This section breaks down many college football games each week and highlights how 2019 NFL Draft Prospects have performed. Or look at the 2019 NFL Draft Stock page.
By Charlie Campbell.
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Vanderbilt 36, Ole Miss 29
On the first play from scrimmage, Brown got open on a crossing route for a gain of 17 yards. Brown would eclipse 100 yards early in the second frame with an 84-yard touchdown. Brown caught a short 5-yard out pass and spun away from the cornerback. He ran down the sideline and slashed across the field to break away from the defense for the score. Throughout the game, Brown was finding space in the short to intermediate part of the field to move the chains. He totaled 212 yards on nine receptions with a touchdown. This tape should only serve to confirm Brown as a first-round pick.
A couple plays after that comeback route completion to Brown, Williams came through with a game-saving play. A pass was thrown up for grabs in the end zone with two receivers in the area. Williams used his size and length to make a leaping grab in the end zone for an interception. That play ended up being critical toward forcing overtime. That was Williams’ fourth interception of the season.
In overtime, Williams made the play of the night against Lodge. Williams made a diving pass break-up on fourth down in the front of the end zone to clinch the win for Vanderbilt.
NFL sources we’ve spoken to are intrigued by Williams. Some have said they graded Williams in the third or fourth round. The 6-foot-3, 208-pound Williams has excellent size to match up with big receivers and showed some impressive quickness to break on the ball while running with the Rebels big receivers. Williams is not a quick-twitch explosive corner, but in a Seahawks style press man defense, Williams would be a great fit. If he enters the 2019 NFL Draft, Williams could be a riser and I could easily see him being a third-round pick.
Clemson 35, Duke 6
Jones was 24-of-43 for 158 yards with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. He played better than the numbers illustrate. Jones was under siege by the Clemson elite defensive line the entire night. Jones showed good ball security despite the pressure and hung tough in the pocket. Jones was often forced scramble away from the rush, but did a nice job of keeping his eyes up and downfield despite the chaos around him. Jones threw the ball accurately and with good zip illustrating a quality arm.
Like all college quarterbacks, Jones has points of improvement for the NFL. The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder needs to shorten his delivery. That will help him to be effective in the faster game with smaller windows of time to complete passes. It would also help him to mitigate time for pass rushers to get to him. If Jones enters the 2019 NFL Draft, he could be a first-round pick, but some team sources have said they think it is more likely that Jones returns for his senior year. Jones could benefit from another year with head coach David Cutcliffe, the coaching mentor to Peyton Manning.
Ferrell made a phenomenal play late in the opening quarter. He pressured Jones out of the pocket, and after seeing that he would not be able chase him down, Ferrell backed up toward the line of scrimmage and got in position to read Jones’ eyes. Ferrell saw Jones line up to throw and timed his jump perfectly to bat down the pass incomplete. It was superb play of awareness by Ferrell to realize he wasn’t getting a sack and was wise enough to redirect to get in position to still make a stop for his defense. Ferrell joined Christian Wilkins to get a tackle for a loss on the very next play. He pushed a tight end into the backfield and then turned back to the middle to get in on the tackle.
Ferrell came off the edge and caused Jones to scramble out of the pocket a bit later. Ferrell kept chasing and after Jones dodged a couple of defenders, He dived and took down Jones for a sack. Ferrell later used strength to rock the left tackle off balance and then sped to the outside to rip down Jones for another sack. Ferrell came close to another sack with a rush to the inside on the next play.
This tape will help Ferrell to grade out as a first-round pick. He has improved his run defense this year and may not have as much speed and explosion as he did in 2017, but Ferrell is a more well-rounded player now. He has strength to shed blocks, speed to close, size, length and good instincts. Ferrell could be a nice value in the mid-to-late portion of the first round.
This tape will help Wilkins to go in the first round, as he showed his versatility to rush the passer from a variety of spots. Wilkins is quick, athletic and agile, and he plays with tenacity. He could be one of the safer players on the opening night of the draft.
Notre Dame 36, Syracuse 3
In the early going, Tillery showed some his quickness with a fast interior rush that almost produced a sack. Tillery later burst through the line to help get in on a tackle for a loss. Overall, Tillery had good gap integrity in the ground game, holding his ground and preventing holes. This tape should help Tillery, as he looked more like a late first- or early second-rounder.
Custis has 45 receptions for 772 yards and five touchdowns this season. The 6-foot-5, 213-pound Custis has good size for the NFL, and if he runs well in the lead up to the draft, he could become a hot prospect.
Florida State 22, Boston College 21
In the opening half, Allen kept Florida State from getting on the scoreboard first with a blocked field goal. Allen then had a quick get-off, getting upfield on the right tackle and turning the corner to get after quarterback Deondre Francois. He almost had a sack, but Francois stepped up in the pocket. However, the pressure helped produce a third-down incompletion. Allen later showed poor awareness by not staying home on a reverse, as he overpursued going across the field. But he bounced back to make a good read on a throw-back pass to get in on a big tackle for a loss.
Just after halftime, Allen used power to push through the right tackle slapping down the arms and then using speed to close for the sack. Promptly, the right tackle jumped early trying to block Allen on a third-and-long. Allen showed his instincts on the next play to time his jump and bat down the pass to get his defense off the field. Allen then chased down a scrambling Francois just past the line of scrimmage to force another punt. In the fourth quarter, Allen slammed Francois into the turf with a clothes line across the chest.
Overall, this was a superb tape from Allen. He showed the speed to get upfield with a quick first step that was faster than the offensive linemen. He illustrated his strength to shed blocks and being able to anchor against runs. Allen put on display good instincts and a non-stop motor. Allen is worthy of being a top-20 pick next April.
This was a good tape from Burns, as he was active with a lot of pressure in the backfield. Team sources have told me that the skinny Burns should return to Florida State to get stronger before going to the NFL. Thus, if Burns does enter the draft, his pro team is going to need to be patient with his development. Burns could fit best as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense.
Lindstrom reminds me of Cody Whitehair at Kansas State with his body type and style of play. I think Lindstrom could end up being a second-round pick who becomes a plug-and-play starter.
Ohio State 52, Maryland 51
Haskins had a bad play in the second quarter, not seeing a linebacker drop into coverage in the middle of the field, and Haskins got lucky that the defender dropped an interception. Haskins then threw a 61-yard touchdown, but it actually was not a good throw by Haskins, as he fired the ball late and it was underthrown. His receiver had to pull up to wait for the ball to get to him and then was able to run away from a few defenders over 20 yards to get into the end zone. NFL defensive backs will close much faster, and it would have been incomplete, or the wideout would have been tackled.
Haskins threw a pick-six to start the third quarter. Haskins did not move his eyes and threw to a receiver who was guarded closely by three defenders. The pass was tipped by one defender and grabbed by another with a short return into the end zone.
Haskins, however, played his best football in the fourth quarter. He used his strong arm to throw a dart along the sideline for a big gain. That set up a short rushing touchdown for Haskins. He added a short quick pass touchdown, and then he tied the game with a perfectly thrown fade pass. Haskins then had a short rushing touchdown in overtime. He finished completing 28-of-38 passes for 405 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Haskins ran for 59 yards on 15 carries with three touchdowns.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder has a quality arm with the potential to be a pocket passer who hurts defenses. He has talent, but everything is just a little bit off with Haskins. His decision making is not consistent, and he makes some bad plays with ball security. Haskins’ field vision needs to improve, and he has to get faster at working through progressions. His footwork needs improvement, and his ball placement can be off. He had some big opportunities fall incomplete because of ball placement. Haskins should return to Ohio State in 2019 to improve his overall play before going to the NFL. As a first-year starter, that is understandable, and Haskins has upside to grow.
TCU 16, Baylor 9
Banogu had a clutch tackle on the perimeter in the third quarter as the Baylor receiver had open grass ahead, but Banogu kept the play to a short gain to save his defense from giving up a big gain. Banogu then flew by the right tackle with a speed rush to get a sack.
Banogu looks like a third- or fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He is a good athlete with a long linear body who passes the eye ball test. He has big arms and could add more weight for the NFL. Banogu has some speed to go with his athleticism and some natural ability to get after the quarterback. Banogu is extremely soft as a run defender. He is OK in pursuit, but he really struggles with downhill runs coming straight at him. As a result, Banogu is a prospect with developmental starter potential and those guys end up going in the third or fourth round. In speaking to some team sources, Banogu received a fourth-round grade but they would not be shocked if he went in the back half of the third.
In speaking to team sources, they feel that Collier has some late-round developmental potential. They really like his run defense skills as he is strong and plays hard. He has an aggressive mentality and really beats up offensive linemen. Earlier this year, they said that his tape against Kansas State was very impressive. What makes Collier a late-rounder is a terrible, soft body that needs a lot of development for the NFL. Evaluators feel that he could be a backup left defensive end to battle right tackles in the NFL if he is able to grow as a player and improve his body.
It was a shocking and curious decision when Hurd dropped out of Tennessee. With the Volunteers, he was a power back that ran over tacklers and showed some real talent for the NFL. During the fall of the Butch Jones tenure, Hurd left the program because he wanted to switch to wide receiver. Hurd has the height at 6-foot-4, and he transformed his body for his new position to compete at Baylor.
While Hurd is not an elite receiver, NFL sources say that he is draftable as a wideout and could be a mid-round pick. They say he is a big receiver who can’t separate but he has mismatch size. Hurd has made it known that he does not want to play running back and receiver, but in the moment, he will take carries if the team needed it. However, Hurd has lost a ton of weight and is lean in his upper body, so NFL evaluators feel it doesn’t make sense to give him carries because the power he had at Tennessee is gone. Still, Hurd has done better than many expected at wide receiver and he could go in the middle portion of the 2019 NFL Draft.
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