This section breaks down many college football games each week and highlights how 2021 NFL Draft Prospects have performed. Or look at the 2021 NFL Draft Stock page.
By Charlie Campbell.
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Clemson 37, Wake Forest 13
After a rough first series that concluded with Lawrence taking a bad sack from Carlos Basham, Lawrence came back on the next possession to throw a dime to the sideline to Amari Rodgers for a gain of 37 yards. It was a beautiful throw that showed Lawrence’s arm strength, accuracy, and precision. Lawrence ended the drive with a two-yard rushing touchdown on a zone-read run that saw Wake Forest blow the containment.
On the next drive, Lawrence had Rodgers wide open for a touchdown of 33 yards, but Rodgers dropped pass all alone in the end zone. He was slashing deep toward the goal posts and seemed so concerned he was going to run out of bounds he lost his concentration on controlling the ball. Lawrence’s passes and good rushes bailed out Rodgers to set up Lawrence for a repeat of another short rushing touchdown. Late in the second quarter, Lawrence lofted in a short touchdown post to the back corner of the end zone for his tight end.
In the third quarter Lawrence used his eyes to freeze a safety after a play-action fake and then laid out a perfect touch pass to his tight end down the seam for a gain of 42 yards. Lawrence finished 22-of-28 for 351 yards with a touchdown and those two rushing scores.
Lawrence made some beautiful throws showing off his powerful arm, accuracy, and an impressive ability to throw on the run. It wasn’t a flawless performance, as he overthrew a downfield wide open receiver on a third down and he took that bad sack early on. Overall though, this was a very good start to the season for Lawrence that justifies his high standing entering the season.
Etienne would fit well in the NFL on a passing-driven offense because he is a really versatile weapon. Etienne though is not a power runner, and there are times where his legs go dead on contact. As a pro, the 5-foot-10, 200-pound Etienne could be more like a Jamaal Charles-type back and would not be a Derrick Henry type. Assuming he stays consistent this year with his previous body of work, Etienne looks worthy of late first-round or early second-round consideration in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Basham made some other good rushes, including one in the second quarter on which he rushed from the inside at tackle and beat two blockers before getting tackled by the center. The refs blew it and didn’t call a hold, but it was still a superb rush from Basham. Overall, this was a fine start to the season and only serves to confirm his preseason projection.
North Carolina 31, Syracuse 6
After a quiet stretch, Cisco made his presence felt with his 13th career interception. North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell tried to hit a pass down the seam, but Cisco came over from deep zone to undercut the route and make a leaping interception. Cisco showed good hands on the play and had a nice return to set up Syracuse just past midfield. After that, Cisco contributed some tackles, but he was not a big presence as North Carolina pulled away from Syracuse.
For the next level, Cisco may not be a safety who can line up in man coverage on receivers. He is, however, a dangerous zone safety with good instincts and phenomenal ball skills. Cisco could be a solid first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and he got his junior year off to a good start against the Tar Heels.
Georgia Tech 16, Florida State 13
This was a solid start to the season for Wilson as, he was tough against the run and an animal on special teams. But in the weeks to come, it would help Wilson to show more pass-rushing moves and an ability to get after the quarterback.
Late in the second quarter, Terry almost had a long touchdown reception. He ran a corner route past the safety, and James Blackmon lofted in a pass just a little bit long, but Terry had the ball hit off his hands incomplete. It was a tough catch, but Terry should have made it, and it would have been a touchdown of around 70 yards. A few plays later, Terry ran a deep slant and took a bone rattling hit from the safety. That hit caused the ball to fall out of Terry’s hands incomplete, and both players received attention from trainers after the play. That was another big gain lost.
This game was a negative for Terry overall, even though he saw some double coverage. As a large wideout, Terry needs to make those tough catches in traffic and be very sure-handed. While he runs well for the type of receiver he is, he is not a burner, so he needs to be reliable. Even though this was a rough start to the year, Terry is a big receiver who has good speed for his size. He should bounce back in the weeks to come and remain an early-rounder for the 2021 NFL Draft.
Samuel allowed some short receptions, but he was solid in coverage. For the NFL, Samuel is limited to being a slot corner because he is short and undersized. He has quality instincts, ball skills, and movement skills however.
La.-Lafayette 31, Iowa State 14
Purdy made a nice play in the second quarter, sliding a little in the pocket, resetting his feet, and then throwign a completion downfield for a good gain to convert a third-and-long. That conversion led to a rushing touchdown for Iowa State. Midway through the third quarter, Purdy threw a pass to a blanketed receiver who was running an out to the sideline. The ball was off the mark, slightly behind the receiver. That led to the players battling and batting the ball around before the cornerback controlled it for an interception.
On the next drive, Purdy took a terrible sack. It was a third down on which Purdy rolled to his right but had defenders chasing him. Rather than getting rid of the ball, he took a sack that hurt Iowa State in field position and caused him to take an unnecessary hit. Purdy is slow and heavy-legged, so it makes no sense why he thought he could avoid the speed rushers bearing down on him. Throughout the second half, Purdy and the Iowa State offense struggled to beat La.-Lafayette’s man coverage. Purdy had some opportunities to hit some deep balls, but he overthrew a few receivers with poor deep ball placement.
Against La.-Lafayette, Purdy completed 16-of-35 passes for 145 yards with zero touchdowns and interception. He did not look like an early-round pick in this game. Listed at 6-foot-1, 212-pounds, Purdy lacks size for the next level, plus he has a limited skill set. He looked like an accurate dink-and-dunk quarterback but also a guy who struggles under pass rush due to lacking good mobility to escape defenders, is too short to see the field under pressure, and is not a playmaker. From what I saw last year and so far in 2020, I think Purdy looks like a fifth-round pick at best. This tape will definitely hurt his draft grade and is a stock-dropper to start out the 2020 season.
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