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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Ohio State 27, Wisconsin 21
Early on versus Wisconsin, Ward made an excellent play against a big target. Ward was in blanket coverage on a pass to Badgers receiving tight end Troy Fumagalli. The ball was underthrown and up for grabs, and Ward made a leaping interception in front of the big tight end. Ward later had tight coverage downfield and made a tough play to knock a pass away to prevent a completion inside the 5-yard line. The next third down, Ward had tight coverage on a crossing route to slap away another completion.
This tape will help Ward, as he also showed the ability to play coverage against tight ends. Ward looks like a future NFL starter, and he could have No. 1 corner potential. While he is shorter than ideal, Ward has excellent feet, speed and athleticism to run the route and prevent separation. He times his reaches well and shows nice instincts to play the eyes and hands of receivers. Ward looks like a future first-round pick next April.
In the fourth quarter, Fumagalli made a nice reception on a two-point conversion to get Wisconsin within three points. Fumagalli followed that up with a huge catch for a third-down conversion to get Wisconsin near midfield. Fumgalli totaled five receptions for 45 yards.
Fumagalli could be a three-down starter as a pro. He is a quality blocker who gives a good effort in the ground game. As a receiver, he isn’t an elite athlete, but he has some quickness and athleticism. He could be a three-down starter quickly in his NFL career and a quality second-day pick.
In the third quarter, Bosa got the better of Deiter to get a sack of the Wisconsin quarterback. Bosa used strength to knock Deiter’s hands off of him and then ran around him with speed. Deiter was lucky he didn’t get called for a hold on the next possession, as he tackled Bosa on a rush to the inside. Deiter wasn’t as lucky in the fourth quarter, as he tackled a defensive end and this time was whistled for a critical holding penalty.
Deiter has good size with some athleticism, but this game made him look more like a guard for the NFL. He is going to need to work on his feet and technique to handle NFL speed rushers. Deiter could stand to play with better leverage in the ground game to get more out of his size and weight. If Deiter were to enter the 2018 NFL Draft, he looks more like a day-two pick rather than a first-rounder.
Campbell should return to Ohio State next year, as the Buckeyes could have a competent passing quarterback with Barrett being done in Columbus. If Campbell has a big season in 2018, he’ll have first-round potential for the 2019 NFL Draft.
Clemson 38, Miami 3
The Tigers’ defense dominated the Miami offense, and Wilkins was the star of their great defensive effort. Wilkins showed excellent instincts and awareness to adjust to plays while getting himself in position to make stops. Wilkins put on display his excellent combination of size, speed and athleticism. Interior pass rushers are hard to find, and this tape will help him to be a top-25 pick next April.
Hyatt was consistently getting beat by speed rushers working upfield as he allowed a number of pressures on his quarterback. The play of Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant, their running backs, and receivers made up for Hyatt’s struggles. Hyatt should definitely return to Clemson next season and improve. He needs to get stronger while getting better in pass-protection technique before turning pro.
For the NFL, Thomas has an early-round skill set with size and speed. He would fit best in a 4-3 defense, but he is a project, as he must get more consistent to be a three-down starter. Because of the inconsistency, Thomas looks like a boom-or-bust day-two pick.
Georgia 28, Auburn 7
In the first quarter, Smith beat Johnson to the edge on a goal line play to get a touchdown-saving tackle with a loss of one. Smith then had a clutch third-down sack on a blitz up the middle. In the third quarter, Smith was all over the field for the Tigers. He made a tackle downfield to end a long gain for the Tigers, he hit a back hard near the line of scrimmage to prevent a gain, he pressured Jarrett Stidham on a blitz, and he made a tackle for a loss. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Smith scooped up a Johnson fumble for a huge turnover for Georgia. That turnover resulted in a huge touchdown for Georgia.
This game will definitely help Smith’s draft stock. Months ago, sources told me they thought he had first-round potential. They thought he was a better version of the Falcons’ Deion Jones and was similar to Tampa Bay’s Lavonte David. Smith is on his way to being a top-25 pick next April.
Stidham completed 16-of-32 passes for 145 yards with a touchdown and zero interceptions. Stidham started well, but he looked like the early-season version of himself who had accuracy issues and seemed to get rattled by the defense. This tape gives further support that Stidham should return to school and improve before going to the NFL.
Chubb ran hard between the tackles and got his game started with 15 yards on a toss sweep. In the third quarter, Chubb exploded up the middle to get a 20-yard run, weaving through the Auburn defense. Chubb totaled 77 yards on 13 carries. This tape will help him to be an early-round pick. Michel will probably go on Day 2, but there are a lot of scouts that really like him.
Central Florida 62, Memphis 55
Miller was held to three catches in their previous meeting, and Memphis was going to need more from him to keep up with a high-scoring Central Flroida team. For a lot of the first half, Miller was held in check before he got going shortly before intermission. Late in the second quarter, Miller got open on a slant-and-go down the sideline for a 68-yard touchdown. He raced away from the defenders to get separation and get wide open. Hughes wasn’t in coverage on the play. Hughes later was closely blanketing Miller, but Hughes didn’t get his head turned around and Miller made a leaping 10-yard touchdown catch over Hughes. In overtime, Miller was left wide open in busted coverage for a short touchdown.
Miller totaled 14 receptions for 195 yards and three touchdowns. Miller could contribute quickly as a slot receiver in the NFL. He has good hands and runs impressive routes with quickness to get separation. Miller may not have the size to line up outside very much as a pro, but he could be a weapon as third receiver working out of the slot. This tape will help Miller to be a second-day pick.
Unfortunately, that was the case during this American Conference Championship Game with Hughes not in coverage on Miller very much. With other defensive backs struggling, Memphis targeted other Central Florida cornerbacks with a lot of success. In the third quarter, Hughes gave up a reception of 22. He was in tight coverage, but a big target shielded him from the ball on a slant and fought off Hughes for a few more yards before the corner could get him to the ground. Hughes later was beaten for Miller’s aforementioned touchdown. Still, this tape won’t have a real impact on Hughes’ draft grade.
That was the case throughout the second half as well, as Ferguson led Memphis with a comeback to tie the game. However, in the second overtime, Ferguson made a bad pass off his back foot. The ball floated well short of his target for an interception that clinched the win for Central Florida. Still, this loss was on the Memphis defense and not Ferguson. He completed 30-of-42 passes for 471 yards with four touchdowns and an interception.
Ferguson could get mid-round consideration in the 2018 NFL Draft. He doesn’t have an elite skill set and doesn’t have a cannon for an arm, but he could have backup potential. Ferguson passes the ball accurately and is able to throw touch passes downfield. He executes his offense well and generally makes good decisions. Ferguson could be a mid-round backup candidate similar to Nathan J. Peterman in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Oklahoma 41, TCU 17
Mayfield moved the ball well from the start of the game. Midway through the first half, Mayfield had an impressive play to scramble forward and then loft in a pass to his fullback who uncovered late. Mayfield then started a play under center and executed a play-action to find tight end Mark Andrews break wide open in the back of the center on a post route for a short touchdown. Mayfield dropped back on the next drive and didn’t find an open receiver, so he wisely took off on a run and raced 54 yards down the field. That set up an Oklahoma field goal. Mayfield then led another drive that ended with a play-action short touchdown toss to Andrews.
Mayfield found a receiver slip open underneath in the short middle on the first minute of the third quarter. Mayfield led him downfield on a short completion, and the receiver took off for a 55-yard touchdown. Mayfield then lofted in a 52-yard touchdown with an accurate, well-placed pass to a receiver running vertically down the middle of the field. Mayfield completed 15-of-23 passes for 243 yards with four touchdowns. He also ran for 65 yards.
For the NFL, Mayfield is a gritty player who has an “it” factor to his play. He has a enough arm strength for the NFL and can throw the ball accurately while working through his progressions. Mayfield also has mobility and can extend plays with his feet or hurt defenses on the ground. He is undersized for the NFL with just average arm strength, so he doesn’t have a mismatch skill set. He can have issues reading defenses. One big area for improvement for Mayfield is his footwork, as he gets happy feet in the pocket. One college scouting director told me that Mayfield’s feet are terrible. A few sources have said that Mayfield is a stronger-armed version of Jeff Garcia. While Mayfield has gotten some second-day grades, it isn’t out of the question that he rises, given the amount of teams that need franchise quarterbacks.
However, Hicks had a nice drive right before halftime, moving the chains on some receptions and using quickness to rip up yards. Hicks showed his speed in the third quarter, as he took a screen pass down the sideline for a 56-yard gain. A large chunk of it came back on a holding penalty, but it was a nice play from Hicks, who totaled 32 yards on eight carries with five receptions for 58 yards.
Hicks could be a nice mid-round pick whho contributes as a situational back. He showed good speed to get upfield and break into the second level. Hicks runs with good knee bend and pad level, while showing nice vision and balance. With Hicks’ pass-catching skills, he could be a receiving back who contributes in the passing game. Hicks may not be a three-down starter, but he could be a player who executes his role well.
USC 31, Stanford 28
In the first quarter, Darnold was flushed out of the pocket, and he lofted in a beautiful touch pass to his tight end to lead him down the sideline for a 48-yard gain. Darnold capped off the drive by throwing a 7-yard touchdown to a wide-open Michael Pittman in the back of the end zone. Darnold later threw a pretty 40-yard pass to Pittman. To end that drive, Darnold had a 20-yard touchdown on a short pass to the flat that his receiver turned into a nice run after the catch for the score.
Darnold threw a pass late deep down the field in the third quarter. His receiver had a step running a deep post route, but Darnold should have passed it sooner or deeper, as the pass was underthrown. Stanford cornerback Quenton Meeks dropped what should have been a Cardinal interception. Darnold came back to throw a 49-yard reception that was well placed to fall into his receiver at the 1-yard line. Throwing out of his own end zone in the fourth quarter, Darnold hit a pass for over 50 yards finding his slot receiver open after working off his first read. It was a huge play in the game that helped the Trojans get the game-winning score.
Darnold completed 17-of-24 passes for 325 yards with two touchdowns. This was an impressive performance, as he threw the ball accurately and on time for the most part. Darnold showed some good anticipation and field vision to work off his first read. He really did well lofting in touch passes downfield, throwing a very catchable ball with good precision. This tape will definitely help Darnold when he enters the draft.
If Darnold returns college football, his decision-making and ball security are the biggest areas for him to improve. He could benefit from another year in school, but he is a talented signal-caller with the ability to be a good starter in the NFL. If if Darnold enters the draft, he will be a first-round pick and a likely top-10 selection.
Love followed his blocking well in the second quarter on a 9-yard touchdown run. Love then made an excellent jump cut on a run up the middle before veering to the outside to escape downfield for a 52-yard run. As the hits mounted, Love was hobbling around more, but he showed serious toughness to keep playing. In the fourth quarter Love had a fumble, as he was stripped of the ball while being taken to the ground. Love totaled 125 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown. While he wasn’t electric like he was earlier in the year, this tape will help Love, as he played hurt and displayed some serious toughness. All good NFL running backs have to play at less than 100 percent, and while Love is undersized, he illustrated some durability that will impress some evaluators.
Reid was running with Deontay Burnett downfield in the second quarter, but there was too much contact downfield to get Reid hit with a pass-interference penalty. Reid was then in man coverage in the slot and ended up getting beaten for a 40-yard reception to Pittman. A jab step and corner post caused separation for Reid to give up the play downfield. He surrendered a 49-yard reception in man coverage out of the slot in the third quarter, but Reid was in the right spot to recover a fumble for his defense. In fourth quarter, Reid was in man coverage on Pittman and stumbled. He pulled at the receiver, but Pittman broke free to get a 54-yard gain. To end that drive, Jones fought through a tackle attempt by Reid over five yards to get into the end zone.
While Reid had problems in coverage, it speaks well of his athletic ability that Stanford even uses him like that. Most safeties can’t even get consideration to play nickel corner. His performance against USC will hurt Reid’s draft grade, but he still had nine tackles with the fumble recovery. This tape suggests Reid is more of a second-day pick rather than a first-rounder.
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