2021 NFL Draft Prospect Matchup Preview – Bowl Games

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.
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Central Florida vs. BYU; Tuesday, Dec. 22, 7:00 PM ET ESPN
The Prospects:

BYU quarterback Zach Wilson, No. 1
BYU center James Empey, No.66
BYU guard Tristen Hoge, No.69
BYU offensive tackle Brady Christensen, No.67
BYU defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga, No.95

Central Florida WR Tre Nixon, No. 16
Central Florida S Richie Grant, No. 27
Central Florida CB Aaron Robinson, No. 31

The Matchups: This will be the final game for BYU’s Zach Wilson, and he has a shot at being a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Providing one more good tape against one of the few quality opponents he’s seen this year would be good for Wilson. Grant and Robinson could compete at the next level, so it will be interesting to see how Wilson performs against Central Florida. Wilson destroyed a lot of weak competition in 2020, but lost to Coastal Carolina, so playing well versus Central Florida is one final opportunity for Wilson.

Oklahoma State vs. Miami; Tuesday, Dec. 29, 5:30 PM ET ESPN
The Prospects:

Oklahoma State WR Tylan Wallace, No. 2
Oklahoma State RT Teven Jenkins, No. 73
Oklahoma State CB Rodarius Williams, No. 8

Miami DE Quincy Roche, No. 2
Miami DE Jaelen Phillips, No. 15
Miami S Bubba Bolden, No. 21
Miami TE Brevin Jordan, No. 9

The Matchups: Bolden has had an excellent season for Miami, and he could be called on to help double team Wallace. Rodarius Williams has covered really well this year, and he could be assigned Jordan. That would be a good matchup, but Williams is probably going to be shadowing receivers instead. Phillips could be a first- or second-round pick in the 2021 or 2022 NFL Draft.

Wisconsin vs. Wake Forest; Wednesday, Dec. 30, 12:00 PM ET ESPN
The Prospects:

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

Wisconsin DE Isaiahh Loudermilk, No. 99
Wisconsin TE Jake Ferguson, No. 84

The Matchups: If Basham plays in this game, it would be worth watching because he would see the typical competent Wisconsin offensive line. Basham, however, was banged up late in the season, so it would not be surprising if he sat out this final game.

Missouri vs. Iowa; Wednesday, Dec. 30, 4:00 PM ET ESPN
The Prospects:

Iowa DT Daviyon Nixon, No. 54
Iowa OT Alaric Jackson, No. 77
Iowa RB Mekhi Sargent, No. 21
Iowa DT Daviyon Nixon, No. 54
Iowa WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette, No. 89
Iowa WR Brandon Smith, No. 3

Missouri RB Larry Rountree, No. 34
Missouri DT Akial Byers, No. 97
Missouri LB Nick Bolton, No. 32
Missouri S Joshuah Bledsoe, No. 1

The Matchups: Nixon is the top prospect in this game, and he could be an early-round pick in the 2021 or 2022 NFL Draft. There will be a good matchup in Bledose taking on Iowa wide receivers Smith-Marsette and Smith. Missouri linebacker Nick Bolton is a potential mid-round pick, and he will be tested by a tough Hawkeyes ground offense led by Sargent.

Oklahoma vs Florida; Wednesday, Dec. 30, 8:00 PM ET ESPN
The Prospects:

Oklahoma C Creed Humphrey, No. 56
Oklahoma RB Rhamondre Stevenson, No. 29
Oklahoma WR Charleston Rambo, No. 14
Oklahoma OT Adrian Ealy, No. 59
Oklahoma CB Tre Brown, No. 6

Florida QB Kyle Trask, No. 11
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: The best player on either team is Gators tight end Kyle Pitts, but he announced he wouldn’t be playing in this contest after finishing the year banged up. Instead, he is preparing for the 2021 NFL Draft. There will be some good draft matchups though with Gators wide receivers Toney, Grimes and Copeland going against Sooners corner Tre Brown. Rhamondre Stevenson will also be a tough test for the Florida front seven, which has been inconsistent this year.

Tulsa vs. Mississippi State; Thursday, Dec. 31, 12:00 PM ET ESPN
The Prospects:

Mississippi State QB K.J. Costello, No. 3
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

Tulsa LB Zaven Collins, No. 40
Tulsa CB Allie Green IV, No. 12

The Matchups: Zaven Collins has been perhaps the best defensive player in college football this season and has put himself in contention to be a first-round pick next April. He will see a quality test from Mike Leach’s offense. Collins is a versatile defender who can cover and rush the passer, so this could be a big statistical performance for him. A good matchup will come with Green going against Mitchell. Both are sleeper players who have flashed at times this season.

Georgia vs. Cincinnati; Saturday, Jan. 1, 12:00 PM ET ESPN
The Prospects:

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

Cincinnati QB Desmond Ridder, No. 9
Cincinnati S James Wiggins, No.1

The Matchups: This matchup has a good battle with the Georgia secondary taking on a potent offense led by Ridder. The emerging Ridder is a redshirt junior who could rise as a quarterback prospect for the 2022 NFL Draft. This will be an important tape for him because the Bulldogs secondary is loaded with future pro competitors and he will see pressure from a dangerous edge rusher in Ojulari.

Alabama vs Notre Dame; Friday, Jan. 1, 4:00 PM ET ESPN
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

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: This game features a ton of good draft matchups that will be watched closely by NFL evaluators. Alabama quarterback Mac Jones could be a second-day pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and his star wide receiver DeVonta Smith has dominated every team he’s played this year, but Notre Dame has a quality defense with pro talent.

A great matchup will occur in the ground game with the red-hot Najee Harris going against Irish linebacker Owusu-Koramoah. Owusu-Koramoah is a fast and dynamic coverage linebacker, but is undersized for the next level. It will be interesting to see how he handles Harris’ power.

Crimson Tide offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood and Fighting Irish offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg could be first-round picks in the 2021 NFL Draft. Both of them have the potential to slip to Day 2 as well, so playing well in this marquee matchup would help improve their chances of going on the opening night of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Clemson vs. Ohio State; Friday, Jan. 1, 8:00 PM ET ESPN
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

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

The Matchups: Even though they don’t line up against each other, the media will be talking about Lawrence versus Fields. Lawrence is locked in to be the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, while Fields is the favorite to be the second quarterback selected. Fields could really use a good game against Clemson after an ugly win versus Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship. There will be lot of good matchups other places, including Etienne going against a good Ohio State front seven. Kendrick versus Olave will be another matchup that NFL evaluators will have their eye on.

North Carolina vs. Texas A&M; Saturday, Jan. 2, 8:00 PM ET ABC
The Prospects:

Texas A&M QB Kellen Mond, No. 11
Texas A&M OT Carson Green, No. 54
Texas A&M OT Dan Moore, No. 65
Texas A&M ILB Buddy Johnson, No. 1
Texas A&M CB Myles Jones, No. 0
Texas A&M DT Bobby Brown III, No. 5

North Carolina RB Javonte Williams, No. 25
North Carolina RB Michael Carter, No. 8
North Carolina WR Dazz Newsome, No. 5
North Carolina LB Chazz Surratt, No. 21
North Carolina LB Tomon Fox, No. 12

The Matchups: Surratt looks like an early-round pick for the 2021 NFL Draft, and he will a good test with a dual-threat quarterback in Mond. This season, Surratt has had issues with missed tackles, and Aggies sophomore running back Isaiah Spiller is a very talented player who will challenge Surratt. Sophomore tight end Jalen Wydermyer is a mismatch nightmare, and Surratt could be called on to try to cover Wydermyer. If Surratt matches up against those players, the outcomes will be phenomenal evaluation tape for pro scouts. Mond has been an inconsistent player over his career, so finishing up well against North Carolina is a necessity for him to rise.

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