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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Tennessee 42, Georgia Tech 41 2 OT
In the first quarter, Griffin missed a tackle at the second level. Later in the third quarter, he was late to help on a long run from the Volunteers. Rather than going for a wrap-up tackle or dishing out a hard hit, he went for a strip that caused him to miss the tackle and let the back, John Kelly, continue to gain yardage into Yellow Jackets territory. Early in the fourth quarter, Griffin took a bad angle and then missed a tackle on a receiver about 10 yards downfield, which let the receiver run down the field an additional 40 yards for a touchdown.
Griffin came back to make a touchdown-saving tackle around the 10-yard line late in the fourth quarter, but on the next play, he was late helping over the top, and Kelly bounced off him to get into the end zone at the goal line. Against Tennessee, Griffin totaled five tackles. He took bad angles, showed poor tackling form, and was late to react. Griffin will need to perform better in the weeks to come in order to earn a Senior Bowl or East-West Shrine invitation.
Virginia Tech 31, West Virginia 24
Alexander had some good plays in the first half. Early in the first quarter, Alexander made a tackle for a loss snuffing out a wide receiver screen. He then ran with a receiver stride-for-stride running a go route down the sideline to force an incompletion. In the second quarter, Alexander made a good tackle in run support. He later ran with a receiver downfield and knocked a jump ball away, playing the throw well and not interfering with the receiver. Alexander almost picked the pass off for the Hokies. Later in the fourth, Alexander came over the top to drill a receiver and break up a pass that would have been a big gain. He also slapped a pass away in the end zone on the final play of the game.
While Alexander had those positive plays, he also had some real negatives, as West Virginia killed him on slant passes. After getting a slant for about 10 yards, the Mountaineers beat Alexander on a slant to convert a third down. That happened again in the third quarter. West Virginia then went back to the well with a 10-yard touchdown pass to tie the game.
Virginia Tech was playing Alexander in off-man coverage and the 6-foot-3 corner isn’t fast or fluid enough athletically to defend slants in off man coverage. He needs to be playing more press man and zone techniques.
Alexander might also be a good fit as a free safety in the NFL, as he is a tough tackler and physical player. He could be used in man coverage on tight ends as well. With his size, he also could play press man on big wideouts. This game illustrated that while Alexander has excellent height and length, he has some athletic limitations with tightness to play off man coverage. That is very common for big cornerbacks like Alexander.
Grier has a good arm and made some nice throws against Virginia Tech. However, Grier also had some accuracy issues, as he missed some wide-open targets downfield. He had a few potential touchdown passes go incomplete because he struggled with his ball placement. Grier improved in the second half, and he made some excellent passes including a 60-yard touchdown pass where he threaded the ball into a tight window between defenders. Grier completed 31-of-53 passes for 371 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.
Grier has started fewer than 10 games in his collegiate career, so continuing to improve at the collegiate level would make the most sense.
UCLA 45, Texas A&M 44
On his first drive, Rosen threw a rope to convert a third-and-long with a receiver open in zone coverage. Rosen passed accurately to the flat to convert another third down before the drive stalled near the end zone and the Bruins settled for a field goal. Rosen later threw a beautiful deep ball that dropped in perfectly to beat blanket coverage for a 54-yard completion that set up a first-and-goal for the Bruins. The Bruins were down 38-10 at the half, however.
Just after halftime, Rosen held on to the ball too long and didn’t see a blitzer hunting him down. He was drilled and fumbled the ball away to the Aggies. Rosen came back to lead a touchdown drive, highlighted by a beautiful pass where he moved coverage with his eyes and a pump fake before drilling a fastball into a tight window to his tight end. That set up a rushing touchdown. On the next possession, Rosen threw some bullets to move the ball down the field with a short touchdown pass to end the drive. Midway through the fourth quarter, Rosen got extremely lucky as he had a pass sail between the hands of a safety before falling into his receiver’s chest for a 42-yard touchdown pass. That made the game 44-31.
Shortly later, Rosen was fortunate again as he was under duress and threw a ball up for grabs in a crowd of two receivers and three defenders. A receiver tracked the ball down for a touchdown to make it 44-38 with three minutes remaining.
Rosen got the ball back with just over 2:30 remaining with about 70 yards to go, and no timeouts. He continued to use his tight end Wilson to move the ball inside the Aggies’ 25 and then converted a fourth-and-6. Rosen finished off the drive, threading a needle to the back of the end zone on the sideline to give the Bruins the lead. Rosen completed 35-of-58 passes for 491 yards with four touchdowns. Rosen did get very lucky some throws weren’t intercepted, but he still played his tail off.
This game could do a lot for Rosen’s draft stock, as he executed one of the most epic comebacks in college football history. He never quit and continued to battle hard, showing toughness and resiliency to lead his team back when they were being blown out 44-10 in the third quarter.
There are four top draft-eligible quarterback prospects for the 2018 NFL Draft with USC’s Sam Darnold, Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, Wyoming’s Josh Allen, and Rosen. Rosen illustrated that while he has some faults and isn’t a dual-threat running quarterback, he could be the most natural pocket passer. Rosen has a strong arm with the best mechanics of any of those four signal-callers. If Rosen avoids injury and stays consistent, he should be a first-round pick next April.
Watts made his presence felt early in the first quarter when he forced a fumble that was recovered by the Aggies. That set up a short field to get points for Texas A&M. Watts had a few good open-field tackles to prevent a chunk runs from the Bruins. Late in the second quarter, he came on a blitz and skied high in the air to knock down a pass. Watts then flew over in pass coverage to make a diving pass break-up on a third down to get his defense off the field. Watts almost secured the ball for a highlight-reel interception. He continued to get in on tackles for the Aggies, as Watts flew around the field.
In man coverage, Watts had some problems with a wide receiver in the slot and then sophomore tight end Caleb Wilson got separation from Watts after running a great route down the seam. Late in the fourth quarter, Watts was beaten by Wilson again with a jab step to the outside and then a slant to convert a critical fourth down.
Those plays illustrated that Watts needs to improve in man coverage as good NFL safeties are called on to contribute in there. Overall, Watts played really well with a number of excellent tackles in space, showing good instincts with the ability to thrive in zone coverage and help in run support.
Alabama 24, Florida State 7
On the first play from scrimmage, James got just enough of Alabama running back Damien Harris to get him to step out of bounds. As the last line of defense, it was probably a touchdown-saving tackle. James batted a pass a little bit later and almost caught it for an interception. He added a clutch tackle in space to prevent a big gain from Alabama.
Late in the third quarter, James had a huge clutch play for his team. On a third-and-goal, James made an open-field tackle on Jalen Hurts to force a field goal for Alabama after a blocked punt set up the first-and-goal. However, a few plays later, James couldn’t wrap up Damien Harris on a touchdown run up the middle.
While this wasn’t a flawless performance, it was good overall. James was healthy showing his great instincts and rare combination of great size, speed, physicality and versatility. He played dime linebacker, nickel corner, free safety and strong safety, and he did everything a coach could ask of him. This tape will be a net positive for James to end up being a high first-round pick.
In the third quarter, Ridley was about to have a cornerback toasted and drew a holding penalty to prevent a long reception. Ridley showed nice hands and an ability to adjust when he snatched a two-point conversion pass for Alabama.
Ridley totaled 82 yards on seven receptions with a touchdown. This tape will help Ridley’s draft grade as his speed and route-running were apparent with the smooth receiver.
McFadden had a quiet game overall. In the fourth quarter, a freshman receiver ran by McFadden to get a step of separation going into the end zone, but the pass was a bit overthrown to fall incomplete. This tape shouldn’t have a big impact on McFadden’s draft grade.
Even though Tate got the better of Fitzpatrick on that play, Fitzpatrick played well overall, showing lots of versatility similar to Derwin James. Fitzpatrick played some man coverage, was all over the field in zone, made run tackles, and showed good instincts. This tape shouldn’t hurt Fitzpatrick’s draft grade.
Just before the half, Brown broke up a pass in the end zone and was fortunate to not have been called for a pass interference. Brown then dished out a blistering hit on Deondre Francois to force an completion and punt. Brown had a solid, albeit quiet debut to the season.
ESPN and other draft analysts have hyped up Averett as a top-25 talent, but a few scouting sources have told me they have Averett much lower than that. Late in the first quarter, Florida State wide receiver Auden Tate beat Averett for a 38-yard completion. Averett was then called for an obvious pass interference in coverage on Tate. He allowed a couple other short completions in front of him. Averett has size to him, but he allows too many completions. This game was similar to how he performed last year, and he didn’t look like a first-round pick against Florida State.
Michigan 33, Florida 17
Early in the first quarter, Hurst shot through the right side of the offensive line to get a tackle for a loss and that set the tone for the afternoon. Later in the first quarter, Hurst made a good play reading a screen and getting to the perimeter to tackle the receiver for no gain. It was a huge play by Hurst because there was a lot of green in front of the Gator to create a big gain. Hurst continued to use his speed to fire into the backfield and cause a lot of disruption. He was consistently generating pressure on the quarterback. This was a nice start for the season for him.
Ivey played the best of the Gators offensive linemen, but he also struggled with a number of lowlights. There were a number of plays where Michigan defensive ends got upfield against Ivey to put pressure on the Florida quarterbacks. Late in the fourth quarter, Ivey was beaten to the inside to give up a strip-sack in the end zone that Michigan recovered for a touchdown.
After playing guard for two seasons, this was Ivey’s first start at left tackle replacing David Sharpe, so he could easily improve after gaining some experience. This was an ugly debut at left tackle and Ivey looked a lot better at guard last year. Some scouting sources think guard might be his better fit in the NFL.
Junior defensive end CeCe Jefferson also flashed at times. In the second quarter, Jefferson had a clutch third-down tackle to get his defense off the field, and shortly later, he pushed through the left tackle to get a sack.
Florida senior cornerback Duke Dawson had one of the few highlights for the Gators. In the first quarter, Dawson had a pass interference as he reached around the receiver too early. He made up for it in the second quarter when he picked off a deflected pass around midfield. Dawson exploded down the field and weaved around a few Wolverines to get into the end zone with a 48-yard pick-six to tie the game at 10. Dawson has mid-round potential as a nickel back prospect for the NFL.
South Carolina 35, N.C. State 28
In the second quarter, Chubb knifed to the inside to get a tackle for a loss in the ground game. A play later, Chubb almost had a sack, but lost his footing after darting by the left tackle.
Chubb had two painful missed tackles that really hurt his defense. The second came on a touchdown run in the third quarter where Chubb met the back in the hole but couldn’t get him to the ground. That score put the Gamecocks in firm control of the game.
Chubb came back to get a tackle for a loss in the ground game. He also had a pressure on a stunt that helped cause a ball thrown up for grabs that was intercepted. He had a good run fill to set up a third-and-long.
Overall, Chubb had a mixed performance. He had a number of nice plays and consistently got the better of blockers with his speed and strength. On the down side, he had some painful missed tackles and didn’t finish some sack opportunities. This tape shouldn’t help or hurt Chubb.
In the third quarter, Samuel continued to kill NC State this time with a 39-yard touchdown reception. He streaked across the field on a deep post route, and in the end zone, Samuel stretched out with a beautiful leaping one-handed catch to secure the ball for the score. In the fourth quarter, he had a clutch 18-yard reception to help get South Carolina away from the shadow of their end zone.
Samuel totaled 83 yards on five catches with two touchdowns. This tape will definitely help Samuel’s draft grade. He showed playmaking speed as a receiver and returner. Samuel ran some great routes with good hands. This was a great start to the season for Samuel and will help improve his draft stock.
In the final minute of the game, Moore had a scare as he was banged up on a play and limped off the field with trainers. Moore was back on the field a few plays later, but Moore illustrated his durability concerns and will have a medical red flag in his draft report. Staying healthy will be critical for Moore’s draft grade this season.
Maryland 51, Texas 41
In the early going, Williams was showing his impressive quickness and athleticism as he neutralized speed rushes at the point of attack. Williams showed good knee bend and leverage on his blocks. He made a bad read in passing off an edge rusher to his tight end who missed the block and allowed a pressure. Williams did the blocking assignment that the play was drawn up for, but he ended up blocking no defender rather than adjusting to help his tight end. Williams had a nice pancake block on Aniebonam on a play shortly later.
In the third quarter, a defender bull rushed into Williams to push him to the quarterback just after the ball was released. Aniebonam then rushed around the corner and Williams pushed him past the pocket and into turf. Aniebonam had to be helped off the field by trainers. It wasn’t a dirty play and was a solid block by Williams that just resulted in an unfortunate injury. A few plays later, Williams showed nice technique to neutralize a bull rush to help give his quarterback time to throw downfield for a critical touchdown.
Williams had an excellent block at the second level to spring his back for a big run that set up a first-and-goal for Texas in the fourth quarter. The Longhorns went behind Williams to get a short touchdown run. With just under five minutes remaining, Williams got out of position to give up outside leverage. He had to drag the defender down to avoid giving up a sack, and Williams was called for a holding penalty. A few plays later, Texas converted a fourth-and-14, but once again, a hold by Williams hurt his team.
Overall, this was a disappointing start to the season for Williams. He looks like the weight he gained this offseason has helped improve the strength in his base. He still could use improvement on packing more punch at the point of attack and also can eliminate some mistakes in technique that allows him to give up ground when getting bull rushed. Williams also needs to clean up his hand usage as he was holding too much. He gave up some leverage and that got him out of position forcing him to hold. This tape shouldn’t have a big impact on his draft stock, but he will need to play better in weeks to come.
In the first quarter, Jefferson laid out a vicious hit on an attempted quarterback draw with a good open field tackle. Then he went quiet for a while. That set the tone of the game. From time to time, Jefferson would flash, but his motor and determination seems to run hot and cold. Jefferson has a Thursday night skill set, but he is going to need to produce more consistently in order to be a first-round pick.
Clemson 56, Kent State 3
In the first quarter, Cain burned coverage on a straight go route, running straight down the field by the cornerback for a 61-yard touchdown. Cain added another 9-yard reception from junior quarterback Kelly Bryant. The Tiger starters were out of the game pretty quickly as the rout was on, but it was a good sign for Cain’s draft stock with what he showed in limited action.
Iowa 24, Wyoming 3
On one highlight-reel play that set Twitter ablaze, Allen twisted out of a sack using his big size and strength to bounce off a few tackles before Iowa could come up with a gang tackle to get him down. It was an impressive example of Allen’s size, toughness, and determination.
Early in the fourth quarter, Allen made a bad decision as he stared down and telegraphed a throw across the field. That let Iowa cornerback Josh Jackson jump the route and pick it off. That interception was a killer as it came in Iowa territory with Wyoming trying to get back into the game at 21-3. The next possession saw Allen miss high with inaccuracy before making a good throw on a deep out. However, a few plays later, Iowa linebacker Josey Jewell dropped an interception that hit him right in the hands.
A few plays after Jewell dropped that pass, Allen was pressured as Wyoming was trying to set up a screen. Allen made a terrible decision as he forced a pass into traffic and it went straight to an Iowa defensive lineman for an interception. It was almost as if Allen threw it to the defender, as it went right into his chest.
Allen ended up completing 23-of-40 passes for 174 yards with two interceptions and zero touchdowns. Overall, Allen showed his big skill set with size, toughness, athleticism, and a strong arm. There were plays where Allen looked like a young Ben Roethlisberger. There were other plays where Allen showed bad decision-making and inaccuracy. Allen will probably be a high pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, but this game indicates that he could be a work in progress who will need some developmental time. His completion percentage and interception total from 2016 provide proof of that assessment.
Washington 30, Rutgers 14
The top prospect in this game was Washington left tackle Trey Adams, whom some team sources think is one of the top 2018 draft prospects in college football. Adams’ final game of the 2016 saw him shut down Alabama’s star defensive linemen in a phenomenal performance. In the early going against Rutgers, Adams showed some rust in this game and didn’t look a nearly as good as he did in that game versus the Crimson Tide.
In the second quarter, Adams was called for a holding after he pushed a Rutgers defensive end into the turf. Adams then whiffed on a block to allow his defender to make a stop on a run for no gain. In the third quarter, Adams was late to make a read and allowed a lineman to cut to the inside for a near sack. After that, Adams started to settle down as he mirrored speed rushers and opened some nice holes while pulling to the right side. He ended up finishing the game with a lot of nice plays and blocks.
Adams has good athleticism on the edge with quick feet and agility. He is a smooth mover with length who makes it tough to get by him. He plays with nice body lean and leverage that he uses to help sustain blocks. There are times where he can get overextended. Adams also could use more strength for the NFL. He is not a true bull at the point of attack. It wouldn’t be surprising if he gets better in the weeks to come. This uneven performance probably won’t have a big impact on Adams draft stock.
This was a solid start to the season for Vea. He is a heavy nose tackle who is tough to move at the point of attack. However, for the NFL, he could be only a run-down player and that could have him fall lower in the draft as teams have downgraded run-defending nose tackles in favor of defensive linemen who can get after the quarterback.
In the first quarter, Pettis got open running a deep post, and quarterback Jake Browning threw a well-placed pass for a gain of 55 yards. Pettis then went back to return a punt. He muffed the catch and was fortunate no Rutgers players were close to pounce on the ball. Pettis made up for it as he scooped up the ball and exploded down the field weaving through blockers and tacklers to score from 61-yards out. It was Pettis’ sixth career punt return touchdown, tying him for the Pac-12 all-time record with Cal’s DeSean Jackson.
In the third quarter, Pettis made a leaping grab for 23 yards between two defenders. It was a nice catch in traffic where Pettis showed concentration with a safety coming over the top. He totaled 85 yards on three receptions. The senior Pettis (6-1, 195) could easily end up being an early-round prospect for the 2018 NFL Draft, given what he can do as a receiver and as a returner.
Wisconsin 59, Utah State 10
Early in the third quarter, Fumagalli ran a crossing route on a bootleg and got wide open. After the catch, Fumagalli ran into the end zone from about 10 yards out for a 23-yard touchdown catch. On the next possession, Fumagalli threw a nice block on the perimeter to spring his back for about a 20-yard run. Early in the fourth quarter on a play similar to his touchdown, Fumagalli got wide open off a boot action. After catching the ball, he raced down the field another 20-30 yards for a gain of 44 yards on the play.
Fumagalli totaled 105 yards on five receptions with a touchdown. It was a good tape that gave Fumagalli the look of a second-day talent for the 2018 NFL Draft. He is a good route-runner with hands, athleticism and quickness to hurt defenses as a receiver. Fumagalli isn’t a bull as a blocker, but he contributes and gives a good effort. This was an impressive tape that will help improve Fumagalli’s draft grade.
In the second quarter, Edwards bulled his way into the backfield to set up a tackle for a loss for a teammate. A few plays later, Edwards came over in zone coverage to drop a back with authority right after a catch. It went for loss of one. The next play, he tackled the scrambling quarterback in the open field to get his defense off the field on a third down.
With just a minute before halftime, Edwards made a big play for the Badgers when he caught a deflected pass for an interception to set up the Badgers in the Utah State red zone that led to the Badgers tying the game at 10 before the half. Early in the third quarter, Edwards made another open field tackle on a check down coming over from zone coverage to force a Utah State punt. Edwards looked good in zone coverage while also being tough against the run. This was a nice start to the season for him.
Oklahoma State 59, Tulsa 24
On the first drive of the game, Rudolph made some short, precision passes, including showing his arm strength by throwing the out route to the far hash. He laid out a nice deep ball to new speedster wide receiver Tyron Johnson for a 44-yard touchdown. It was a well-located deep ball that let Johnson make a play for his quarterback. Rudolph should have pulled the trigger a little sooner as Johnson had to slow down to track the pass, but it still was thrown well enough to get the Cowboys a quick lead.
On the next possession, Washington got a step on the cornerback, who set up with outside leverage. Washington cut to the inside while running his deep post route to haul in a touchdown from 40 yards out as the safety failed in helping in the deep part of the field.
Rudolph was fortunate later on a 49-yard completion; he threw late on a far out, and the cornerback just missed the ball after humping the route. If Rudolph were a split second faster, the pass would have been a pick-six for Tulsa. As it was, the receiver spun downfield to get tackled just short of the goal line and set up a short touchdown run for the Cowboys. In the NFL though, Rudolph’s pass probably would have been an interception returned for a touchdown.
Just before halftime, Washington ran another deep post route. He came back to adjust to an underthrown deep ball from Rudolph, and during the adjustment, the cornerback fell down. Washington made the easy catch and coasted into the end zone for a 77-yard touchdown.
It wasn’t all good for Rudolph in the first half. He held the ball too long during the final minute and ended up taking a sack after rolling out. Rudolph fumbled the ball with his arm moving forward, and a Tulsa defender snatched the ball out of the air.
Washington caught six passes for 145 yards with two touchdowns. The Tulsa defensive backs weren’t NFL caliber, so they weren’t a serious test for Washington, but this was a good start to the year as he showed his ability to stretch defenses, adjust to the ball, and be a sure-handed receiver.
Ohio State 49, Indiana 21
Early in the first quarter, Cobbs made a tremendous leaping one-handed catch along the sideline, getting a foot down to make the 28-yard reception. He added two more receptions to move the chains and set up Indiana for an early touchdown. In the second quarter, Cobbs used his size to make an eight-yard touchdown catch over cornerback Denzel Ward.
Cobbs continued to abuse the Ohio State secondary during the second half. After getting open on a crossing route, he showed nice quickness and run-after-the-catch skills to get upfield.
Cobbs finished with 149 yards and a touchdown on 11 receptions. He put his size, hands, quickness, route-running, body control, and ability to win 50-50 passes on display in this impressive performance. The loss to Ohio State was a phenomenal start to the season for Cobbs.
Lagow put his team back in the lead in the third quarter with a short touchdown pass, but then Ohio State took control of the game. The senior quarterback battled, but he was simply overmatched. Still, he showed a nice arm with pocket presence and the ability to make precise throws into tight windows. Lagow completed 40-of-65 passes for 410 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He needs to improve his ball security as he nearly fumbled several times aside from actually losing the ball in the fourth quarter. This impressive start to the year gave Lagow the look of a draftable player.
Campbell got his season started by getting open on a crossing route and picked up extra yards with a nice run after the catch. However in the third quarter, Campbell had two painful dropped passes. The second was horrible as he was running wide open into the end zone for a potential 40-yard touchdown, but he dropped the pass. Campbell came back to make a nice reception, and he then went on to snag a short crossing route and explode down the sideline, showing his elite speed to run for a 74-yard touchdown. Campbell added more yards running through the secondary with shifty moves on other receptions. Against Indiana, he totaled six receptions for 136 yards and his one score. Campbell is is an explosive play-maker with first-round speed. Showing better hands in the weeks to come will help his draft grade.
Ohio State defensive end Sam Hubbard has a good skill set, but he needs to produce more from it. Hubbard had a coverage sack late in the first half, but this was otherwise a so-so performance for him. You can see that he has pro size, is a quick defender, and is athletic with movement skills. If Hubbard can put some production together, he could end up being a first-round pick.
Another Buckeyes defensive end, Tyquan Lewis, was more impressive than Hubbard. In the first quarter, Lewis showed some power by using a rip on his inside arm to get leverage on the right tackle, which then let Lewis chase down Indianan’s quarterback, Richard Lagow, for a sack. On the next play, Lewis picked up a tackle for a loss on an option run. Just before the half, Lewis slammed Lagow into the turf with a vicious hit that actually drew a grounding penalty the senior quarterback. Lewis generated a good tape with this contest to start his 2017 campaign.
In the fourth quarter, Ward came back with blanket coverage on a pass downfield. He showed good awareness to look back to the quarterback and was able to snatch a pass away for his first interception of the year. Ward has good cover skills, but showed some size-mismatch issues with Cobbs, and that could lead to him getting designated as a nickel corner only for the NFL.
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