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.
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Oklahoma State 70, Texas Tech 53
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
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.
Florida 27, Georgia 3
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.
Ole Miss 27, Auburn 19
Full disclosure: About 10 minutes of the first quarter was missed because the satellite went out.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Oregon 61, Arizona State 55
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.
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
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.
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