This section breaks down many college football games each week and highlights how 2017 NFL Draft Prospects have performed. Or look at the 2017 NFL Draft Stock page (link coming soon).
By Charlie Campbell.
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Florida State 45, Ole Miss 34
In the first quarter, Cook made a superb leaping reception in between two defenders. He had another long catch midway through the second quarter, and got wide open in busted coverage. He could have coasted into the end zone, but Cook flat out dropped the ball and it rolled out of bounds at the 4-yard line. It was a four-point mistake because Florida State had to settle for a field goal.
In the second half, Cook broke free a little bit more, but still was contained compared to his normal games. He totaled 91 yards on 23 carries, but Cook did damage through the air with seven receptions for 101 yards. Overall, this tape shouldn’t hurt Cook, and if anything it could help him because he was fabulous as a receiver.
In the running game, Johnson was getting zero push at the point of attack. He sustained blocks at the line of scrimmage, but he had to fight hard for stalemates. Early on his pass protection was decent, but then he started giving up pressures to the inside.
In the final seconds of the second quarter, Haynes knocked Johnson flat on his butt before laying a bone-rattling hit on the quarterback. Luckily for Johnson the throw got out for a touchdown, but his signal caller was with the trainers after the play. In the third quarter Haynes beat Johnson with a speed rush around the corner for a sack. Johnson was called for a holding, but even with the hold he couldn’t stop Haynes.
In the fourth quarter Johnson was almost beat for another sack. Overall, this was an ugly tape from Johnson. He looked nothing like a top-20 pick. He looked more like a day-two selection.
It wasn’t all good for Haynes either. In the third quarter, Haynes had Deondre Francois sacked, but he missed the tackle and Francois turned that into a 31-yard run for Florida State. Haynes draft stock should hold steady. It was clear as a sophomore and freshman that Haynes is a dangerous pass-rusher, but is very undersized and needs to get stronger in run defense for the NFL. That looks to remain the case after the season opener.
Kelly came back to move the ball by using his tight end Evan Engram and Kelly was seeing the field well. That drive ended with a touchdown pass, but Kelly made a bad throw that his receiver bailed him out on by deflecting the pass to himself out of the hands of the cornerback.
Later in the second quarter, Kelly showed some poor field vision as he had a receiver wide open in the middle of the field in busted coverage. Instead, he forced a screen pass to a well-covered receiver that lost seven yards on the play. However Kelly came back to anticipate well and led Engram open into the end zone for a 21-yard score. Just before halftime, Kelly converted a third-and-10 with a run of about 15 and then lofted in perfectly placed 27-yard pass to Quincy Adeboyejo.
As well as everything went for Kelly in the first half, the opposite happened in the second as Engram dropped a pass for an interception and then Kelly was strip-sacked on the next possession. In the fourth quarter, Kelly made a few great throws including a 32-yarded to Engram and then a well-anticipated throw leading his freshman receiver open in the end zone. However, he had a terribly inaccurate pass get intercepted in the closing minutes to end any comeback hopes for Ole Miss.
Kelly completed 21-of-39 passes for 312 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions, although one of those picks wasn’t his fault. He also did well picking up yards on the ground. Overall, this tape confirms Kelly’s gun-slinger style of play. He has the arm to make any throw, but could stand to get more consistent in his field vision, accuracy, and decision-making.
In the second quarter, Engram worked the middle of the field on a slant and showed a burst after the catch to get a gain of 26 yards. That play set up a short touchdown pass two plays later. On the next drive, Engram got open for a 21-yard touchdown. Engram had seven receptions for 72 yards and a score at the half.
Engram had a painful mistake to open the third quarter as he dropped a pass and it was intercepted on the deflection. Early in the fourth quarter, Engram came back to make a superb catch of 32 yards with a defender all over him. Engram totaled 120 yards on nine receptions with a touchdown. It would be a major stock up if it weren’t for those two dropped passes and the interception in the third quarter that was a huge play to help Florida State make their massive comeback win.
Texas 50, Notre Dame 47
McGlinchey played very well against Texas, and this was an impressive start to his final collegiate season. There were only two plays that he didn’t do well, but on the vast majority, he was very effective at executing his assignment. He was called for a holding penalty in the second quarter, but that was questionable. In the final frame, McGlinchey had his man blocked but the quarterback scrambled forward and the end was able to work back to the line to get in on a coverage sack. A Texas penalty negated the sack, however.
As a run blocker, McGlinchey can get movement at the point of attack. He flashes heavy hands to push defenders out of their gap and open holes for his back. He is quick out of his stance and able to fire to the second level. McGlinchey isn’t just a finesse player and gets physical with defenders.
In the pass protection, McGlinchey was impressive. He looked natural at left tackle and one wouldn’t have thought that he wasn’t playing the position last year. McGlinchey showed excellent feet to get depth in his kick slide and cut off speed rushers. He also had a nice ability to bend at the knee, and that in combination with his feet kept him from having to reach after edge rushers. McGlinchey was rock solid against Texas in an impressive performance. This tape was that of a future starting left tackle in the NFL and a first-round pick.
Kizer threw some beautiful passes including a 30-yard touchdown. He also had an impressive run on a zone read for a touchdown of 29 yards. He had another perfect pass in between three defenders with the pass rush bearing down on him, but a tremendous hit on Torii Hunter Jr. caused an incompletion in the end zone. It was still a beautiful pass from Kizer. He followed that up with another incredible touch pass while standing flat footed because of the pass rush, but it was still perfectly thrown to beat good coverage for a 17-yard score.
Throughout the night, Kizer showed excellent decision-making while maintaing poise under pass rush. He protected the football and made extraordinary passes into tight windows. Kizer completed 15-of-24 passes for 215 yards with five touchdowns. He ran for 77 yards on 13 carries with another score. Kizer has the skill set to be one of the top quarterback prospects for the 2017 NFL Draft.
Georgia 33, North Carolina 24
In the first quarter, Chubb immediately started ripping off yardage in chunks. He showed his quickness, power and cutting ability to move the chains. He had his 22nd-career rushing touchdown late in the first quarter from a couple yards out. Throughout the game, Chubb was running hard with his trademark ability to get yards after contact and break tackles from defenders. To close out the win, Chubb took off on a 55-yard touchdown run and showed his strength and balance to stay inbounds while a defender shoved him along the sideline. He totaled 222 yards on 32 carries with those two scores.
Not only did Chubb run well, but he showed some nice blitz pick up at times. Chubb doesn’t quite have the full speed and explosion that he had before his knee injury. Considering it is less than a year since he was hurt, that is understandable and it should come back in time. Even at 80-90 percent, Chubb proved that he remains a devastating runner capable of dominating a defense. This game will definitely help improve Chubb’s draft stock with NFL teams.
Sanders did have one nice play in pass coverage to prevent a deep completion downfield, but the tackling and run defense issues look just as serious and this game will hurt Sanders’ draft grade.
Clemson 19, Auburn 13
On the first drive, Watson made some good throws but also had a potential pick-six dropped by Auburn safety Jonathan Ford. Watson then stared down his target and that led the linebacker to get in the throwing lane and break up the pass.
In the second quarter, Watson threw some accurate passes to produce points for Clemson. Watson later made a bad pass when he sailed a throw over his receiver and it was snatched for an interception. Watson came back to make a beautiful touchdown pass in the back of the end zone to Hunter Renfrow. The ball was perfectly placed to throw Renfrow open.
Watson completed 19-of-34 passes for 248 yards with a score and an interception. He also ran for 21 yards on 11 carries. Watson was generally accurate and he managed the game well. The credit for his subdued performance is more deserving to go toward a good defensive performance by Auburn rather than Watson playing poorly.
In the second quarter, Clemson got Williams involved and he had three catches for 51 yards with nice hands on a few plays including a sliding catch, back-shoulder grab, and a slant. Those receptions helped set up a short touchdown run. However shortly later Williams fumbled the ball away after getting stripped while fighting for extra yards.
In the third quarter he made a tremendous juggling catch after Auburn’s Carlton Davis batted the ball. Early in the fourth quarter Williams continued to work the sideline and back shoulder routes, but he dropped an easy touchdown pass on a quick slant. Williams totaled nine receptions for 174 yards and was unstoppable on the sideline back-shoulder plays. If it weren’t for the fumble and dropped touchdown, this would be a major stock-up performance for Williams. Still, it was a net positive to see him be so effective in his first full game since the 2014 season.
One reason this game tape could help Gallman with the NFL is he had some excellent blitz pickups. Gallman showed a nice ability to diagnose the blitzes and execute blocks to give Watson some time to throw the ball. If Gallman continues to thrive in blitz protection, it will really help him to convince NFL teams that he has three-down starting potential as a pro.
Defensive end Carl Lawson was quiet for a lot of the game, but in the the third quarter, Lawson beat the right tackle with a speed rush and that pressure helped produce an interception for Auburn. Lawson had a few other pass rushes in the fourth quarter that were impressive. He looked rusty to start the game, but Lawson is a talented athlete who could rise this season.
Alabama 52, USC 6
Humphrey quickly displayed his physicality as early in the first quarter, he flew up to make a bone-rattling hit on a jet sweep for a tackle for a loss. Humphrey then ran stride for stride down the sideline with Smith-Schuster to cause an incompletion. Late in the second quarter, Humphrey caught a deflected pass and returned it about 18 yards for a touchdown. In the second half, he continued to be active and provide good coverage. This was a good tape to start the season for Humphrey.
Conversely, Smith-Schuster didn’t record his first reception until late in the third quarter. One of the questions about Smith-Schuster entering this season was if he had the speed to separate from NFL caliber cornerbacks. Against Humphrey and sophomore Minkah Fitzpatrick, Smith-Schuster was not getting open. Overall, this was a bad tape that could hurt Smith-Schuster’s draft grade.
Aside from shutting down one of the best wideouts in college football, twice in the game, Jackson showed his speed by chasing down a running back downfield and making touchdown saving tackles on long runs. Jackson also had a 40-yard kick return. While it was a rough night for USC, Jackson gave the NFL proof that he is a serious cover corner prospect for the 2017 NFL Draft.
Texas A&M 31, UCLA 24
In the first quarter, Garrett got by McDermott with a spin move to put a hard hit on Rosen. Garrett then used power to shed McDermott and close on Rosen. Garrett was giving McDermott a lot of issues with his speed and some bull rushers. Late in the third quarter, Garrett bull rushed through McDermott to sack Rosen. It was an impressive play where Garrett showed his functional strength and had McDermott on roller-skates. The very next play, Garrett spun off McDermott to get a tackle for a loss. McDermott had Garrett blocked initially on that play, but Garrett’s motor didn’t quit and he made the play.
Garrett didn’t make any other splash plays, but he was applying a steady stream of pressure on the quarterback. This game will only serve to confirm his status as a top-of-the-draft talent. I have Garrett second on my big board, but will probably move him to first and Leonard Fournette down to second.
While McDermott had problems with Garrett, it wasn’t a meltdown performance for him. He had some solid plays against Garrett and didn’t get a lot of double team help. McDermott’s draft grade should hold steady after this game.
Wisconsin 16, LSU 14
In the first half, Fournette really did not look like himself as he totaled 35 yards on 11 carries. He didn’t have the same burst and was more tentative than how he looked in 2015. In the third quarter, Fournette got rolling with a couple of runs banging through defenders including a run of 30 yards that featured him running over a defensive back and trucking ahead for more yards. Fournette also ran a nice route to make a 31-yard reception with a safety bearing down on him right after making the catch. He continued to run well through the end of the game.
Fournette totaled 138 yards on 23 carries with three catches for 38 yards. He showed his rare vision, power, body lean and natural running feel. The ankle injury seems to be robbing him of some of his top speed and explosiveness, but Fournette at 75 or 80 percent is still a tremendous runner. He is showing his toughness by playing at less than 100 percent and his team-first attitude by playing rather than protecting his draft status by sitting out. Fournette remains a top-of-the-draft talent.
In the second quarter, Adams almost made a diving interception but he couldn’t hold onto the ball when he landed hard on the ground. He got in on some tackles and was sound in coverage, but he didn’t have a big presence against Wisconsin.
White had tight coverage on a crossing route to slap a pass away early on. He later had blanket coverage on a receiver along the sideline. The quarterback threw a pass straight to White, and he ran across the field before turing up field on a 21-yard pick-six.
On the next drive, White was Johnny on the spot as a Wisconsin receiver fumbled the ball away and White recovered it for LSU. White slapped another pass away on the next drive. It was a strong start to the season that will help White to grade out as a first- or second-round pick.
West Virginia 26, Missouri 11
In the pass rush, Harris was getting upfield but wasn’t not getting a ton of heat on the quarterback and didn’t record a sack. He was very quiet throughout the first half. Just before halftime, Harris had a nice speed to power rush to the inside that almost resulted in a sack. While Harris didn’t get to the quarterback, his pressure helped result in a fumble that Missouri recovered inside the West Virginia 10-yard line. That was his best play of the game.
In the second half, Harris had a nice rush with a spin move to the inside that resulted in him hitting the quarterback just after the ball was released. That was about it.
As a run defender, Harris had a few nice plays where he fired into the backfield to disrupt runs, but there were other plays where he was pushed around. His motor was unimpressive as well.
For Harris to be a high first-round pick, he is going to need to turn things around dramatically in the games to come. This was a very underwhelming start to the season.
Houston 33, Oklahoma 23
Mayfield threw some nice passes including when he lofted a beauty for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but he was rattled and running around too much in the pocket rather than hanging tough and delivering accurate passes. He completed 24-of-33 attempts for 323 yards with two touchdowns, but he didn’t play as well as the numbers suggest. In the games to come, improving his field vision, feel, and pocket passing is necessary for Mayfield to have any chance of being an early-round prospect. This performance looked more like a day-three quarterback.
Shortly later, Wilson recovered a fumble to set up more Houston points. Wilson then had tight coverage to slap a pass away on a two-point conversion attempt. It was a great game for Wilson and will definitely help his draft stock.
Stanford 26, Kansas State 13
McCaffrey started the contest with a nifty kick return of 28 yards and that set the tone for his 2016 debut. He continued his impressive play with some nice runs and receptions. Midway through the first quarter, McCaffrey returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown, but it was called back by a questionable block in the block penalty.
McCaffrey was too much for Kansas State in the second quarter. He started juking defenders left and right to rip off good yardage. To finish the drive, he ripped off a 35-yard touchdown run where he showed his great patience, vision, cutting ability and explosiveness.
As mentioned, McCaffrey was locked down in the second half, as the Wildcats showed strong gap integrity and kept holes from opening up. McCaffrey, however, put the game on ice with a 41-yard touchdown run. McCaffrey ran for 126 yards on 22 carries with two scores. He had seven receptions for 40 yards with a 28-yard kick return and a 16-yard punt return.
This game illustrated that McCaffrey is a diverse and dynamic playmaker. He has tremendous burst, vision, patience, elusiveness, and feel. He doesn’t have the size or power to get a lot of yards after contact, and in the NFL he may not thrive as a bell-cow back. However, there is no doubt that McCaffrey is a scoring threat, and this game illustrates that he’s an early-round talent.
South Carolina 13, Vanderbilt 10
Cunningham showed an excellent skill set with the speed to fly around the field. He was consistently showing good instincts to fire into the backfield to blow up plays or make tackles for short gains. He was a very physical tackler who put ball-carriers into the turf with authority, and he used his strength to take on blockers. Generally he was a reliable tackler and was rarely ever caught out of position. Only a few times did I see him bitting on play fakes.
This wasn’t a great game to test his pass-coverage skills for the NFL because the Gamecocks didn’t have much of a passing attack or offensive talent. Against South Carolina, Cunningham totaled 12 tackles with three for a loss. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Cunningham has good size, speed, and athletic ability. He could fit well as a middle linebacker in a 4-3 or an inside linebacker in a 3-4. It was an impressive performance, and Cunningham illustrated that he is a potential starting inside linebacker in the NFL.
Tennessee 20, Appalachian State 13
Throughout the night, Dobbs showed some accuracy issues with poor ball placement and struggled to move the ball through the air. That tone was set by overthrowing wide open receivers, including the 6-foot-3 Josh Malone in the middle of the field. Late in the first half, Dobbs was forced out of the pocket, and he threw a terrible pass up for grabs downfield. Dobbs was throwing off his back foot to a receiver in double coverage and the ball floated down for an interception inside the 10-yard line. Dobbs later fumbled a shotgun snap and was lucky that Alvin Kamara recovered the ball.
In overtime, Dobbs was leaping for a diving touchdown and fumbled the ball again, but he got lucky that a teammate recovered the ball for the game-winning touchdown. Against Appalachian State, Dobbs completed 16-of-29 (55 percent) attempts for 192 yards with one touchdown and an interception. This tape will definitely hurt his draft stock.
Hurd had a disastrous series in the fourth quarter with a fumble, a missed block that led to a sack, and a dropped pass. That trio speak poorly on three key evaluation points for the next level. In overtime, Hurd made up for it by recovering Dobbs’ fumble in the end zone, but overall, this performance was just rather average at best and it won’t help Hurd.
Very late the fourth quarter, Sutton had a clutch open field tackle while keeping the ball carrier in bounds. Sutton then had a tackle for a loss on a screen pass and kept the player in bounds. That tackle basically sent the game in overtime.
In the NFL, Sutton probably won’t be returning punts as a starting cornerback, but at least he brings that added value and flexibility to the roster. Overall, this was a good tape from Sutton that illustrates his starting potential as an outside corner for the pro game.
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