This new section highlights which players have improved or worsened their 2019 NFL Draft stock as the draft approaches.
By Charlie Campbell.
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2019 NFL Draft Stock Up
Chase Winovich, LB, Michigan The dynamic outside linebacker Winovich absolutely dominated Notre Dame’s offensive tackles and was constantly hitting or pressuring the quarterback. Winovich produced a number of splash plays that kept Michigan in the game. Just before halftime, Winovich used power to shed the right tackle and then chased down Fighting Irish quarterback Brandon Wimbush for a sack with a hard hit to the midsection. In the third quarter, Winovich laid a hit on Wimbush as he threw, and that helped produce a floating pass that was intercepted by Michigan. In the fourth quarter, Winovich came off the edge unblocked and snuffed out a draw for a loss of five. Winovich totaled 3.5 tackles for a loss, one sack and six tackles in a superb performance.
All night, Winovich showed serious speed off the edge with the athleticism to dip underneath blockers and the strength to fight off the hands of blockers. Winovich is able to use his hands and feet at the same time while seeing the field well. With his non-stop motor, Winovich pursues plays all over the field. His physical look and style of play resembles Packers linebacker Clay Matthews. This tape will definitely help Winovich in his draft grade.
Dre’Mont Jones, DT, Ohio State In only one half of play, Dre’Mont Jones and teammate Nick Bosa absolutely dominated Oregon State in the season opener. Early in the first quarter, Jones showed serious speed and hustle to chase down a wide receiver screen about 15 yards downfield and made a clutch tackle. That set the tone for Jones to have a huge presence against the Beavers. Shortly later, Jones got his first sack of the season after using a swim move to beat the left guard and then a burst to chase down the quarterback.
In the second quarter, Jones recorded his second sack of the season after darting to the inside to come straight down the pocket and hunt down the quarterback. Shortly before halftime with Oregon State throwing out of its own end zone, Jones once again used his speed to start a sack, and this time, he forced a fumble that Bosa recovered for a touchdown. Jones got his season started in excellent fashion with two sacks, a forced fumble, three tackles and a lot of disruption behind the line of scrimmage. This game will help Jones’ draft grade and shows that he is an early-round talent.
Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State Jones and Bosa were a lethal tandem who the Beavers were incapable of blocking. After coming close on a few plays, Bosa used his speed and strength to get to the quarterback for multiple sacks in the first half. The Beavers’ offensive tackles were incapable of blocking Bosa, as he constantly used speed to get upfield and active hands to knock down blockers trying to get a hold of him. Bosa totaled two sacks, two fumble recoveries, one touchdown and four tackles despite only playing in the first half. He showed that he is an elite talent and a tremendous edge rusher. That tape will help Bosa to grade out as a high first-round pick.
Trayveon Williams, RB, Texas A&M Prior to Williams dominating in Week 1 of the 2018 college football season, scouts told me that Williams was looking tremendous in fall camp. That practice performance translated to the opener, in which Williams ran for 240 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries against Northwestern State. He had an impressive freshman season in 2016 before seeing his production decline last year. Williams could use a strong junior year to help himself get selected in the top half of his draft class. His season opener to go along with impressing evaluators during fall camp is a good start.
Jerry Tillery, DT, Notre Dame Tillery had an impressive night with some big plays against Michigan. In the first quarter on a third-and-2, Tillery came up with a run stuff for no gain after fighting through a block. Early in the second quarter Tillery had an impressive rush to get his first sack of the season. He used strength to shed a guard and then took down Shea Patterson as he stepped up in the pocket. Late in the fourth quarter, Tillery came up with the play of the game, getting a rush up the middle before joining a teammate for a sack of Shea Patterson that caused him to drop the ball. Teammate Te’Von Coney picked up the fumble to clinch the win for Notre Dame.
Throughout the night, Tillery was pushing through the Michigan interior line to get pressure and was stuffing runs at the point of attack. With multiple sacks and showing speed, power, length and size, Tillery really impressed. He could be a 4-3 defensive tackle or an end in a 3-4. This tape illustrated that Tillery has early-round potential for the 2019 NFL Draft.
Blessaun Austin, CB, Rutgers Team sources have told me that Austin was a player who really impressed them during fall practice, and he translated that to the field with an excellent start to the season against Texas State. Austin totaled one interception, three tackles, two for a loss and one sack on the Bobcats. That was a good warmup for Austin, who will face the challenge of some future pro wide receivers in Week 2 against Ohio State. Austin could end up being one of the top corner prospects for the 2019 NFL Draft and is a player to watch this season.
2019 NFL Draft Stock Down
Kris Boyd, CB, Texas Boyd has gotten some media hype heading into the 2018 season, but sources say that Boyd has not impressed them in tape study and watching him in practice. They said that Longhorns wide receivers Collin Johnson and Lil’Jordan Humphrey really had their way with Boyd during practice. During the 2018 season, Boyd will see a lot of potent passing attacks, so he will need to perform better to rehab his draft stock.
Trey Adams, OT, Washington Adams was held out of the season opener against Auburn with a back injury. Coming off an ACL tear last year, Adams needs to get on the field and stay there to avoid major medical/durability concerns during the leadup to the 2019 NFL Draft. He will already have some concerns entering the medical exam, but if he continues to miss games, he could be in store for a slide in his draft grade.
Nick Fitzgerald, QB, Mississippi State Fitzgerald accomplished the notorious accomplishment of having his draft stock hurt before the first snap of the season. Mississippi State suspended Fitzgerald for the Week 1 for a violation of team rules. Coming off a serious injury, Fitzgerald had some medical concerns and also was inconsistent during the 2017 season. Adding in an off-the-field issue could further damage Fitzgerald’s draft grade.
Shea Patterson, QB, Michigan Patterson struggled to move the ball against Notre Dame and was indecisive for a lot of the game. He completed 20-of-30 passes for 227 yards with an interception and a critical fumble thanks to poor ball security. Patterson showed a bad habit to retreat and backpedal in the pocket rather than getting the ball out. He felt the rush when it wasn’t there at times and held the ball too long when the pocket was collapsing. The Notre Dame game was not a tape that makes Patterson look like a first-round pick.
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