This section breaks down many college football games each week and highlights how 2017 NFL Draft Prospects have performed. Or look at the 2017 NFL Draft Stock page.
By Charlie Campbell.
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Ohio State 30, Wisconsin 23
It didn’t start great, as he had a missed a tackle on a 68-yard run by Corey Clement early in the first quarter. Hooker then took his eyes off the tight end, as the quarterback scrambled and that let his man get open for a gain of 30 yards. Hooker played very well after that.
After halftime, Hooker showed his speed to drive downhill and made a hard hit on an end-around. He then showed great instincts to fly up and make a tackle on a screen pass. He also made a superb open-field tackle eating up around 15 yards in an instant before cutting the legs out of the wide receiver. It was tremendous closing speed from Hooker. This tape shows that while Hooker is raw, his speed, instincts, strength, and size make him a stud safety prospect.
Arkansas 34, Ole Miss 30
Midway through the first quarter, Engram got open on an out route out of the slot. He got separation from a linebacker and bulled his way through a defensive back to get in the end zone for a 13-yard score. Engram then made a difficult juggling catch down the seam for a gain of about 20 yards. He continued to work the middle of the field and then went out into the flat for a reception of 35 yards as the up tempo helped Engram to get uncovered.
Engram caught seven passes for 111 yards and one touchdown. This continued to show that Engram has great speed to get down the seam and is too fast for linebackers to cover. He has good size to match up against defensive backs with reliable hands. If Engram were bigger and a better blocker, he would be a definite first-rounder, but even with being undersized and not a forceful blocker, Engram could be playing his way into the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
In the fourth quarter, Haynes dropped into coverage and made an interception after Austin Allen didn’t see him fall into the passing lane. Shortly later, he worked off a block from the right tackle to get a sack. This game will help Haynes to show 3-4 defensive teams that he can drop into pass coverage. Haynes is having an impressive junior year and would be a first-round talent if he weren’t so undersized.
Before halftime, Kelly had a drive that ended with an 8-yard touchdown run. Kelly threw some perfect passes to Engram to move the ball down the field. Kelly later came through with a 17-yard touchdown run to put Ole Miss in the lead. However, late in the fourth quarter, Kelly took a bad sack and then fumbled the ball on a fourth-down run that gave the ball back to Arkansas. Kelly didn’t secure the ball well when he ran, and that allowed it to spring free and fall out of bounds.
Kelly completed 18-of-39 passes for 253 yards with one touchdown and an interception. He ran for 89 yards on 14 carries with two scores. Kelly has a good skill set and can make beautiful throws, but this season has proven he is prone to critical mistakes and turnovers in crunch time. Because of that, Kelly is more of a second-day prospect.
North Carolina 20, Miami 13
Trubisky set up some early points by fitting a pass into a tight window to his tight end. He also connected with a well-placed pass in the back of the end zone for a touchdown. In the second quarter, Trubisky had a nice run of 18 yards when he couldn’t find anything open. Trubisky then threw the ball a little late and his receiver had to slow up for it, but he still had it accurate enough to complete a 48-yard pass. If Trubisky threw the pass a little earlier, it would have gone for a touchdown. To finish the drive, Trubisky rolled out on a third-and-goal to throw a short touchdown pass in the flat.
Trubisky had a few well-placed passes to the flat to convert third downs in the fourth quarter and maintain control of the ball for the Tar Heels. That took valuable time off the clock. Trubisky finished completing 33-of-46 for 299 yards with two scores. Overall, this tape will help his draft grade. Trubisky is a solid quarterback prospect, but doesn’t have an elite athletic skill set, so he has to be an efficient passer to rise as a NFL prospect.
Kaaya had a 35-yard complete on a short dump-off in the second quarter, hitting his tight end David Njoku on the run. On a fourth-and-2, Kaaya had a poorly placed ball for an incompletion. If he led his receiver, it could have gone for a touchdown.
In the third quarter, Kaaya had a receiver streaking wide open down the field for what would have been an 80-yard touchdown, but he overthrew him for an incompletion. Kaaya did have a completion for 30 yards after rolling out and making a well-placed pass down the sideline. That set up a rushing touchdown for Miami. Kaaya had one more opportunity to tie the game, but he held on to the ball too long on a play and fumbled the ball to North Carolina after getting sacked.
Kaaya finished 16-of-31 for 224 yards with zero touchdowns and interceptions. While his accuracy wasn’t good this afternoon, he was the victim of a lot of dropped passes by his receivers. This game gives evidence that Kaaya is a work in progress. He isn’t a polished top-10 talent right now, but the need for quarterbacks is going to help him in whichever draft class he is part of.
Alabama 49, Tennessee 10
After a rough start, Robinson settled down, and Barnett was held in check. Robinson pushed Barnett back and sustained his block to help Bo Scarbrough take off on an 85-yard touchdown run. Robinson played well in the second half until Alabama emptied the bench.
Overall, this tape will probably hurt Robinson’s draft grade, as Barnett was too fast for him to defend the edge on every play. This tape will support those who believe that Robinson should be a guard or right tackle. However, Barnett is a top-16 talent, and it wasn’t a one-sided game of domination – especially in the ground game where Robinson was able to get a push on Barnett and others. Regardless of his future position, overall, this tape could push Robinson down boards as some could believe that he is going to struggle with good speed rushers in the NFL.
Vanderbilt 17, Georgia 16
Throughout the game, Cunningham was a force in the tackle box. He led the way to stuff a lot of runs from Chubb and Michel. Cunningham consistently would flow toward the hole before firing downhill to get a tackle near the line of scrimmage. He had numerous run stuffs of Chubb and Michel for no gain. He also was firing around the tackles to get into the backfield on plays. On a perimeter run, he made a superb play to go through a blocker and tackle a back for a loss of a few yards.
Cunningham had man coverage on a receiver in the fourth quarter, and he made a diving pass breakup on a third-and-13. In the final minute, Cunningham made the play of the game. On a fourth-and-1 perimeter option run, Cunningham flew to the sideline and ripped down the ball carrier for no gain. It was his 19th tackle of the game, and it ensured a win for Vanderbilt.
Cunningham was generally solid in pass coverage. He ran with tight ends down the seam and covered receivers in the flat. There was one play where Cunningham over-pursued with some false steps to help a check down get open, but overall, he did well in pass coverage. He showed the speed, athleticism and length to cover in the NFL.
Cunningham is fast and a sure tackler. He is tremendous at getting off blocks and has the ability drop in coverage. Cunningham looks like a future three-down starter. He was superb versus the Bulldogs, and this was a dominating performance. This tape should help Cunningham to grade as a pick in the first two rounds of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Illinois 24, Rutgers 7
Some draft analysts had Smoot projected as a top-10 pick, but team sources said they view Smoot as a mid-to-late first-rounder. He is big, strong, fast, and athletic. However, teams see Smoot as more of a disruptor than a producer. That was given evidence by the fact that entering this game, Smoot had zero sacks in five contests in 2016.
Rutgers is the worst team in the Big Ten, and Smoot had his way with them. In the first half, he had a number of pressures on the quarterback including a nice hit on the signal-caller on a stunt. On a fourth down, Smoot went around the right tackle to get a tackle on a quarterback short of a first down. He did well in run defense to hold his ground, shed blocks, and get in on tackles. Smoot used his speed to fly by the right tackle and got a strip-sack of the quarterback in the third quarter. Shortly later was a play that was a repeat of the first half, as a high snap on a fourth-and-short helped Smoot to get into the backfield to make a tackle for a loss and get the ball back for his offense.
This tape should definitely help Smoot’s draft grade. Aside from him being fast and strong at the point of attack, Smoot was finishing plays. He had the strip-sack to go along with the fourth down stops. Smoot looks like a perfect fit as a 4-3 defensive end and he is being developed well by Lovie Smith and his staff. This tape will give a boost to Smoot’s stock.
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