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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Oklahoma State 38, Texas 35
There is no doubt that Hill is a natural runner and is very talented. Perhaps the best trait that sets Hill apart is first-step quickness and the burst to get to the second level of the defense. On top of his speed, Hill has good feet with cutting ability to zig zag through the defense. Hill has good knee bend and runs behind his pads to help him finish runs well by falling forward. With patience and vision, Hill lets holes develop before darting downfield. On top of his running ability, Hill is a nice outlet receiver who runs quality routes and makes catches with his hands. As a pro, he could be a rotational and complementary back similar to the Bengals’ Gio Bernard. Hill looks worthy to be a second- or third-round pick.
The big wideouts did some damage in the second half, however. Johnson finally made a big play downfield in the third quarter for a long reception as he beat the corner downfield for a long gain, but the reception was called back on a holding penalty. Johnson then bounced back and got open on a deep slant downfield for 27 yards. Humphrey had a 34-yard reception and ended up leading Texas with four catches for 69 yards. Johnson had five for 65.
If you could take the best qualities from each receiver and combine them, you would have a first-round pick. Humphrey is a gritty receiver who is a dangerous run-after-the-catch player. He is a fighter with some junkyard dog in him, as he will run through tackles and get physical with cornerbacks. However, Humphrey is slow for the NFL. He can’t run at all and will really struggle to separate from pro cornerbacks.
At 6-foot-6, Johnson has mismatch size but does not play as big as he should. He doesn’t bully corners or do as well as one would expect at leaping to high point the ball over receivers. Johnson has some quickness and he can sink his hips better than one would expect for such a big receiver. He has issues tracking the ball and playing it in the air, but Johnson has some impressive movement skills for a big wideout.
Johnson could be a second- or third-round pick. Humphrey has off-the-field issues that will hurt him, and that, combined with his limitations as a player probably put him in the third through fifth round.
Kentucky 15, Missouri 14
Allen was quiet in the first half. In the third quarter, however, Allen started to make some nice getting a few tackles in the ground game. He made a nice play to fight off a block near the goal line to get a run stuff. Allen then looped up the middle rushing Lock and then he strip sacked Lock on a third down. Allen followed that up by making a nice open-field tackle in pass coverage coming over in zone to rip down the receiver before he got first-down yardage.
Allen used a rip move early in the fourth quarter to beat the right tackle and got another strip-sack that once again was recovered by Missouri. Allen then rushed against the left tackle, but recognized a screen being set up and he chased down the back downfield to get a third down tackle that got his defense off the field.
This was another tape that illustrated that Allen is a first-round talent. He is a dangerous quarterback hunter off the edge that has strength and instincts to defend the run. Allen also has can contribute in pass coverage. In the NFL, Allen would be a great fit as a linebacker in a 3-4 defense.
Lock missed on some third downs and was unable to get into any real rhythm as a passer. He was 15-of-27 for 165 yards with zero touchdowns and no interceptions. This tape made Lock look more like a second-day pick rather than a first-rounder.
Georgia 36, Florida 17
Clemson 59, Florida State 10
Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence is a powerful defender in a big body with surprising quickness and athleticism. Lawrence had an excellent first half, stuffing runs and putting some pressure on quarterback Deondre Francois. Lawrence had a few tackles in the ground game to keep his defense in good down-and-distance situations. Lawrence bull rushed his blocker straight back into Francois to hit him as he threw with Christian Wilkins and that led to a floating duck of a pass that was intercepted in the second quarter.
Wilkins, meanwhile, came on a speed rush and hit Francois as he threw to force an interception. Wilkins then used a speed rush to dart by the Florida State center and get a hit on Francois to force a third down incompletion.
Throughout the first half, the Clemson defensive ends were giving the Florida State tackles all they could handle. They were constantly blowing past them with speed as their first-step quickness allowed them to get upfield before the Seminoles were even out of their stance. Ferrell beat the left tackle with a speed rush to hit Francois as he threw and force an incompletion in the opening quarter. Bryant, meanwhile, was getting into the pocket and putting pressure on Francois.
Overall, this game will only serve to confirm the draft grades for the Clemson defensive linemen. They dominated the Florida State offensive line, as they should, and did not play down to the lesser competition.
Late in the second quarter, Burns flew around Hyatt and hit Trevor Lawrence as he threw to almost get a strip-sack. Hyatt was called for holding on the play, and that was all he could do to keep Burns from sacking the quarterback. Burns was getting the better of Hyatt all afternoon with speed around the corner.
Hyatt has not developed over the past few years. He struggles with speed and also gets pushed around by strong defenders. He could end up being a mid-round pick, but if wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up not translating to the NFL. He reminds me of Broncos bust Ty Sambrailo.
Burns, meanwhile, is a dangerous speed rusher, but he is tall and skinny. He needs to gain weight and get stronger for the NFL. He should return for his senior year to develop his body before going pro.
Northwestern 31, Wisconsin 17
The game did not start well as Wisconsin linebacker Ryan Connelly leapt high to tip a pass that was intercepted on the deflection. It was not a good decision by Thorson, as he threw into traffic and did not move his eyes as Connelly was watching where Thorson was looking to get into the passing lane. Thorson came back to move the ball down the field using his arm and three consecutive quarterback sneaks to convert a first down and then power into the end zone.
Thorson lofted in a beautiful 32-yard pass over the helmet and shoulder of a defender to beat tight coverage with a well-placed pass. On a third-and-goal, Thorson made a great play from about the 6-yard line. Thorson dropped back to pass, could not find anyone open, avoided a sack by breaking a tackle, and then darted up field while juking a defender and then diving over the goal line. It was a gritty and clutch play by Thorson for his second rushing touchdown. Thorson then rolled out and threw a deep ball down the field that was intercepted as the Badgers’ safety out jumped the Northwestern receiver on the 50-50 ball. That interception was effectively a punt.
Thorson had a mixed showing in the third quarter. He underthrew a deep ball for 27 yards, and a better pass could have been a touchdown. Thorson then made some excellent throws to expand the Wildcat lead. Thorson made a big-time throw, lofting in a 24-yard touchdown over the Badgers safety to his receiver in the back of the end zone. Shortly later, Thorson converted a third down with a 27-yard run that set up a field goal. Thorson later had a bad play where a linebacker dropped into coverage, and Thorson did not see him. That led to a leaping interception.
Thorson completed 17-of-30 passes for 172 yards with one touchdown passing, two rushing, and three interceptions. He was more accurate than the numbers indicate, as he had numerous passes dropped by his wideouts. His receivers lack speed, and that leads to extremely tight windows that Thorson has to constantly throw into. Thorson has had to be on the money over the years because his receivers consistently struggle to get separation, so Thorson routinely has to beat tight coverage with his ball placement. He also showed some ability to move and pick up yards on the ground while still not being 100 percent as a runner after his ACL injury from the bowl game of last year.
There is no doubt that Thorson has the skill set of an 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 rise in pre-draft meetings. However, this tape was an uneven performance that made Thorson look more like a day-two prospect rather than first-rounder.
Wisconsin went behind Edwards in the opening quarter to get a short rushing touchdown, as Edwards pushed his defender back to help open a hole for his back. Edwards was getting a push on his defenders in the ground game, but the rest of the team was struggling. Wisconsin’s offense never got into any rhythm as their new starting quarterback had a hard time completing passes while running back Jonathan Taylor had two fumbles and the quarterback chipped in a fumble as well.
Edwards was beaten for a sack and a hit a on the quarterback in the fourth quarter. The defender used power to rock Edwards off balance to get upfield and then adjusted to rip down the quarterback. Edwards then allowed him to get to the quarterback again, but a defender got there before Edwards end could get a sack on consecutive plays.
Edwards would fit best as an NFL right tackle. He is too stiff and does not have quick enough feet to be a left tackle. At 6-foot-7, Edwards also can have issues with playing too high. That lets defenders get underneath his pads to have success on a bull rush. That was clear in the BYU game as Edwards was getting bull rushed into the quarterback repeatedly. While Edwards has received first-round hype, he looks more like a second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
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