This section breaks down many college football games each week and highlights how 2019 NFL Draft Prospects have performed. Or look at the 2019 NFL Draft Stock page.
By Charlie Campbell.
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Notre Dame 45, Virginia Tech 23
Tillery, however, came close to his eighth sack of the season just before halftime when he powered through the left guard and came inches away from chasing down the quarterback. Tillery later bear hugged a running back at the line of scrimmage to stuff the run for no gain. A few plays later, Tillery planted the quarterback into the turf to force a third-down incompletion.
Other than those plays, Tillery was active but not dominating like a week ago. He has been much more productive playing at three technique this season rather than nose tackle where he lined up the two years prior. If Tillery stays consistent with his first-half performance, it will be very hard for him not to be a first-round pick next April.
Mississippi State 23, Auburn 9
Brown had a nice, early bull rush pushing Bulldogs center Elgton Jenkins back in the pocket. He also was pushing the right guard around. Brown got his first tackle of the game in the third quarter, stuffing a quarterback run by Nick Fitzgerald. He added a few more tackles with one in the backfield for a loss, joining a teammate. Overall, this tape won’t hurt or help Brown significantly.
Sweat is a tall, long, and lean edge rusher who will need to get stronger to defend the run in the NFL. He would fit best as a 3-4 outside linebacker. Sweat could be a mid-to-late first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Stidham had a wide receiver running wide open deep down the field with no defender within 20 yards of his target in the second quarter. Stidham made an inaccurate overthrow fall incomplete in what should have been an easy touchdown. Stidham later had an overthrow in the middle of the field that was dropped by Mississippi State safety Johnathan Abram. Stidham finished completing 19-of-38 passes for 214 yards. Stidham has a good skill set with intangibles, but he needs to get more polished and improve his pocket composure. Unless he gets red hot in the back half of the season like he did last year, Stidham should return to school to next year.
Miami 28, Florida State 27
Willis played well in this game. He stuffed a number of runs at the point of attack while also getting some interior pressure on quarterback Deondre Francois. In the early going when the Seminoles put together a big lead, Willis was one of the Miami defenders that was winning his match ups. Willis also had a huge fumble recovery at the Florida State 20 that started the Hurricanes’ 21-point comeback win.
Willis ended up with a handful of tackles and a tackle for a loss with the fumble recovery. For the NFL, he would probably fit best as a three technique, but he also has the potential to be a nose tackle in a 4-3. If Willis’ off-the-field issues check out fine, he could be a second-day pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
In the third quarter, Jackson burned the left tackle with a speed rush and a hold kept him from getting a sack, but the hit on the quarterback caused a third-down incompletion. He later burned the Seminole left tackle with speed and then a rip move to shed the block. Jackson pummeled Francois for a strip-sack that was recovered by Miami. However the replay official screwed Miami and ruled the fumble to be an incomplete pass. It was a terrible call.
Jackson showed good pass-rush ability versus Florida State with speed to run by left tackles and active hands to shed blocks. This tape will help his draft grade.
Florida 27, LSU 19
Williams had tight coverage early on, but he also was run over in brutal fashion trying to make a run tackle on Lamichael Perine. Early in the fourth quarter, Williams was beat on a back-shoulder throw for a gain of about 25 yards. Williams had tight coverage, but it was a better throw and catch to move the chains. This tape should not hurt or help Williams.
White showed great speed to make a clutch tackle in the fourth quarter. It was a pitch to the right side, and Florida appeared to have space with LSU outflanked. White was on the backside of the play, but he flew across the field to take down Jordan Scarlett for a one-yard gain. White got in on another tackle for a loss in the fourth quarter.
This was a solid tape from White as he showed his tough run defense. White has good instincts to read his keys and get in position to make tackles. He moved well in pass coverage while showing the speed to cover a lot of ground. This was another example of White doing his part to confirm a high draft grade this season.
For the NFL, Gardner-Johnson is a versatile safety who can contribute in the middle of the field in zone coverage, playing some slot corner, defending the run, and blitzing the quarterback. Gardner-Johnson has good instincts and speed to cover a lot of ground. He could be a second-day pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Texas 48, Oklahoma 45
Texas did a nice job of containing Brown in the first half. He caught a short touchdown pass, but the Longhorns were cognizant of Brown’s speed and kept him from getting vertical. However, they couldn’t contain Brown all day, as he made a typical huge play running a go route from the slot veering toward the sideline before getting vertical. He toasted the Texas secondary for a 77-yard touchdown.
Brown totaled 131 yards on nine receptions with two touchdowns. Brown is a speed receiver who is in the mold of DeSean Jackson or Will Fuller for the NFL. He could be a late first-round or second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Late in the third quarter, Humphrey showed his run-after-the-catch skills, hauling in a crossing route and breaking a few tackles while working his way downfield. It took two Sooners to get Humphrey on the ground after a gain of 30 yards. Humphrey then ran down the seam to get wide open for a 15-yard touchdown.
Humphrey totaled 133 yards on nine receptions for a touchdown. For the NFL, Humphrey has the potential to be a good pro. He has excellent size with good run-after-the-catch skills and strong hands. He is a real competitor who will fight with defenders. Humphrey has some off-the-field issues that will hurt him with some teams, but he could be a good second-day pick who ends up being a good pro receiver.
Johnson came through with some big, early plays. He tacked a deep ball downfield to make a pretty over-the-shoulder catch for 36 yards and then got open for a short touchdown catch in the back of the end zone. In the second half, Johnson used his big size to wall off and out fight corners to make some contested catches that moved the chains to provide critical first downs for Texas. Johnson totaled 81 yards and a touchdown on six catches. This tape will help Johnson’s draft grade, and he could be a second-day pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
The 6-foot-5, 335-pounder is thick blocker with good bulk for the next level. Scouts who have been through Oklahoma say that Ford is an outstanding athlete for his size, and that was evident as he used his speed and athleticism to cut off the edge from speed rushers. Ford bends at the knee well and can kick slide to get depth in his drop. In the ground game, Ford has heavy hands to shock defenders back, and he uses his big frame to manipulate and control defenders.
Sources feel that for the NFL, Ford is definitely a guard, but they are very high on him. Ford could be the top guard prospect for the 2019 NFL Draft, and this tape will help his draft grade. If Ford stays healthy and consistent the rest of this season, he could be a late first-round or early second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Northwestern 29, Michigan State 19
Thorson started out the game throwing some accurate passes on bootlegs and some perfectly placed passes to beat tight coverage. The Spartans were getting lots of pass pressure, and Thorson was taking some hard hits. Midway through the first quarter, Thorson was in the process of getting hit hard by Michigan State defensive tackle Raequan Williams, and Thorson threw an ill-advised pass up for grabs that was intercepted. That was Thorson’s only mistake versus the Spartans.
Thorson quickly bounced back by throwing a 77-yard touchdown. He rolled to his left and found a wide open receiver deep down the field. Thorson lofted in a well-located pass, and his receiver coasted into the end zone.
Thorson made an even better pass on his next possession. He had a receiver blanketed in coverage running down the field, but Thorson lofted in a beatuiful pass to the outside shoulder of the receiver, and he hauled in a 34-yard touchdown pass.
In the third quarter, Thorson threw a check down that went through the hands of his receiver, bounced off his face mask, and then a Spartan defender made a diving interception on the deflection. That pick was completely on the receiver and not the fault of Thorson. Thorson came back to move the ball, including two third-down conversions with Thorson running the ball for one and then throwing a dart in the flat to lead his receiver for a gain of 18. The next play, Thorson lofted in a perfect pass to his tight end for a 21-yard score. Once again, Thorson threw his receiver open as he was well covered, but Thorson’s accurate throw led his receiver into the end zone with a dime that went right over the shoulder of the Spartan defender. The next play, Thorson threw a dart into zone for a two-point conversion. Thorson later used his size to get a game-clinching touchdown on a quarterback sneak on the goal line.
Thorson completed 31-of-47 passes for 373 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He was more accurate than the numbers indicate, as he had numerous perfect passes dropped by his wideouts. Some have critized Thorson throwing short so much, but this game illustrated that he will go downfield when he sees openings. His receivers lack speed, and that often forces him to throw shorter passes.Thorson produced a phenomenal tape against Michigan State, which made him look like a potential first-round pick.
Thorson showed a strong arm capable of making any throw. Thorson’s accuracy was superb versus the Spartans, as he repeatedly beat good coverage with perfect precision passes. Thorson had to be on the money because his receivers struggled to get separation, so Thorson had to beat coverage with his ball placement. On top of his passing, Thorson protected the ball well while making good decisions except for his first interception. He also showed some ability to move and throw off of bootlegs and roll outs.
There is no doubt that Thorson has the skill set of a NFL starting quarterback with big size, a strong arm, pocket presence, field vision to work through progressions, and some athleticism to use his feet. Sources have told me that his character is off the charts. He is a team leader who can speak to all segments of the locker room. He’s also smart with a good football I.Q and a ton of experience from college. Thorson could skyrocket in the pre-draft meetings. This performance will help Thorson a lot, and he looked like a first-round pick versus Spartans.
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