This section breaks down many college football games each week and highlights how 2021 NFL Draft Prospects have performed. Or look at the 2021 NFL Draft Stock page.
By Charlie Campbell.
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Oklahoma State 16, Tulsa 7
Things got even worse for Hubbard, however, later in the first quarter when he fumbled a handoff that was recovered by Tulsa. Hubbard was not getting into a groove as a runner either, as Tulsa was stuffing his running lanes. While he wasn’t finding good holes, Hubbard was not breaking tackles or showing physicality as a runner. He did have a short-yardage touchdown early in the fourth quarter when Oklahoma State achieved enough of a push to let Hubbard fall over the goal line.
Hubbard finished with 93 yards on 27 carries – 3.4-yard average – and a touchdown. The Tulsa contest was a bad start to the season that will hurt Hubbard’s draft grade later in the fall. I was texting with team sources during this game, and they acknowledged that Hubbard’s pass blocking clearly needs a lot of work for the next level.With the NFL being such a passing-driven league, that is a serious issue. On top of blocking poorly, Hubbard did not run aggressively. This tape makes Hubbard look more like a third-round back rather than a first- or second-round pick.
Against Tulsa, Wallace totaled 94 yards on four receptions. He really struggled to get off press coverage. Wallace did not have the speed to separate from man coverage and also was not sudden or explosive to create separation out of breaks. He clearly is not a fast receiver for the NFL and not sudden as a route runner. This tape will hurt Wallace with NFL teams, at it illustrates his issues generating separation, which could be a huge issue for him as a pro. This contest made Wallace look more like a mid-rounder.
Pittsburgh 21, Syracuse 10
From the beginning, Ford was active around the ball, including laying a punishing hit on a wide receiver in the flat to snuff out a bubble screen. Ford helped make some tackles in the ground game as well. In the third quarter, Ford made an excellent play, reading a screen to get in position and then making a diving catch for his second interception of the season.
Against Syracuse, Ford showed his good instincts in pass coverage and the ground game. Ford covers a lot of ground in zone coverage, is a physical player willing to dish out some hard hits, is a fast defender, and willingly defendes the run defends. This tape will definitely help his draft grade.
Cisco did not have a big game because Pittsburgh stayed away from throwing his direction. The ballhawk Cisco has 13 career interceptions, so the Panthers were wise to target other defensive backs. In the ground game, Cisco contributed some tackles and was around the ball. He did a nice job of getting to the perimeter on stretch runs as well. For the next level, Cisco may not be a safety who can line up in man coverage on receivers. But he is a dangerous zone safety with good instincts and phenomenal ball skills. Given his skill set and production, Cisco could be a solid first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Central Florida 49, Georgia Tech 21
Later in the first half, Nixon got a step on the cornerback running vertically down the field. Nixon ended up in the end zone, but it became a tough, contested catch because the pass was underthrown, which allowed the cornerback to recover. Nixon, however, made the superb catch for the score despite landing hard on the ground. That play knocked him out for the rest of the game though. It could have been a prolific game for Nixon, who had 94 yards and two touchdowns from four receptions through two quarters.
Assuming Nixon is not seriously injured, this was a really nice tape for him to give pro evaluators. The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder showed the ability to make tough contested catches while knowing that hits were coming. To go with quality size and strong hands, Nixon had enough quickness to get open running vertically and out of his breaks. When teams assign a draft grade to Nixon, this performance will definitely help him.
Miami 47, Louisville 34
It wasn’t all good for Jordan, who dropped a low pass. It was not an easy catch on the run, but it was still a catch he should have made. Jordan put Louisville away in the fourth quarter with a 47-yard touchdown catch. He ran down the seam as the Cardinals blew the coverage, letting Jordan run completely uncovered down the middle of the field for one of the easiest touchdowns that he will ever have. Jordan caught seven passes for 120 yards and a touchdown against the Cardinals.
Jordan showed nice receiving ability in this contest, including the quickness to get downfield, the athleticism to pick up yards after the catch, and smooth route-running. He also had a respectable night as a blocker. This tape will help his draft grade, and he could be a second-day prospect for the 2021 NFL Draft.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Atwell snuck behind zone coverage for a chunk reception. In garbage time, he got open while running across the end zone behind zone coverage for an easy touchdown. Atwell caught eight passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns against the Knights. He is a small and fast receiver who could be a slot receiver candidate in the NFL.
Hawkins runs with good knee bend, staying behind his pads, and is a smooth in the open field. With his quality vision, feet and quickness, Hawkins slashes through the defense. The 5-foot-9, 196-pounder may not have the size to be a bell-cow back in the NFL, but he could be a nice rotational contributor.
Roche read one first-quarter play perfectly, as he started out rushing against the left tackle but recognized a screen was being set up, so he backpedaled to cover the back and force a throwaway that got his defense off the field on a third down. In the third quarter, Roche pushed a blocker into the backfield and then made a tackle for a loss. Roche got upfield on the next play and dipped under the left tackle to hit the quarterback just after the pass was released. Late in the fourth quarter, Roche darted by the left tackle to the inside to almost get a sack, but the quarterback was able to break Roche’s takedown attempt.
Roche looked more like a mid-rounder against Louisville. Because he faces some size limitations for the next level, his best fit as a pro would likely be as a 3-4 outside linebacker.
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