2021 NFL Draft Prospect Matchup Preview – Conference Championships

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.

Northwestern vs. Ohio State; Saturday, Dec. 19, 12:00 PM ET FOX
The Prospects:

Northwestern RB Isaiah Bowser, No. 25
Northwestern LB Paddy Fisher, No. 42

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: Justin Fields is the heavy favorite to be the No. 2-overall pick next April, but Fields has issues with pocket awareness, which could be an issue against Northwestern’s tough defense. Fields should still be able to use his great skill set to produce a lot of points on the Wildcats. Fisher will see a tough test with the dual-threat Fields and the tough running Buckeyes backs.

Oklahoma vs. Iowa State; Saturday, Dec. 19, 12:00 PM ET ABC
The Prospects:

Iowa State QB Brock Purdy, No. 15
Iowa State TE Charlie Kolar, No. 88

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: Purdy has had some highs and lows this season, but he has led Iowa State to the Big XII Championship. Oklahoma will be a quality test for him. Kolar is having a nice season, and he could continue to impress against the Sooners defensive backs.

Clemson vs. Notre Dame; Saturday, Dec. 19, 4:00 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

Notre Dame OT Liam Eichenberg, No.74
Notre Dame G Tommy Kraemer, No.78
Notre Dame OLB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, No.6
Notre Dame OLB Daelin Hayes, No.9
Notre Dame DE Adetokunbo Ogundeji, No.91
Notre Dame QB Ian Book, No.12

The Matchups: The draft highlights of this game shoudl be Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne going against a tough Notre Dame defense led by speedy linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Owusu-Koramoah will be tested by Clemson’s elite dual-threat quarterback and its playmaking running back, and if Owusu-Koramoah plays well, the performance could really help him. Etienne will be challenged as well, and he has had a streak of fumbles this season, so showing good ball security is imperative. This is the top defense Clemson has seen, so it would help Etienne to run tough against the Fighting Irish in the rematch.

Alabama vs Florida; Saturday, Dec. 19, 8:00 PM ET CBS
The Prospects:

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

Florida QB Kyle Trask, No. 11
Florida TE Kyle Pitts, No. 84
Florida WR Kadarius Toney, No. 1
Florida WR Jacob Copeland, No. 15

Florida WR Trevon Grimes, No. 8
Florida LT Stone Forsythe, No. 72
Florida DT Tedarrell Slaton, No. 56
Florida DE Brenton Cox, No. 1

Florida LB Jeremiah Moon, No. 7
Florida LB Ventrell Miller, No. 51
Florida S Shawn Davis, No. 6

The Matchups: This game features a ton of good draft mathcups that will be watched closely by NFL evaluators. Gators quarterback Kyle Trask and Alabama quarterback Mac Jones could be second-day picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, but if one of them gets red hot in the SEC Championship and into the college football playoff games, it could send him vaulting up draft boards into Thursday night consideration. Both players are surrounded by great weapons, either quarterback could produce a big night in Atlanta.

It will be great to see how Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain plays against Florida superstar tight end Kyle Pitts and playmaking receiver Kadarius Toney. Grimes and Copeland are good receivers as well. If Surtain can show the fluid athleticism and speed to run with Pitts and Toney, that could vault Surtain high in the first round.

Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith has been among the best players in college football this year. He should have his way with a Gators secondary that has had some struggles in 2020.

Crimson Tide left tackle Alex Leatherwood could be a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and he is going to see some good edge-rushing talents in Moon and Cox. Moon received a Senior Bowl invitation, while Cox could be an early-rounder in the 2022 NFL Draft if he returns to Florida for more development before going pro. Those two Gators, along with nose tackle Tedarrell Slaton and middle linebacker Ventrell Miller, will get tested by Alabama running back Najee Harris. Harris is an early-round talent and future three-down starter for the NFL.

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