2021 NFL Draft Prospect Matchup Preview – Week 12

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]
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Indiana vs. Ohio State; Saturday, Nov. 21, 12:00 PM ET FOX
The Prospects:

Indiana WR Whop Philyor, No. 77
Indiana DT Jerome Johnson, No. 98

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

The Matchups: The Hoosiers have fielded a tough offense this year, so this will be a good test for Buckeyes cornerback Shaun Wade. He had some problems with Penn State and could use an impressive tape to help his draft grade. Fields has been phenomenal this year, and beating a top-10 team like Indiana would serve to confirm his sky-high projection. There could be a good draft matchup in the trenches if Indiana’s Jerome Johnson lines up against Buckeyes guard Wyatt Davis. Davis has been a beast as a run blocker, but he has given up a few sacks this year.

Clemson vs. Florida State; Saturday, Nov. 21, 12:00 PM ET ABC
The Prospects:

Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence, No. 16
Clemson RB Travis Etienne, No. 9
Clemson WR Amari Rodgers, No. 3
Clemson G Jackson Carman, No. 79
Clemson DE Xavier Thomas, No. 3
Clemson CB Deion Kendrick, No. 1

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: There are some good matchups in this game. Samuel taking on Amari Rodgers could be a battle of slot weapons for the NFL. Kendrick will see a future pro receiver in Terry. That will be a good battle and could impact their grades significantly. Marvin Wilson needs to play well against Clemson after starting slowly early in the year. Lawrence and Etienne should produce big games against Florida State.

Kentucky vs. Alabama; Saturday, Nov. 21, 4:00 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

Alabama QB Mac Jones, No. 10
Alabama WR DeVonta Smith, No. 6
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: This game will have some good battles in the trenches. The Kentucky tandem of Kinnard and Young will see their toughest test of the season after having solid performances against Georgia. Barmore moves around the line, and it will be interesting to see if they go against him. Barmore needs to improve his run defense, while the Kentucky tandem is tough as nails in run blocking. That will be a good test for Barmore.

Kentucky has a quality defensive line to test Leatherwood and Dickerson. The Wildcats also play tough defense, so they could give Jones and Smith more of a challenge than some other opponents this year.

Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma; Saturday, Nov. 21, 7:30 PM ET ABC
The Prospects:

Oklahoma State wide receiver Tylan Wallace, No. 2
Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard, No. 30
Oklahoma State right tackle Teven Jenkins, No. 73
Oklahoma State cornerback Rodarius Williams, No. 8

Oklahoma C Creed Humphrey, No. 56
Oklahoma WR Charleston Rambo, No. 14
Oklahoma OT Adrian Ealy, No. 59
Oklahoma CB Tre Brown, No. 6

The Matchups: The best matchup in this game will happen in the skill positions. Brown going against Wallace will be a good battle when the Cowboys have the ball, and Williams versus Rambo will be interesting to watch when the Sooners have possession.

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