2016 NFL Draft: College Football Game Recaps – Week 9

This section breaks down many college football games each week and highlights how 2016 NFL Draft Prospects have performed. Or look at the 2016 NFL Draft Stock page (link coming soon).

By Charlie Campbell.
Send Charlie an e-mail here: [email protected]
Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell for updates.

Oklahoma State 70, Texas Tech 53

This was a great tape for NFL evaluators with a potential battle of future NFL starters. Cowboys defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah was going against Red Raiders left tackle LeRaven Clark. Ogbah looks like a future first-round pass-rusher, while Clark has been talked about as a high second-rounder.

The game started well for Clark, as he showed his quickness and athleticism to hit a block on the second level to spring his back for a long run. Ogbah got his day going early on by stuffing a goal-line run for no gain. They didn’t go against each other until the end of the first quarter when Clark got some help to get a push on Ogbah around the pocket.

In the third quarter, Clark showed his athleticism when he caught a batted pass and ran it for a few yards before being tackled. Surprisingly he almost ran for a first down. Ogbah fired into the backfield on a stretch run to tackle the back for a loss. A few plays later, Obgah came close to a sack and forced a third-down incompletion.

Midway through the third, Ogbah had a speed rush stopped by Clark, but Oghab slapped Clark away to run back toward the line of scrimmage and sack the scrambling quarterback. That coverage sack was more on Pat Mahomes than it was on Clark. Clark could have sustained his block better, but he had Ogbah blocked long enough for his quarterback to get a pass off.

Ogbah later got leverage with a rip move on Clark to pressure Mahomes. With about three-and-half minutes remaining Ogbah beat the right tackle to get a hard hit on Mahomes. Clark then was beaten for a strip-sack by freshman Jarrell Owens on a speed rush around the corner.

Overall, this was a good tape for Ogbah, and he got stronger as the game progressed. Ogbah totaled seven tackles, two for a loss, and one sack, according to ESPN. Ogbah has an NFL mix of power, speed and size. He has developed some pass-rushing moves and is adept at rushing from a variety of spots. He would fit best as a 4-3 defensive end. He doesn’t look as fluid athletically for standing up in a 3-4 and dropping into coverage. Ogbah looks worthy of a first-round pick.

Clark didn’t have his best game, as he allowed a couple of sacks but this wasn’t a meltdown. He won the vast majority of his assignments. It did expose that for the NFL, he could be better off as a left guard or right tackle. A team might be able to get away with him at left tackle, but he would be more dominant on the inside or right side. Clark has some bending ability to him with length. He also has light feet with surprising quickness and athleticism for a big blocker. Clark looks well placed as an early Friday night selection, but this tape will hurt his chances of being selected a day earlier.

USC 27, Cal 21

Cal quarterback Jared Goff is a potential high first-round pick. He started the season extremely strong before slowing down when the competition got tough with Utah and UCLA giving the Bears two losses. That trend continued against USC. Last year, Goff struggled until garbage time in a blowout loss to the Trojans. This year Goff wasn’t seeing as good of a USC defense that lost Leonard Williams among others, but USC still has NFL talent led by outside linebacker Su’A Caravens.

In the first quarter, Goff threw some strikes, including a fourth-down pass that hit his receiver open in the flat for an easy touchdown. The rest of the first half, Goff made some precise throws, but the Cal drives stalled. Goff made a terrible pass in the third quarter. He was pressured and threw a duck off his back foot. The ball floated down the field with no receiver close to it. USC’s Adoree’ Jackson ran under it for an interception and returned the pick 46 yards for a touchdown.

Goff came back to make a money throw into a window in the middle of the field. He laid out a beautiful deep ball for Bryce Treggs that dropped in for a 43-yard gain. However, after that bomb, Goff made another mistake. On a fourth-and-10, Goff forced a back-shoulder throw to a well-covered receiver, and the ball flew right into the gut of the quarterback. Goff went on a tirade on someone on the Cal sideline, and it could be that he was livid at his receiver for running the wrong route.

Late in the fourth quarter, Goff came back to toss a beauty down the middle of the field to convert a fourth-and-6 with a great catch by Darius Powe for 29 yards. The next play, Goff threw a strike for a short touchdown. USC kept the ball, and Goff never got a chance to tie it up. Goff finished 23-of-31 for 272 yards with two scores and two interceptions.

Overall, this tape won’t help Goff’s draft grade, as he had two ugly mistakes that hurt Cal. Conversely, he also made some beautiful throws. This performance could hurt Goff in comparison to the other top quarterback prospects like Memphis’ Paxton Lynch or Michigan State’s Connor Cook, but it shouldn’t harm his chances of being a first-rounder.

In the fourth quarter, Cravens read a play well to break into the flat for a tackle for a loss on a screen pass. Cravens was injured on the next play, however. The trainers were looking at his right arm. Fortunately, Cravens came back to the field later. Overall, Cravens was solid, but did not have a spectacular game.

USC quarterback Cody Kessler is a late quarterback prospect, and he showed his game-managing skills to help the Trojans top Cal. Kessler was 18-of-22 for 186 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Kessler doesn’t have the skill set of a NFL Starter, but he could be viewed as a quality backup signal caller and day-three pick.

Florida 27, Georgia 3

The top prospect in this game was Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves. He had an eventful first half. In the second quarter, he was beaten on a curl for a first down. Later on the drive, a receiver had a step on Hargreaves, but he slapped a pass out for an incompletion. Shortly later, Malcolm Mitchell ran deep on Hargreaves but didn’t get separation. Mitchell literary threw Hargreaves to the ground to make a catch out of bounds for an incompletion, but it was absurd not to call an offensive pass interference on Mitchell.

Shortly later, Hargreaves had his fourth interception of the year when he caught a deflected pass. He weaved his way through Georgia tacklers and was stopped short at the 5-yard line. That set up a short touchdown run for Kelvin Taylor and a 20-0 lead for Florida. Hargreaves was solid in coverage in the second quarter. Overall, this game should only serve to confirm his high draft grade.

Georgia edge rusher Leonard Floyd is a first-round talent who was probably playing Florida for the last time. Floyd stuffed a run and got some pressure on Treon Harris early in the game. Floyd also beat the right tackle to get to Harris, and that pressure started a Georgia sack. After that, Floyd was quiet, and the Gators featured mostly the ground game, which put a damper on Floyd’s game as his strength is rushing the passer. This tape won’t help his draft grade.

Florida senior defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard has been enjoying a good final season for the Gators, and that continued against Georgia. Early on, he blew up a third-and-short for a loss. In the second quarter, on a fourth-and-short, Bullard broke into the backfield and ran to the perimeter to get a tackle for a loss on Sony Michel and get the ball back for Florida. Bullard showed an excellent get-off, as he was the first defender off the snap and was hitting the offensive linemen quicker than they expected. This was another strong tape from Bullard, who looks like second-day prospect.

The other Gator who helped his draft stock in this beatdown of their rival was junior safety Keanu Neal. Neal is a strong safety who is a hard hitter and a tough run defender. In this game, he showed more pass-coverage skills. He almost made a great diving interception early on, but he couldn’t control it. Neal tipped a pass coming on a blitz and leveled a receiver who made a short catch in the middle of the field. In the fourth quarter, Neal came up with a clutch interception, as he snatched a tipped pass in the end zone to protect Florida’s lead 20-3 lead. That pick basically clinched the win for Florida. If Neal enters the 2016 NFL Draft, he looks like a day-two prospect, and this tape will help his draft grade.

Ole Miss 27, Auburn 19
Full disclosure: About 10 minutes of the first quarter was missed because the satellite went out.

There was a lot of future NFL talent on display in this game, and the prospect who had the best performance was Ole Miss wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, a potential first-round pick. Early on, Treadwell was doing a tremendous job of blocking on the perimeter as he was pushing defensive backs all around the field and laying out some safeties. However, he did have some lowlights with a holding call, false start, and dropped pass.

Treadwell had only two catches in the first half, before coming alive in the third quarter. He made a nice play getting open in zone and rumbling for more yards with defenders falling off of him. After a few other good receptions to move the sticks, Treadwell ran a vertical route and made a pretty over-the-shoulder catch for a 21-yard touchdown with a defender on his back. He finished with seven receptions for 114 yards and the score. This was a good tape that will help Treadwell to grade out as a first-round pick, but it also shows that he could struggle to get separation from NFL defensive backs.

This was only the second game of the year for Ole Miss left tackle Laremy Tunsil. After his seven-game suspension, he drew a tough matchup with the best pass rusher in the nation with Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett. A week later, it didn’t get much easier, as Auburn had edge rusher Carl Lawson back in the lineup. He was off to a great start in the season opener before a hip injury caused him to miss a lot of time.

Auburn had Lawson line up against the right tackle for much of the afternoon, but they went against each other on a few plays. In the second quarter, Lawson beat Tunsil by pulling him down and swimming over him to get to quarterback Chad Kelly, but Kelly broke the tackle to avoid the sack. Tunsil got lucky that his quarterback bailed him out, and Lawson failed to finish the play.

Overall, Tunsil had a solid outing with mostly good plays in the ground game and pass protection. He opened running lanes while showing his natural strength and quickness. Tunsil did allow more pass pressure than he would like to see on a few plays. He also had two false starts. Tunsil will want to play more complete games in the final stretch of the season.

Ole Miss defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche missed last week’s game after suffering a concussion two weeks ago against Memphis, but Nkemdiche was back to play Auburn. He had some highlight-reel plays, showing his big-time skill set. In the first half, Nkemdiche stuffed a run for no gain on a third-and-short carry as he got off the ball very quickly while firing past a blocker. Nkemdiche later bull rushed the center into the quarterback to force an incompletion on a third down.

This game was typical from Nkemdiche, where he would get some pass pressures but no sacks. He had some pass-rush plays where he was a non-factor with stuffed rushes. He made some good plays against the run, but he really lacks pass rushing moves. He is all speed or power. He doesn’t show a repertoire of rip, spin, or club moves. Nkemdiche has a ton of potential, but he is not a natural pass-rusher and will need development in the NFL.

Ole Miss junior tight end Evan Engram has had a quiet season, but has started to flash more last week against Texas A&M. In the second quarter, Engram got open to convert a fourth down on a short crossing route. A few plays later, he lined up as a h-back and made an effective cut block on a defensive end to spring his runner for a touchdown of about 20 yards. However, Engram had a dropped pass deflect up in the air for an interception to kill a scoring opportunity for Ole Miss.

In the third quarter, Engram ran the same stick out route and made a pretty catch in traffic to get an Ole Miss drive started. He totaled four receptions for 36 yards against Auburn. Engram may want to consider returning for his senior year to put together a better season before going pro.

Penn State 39, Illinois 0
Full disclosure: The first 10 minutes of the first quarter was missed because the satellite went out.

Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg has been a much-maligned prospect this year after once being considered to be a future top of the draft talent. Hackenberg needs to finish the year strong to have a shot at being a first-round pick.

During that missing time, Hackenberg led a touchdown drive where he was 5-for-5 and finished it with a quick slant for a 5-yard touchdown pass. After an interception set up Penn State inside the Illinois 10-yard line, Hackenberg took advantage by throwing a well-placed fade pass in the corner of the end zone for a 6-yard score. In the first half, Hackenberg was throwing the ball well with accuracy and timing. He was 11-of-16 for 116 yards at intermission. However, he did take some sacks.

After halftime, Hackenberg showed his inaccuracy by blowing an easy completion, but he came back to scramble in the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield to throw a strike on the run and covert a third-and-long. Hackenberg then caught a 14-yard touchdown on a halfback throwback pass. To finish his day, Hackenberg fit a nice pass into a tight window to his tight end along the sideline for a gain of about 20. That set up a short touchdown run.

Penn State emptied the bench early in the fourth quarter. Hackenberg completed 21-of-29 passes for 266 yards with two touchdowns throwing and the one receiving. Hackenberg showed nice field vision versus the Illini. He kept his eyes downfield while scrambling and displayed a strong arm with some throws on the run.

Penn State defensive end Carl Nassib has been perhaps the biggest breakout player of the 2015 season. The first-year senior starter leads the nation in sacks and continued his streak of a sack in every game this year against Illinois.

Throughout the first half, Nassib was getting steady pressure on quarterback Wes Lunt. Nassib later beat the right tackle around the corner and pressured the quarterback out of the pocket. Zettel cleaned up the scrambling quarterback for a sack. Shortly later, Nassib got home as he used strong hands to shed the block and then speed to close on the quarterback for a sack.

Overall, this was another strong tape for Nassib. He showed his pass-rushing skills with the ability to shed blocks and close on the quarterback. He had a great motor. Nassib looks like at least a second-rounder; if not a first-rounder.

Sources have said they like Illinois senior running back Josh Ferguson, but unfortunately, Ferguson missed his third straight game with a shoulder injury.

Oregon 61, Arizona State 55

Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner has been performing very well this season, and his strong play has gone somewhat under the radar because Oregon is having a down season. Versus the Sun Devils, Buckner was facing an offensive line that he should have his way with. Arizona State’s front really struggled against Texas A&M’s dangerous edge rushers, and they haven’t been good when matched up versus other opponents either.

That was the case, as Buckner had another solid performance. Throughout the night, he was using his speed and power to knife into backfield for disruption. Buckner fought through double teams and even saw some triple teams. He showed effort to chase down run plays and make tackles out of his gap. On a third down in the third quarter, Buckner got some push against the left guard and then got off the block to sack the quarterback as he stepped up in the pocket. Buckner had eight tackles with two for a loss and one sack.

This is another tape that shows Buckner is a first-round talent. He is extremely big, fast and agile. Buckner could fit in a 3-4 or 4-3 defense. With his skill set, and putting together a season of strong production, Buckner could end up grading out in the top half of the first round.

Arizona State running back turned wide receiver D.J. Foster has been banged out this season, and the position change has decreased his production. Foster flashed his play-making ability in this contest, but once again, it could have been a lot more production if the Sun Devils gave him more carries.

Foster’s best play came on a wheel route out of the slot where he got open in zone for a gain of about 20 yards. Shortly later, he had a run of nine yards going up the middle, breaking a few tackles to push forward. Foster totaled six receptions for 87 yards with six carries for 29 yards.

For the NFL, Foster would be best as a running back in a passing offense. Pre-snap, he can move to slot receiver or line up as a wide out. Foster looks like a mid-round pick that could turn into a nice value.

North Carolina 26, Pittsburgh 19

The top prospect in this game was Pittsburgh junior wide receiver Tyler Boyd. At the start of the first quarter, Boyd was involved immediately, moving the chains on some out and slant routes. He had a gain of 19 yards on a dig route to move the ball inside the Tar Heels 30-yard line.

Early in the second quarter, Boyd ripped the ball away from a defensive back while making a fabulous leaping catch along the sideline on an out route. In the third quarter, Boyd caught two passes for 25 yards to help set up a short touchdown run. The first was an out route to convert a third-and-long as he out-battled the corner for a 50-50 pass. The follow-up came on a quick slant.

Boyd was seeing double coverage all night and was held to 89 yards on 10 receptions. Panthers quarterback Nathan Peterman struggled, while the Tar Heels’ game plan was to keep Boyd from beating them. North Carolina constantly had bracket coverage around him.

Still, Boyd showed nice attacking of the football, route-running, an ability to win 50-50 passes, strong hands and quickness. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder does not have commanding size. He has a well-rounded skill set, but may not be overly fast for the NFL. Pittsburgh’s offensive limitations have suppressed his production this year, but Boyd is a natural athlete who looks like a first- or second-day talent if he enters the 2016 NFL Draft.

North Carolina right guard Landon Turner has been pushed by some as one of the top guard prospects for the 2016 NFL Draft. In speaking with sources, they haven’t been all that impressed with Turner. Against Pittsburgh, he looked sluggish and is a waist bender. NFL evaluators want to see offensive linemen bend at the knees and not around the midsection. Knee benders have more quickness and athleticism. Turner was reliable on his blocks against Pittsburgh, but he wasn’t especially powerful or athletic. Turner has a big belly and looks overweight. He is more of a mid-round or third-day prospect than a top guard candidate.

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