This section breaks down many college football games each week and highlights how 2020 NFL Draft Prospects have performed. Or look at the 2020 NFL Draft Stock page.
By Charlie Campbell.
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Alabama 59, Ole Miss 31
On the first drive of the game, Tagovailoa threw a strike on a slant to Devonta Smith, who exploded down the field for a 74-yard touchdown after a missed tackle. Early in the second quarter, Tagovailoa threw some accurate strikes to move the ball down the field and finished the drive by running for a touchdown after rolling out and finding nothing open. He kept moving the ball, throwing a well-placed 46-yard pass to Smith to set up a field goal.
Midway through the second quarter, Tagovailoa made a play that NFL evaluators will love after seeing a free blitzer coming at him off the edge. Tagovailoa dodged the defender in the pocket, rolled out a bit to his left, and threw a strike to star receiver Jerry Jeudy for a gain of about 20 yards. Two plays later, Tagovailoa had a receiver running wide open into the end zone, but Tagovailoa overthrew him on what should have been a 25-yard touchdown. It didn’t matter however, as he hit Smith on a short crossing route on the very next play and Smith ran through the Ole Miss defense for a touchdown.
Later, Tagovailoa had Henry Ruggs wide open for a long potential touchdown and overthrew him. Once again, a short pass to Smith led to a score, as he took a screen to the house from 22 yards out that was assisted by a great block by Jerry Jeudy. Just before the half, Tagovailoa laid out a beautiful pass for a 33-yard touchdown on a a perfect throw into a tight window with the ball dropping in over the head of the cornerback for the score. Early in the third quarter, Smith got a step running along the sideline, and Tagovailoa dropped in the pass for a score from about 25 yards out. He finished completing 26-of-36 passes for 418 yards with six touchdowns passing and one rushing.
Tagovailoa is an aggressive passer who doesn’t hesitate to challenge defenses downfield. He throws a very good deep ball, showing a quality arm and an ability to place his passes well downfield. He may not have an elite cannon, but his arm looks good enough. In the pocket, Tagovailoa shows patience and doesn’t panic when his first read is covered. With his presence and feel, Tagovailoa has the ability to function in a vertical passing offense. He is generally accurate, but if he continues to miss some throws of open wideouts downfield, that will be something that teams are going to work on improving for the NFL. Overall, this tape will help Tagovailoa to be a high first-round pick.
McKinney also contributed to the ground game with some tackles, while Diggs had a long kickoff return. After a shaky game against South Carolina few weeks ago, both McKinney and Diggs had quality rebound performances taking on the Rebels.
Auburn 56, Mississippi State 23
Brown had other run stuffs and a number of pass pressures throughout the night. He also showed an excellent motor without taking plays off. Brown is only serving to confirm his top-10 projection and grade that he earned last year before deciding to return for his senior year.
In speaking with team sources, they feel that Dantzler is more of a second-day talent. They don’t see him being a first-rounder, given his speed, agility, and athleticism. This tape will help to verify that opinion.
Washington 28, USC 14
Eason made some good throws in the opening half, but the USC defense did a nice job of not letting the Huskies get into any rhythm and Eason had fewer than 100 yards at intermission. His first throw of the third quarter added almost a third of his yardage, as Eason executed a play-action well to find his tight end wide open down the seam for a gain of 34 yards. That set up a field goal, and on the next drive, Eason threw a perfect deep ball, but his receiver dropped the pass when he landed. The rest of the second half was similar to the quiet passing of the first half. Eason finished completing 16-of-26 passes for 180 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Overall, this tape should not hurt or help Eason significantly. He was efficient and showed off his live arm with some accurate passes, but he was not a deadly passer who dominated the competition. Considering Eason did not play in 2018 or 2017, it might be in his best interest to return to Washington for his senior year to get better before going pro.
This trio should all play on Sundays. Adams could be a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, depending on how teams feel about his medical history. Harris could sneak into Day 2, but become a starter, and Hilbers also could be a mid-rounder.
Pittman (6-4, 220) is a big receiver who could be a possessional wideout in the NFL. He may not be fast enough to be an early-round pick, but he could get mid-round consideration.
Oklahoma 55, Texas Tech 16
Hurts found Lamb open about 20 yards downfield in the second quarter, as he ran a slant into an open area in zone coverage. After Lamb made a leaping catch, he spun away from three defenders and exploded down the field to run away from defenders for a 71-yard touchdown. Lamb then ran a corner post and adjusted well to haul in a 13-yard touchdown pass along the sideline.
Lamb caught his third touchdown right after halftime. He ran a deep crossing route and showed his strength, as he broke a tackle from a safety to get free downfield. Lamb sprinted away for a 65-yard touchdown. Oklahoma pulled Lamb shortly later, as they emptied the bench. Lamb finished with six catches for 183 yards and three touchdowns.
Lamb is making the most of his opportunities this season even though Oklahoma is not getting him the ball as much as they did last year. The 2020 NFL Draft looks like a strong class of receivers, and team sources say that Lamb is not one to blaze an ultra-fast 40. Thus, having lots of tape showing his positive traits is important. Taking on Texas Tech, Lamb showed good route-running, quickness to run away in the open field, strength to shed tackles, and quality hands. Lamb looks like a first-rounder right now and this tape will help his draft grade.
Brooks looped around the inside of the offensive line to explode into the pocket in the second quarter, but Hurts was able to juke Brooks to avoid the sack. Brooks later had another excellent blitz, looping around the left side, and this time, Brooks was able to trip up Hurts to force a third-down incompletion.
Brooks is a fast linebacker who is put together well. He has quality instincts and does a nice job of reading his keys to stay around the ball. He could be a good fit as a Will or Mike linebacker in the NFL. If Brooks continues this level of play throughout the 2019 season, he could be a day two prospect next April.
TCU 51, Kansas 14
Reagor muffed a punt later in the opening quarter, but he stayed composed to pick up the ball and break a tackle before exploding down the field and returning it 73 yards for a touchdown. It was Reagor’s first punt return touchdown of his career. While it was a great return, dropping the catch leaves a sour taste in the eyes of pro evaluators.
Reagor’s next return was 31 yards, as he dodged tacklers and set up blocks to get the ball to midfield. Offensively, he only had one reception that went for 15 yards on a quick pass to the flat, but Reagor showed his speed and run after the catch skills on that play.
For the NFL, Reagor is a speed demon who is a true home-run hitter with mismatch speed. The ultra-fast Reagor can take the top off of a defense and is a threat to score anytime he touches the ball. Reagor is a true speed demon who is similar to DeSean Jackson, Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown, or Will Fuller. Reagor uses his speed to create separation and shows a nice ability to track the ball downfield. For a speed receiver who lacks size, he looks comfortable with defenders around him and does not seem to get afraid of hits coming his direction. Even though he isn’t a big receiver, he does a nice job of positioning himself to make contested catches. Team sources say that Reagor has no clue how to run a route and will need to be coached up on that. Reagor has above-average hands for a smaller speed receiver, but he has some drops once in awhile.
Overall, this tape will be a net positive for Reagor, as it shows he has big ability on offense and special teams. His added value as a punt returner will help his draft grade.
Adeniji is a skilled pass protector who has some athleticism and movement skills. Team sources say he is a good athlete with quick feet, but is shorter than ideal for a left tackle. There are some 6-foot-3 left tackles in the NFL with Dion Dawkins and Kelvin Beachum, but most teams move blockers with Adeniji’s build inside to guard. He could stand to get stronger if he moves inside to guard for the NFL, and he would be a good fit in a zone blocking system. This was a solid tape from Adeniji overall.
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