2021 NFL Draft Prospect Matchup Preview – Week 4

Want to get to know the draft prospects for the 2021 NFL Draft? This weekly column breaks down the best matchups to watch each week in college football.

By Charlie Campbell.
Send Charlie an e-mail here: [email protected]
Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell for updates.

Notre Dame vs. Wake Forest; Saturday, Sept. 26, 12:00 PM ET ABC

The Prospects:

Wake Forest OLB Ja’Cquez Williams, No. 8
Wake Forest DE Carlos Basham, No. 9

Notre Dame OT Liam Eichenberg, No.74
Notre Dame G Tommy Kraemer, No.78
Notre Dame OLB Daelin Hayes, No.9
Notre Dame DE Adetokunbo Ogundeji, No.91
Notre Dame QB Ian Book, No.12

The Matchups: This game has the potential for a good draft matchup in the trenches between Basham and Eichenberg. Basham looks like a future first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, so if Eichenberg gets the better of Basham, that could really help Eichenberg’s draft grade.

Kentucky vs. Auburn; Saturday, Sept. 26, 12:00 PM ET SECN

The Prospects:

Auburn S Jamien Sherwood, No. 20
Auburn WR Seth Williams, No. 18
Auburn WR Anthony Schwartz, No. 1
Auburn ILB K.J. Britt, No. 33

Kentucky DE Joshua Paschal , No. 4
Kentucky DT Quinton Bohanna, No. 95
Kentucky S Yusuf Corker, No. 29
Kentucky CB Brandin Echols, No. 26
Kentucky OT Landon Young, No. 67
Kentucky RT Darian Kinnard, No. 70
Kentucky RB Asim Rose, No. 10

The Matchups: The best matchup in this game will be Wildcats defensive backs Corker and Echols taking on the Auburn receiving duo of Williams and Schwartz. Echols showing the speed to run with receivers will be important for him, while Williams needs to show the speed to separate. The Tigers also have some talent on their defensive line, so they will be a nice test for the Kentucky tackle tandem.

Texas vs. Texas Tech; Saturday, Sept. 26, 3:30 PM ET FOX

The Prospects:

Texas Tech WR T.J. Vasher, No. 9
Texas S Caden Sterns, No. 7
Texas DB Josh Thompson, No. 9
Texas C Derek Kerstetter, No. 68
Texas QB Sam Ehlinger, No. 11
Texas OT Sam Cosmi, No. 52

The Matchups: The best matchup in this game will be Vasher taking on a couple of NFL caliber defensive backs in Sterns and Thompson. Vasher could be the best receiver that the Longhorns duo will see this season, so this will be an important tape for them. Cosmi won’t see a tough edge rushing test, but he has first-round potential for 2021.

Mississippi State vs. LSU; Saturday, Sept. 26, 3:30 PM ET SECN

The Prospects:

Mississippi State QB K.J. Costello, No. 3
Mississippi State RB Kylin Hill, No. 8
Mississippi State WR Osiris Mitchell, No. 5
Mississippi State OT Greg Eiland, No. 55
Mississippi State ILB Erroll Thompson, No. 40
Mississippi State DE Marquiss Spencer, No. 42

LSU WR Terrace Mitchell, No. 6
LSU OLB Jabril Cox, No. 19
LSU ILB Damone Clark, No. 35
LSU G Ed Ingram, No. 70
LSU DL Neil Farrell, No. 92
LSU RB Chris Curry, No. 24
LSU RT Austin Deculus, No. 76

The Matchups: The top matchups in this game could be in the ground game, where Hill should face the LSU linebacker tandem of Cox and Clark. Similarly when the Tigers have the ball, Curry dealing with Mississippi State run-stuffing specialist Thompson will be a key matchup to watch. LSU’s talented young defensive line will also be a nice test for Eiland.

Alabama vs. Missouri; Saturday, Sept. 26, 7:00 PM ET ESPN

The Prospects:

Alabama WR DeVonta Smith, No. 6
Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle, No. 17
Alabama OT Alex Leatherwood, No. 70
Alabama C Landon Dickerson, No. 69
Alabama RB Najee Harris, No. 22
Alabama DL LaBryan Ray, No. 18
Alabama DT Christian Barmore, No. 58
Alabama ILB Dylan Moses, No. 32
Alabama CB Patrick Surtain II, No. 2
Alabama CB Josh Jobe, No. 28

Missouri RB Larry Rountree, No. 34
Missouri LB Nick Bolton, No. 32
Missouri DT Akial Byers, No. 97
Missouri S Tyree Gillespie, No. 9

The Matchups: The best matchups here are in the ground game with Harris versus Bolton and Rountree versus Moses. Moses missed 2019 with an ACL, so it will be important for him to show that he is healthy and back to his pre-injury form to regain his early-round projections.

Florida State vs. Miami; Saturday, Sept. 26, 7:30 PM ET ABC

The Prospects:

Miami EDGE Quincy Roche, No. 2
Miami TE Brevin Jordan, No. 9

Florida State DT Marvin Wilson, No. 21
Florida State DT Corey Durden, No. 16
Florida State DE Joshua Kaindoh, No. 13
Florida State DE Janarius Robinson, No. 11
Florida State S Hamsah Nasirildeen, No. 5
Florida State CB Asante Samuel, No. 26
Florida State WR Tamorrion Terry, No. 5

The Matchups: Hopefully, Nasirildeen is healthy and ready to play, as he could have a good matchup against Jordan. It will also be interesting to see if Samuel goes up against Jordan. The receiving tight end is coming off an impressive performance against Louisville, so it will be interesting to see which defenders the Seminoles use to try to limit him. Wilson could be a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, while Roche has the potential to go in the early rounds bccause edge rushers are always in demand.

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