Want to get to know the draft prospects for the 2015 NFL Draft? This weekly column breaks down the best matchups to watch on Saturday and what players to watch.
By Charlie Campbell.
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Michigan State vs. Oregon 6:30 ET FOX
This is the premier game in Week 2. There is a great matchup to watch as Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota goes against a pair of future NFL defensive backs in cornerback Trae Waynes and safety Kurtis Drummond. The Spartans feature the best secondary that Mariota will probably play all season, while Mariota could be the best quarterback who those two defensive backs will have to play. This matchup will be scouted heavily by teams across the league.
Also looking to contain Mariota is Shilique Calhoun. He’ll go against some good offensive line talent with the Ducks. Calhoun is one of the top pass-rushing prospects for the 2015 NFL Draft.
On the other side of the ball, Oregon cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu will go against Michigan State junior quarterback Connor Cook. Ekpre-Olomu is considered to be one of the top cornerback prospects. Cook has steadily improved and Ekpre-Olomu will test him.
USC vs. Stanford 3:30 ET ABC
Both Stanford and USC have lot of NFL talent. The best matchup to watch in this game is in the trenches. Stanford junior left tackle Andrus Peat could battle against USC defensive end/tackle Leonard Williams. Both have the potential to be high first-round picks, and hopefully, Williams will line up against Peat to gauge Peat’s ability to handle the explosive Williams.
Another great draft matchup in this game is USC wide receiver Nelson Agholar going against Stanford cornerback Alex Carter. Both players are early-round prospects, and if Carter shuts down Agholar, that would help the defender’s bid to go in the first round.
Cardinal wide receiver Ty Montgomery could be a first-round pick as well. He had a big performance in Week 1. Montgomery is a great kick returner while also being a play-making receiver. The Trojans will send a lot of coverage his direction, and it’s unfortunate that Josh Shaw had his off-the-field scandal to deny the matchup of those two players.
Other prospects to watch: Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan, Stanford linebacker James Vaughters, Stanford defensive end Henry Anderson, Stanford cornerback Wayne Lyons and USC running back Buck Allen.
Michigan vs. Notre Dame 7:30 ET NBC
The Fighting Irish have a quality defense despite some suspensions that have robbed the team of top players like cornerback KeiVarae Russell. Wolverines quarterback Devin Gardner and wide receiver Devin Funchess are worth watching against the Notre Dame defense.
BYU vs. Texas 7:30 PM Fox Sports 1
A year ago BYU, destroyed Texas on the ground in an embarrassing performance for the Longhorns. The players to watch are Texas defensive end Cedric Reed and cornerback Quandre Diggs. It will be interesting to see if they can step up and shutdown BYU’s weapon at quarterback, Taysom Hill.
Another player to watch in this game is Cougars outside linebacker Brandon Kaufusi. He had two sacks in the season opener against Connecticut.
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