were on the road for the first time in 2025 in Week 5 against the Hawkeyes. Iowa offered up the toughest test defensively so far for Indiana’s passing game and their productive quarterback.
Mendoza rose to the occasion. He was pressured a season-high 12 times per Pro Football Focus (PFF) and took two sacks. One of those was not his fault; right guard Bray Lynch got beat almost immediately off the snap on third-and-2 and there was little Mendoza could do to avoid it.
Still, that didn’t stop him and the Hoosiers offense from pushing the ball. His 11-yard average depth of target (ADOT) per PFF was his second-highest of the season. This was not a dink-and-dunk approach that relied on the Indiana receivers to make plays after the catch.
On the Hoosiers’ first touchdown of the game, Mendoza found Omar Cooper Jr. in the end zone and placed the ball in the right spot for the wideout to get both feet inbounds but without any danger from a closing Iowa defensive back.
The second quarter featured one of Mendoza’s best throws all season on a 1st and 10 shot down the far hash to E.J. Williams Jr.
Mendoza threw his first interception of the season on a delayed pressure. His pass was just high for Elijah Sarratt over the middle. He later provided one of the funniest highlights of the college football season when he purposely ran back for a safety to take time off the clock.
In all, Mendoza’s performance and struggles by others on the list move him to the top spot. The 5-0 Hoosiers have a week off before a huge showdown with Oregon in Week 7. That will be one of the most important games for Mendoza’s draft stock.
2. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU (last week: 1)Week 5 at Ole Miss: 21-34 (61.8%) passing, 197 yards, one touchdown, one interception
A week after looking like his best self this year, Nussmeier turned in easily his worst performance of the season against Ole Miss. His lone touchdown of the game came on a deflection that happened to fall into the hands of a diving Nic Anderson.
Nussmeier relied on a lot of quick bubble screens through the first quarter to get the passing game going. Things didn’t go well when he went deep; his interception was a throw over the middle into traffic with multiple Ole Miss defenders within reach of the ball.
Garrett Nussmeier now with 7 TDs to 3 INTs on the season.
Last year, he tied for the SEC lead in interceptions with Quinn Ewers and Carson Beck at 12 apiece.pic.twitter.com/F0eb6F41L9
— Jamie Shaw (@JamieShaw5) September 27, 2025
Overall, Nussmeier did not look comfortable generating power on his throws and that led to some sprays. If his torso injury continues to be a problem like this, the LSU staff needs to consider sitting him to get healthy. Luckily the Tigers have their bye this week and that’ll absolutely be to his benefit.
Week 5 at Penn State: 29-39 (74.4%) passing, 248 yards, three touchdowns; 10 carries, 35 yards, one fumble
We now need to have a serious conversation about Moore as a first-round quarterback. The Oregon passer wasn’t tested too much leading into Week 5 against Penn State. But he went into a tough environment facing a talented defense fresh off their bye week and played outstanding.
Moore looked poised in the face of unblocked pressures early on. He converted an early fourth-and-1 with his legs while protecting his body from extra contact. Oregon relied on a lot of quick game and bubble screens to stress the Nittany Lions defense horizontally, meaning Moore finished the day with a 5.9 ADOT per PFF.
Still, his mobility and quick release came up in key moments for the Ducks. He dodged a defender in second overtime to find Gary Bryant Jr. for what ended up as the game-winning score.
I can’t stop watching this throw by Dante Moore.
Dude has been hated on and counted out a ton based on 4 games as a freshman.
Dudes been through so much.
Comes into one of the most hostile environments in the nation and genuinely balls out. pic.twitter.com/dLO71v1zSS
— The Quackalorian 🦆 (@DuckOnQuack2023) September 30, 2025
His deep ball prowess was his strong suit entering 2025. Performances like this show the poise he can play with in big-time games and use his mobility and quick release to the benefit of the offense. Oregon has a bye this week and will face Indiana on Oct. 11.
Week 5 vs. Kentucky: 11-14 (78.6%) passing, 153 yards; 12 carries, 98 yards
Week 5 marked the first time this season that Sellers failed to score a touchdown in a full game. He left the Vanderbilt game after just nine dropbacks but had 22 against Kentucky at home.
South Carolina relied on their ground game and defense to control this game en route to a 35-13 win. Kentucky scored on its first two drives then had just three points the rest of the game. South Carolina forced four turnovers on the day, including a fumble returned for a score.
That meant Sellers and the Gamecocks offense didn’t need to do a lot to win this one. This was a standout performance for Sellers’ abilities as a runner. Per PFF, he had more yards after contact (103) than total rushing yards (98) on the day.
One highlight stands out among the rest:
He falls because of how well Mendoza and Moore played. He’ll have the week off before taking on Nussmeier and LSU on the road in Week 7.
Mateer remains sidelined with a hand injury and rises up the ranks because of Allar’s performance against Oregon. The Sooners face Kent State in Week 6 before hosting Texas in Week 7.
6. Drew Allar, Penn State (last week: 4)Week 5 vs. Oregon: 14-25 (56%) passing, 137 yards, two touchdowns, one interception; seven carries, 46 yards
On the other side from Moore, Allar’s performance in Week 5 drops him down the order. He had season-lows in passing yards and completions despite having 31 dropbacks, about average for the Penn State passer this season.
To be clear, protection was a problem for the Nittany Lions against Oregon. Allar faced 15 pressures; he’d faced 17 in his last three games combined. The Ducks got home for two sacks on those pressures.
There are times when Allar’s pure talent as a passer shine through, like on third-and-8 late in the first half. He’s pressured, loses his footing and doesn’t have time to reset fully before firing a pass that went nearly 30 yards in the air to convert for a first down. His next three passes all fell incomplete.
His first touchdown pass to Devonte Ross was one of his best throws of the night.
But then you get Allar’s final throw of the night in double overtime that sealed the win for Oregon. Dillon Thieneman makes a play on a 1st down pass that was riskier than necessary.
Allar’s talent is easy for anyone to see. It’s putting it together consistently in key moments that is pushing him to late-first or early-second round consideration in the NFL Draft.
Manning stays in the top eight but drops because of Moore’s rise up the rankings. His game this weekend could be a chance for him to rise up the rankings, though. A week off before a road game in Florida could prepare him for the Gators’ defense.
Week 5 vs. TCU: 27-39 (69.2%) passing, 291 yards, two touchdowns; 11 carries, 70 yards, one touchdown, one fumble
Leavitt had arguably his best game of the season at home against TCU. He set a season-high in passing yards, completions and completion percentage despite facing a season-high 14 pressures versus the Horned Frogs’ defense.
TCU had no answers for Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson. The Sun Devils’ top wideout tallied eight catches for 126 yards and caught both of Leavitt’s touchdowns. His presence made things easier for the Arizona State passer and that has to be included in Leavitt’s evaluation.
To his credit, it wasn’t all throws to Tyson that stood out against TCU. Leavitt found Jaren Hamilton deep down the left sideline on a throw that traveled more than 50 yards in the air.
He excelled at rollouts and designed quarterback runs all night. Arizona State is on a bye this week but will be back on the field in Week 7 to face Utah. That defense should be a good test for Leavitt and Tyson.
Next two up: Ty Simpson, Alabama: Carson Beck, Miami