2021 NFL Draft Prospect Matchup Preview – Week 9

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.

Georgia vs. Kentucky; Saturday, Oct. 31, 12:00 PM ET SEC
The Prospects:

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

Georgia RB Zamir White, No. 3
Georgia LB Monty Rice, No. 32
Georgia LB Azeez Ojulari, No. 13
Georgia DT Jordan Davis, No. 99

Georgia S Richard LeCounte, No. 2
Georgia CB Tyson Campbell, No. 3
Georgia CB D.J. Daniel, No. 14
Georgia CB Eric Stokes, No. 27

The Matchups: There are a lot of good matchups in this game because both teams are well stocked with NFL talent. Kentucky has some young talent on offense that will challenge Georgia’s gifted defense.

Texas vs. Oklahoma State; Saturday, Oct. 31, 4:00 PM ET FOX
The Prospects:

Oklahoma State WR Tylan Wallace, No. 2
Oklahoma State RB Chuba Hubbard, No. 30
Oklahoma State OT Teven Jenkins, No. 73
Oklahoma State CB Rodarius Williams, No. 8

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 matchups in this game will be Wallace between Sterns and Thompson. Wallace needs to show he can separate against future NFL defensive backs. Sam Ehlinger will also see a good coverage test in Rodarius Williams. Williams has been excellent this season and has really helped himself with NFL teams.

Mississippi State vs. Alabama; Saturday, Oct. 31, 7:00 PM ET ESPN
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

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

The Matchups: The best matchup in this game will happen in true SEC fashion of tough run-game competitors. Bulldogs running back Kylin Hill needs to impress after being suspended, and he will see an excellent linebacker in Dylan Moses. Hill destroyed LSU in the season opener as a receiver, and Moses has coverage skills, so it will be interesting to see what happens when they match up against each other. Similarly, Najee Harris is an early-round pick, and Erroll Thompson is a big, physical, strong, run stuffer who will challenge Harris. Another good draft matchup to watch will be Osiris Mitchell versus Patrick Surtain II. It will be interesting to see how Surtain handles the quick and shifty Mitchell.

Ohio State vs. Penn State; Saturday, Oct. 31, 7:30 PM ET ABC
The Prospects:

Ohio State QB Justin Fields, No. 1
Ohio State RB Trey Sermon, No. 8
Ohio State WR Chris Olave, No. 2
Ohio State C Josh Myers, No. 71

Ohio State G Wyatt Davis, No. 52
Ohio State OT Thayer Munford, No. 75
Ohio State TE Jeremy Ruckert, No. 88
Ohio State TE Luke Farrell, No. 89

Ohio State DE Tyreke Smith, No. 11
Ohio State LB Pete Werner, No. 20
Ohio State LB Tuf Borland, No. 32
Ohio State LB Baron Browning, No. 5
Ohio State CB Shaun Wade, No. 24

Penn State DE Shaka Toney, No. 18
Penn State CB Tariq Castro-Fields, No. 5
Penn State C Michal Menet, No. 62
Penn State S Jaquan Brisker, No. 1

The Matchups: Unfortunately, Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons decided to sit out the season, but there will still be some solid matchups when these rivals go head-to-head. The best draft matchups come with Justin Fields being tested by the Nittany Lions defensive backs. Wideout Chris Olave should cruise to a big season, but Penn State has better defensive backs than most Big Ten teams to challenge him.

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