This section breaks down many college football games each week and highlights how 2018 NFL Draft Prospects have performed. Or look at the 2018 NFL Draft Stock page.
By Charlie Campbell.
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USC 27, Texas 24 2OT
At the end of the first quarter, Darnold scrambled away from blitzing linebacker Anthony Wheeler, and should have thrown the ball away, but he hesitated and Wheeler chased him down for the sack. Just before the half, Darnold made an excellent play. He started out looking to his left before pump faking, climbing the pocket while moving his eyes across the field, and then tossing a well-placed pass that threw open Deontay Burnett for a touchdown. Darnold put the pass right on the money about 30 yards downfield.
At the end of the second quarter, Darnold had a pass that was on the money hit his receiver in the hands and deflect up in the air. The ball was picked off and returned for an interception in some bad luck for Darnold. On the final play of the half with no time on the clock, Darnold scrambled and found his back Ronald Jones wide open in the middle of the field. Jones was able to make some defenders miss and get a few blocks to break down the field for a 56-yard touchdown.
Darnold threw another interception early in the fourth quarter, but this one was clearly his fault. Darnold had a tight end wide open in the middle of the field, but he didn’t get his feet set and threw off his back foot. The ball sailed and floated right to Texas safety Deshawn Elliott for the pick. It was a terrible pass by Darnold and very uncharacteristic for him. On the next drive, Elliott dropped an would-be interception after he read the eyes of Darnold.
With the game on the line, Darnold moved the ball down the field, ripping it to open receivers in 45 seconds to move the ball for a game-tying field goal. At midfield, Darnold made a superb play to avoid an edge rusher who was running free. Darnold climbed the pocket before throwing a jump pass to a receiver to get the Trojans set up to tie the game with a field goal and force overtime. In the first overtime, Darnold threw a perfect pass to an open Burnett for a score.
Darnold was 28-of-49 for 397 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions against the Longhorns. Overall, this wasn’t his best tape as Texas was able to knock him off his game and force some uncharacteristic mistakes from him. Still, Darnold made some great throws that displayed his accuracy, ball placement, anticipation, and mobility within the pocket to help avoid the rush. Darnold was able to do enough to get his team a tough victory, so the bottom line is this tape shouldn’t hurt Darnold’s draft grade at the end of the day.
In the third quarter, Jefferson showed great speed to run across the field and then tackle a receiver along the sideline about 20 yards downfield. Shortly later, Jefferson made a nice play in pursuit with a hard open-field tackle on a third down to get his defense off the field. Early in the fourth quarter, Jefferson shot behind the line to notch a tackle for a loss. A few plays later, he contributed to a tackle coming from zone coverage to take a receiver down and force USC’s offense back to the bench. In the fourth quarter, Jefferson fired through the hole to get a hard tackle for a loss.
This was a solid tape for Jefferson that showed better consistency than his Week 1 performance against Maryland. Jefferson is a first-round athlete, but he needs to produce more in the weeks to come in order to be a Thursday night pick.
Johnson beat the jam of Marshall at the line of scrimmage in the third quarter to get a step of separation running down the sideline. The 6-foot-6 Johnson laid out to make a diving catch for 24 yards to finish the play.
While this tape doesn’t help Marshall, he was going against a wideout who is a potential first-rounder for the 2019 NFL Draft. Johnson is freakishly big and presents a size mismatch against just about any cornerback in college football or the NFL. This wasn’t a good tape from Marshall, but it shouldn’t be a huge negative on his draft grade.
Unfortunately, that was the last noteworthy play from Gustin in the game as he didn’t play in the second half. USC stated it was because of a toe surgery that Gustin had earlier in the week before the game, and afterward, the program announced that Gustin has a bicep injury that was feared to be a tear. His status is worth monitoring.
Clemson 47, Louisville 21
After the break, Jackson had a chunk run called back by a penalty. He then forced a throw to a well-covered receiver as Jackson was fooled by Clemson’s coverage. Cornerback Dorian O’Daniel sunk underneath a receiver and made an easy interception as Jackson forced the pass. O’Daniel streaked down the field for a 45-yard pick-six.
Early in the fourth quarter, Jackson made a nice play to dodge a defender and scramble outside the pocket before lofting in a 36-yard touchdown pass to a wide open receiver. Jackson added another touchdown pass in garbage time and a 78-yard completion in busted coverage in the final two minutes of the game. He also had an easy interception dropped in what could easily have been a 99-yard pick-six. Jackson finished completing 21-of-42 for 317 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.
Overall, this tape is going to hurt Jackson’s draft grade. He was inaccurate as a passer when the game was close. A lot of Jackson’s completions and yards came in garbage time. There is no doubt that Jackson is a great athlete. He is a quick-twitch runner who has a powerful arm. However he needs more refinement for the NFL in terms of being an accurate pocket passer.
Mississippi State 37, LSU 7
Key was pretty quiet in the early going while rotating in and out of the game. In the final minute before halftime, Key made a nice play in run defense to set the edge and set up tackle of no gain for teammate Christian LaCouture. A few plays later, Key used his speed to run around the corner of the right tackle. Key showed a second gear of explosion to close and agility to get turned back toward the line of scrimmage. He jumped on the back of Fitzgerald to get his first sack of the 2017 season. Key got in on a goal-line tackle of Fitzgerald a few plays later.
Midway through the third quarter, Key had a good pressure and a near sack causing Fitzgerald to throw the pass away. With Key coming off an injury, LSU rotated him out of the game a fair amount and he was on a pitch count. With Mississippi State opening a big lead and then running the ball, that hurt Key’s playing time even more. Overall, this was a fine start to the season, as Key flashed his special pass-rushing skills.
As a passer, Fitzgerald put the ball in the end zone with a few throws. With five minutes remaining in the third, Mississippi State ran a play-action fake that got a receiver wide open for an easy 45-yard touchdown pass from Fitzgerald in busted coverage. Fitzgerald later threw another touchdown pass this time from 20 yards out. He rolled to his right and had a receiver streaking open down the seam. Fitzgerald lofted a touch pass in to put Mississippi State up 37-7. Fitzgerald finished completing 15-of-23 passes for 180 yards with two touchdowns. He ran for 88 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns.
For a college quarterback, this was an excellent performance. From an NFL scouting perspective, it was rather average. Fitzgerald made a few throws to the perimeter but his passes were generally short throws to open receivers. He is going to need to show more as a pocket passer in order to be early-round pick.
Notre Dame 49, Boston College 20
McGlinchey and Nelson were definitely the more impressive players in this contest. In the first quarter Notre Dame got a 65-yard run as McGlinchey, Nelson, and tight end Durham Smythe opened up a huge hole for their back.
That set the tone for the game as the Fighting Irish controlled the line of scrimmage. McGlinchey and Nelson were constantly blasting defenders back and opening holes. Nelson is a true bulldozer at the point of attack who can ride defenders around the field. Many left tackles are finesse players, but McGlinchey is an exception, as he is a tough run blocker.
In the third quarter, Notre Dame went behind Nelson on third-and-goal from the one to get the score. Nelson used his power to get a push and allow his back to get across the goal line. The great play by the Fighting Irish offensive line led to a prolific game running the ball. Notre Dame running back Josh Adams ran for 229 yards on 18 carries while quarterback Brandon Whimbush ran for 207 yards and four touchdowns. Notre Dame had a total of seven rushing touchdowns against Boston College.
Nelson was absolutely dominant at the point of attack. This tape was evidence of why he is the top guard prospect for the 2018 NFL Draft and deserving of being a first-round pick. McGlinchey also will have this tape to help his chances of being a Thursday night selection.
Landry also had some ugly plays in run defense. For example, in the third quarter, Landry was pushed back and couldn’t shed the block of a tight end while the back went right by him to get downfield for a 36-yard run. In the fourth quarter, Landry was juked at the point of attack by the Wimbush on a long touchdown run. For a first-round edge defender, it was disappointing to see Landry not break down and make that tackle in space.
Landry almost had a sack burning the right tackle with a speed rush in the second quarter, but other than that play, this was an ugly tape for Landry. He got pushed around in the ground game and didn’t produce impact plays in the pass rush. This tape made Landry look more like a late first-rounder who is a better fit in a 3-4 defense for the NFL. He could be undersized and lack strength to hold up as a base end in a 4-3 defense.
St. Brown was seeing a lot of double coverage, just like he was last week against Georgia. He finished with only one catch for three yards. In the fourth quarter, St. Brown hit a good block downfield to help spring Wimbush on a long touchdown run. The pathetic passing of Wimbush could put a big damper on St. Brown’s draft grade if he ends this year with meager production.
Florida 26, Tennessee 20
The star of this game was Tennessee running back John Kelly. Kelly has taken over replacing Alvin Kamara and Jalen Hurd with impressive results for the junior from Detroit. In the season opener, he scored four touchdowns against Georgia Tech, but Kelly was even better versus the Gators. Kelly showed impressive quickness at the point of attack to hit the hole and accelerate to the second level. He also was very good as a receiver out of the backfield, showing smooth athleticism as a route-runner.
Even though Kelly (5-9, 205) isn’t a heavy back, he runs with power, as he is put together well. Kelly powered through a ton of tackles in the second half, running through Gator defenders and putting his team back in the game. Kelly had a 38-yard touchdown run to cut Florida’s lead, but Kelly showed bad judgment with a taunting penalty after the score. That gifted Florida a short field that they turned into points. Kelly then had more tough runs to get Tennessee in position for a game-tying field goal.
Kelly finished with 141 yards on 19 carries with one touchdown while catching six passes for 96 yards. This was a phenomenal game from Kelly, as he showed NFL evaluators that he has a serious combination of quickness, athleticism, toughness and versatility. Kelly’s stock is definitely on the rise with how he is playing as a junior.
Midway through the third quarter, Dawson had an interesting goal-line series. He dropped an interception in the end zone that would have been huge for the Gators. There was a taunting penalty after that play that gave Tennessee a first down. Dawson was then beaten for some separation on a back-shoulder throw, but the Tennessee receiver dropped a touchdown. The next play, Dawson made an open-field tackle inside the five to force a third-down play. A Tennessee receiver ran a terrible route and that let Dawson cut underneath to make a point saving interception at the 1-yard line. That turned out to be a huge impact play for the Gators.
In the fourth quarter, Kelly ran through a few tackle attempts by Dawson. He is a willing run defender but size limitations hurt him against power backs. Dawson is a solid slot corner prospect for the NFL who could be a nice mid-round pick.
Wolf looks more like a backup rotational tight end rather than a three-down starter in the NFL. On a lot of plays, he struggles to get separation in man coverage, but he is athletic enough to contribute some as a receiver and find soft spots in zone coverage. Wolf looks like a mid-round talent for the 2018 NFL Draft.
Memphis 48, UCLA 45
Early on in the first quarter, Rosen threw a dart into a tight window to a convert a third-and-16 and set up a short touchdown run. The only bad part of the play was Rosen staring down his receiver, but Rosen threw a frozen rope to get the better of tight coverage.
In the second quarter in a goal line situation, Rosen worked under center at the 5-yard line. He rolled out on a play-action bootleg to throw a short touchdown pass. Rosen then made a bad decision to throw off his back foot into double coverage deep down the field. The pass was like a punt that was thrown completely up for grabs. It fell incomplete, but that was a play that Rosen should have thrown away, as it easily could have been intercepted.
Just before the half, Rosen had a 1-yard touchdown run as Memphis completely bought a play fake and Rosen strolled into the end zone with a rare rushing touchdown for the pocket passer. Rosen then threw a perfect bomb to hit his receiver in stride for a 65-yard touchdown. Rosen took the snap under center, did a play-action fake before laying out the deep ball about 45 yards downfield. That score cut Memphis lead to 34-31.
After getting in the face of his defense to get the ball back for him, Rosen made a terrible decision. Rosen scrambled to his right before throwing back across the field. A linebacker jumped the pass to easily pick it off. He raced down the field for a pick-six. It was Rosen’s first interception of the season and a painful one for the Bruins. It shouldn’t have been his first pick of the year, as Rosen had a few interceptions dropped in the season opener against Texas A&M.
Rosen came back to quickly move the ball down the field before lofting in a pretty back-shoulder touchdown pass from 21 yards out. Backed up in his own end zone, Rosen lofted in a perfect touch pass to tight end Caleb Wilson for a gain of almost 30. He kept ripping the ball down the field before finding tight end Austin Roberts down the seam for a 22-yard touchdown to finish off an impressive 6-play, 99-yard drive.
With Memphis up 48-45 midway through the fourth quarter, Rosen had UCLA in the red zone. Rosen was under pressure and threw a jump pass to a receiver to avoid a sack. The receiver wasn’t on the same page, as he kept running rather than stopping his route like Rosen thought he would. That led to an interception for Memphis returned to midfield. The final possession to try to tie the game stalled out around midfield. Rosen completed 34-of-56 passes for 463 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.
This tape showed NFL evaluators some pro style attributes to Rosen. While he works from shotgun on the majority of his plays, he also takes some snaps from under center, and that is becoming a rare thing to see in college football. Rosen isn’t a running threat at quarterback, but he did execute some bootlegs and rollouts to make throws on the run. Rosen had a number of bad decisions that really hurt his team. He was careless with ball security on a number of plays that eventually came back to bite UCLA. Rosen showed that he has a great arm, throws a tight spiral, and is a lethal pocket passer, but needs to improve his ball security and decision-making.
Midway through the first half, Ferguson had an interception on a deflected pass that his receiver should have caught. Memphis came back to get a long touchdown on a screen pass that was an easy toss for Ferguson. Ferguson then made a nice play to move his eyes and stop a rollout that was well defended. He reset and delivered a good throw to his receiver for a gain of about 30 yards. To end that drive, Ferguson took a snap from under center and set up a screen. That led to a 42-yard touchdown for Memphis.
Ferguson threw a well placed 41-yard deep ball Anthony Miller to beat tight coverage right before halftime. His receiver made an incredible play, hauling in a diving reception as Miller completely laid out for the ball. The next play, Ferguson went back to Miller as he led his receiver into the end zone past the cornerback for a 33-yard touchdown. It was a perfect pass by Ferguson with Miller running a pretty route.
After the half, Ferguson was in a groove, throwing some passes with precision downfield. He tossed his fifth touchdown pass of the game to Miller as the wideout fought through defenders to reach the ball across the goal line. With UCLA leading 45-41, Miller rewarded Ferguson on a slant as he made a great hands catch behind him before slipping away from a few tacklers and breaking down field for a good gain. It was a great play by Miller. Ferguson rolled out to throw what would be the game-winning touchdown pass.
Ferguson competed 23-of38 for 398 yards with six touchdowns and an interception. He too had a few risky decisions and got lucky on a couple of those plays. Still, this was an impressive performance from Ferguson. He made some excellent touch passes from the pocket with accuracy and precision. Ferguson showed some field vision and a quality skill set. This tape will definitely help his draft grade.
With how Miller played against UCLA, the 5-foot-11, 190-pounder showed that he could be a second-day candidate as a slot receiver prospect for the NFL. With his quickness, shifty moves, hands, and route-running, Miller gave proof that he could be a weapon out of the slot. This tape will help send Miller’s stock up significantly.
Oklahoma State 59, Pittsburgh 21
To start the game, Rudolph had a well-thrown deep ball that flew through the hands of his receivers incomplete. He came back to find a receiver running wide open down the seam for a 59-yard touchdown in busted coverage.
Late in the first quarter, Rudolph made a tremendous play. He shed two tackles to buy time and avoid the sack. Rudolph then reset his feet and delivered a pass downfield to his receiver knowing he was about to get lit up by a defender closing on him. The receiver made the catch and did the rest breaking a few tackles while running another 40 yards or so for a 69-yard touchdown. Rudolph then had a well-placed ball to find a receiver open crossing in the front of the end zone to complete an 8-yard touchdown pass.
Rudolph was out of the game in the early going of the second half. He finished the game completing 23-of-32 passes for 497 yards with five touchdowns. Rudolph showed good size, a quality arm, escapability and better accuracy than last year, fitting some balls into tight windows. Rudolph has to improve his anticipation. He has to see receivers break open rather than throwing them open or leading them open. In college, that isn’t a big deal because his spread system gets targets wide open, but in the NFL, a lack of anticipation is a big weakness for a signal-caller.
There will be some evaluators who really like Rudolph and feel their team can improve some of his weaknesses. Rudolph’s stats are vastly inflated by his college system and an easy schedule that lacks even decent defenses. In this evaluator’s opinion, Rudolph is more of a second-day prospect rather than a Thursday night pick.
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