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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Notre Dame 38, Stanford 17
Early in the second quarter, Tillery slapped off right guard Nate Herbig and closed on Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello to come close to a sack. That set the tone for the rest of the night, with Tillery dominating every blocker he went against. Just before halftime, Tillery bull rushed through Herbig to get a sack of Costello. It was impressive power from Tillery to dominate Stanford’s best blocker and push into the quarterback on roller skates. In the third quarter, Tillery almost caused an interception by hitting Costello as he threw and forcing an errant pass that went flying in the air.
Early in the fourth quarter, Tillery got an effort sack after Herbig initially stuffed a bull rush. Tillery peeled off the block to chase down Costello as he stepped up in the pocket. Midway through the fourth quarter, Tillery bulled the left tackle to the outside on a stunt, but then turned and used speed to the inside to sack Costello and force a fumble. On the very next play, Tillery shed the left guard with his strong upper body and then closed on Costello for another sack.
Along with putting a lot of heat on Costello, Tillery was tough in the ground game, holding his gap and keeping offensive linemen from getting movement. Tillery totaled six tackles with four tackles for a loss, four sacks and a forced fumble against the Cardinal. This monster game from Tillery will be huge for his draft grade. He showed excellent strength to shed blocks, technique to get under the pads of offensive linemen, power to bull rush, and speed to close on the quarterback. It was a phenomenal tape from Tillery that will help his draft grade and improve his chances of being a Thursday night pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
LSU 45, Ole Miss 16
Williams had an early tackle downfield to end a chunk run. He was then all over Metcalf just inside the end zone, and Williams was able to knock the pass away. That nice play in coverage helped force Ole Miss into a field goal. Overall, Williams was sound running with the Rebel wideouts, doing a nice job of preventing separation.
At the end of the first half, Ole Miss finally got Brown the ball downfield, as they threw a jump ball deep down the field. Brown made a leaping 35-yard reception right in front of the end zone. That was the highlight of the night for Brown, as he totaled nine receptions for 72 yards. This tape should not hurt or help Brown significantly.
Metcalf and Lodge played poorly overall. In the early going, Metcalf got open against Williams on a short comeback route close to the goal line, but he dropped the pass. Lodge, meanwhile, got open in the back of the end zone to make a leaping touchdown catch, but he dropped the pass. Later in the second quarter, Lodge went downfield and had an over the shoulder reception go through his hands. Lodge did get open for what could have been a long touchdown as he had an awesome release off the line of scrimmage to juke a corner and have him fall down, but Rebels quarterback Jordan Ta’amu overthrew Lodge running wide open deep down the field. Overall, this tape will hurt both Metcalf and Lodge for showing issues with drops.
Ohio State 27, Penn State 26
Campbell dropped an early pass in the flat, and that set the tone for an underwhelming game. Campbell had seven receptions for 60 yards, but Ohio State’s offense struggled to pass the ball downfield with Haskins having issues pushing the ball. This tape shouldn’t hurt or help either of these players.
Florida 13, Mississippi State 6
Like with Simmons, the Gator staff had a good plan to keep Sweat from wrecking their game play. Still, both blockers had low lights going against Sweat. Just after halftime, Taylor had to hold Sweat to take away a potential sack as Sweat had him beat to the inside. It was a huge play by Sweat as it caused Florida to lose out on a bomb of about 60 yards to the Bulldogs’ 5-yard line.
Late in the fourth quarter, Sweat burned Ivey to almost get a sack, but his hit forced an errant third down pass. That was a clutch rush by Sweat because it got the ball back for his offense with just over two minutes remaining and down by a touchdown.
Sweat has issues in run defense, as he is long and lean, and he needs to get stronger for the NFL. However, he is fast and athletic off the edge. Because of his strength and thin frame, Sweat might be limited to only being a 3-4 outside linebacker. In a 4-3 defense, he would have to be a role player as a designated pass rusher.
Taylor is definitely the better prospect than Ivey. In the ground game, Taylor has some strength to get a push, and he is more steady in pass protection. Ivey looks like an athletic guy but he has terrible feet and that leads to him struggling with good speed rushers like Sweat or Josh Allen. Taylor could be a day-two or mid-round pick while Ivey is a late-round or undrafted-caliber player.
Jenkins is athletic in pass protection, showing good feel and awareness to remain a center in the NFL. He is quick and athletic, and he has a pro frame. This was a good tape from Jenkins that will help his draft grade.
Michigan 20, Northwestern 17
On his initial third down of the game, Thorson stood tough in the pocket with a free blitzer bearing down on him and waited for his outlet receiver to get open. Thorson stepped into the throw to deliver the pass accurately for a first down while taking a big hit from the defender. It was a pro play that set the tone for his day. A few plays later, Northwestern used their big 6-foot-4, 227-pound quarterback to sneak the ball over the goal line for a 7-0 lead.
Thorson threw a good pass on a deep out during the ensuing possession, and he then stepped up to avoid Gary and Winovich. He used his strength to get out of their grasp while keeping his eyes downfield to find a receiver for a nice gain in the middle of the field. The next snap, Thorson beat good coverage with a perfectly accurate pass on a slant. That set up a field goal for Northwestern. Thorson continued his hot start with third-down conversions and precision passes to lead the Wildcats to a 17-0 lead.
Michigan came storming back in the middle of the game, as the Wolverines defensive line started winning at the point of attack and put constant heat on Thorson. The inept Northwestern offensive line was incapable of giving Thorson a clean pocket and consistent time to make passes. His wideouts had no speed and were incapable of separating or stretching the field vertically. Every throw had to be perfect for Thorson to move the ball. Thorson finished completing 16-of-27 passes for 174 yards.
This tape will definitely help Thorson’s draft grade. He showed a strong accurate arm that moved the ball up and down the field with precision passes. Thorson had to be on the money because his receivers were incapable of getting separation, so Thorson had to beat coverage with his ball placement. On top of his passing, Thorson protected the ball well while making good decisions. He also showed some ability to move and used his big body to pick up some critical quarterback sneaks. Thorson has the skill set of a NFL starting quarterback and sources have told me that his character is off the charts. He is a team leader who can connect to all segments of the locker room. He’s smart with a good football I.Q. In the pre-draft meetings, Thorson could skyrocket. This performance will help Thorson to be an early-round pick.
Winovich had the look for a first-rounder. In the opening quarter, Winovich used a swim move to fire by the right tackle and make a tackle for a loss. Winovich repeated that play in the second quarter, firing by the left tackle for a tackle for a loss on the tailback. Winovich later was gifted a sack as the right tackle moved to the inside off the snap, and Winovich came completely unblocked to get a sack of Thorson.
There is no doubt that Winovich is a demon off the edge. He is fast off the snap with an explosive first step to get upfield. Winovich has improved his technique to use a variety of methods to beat offensive linemen. At 6-foot-2, 258-pounds Winovich lacks the size to be an every down end in a 4-3 defense in the NFL. He would be better off as a 3-4 outside linebacker. Winovich could be an excellent value pick in the back half of the first round, as he has double-digit sack potential in the NFL.
Patterson finished completing 15-of-24 for 196 yards. Clearly, he needs to go back to school in 2019 to get better before going pro.
N.C. State 35, Virginia 21
On his first drive of the game, Finley threw some accurate passes on out routes to the sideline and then lofted in a pretty pass deep down the middle of the field between two defenders for a 39-yard completion. While Finley was showing nice accuracy on most throws, he was lucky to not toss two interceptions. The first near-pick came on a jump ball that was left to the inside of the receiver letting the cornerback be in better position to make a play on the ball. Finley was lucky the corner dropped the pass. The next possession, Finley stared down a wideout and had a safety jump the route, but once again, Finley was fortunate the defensive back couldn’t control the ball for a turnover.
Finley had one really nice pass and then a lucky one on the next possession. The first was an 11-yard deep out to the far side of the field to set up a third-and-manageable. The next play on third-and-7, Finley was staring down a wide open receiver in the front corner of the end zone and was late pulling the trigger. He finally threw the ball, but that hesitation caused a safety to close on the pass that should have been an easy touchdown. Finley got lucky his receiver won the jump ball over the safety for a 16-yard score.
Finley threw another 16-yard touchdown before halftime, and this was a very impressive play. Finley was under pressure and couldn’t set his feet, but off his back foot, he lofted in a well-placed pass to a blanketed tight end to lead him open toward the back of the end zone. That was a money throw by Finley that illustrates why he is a legit pro prospect.
Finley ended up completing 22-of-32 passes for 257 yards with three touchdowns. This analyst thinks that Finley could be an Andy Dalton-caliber quarterback, becoming a quality starter but not a top-of-the-league stud. Finley has an adequate arm and shows the ability to throw the deep out to the far side of the field. He throws the ball accurately with flashing some anticipation on some plays. Finley could end up being a first- or second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft if he has a strong finish to the 2019 season while excelling in the pre-draft process.
Pratt (6-2, 241) runs well while having a nice build. He has good vision to read his keys and fire his gun to attack the football. At this point, his run defense is ahead of his pass coverage, but he could end up being a three-down starter in the NFL with some development. He also needs to improve taking on and shedding blocks. Starting out as a backup rotational player and special-teams contributor would be a good plan for Pratt. In time, Pratt could function as a starting inside backer in a 3-4 while having the flexibility to potentially be a Mike (middle) or Will (weakside) linebacker in a 4-3.
West Virginia 42, Texas Tech 34
On the first drive of the game, Grier attacked the middle of the field with some accurate throws to move the chains. Grier led his receivers open and hit them on the run, showing good timing and precision on slants and seam routes. That set up a rushing a score to establish the tone for the game.
Grier later had a pretty pass for a 45-yard touchdown. Grier did a nice job of finding his second progression and lofting in a perfect pass to lead his recover into the end zone.
In the second quarter, Grier showed some inconsistency in field vision as he stared down a receiver in the middle of the field and was lucky the pass isn’t picked off, as the ball was dropped by a defensive back. Grier came back to fire his third touchdown of the first half on a back-shoulder throw that was a bit too far to the inside letting a defensive back contend for the pass, but his receiver made the play snatching it for the score.
Grier had a perfect pocket with receiver Marcus Simms running wide open into the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown after halftime, but Grier overthrew him. West Virginia ran out the clock and Grier also took some sacks as the protection was getting overloaded with blitzes. Grier is going to need to get better at recognizing a collapsing pocket to get rid of the ball to a receiver or throwing it away to avoid taking a negative play.
Grier finished 27-of-41 for 370 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. In this analyst’s opinion, Grier is more of a second-day prospect. He does not have the skill set of a top of the draft quarterback. Grier passes accurately and has enough arm to make all the throws. However, Grier needs a clean pocket. His arm strength gets sapped when his feet aren’t set. That is a problem for the NFL, as pockets are not as clean as he sees in the weak Big 12. While I think Grier is more of a second- or third-rounder, that does not mean that some NFL team won’t take him in the first frame, as quarterbacks get overdrafted every year.
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