Tennessee 25, Oklahoma 15
-
Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr is one of the top prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft. To open this season, he has been producing more pressure than sacks, which continued for much of the game against Oklahoma. Pearce was getting tied up in the pass rush at times and not shedding blocks once tackles latched onto him. In the third quarter, Pearce got in the sack column with a speed rush past the left tackle, and he joined teammates at the quarterback. Overall, this was a solid but not dominant tape from Pearce.
-
There was a group of good receiver prospects in this game, with the Sooners tandem of Deion Burks and Nic Anderson and the Volunteers’ Bru McCoy. While McCoy has battled some injuries in previous years, he was the healthy one in this game. Anderson was making his season debut, but it didn’t last long before Anderson left with another injury. Burks also was banged up and limited. McCoy made some nice catches to move the chains. In the third quarter, McCoy ran a deep route and made a fantastic diving catch for a 42-yard gain. He finished with 92 yards on four receptions. This was a nice tape for McCoy, showing his size, quickness, and reliable hands. It will help his draft grade.
Michigan 27, USC 24
-
This game had an excellent draft matchup, with Michigan defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant taking on USC center Jonah Monheim. Monheim is in the running to be the top center prospect for the 2025 NFL Draft, but this game will hurt Monheim’s chances of being the first snapper selected. Graham and Grant, conversely, were very impressive.
On the first play from scrimmage for the Michigan defense, Monheim pulled to his left and could not get a push. Graham pushed his guard back, and Grant shed the right guard to get a tackle at the line of scrimmage. Later in the first quarter, Monheim got no push, and his defender made a tackle for no gain. A play later, Graham shed a guard to get a tackle for no gain on third down to get his defense off the field. At the end of the first half, Grant got leverage on the right guard and pushed his way through the pocket before getting a sack of Miller Moss.
In the third quarter, Graham had an excellent pass rush to collapse the pocket and chase the quarterback out of the pocket. Graham dove and came very close to getting the sack. Grant recovered a fumble but fumbled the ball back on his return. Early in the fourth quarter, Graham pushed off a block from Monheim, and he chased down Moss for the sack.
Overall, this tape will benefit the Michigan defenders. Graham was a beast at the point of attack. He constantly used power to push his blocker in the backfield and showed the strength to shed blocks. After getting free, Graham was quick to close and athletic for a thickly built tackle. Graham looks like a potential top-20 talent for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Grant has an excellent skill set with size, speed, and athleticism. He is not as polished as Graham, but Grant has the ability to be a starting nose tackle in the NFL who can push the pocket in the pass rush and stuff running lanes. Grant could be a first-rounder next April as well.
This tape illustrates that Monheim is not a dominant force as a center. He did not look like a first-round pick and Monheim did not look as good of a center prospect as Duke’s Graham Barton or Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson were last year. Monheim is a quality athlete and has good technique. However, he lacks some strength to create a push and does not pack much of a punch off the ball. Monheim needs to get stronger for the NFL. This tape will hurt his draft grade.
-
The player who really helped his draft grade in this battle of new conference opponents was Michigan edge rusher Josaiah Stewart. All game, Stewart was whipping the USC left tackles and putting a ton of heat on Moss.
In the first quarter, Stewart had a lightning-speed rush with a blow by sprinting straight past the Trojans left tackle Elijah Page to get a sack, the third of the season thus far for Stewart. Shortly later, Stewart used speed to power to move Page back into the quarterback for a near sack. A play later, Stewart almost had a sack on a screen flying past Page. In the fourth quarter, Stewart fired off the ball and cut to the inside to get a near sack. Moss got the pass off, but it was rushed and resulted in a third-down incompletion.
Stewart showed a ton of ability for the NFL in this game. He has a tremendous first step with explosive speed off the snap. Stewart can blow by tackles with devastating speed around the corner and has twitch to dart to the inside. Even when tackles know it’s coming, they have difficulty stopping Stewart’s speed rush. It will be interesting to see how NFL teams feel about his size. Being listed at 6-foot-1, 245 pounds, Stewart is undersized to be a pro edge rusher. Still, Stewart looks like a demon off the edge and this tape will help him to be an early-round selection.
-
Michigan cornerback Will Johnson is one of the top talents for the 2025 NFL Draft, and he gave proof of why in this game. In the second quarter, Johnson showed some special skill when he left his receiver to come down in a blur and hit a tight end to break up a pass. Midway through the third quarter, Johnson jumped a route for an interception after the quarterback starred down the receiver. Johnson darted in front to snatch the ball, and he exploded down the field 42 yards for his second pick-six of the season. On the next drive, Johnson missed a tackle and got run over. Unfortunately, Johnson left the game in the second half and was taken to the Michigan x-ray room. Johnson did not return to the field, and that helped USC get back in the game. Even if Johnson has a serious injury that causes him to miss time this season, he should be a high first-round pick next April.
-
Clemson 59, N.C. State 35
-
There was the potential for a good draft matchup in this game with N.C. State left tackle Anthony Belton taking on a talented edge rusher in Clemson sophomore defensive end Peter Woods. Woods is a 2026 prospect, and he will be a good test for Belton after Woods performed well, taking on Georgia in the season opener. Clemson tackle DeMonte Capehart would also test Belton if he lined up against the Wolfpack left tackle. Belton has early-round talent, and this tape will be important for his draft grade.
In the first quarter, Belton was pushed back and gave up a tackle for a loss. Shortly later, Belton had a nice pass block to stonewall a bull rush from Capehart, but a few plays later, he was driven back to allow pressure on the quarterback. Belton showed quickness and athleticism in the second quarter to hit a block near the sideline on a screen pass. Just before halftime, Belton was kicked out of the game. On the play, Belton was bull rushed into the quarterback and beaten for a sack. After the play, a Clemson defender went to step on the head of the Wolfpack quarterback, and that caused Belton to tussle with Tiger defenders. Belton was kicked out of the game for spitting on a Clemson defender.
Overall, this tape won’t help Belton’s draft grade. He struggled with the power and physicality of some of the Clemson defenders. Overall, teams won’t hold the ejection against him, considering his quarterback was getting his head stomped on, but Belton struggling on some pass protections will hurt him. It illustrated that Belton needs to improve his lower body strength, his ability to anchor, and his technique in handling speed to power. This tape makes Belton look more like a day-two pick rather than a first-rounder.
-
more analysis
