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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Ohio State 38, Penn State 25
Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields is a likely top-10 pick in the 2021 NFL Drat and a future franchise quarterback. He cruised over Nebraska in his season opener and then continued his strong play with an efficient game against Penn State.
Fields moved the ball with ease in the first quarter, including lofting in a 26-yard touchdown pass to Chris Olave. The ball simply dropped in over the head of the cornerback. Shortly later, Fields made a good read of an imminent blitz and fired to a hot route for a tight end, which turned into a short touchdown.
Fields and Olave teamed up in the third quarter with an excellent throw and an excellent catch that ended up right in front of Olave waist’s so he could fall over the goal line. It wasn’t an easy catch, and Fields lofted the ball in where only Olave could make the catch from 49 yards. Fields later added another touchdown pass on a throw from a yard out to his tight end. Fields completed 28-of-34 passes for 318 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Versus a quality opponent in Penn State, Fields threw the ball accurately to all levels of the field and showed good timing, precision, anticipation, and pocket presence. As with any player, Fields has areas of improvement for the NFL. He has to get his passes off faster, as he can occasionally hold the ball too long. While Fields has quality field vision, he could stand to get faster working through progressions and needs to speed up the process for the pro level. He did look improved passing against the blitz versus Penn State compared to 2019, so he is showing good progress there for pro evaluators.
Olave had a fine statistical showing against Nebraska, but he had a few contested catches fall incomplete and seemed to get shaken up by some hard hits. Against Penn State, Olave had a clean performance, hauling in seven receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns. Olave showed his speed, route-running, and quality hands against the Nittany Lions, which is going to help his draft grade.
Ohio State guard Wyatt Davis is a potential early-round pick who got his season off to a solid start against Nebraska by being a beast in the ground game. He also gave up part of a sack in that contest, and that streak continued versus Penn State. Davis allowed his hands to get too wide in the second quarter, which let the rusher knock him off balance so he could cutting to the inside to sack Fields. Davis was solid over the rest of the game.
For the NFL, Davis is a bull at the point of attack who can consistently generate movement in the ground game. He is a strong guard who can push defenders off the line of scrimmage thanks to sheer power. Wyatt has a nice ability to bend at the knee, sustains his blocks well, and uses good hand placement. He still needs to improve his pass-blocking technique and ability to handle speed rushers for the next level. Overall, he could be worthy of being a late first-round or second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He has plug-and-play starting potential.
Alabama 41, Mississippi State 0
With Jaylen Waddle out for the season, Alabama will have lean even more on DeVonta Smith, and it was no surprise that he dominated Mississippi State. Smith got open for a touchdown from about 20 yards out early in the first quarter, but Smith was unable to control the ball after it hit off his finger tips. Smith came back to haul in a 35-yard touchdown reception on a stop-and-go route. Shortly later, Smith found the end zone again by running an out and then slashing down the middle of the field to get open for a 53-yard touchdown. Just before halftime, Smith ran an excellent route with a jab step to the outside and then slanted to the inside to get open for an 11-yard touchdown.
In the fourth quarter, Smith tied Amari Cooper for Alabama’s career receiving touchdown record with his 31st score on a short 10-yard touchdown strike. That ended Smith’s night, during which he totaled 11 receptions for 203 yards and four touchdowns.
Evaluators love Smith’s polished and well-rounded play. His refined route-running, reliable hands, yards-after-the-catch skills, and overall receiving ability have many calling him a natural football player. However, Smith being very thin-framed has some grading him as a late first-round or early second-round pick. Smith is listed at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, and that weight is very undersized for the NFL. Even though some have him on the bubble between Round 1 and Round 2, the expectation from sources is that Smith is more likely to be picked in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. His performance against Mississippi State will help to make that a reality.
Alabama quarterback Mac Jones has really improved his draft stock this season, and he continued his dominant streak, this time victimizing Mississippi State. Jones completed 24-of-31 passes for 291 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions. He has been a decisive passer this season, throwing the ball accurately, on time, and with anticipation. He may not have the physical skill set of a high first-rounder, but Jones is definitely helping himself enough that he could be a second-day or mid-round pick in 2021 NFL Draft.
Alabama running back Najee Harris continued to run well, collecting 119 yards on 21 carries against the Bulldogs. What will really impress team evaluators, however, is what Harris did in the passing game against Mississippi State. He caught six passes for 36 yards and was impressive as a blocker. Harris made an excellent blitz pickup to give Jones time to throw a 53-yard touchdown downfield. Harris diagnosed the blitz well and squared up on the linebacker to stonewall his rush. This season, Harris is showing NFL evaluators that he has three-down starting potential and should lock him in as a day-two pick at worst.
Alabama linebacker Dylan Moses continues to round into his pre-injury form. Like any non-pass-rushing linebacker, the critical aspect for Moses to excel in is pass coverage, and he gave good evidence of having that ability against Mississippi State. In the third quarter, Moses ripped the ball away from Osirius Mitchell in the end zone for an interception. Later on in zone coverage, Moses made a good read to come downhill and make an open-field tackle.
Moses’ pre-draft medical exams are going to be important, and the Crimson Tide have a reputation for running their players into the ground and sending them into the NFL banged up. If Moses can avoid injury and a bad medical report, he should be safe as an early-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, given his play on the field.
Texas 41, Oklahoma State 34 OT
Texas linebacker Joseph Ossai had an impressive performance against Oklahoma State. Early on, he made two good run tackles by flowing to the perimeter to make stops in the open field. At the end of the first quarter, Ossai made good read on zone-read run and wrestled the quarterback down for a loss. Just before halftime, Ossai lined up as an end and stunted to the inside before chasing down the quarterback for a strip-sack that set up the Longhorns deep in Oklahoma State territory. Ossai being around the ball paid off again, in the fourth quarter, when he scooped up a fumble to set up his offense just short of midfield. On the final play of the game, Oklahoma State needed a touchdown but Ossai chased down the quarterback for a sack to clinch the road upset for Texas.
This was a superb tape from Ossai. He was tough at the point of attack, fighting off blocks and making tackles in the ground game. He used his speed and athleticism to fly around the field and stay around the ball to create some huge plays for his defense. On top of his good skill set, Ossai has an excellent motor and plays through the whistle. Team sources have told me that Ossai looks like a good fit as a 3-4 outside linebacker. This performance will really help his grade.
Oklahoma State wide receiver Tylan Wallace has given emphatic proof so far this season that he is back to his pre-injury form. He continued to look health against Texas, cathing a short touchdown for the Cowboys on the opening drive of the game. Wallace made a number of other receptions for chunk completions to move the chains. In the third quarter, he made a leaping grab over a defender for another short touchdown reception. Wallace totaled 11 receptions for 187 yards and two touchdowns against Texas.
For the NFL, Wallace is a tough receiver who plays bigger than size. He runs good routes and is dangerous after the catch. He lacks mismatch size or speed for the NFL, however, and is simply not explosive enough. Wallace could be more of a second-day talent for the 2021 NFL Draft.
Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard could get selected on the second day of the 2021 NFL Draft. He had a solid performance against Texas, but he did not find a lot of good running lanes as the Texas defense did a nice job of filling the gaps. Hubbard had a nice play on a screen pass in the second quarter, dodging a tackler in the backfield and a few other defenders to turn an ugly play into a gain of a dozen yards. Shortly later, he got open in the flat for a short touchdown catch. Hubbard ran for 69 yards on 24 carries on the day, plus made four receptions for 34 yards and a touchdown.
Hubbard is a quality back who has quickness, size, vision, feet and instincts. His receiving ability is progressing, but for the NFL, the big area for improvement is pass blocking. Depending on how he works out and interviews before the 2021 NFL Draft, Hubbard could go as high as the second round and as low as the fourth round.
The top prospect in this game was Texas left tackle Sam Cosmi, and he cruised over the Oklahoma State defensive linemen. Cosmi was steady in pass protection and efficient in the ground game. In returning for this year, team sources wanted to see Cosmi get heavier and stronger. Team sources who have seen him in person this fall say that Cosmi did add some good weight. That could be seen in his performance against the Cowboys. Cosmi still has room for improvement in terms of weight and power as he can get pushed back, but he has more strength to recover and hold up edge rushers long enough for his quarterback to get the ball out.
For the NFL, there is a lot about Cosmi that translates to being an edge protector. He looks natural in bending at the knee and is light on his feet. Thanks to his quickness and athleticism, Cosmi can play the typewriter with his feet to cut off the edge from speed rushers. Cosmi can have issues with power rushes to the inside, so continuing to get stronger to anchor will be a point of improvement for him with his NFL coaching staff. Cosmi looks like a future starter at left tackle in the NFL and could be a Thursday night pick next April.
Michigan State 27, Michigan 24
Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson had a fabulous season opener against Minnesota. While Michigan State did a better job of keeping Hutchinson from wrecking the game plan, he still flashed his good skill set and tough play at the point of attack.
Hutchinson came close to a third-down sack in the second quarter, but his pressure forced an inaccurate pass that got his defense off the field. Shortly later, Hutchinson fired into the backfield and came close to a tackle for a loss, but the disruption caused by Hutchinson let a teammate take down the back for negative yardage.
Hutchinson was close to some sacks throughout the game and caused disruptions upfield, but Michigan State quarterback Brock Lombardi did a good job of getting the ball out quickly. Hutchinson would be a great fit in the NFL as a speedy five-technique in a 3-4 defense. He also could be a base end in a 4-3 who takes on right tackles, or he could move inside in the sub package.
Michigan defensive lineman Kwity Paye also dominated against Minnesota, but did not have as big of a presence against Michigan State. Late in the second quarter, Paye came close to a sack when he fired off the line and ran past the right tackle, laying a hit on the quarterback just as he threw. Paye did a nice job of getting upfield in the pass rush, but Lombardi simply got the ball out quickly. In the second half, Paye saw some attention from the trainers, but it looked like it was a minor problem. Paye’s performance against the Spartans shouldn’t hurt or help his draft stock significantly.
Georgia 14, Kentucky 3
There were a lot of future NFL competitors going head-to-head in this contest, despite this not being a high-profile college football game. Kentucky has a pair of offensive tackles who could compete at the pro level in left tackle Landon Young and right tackle Darian Kinnard. They were taking on some good Georgia defenders led by edge rusher Azeez Ojulari. Overall, the Kentucky tackles held their own, but they also showed why they are not early-round prospects.
Young is a steady blocker who is assignment sound. In the ground game, he ties up defenders and uses his size to manipulate them. Young is not a true bull who blasts defenders off the ball, but he is a fighter and really scraps. In pass protection, Young is not exactly a smooth mover. He can anchor against bull rushes and uses his hands well to sustain blocks, but he does not have quick feet or fluid athleticism on the edge. That was illustrated in the fourth quarter against Georgia, when Ojulari ran the loop around Young, but Ojulari missed the tackle on what should have been a sack. Young could be better off moving inside to guard at the pro level.
Kinnard also could be a better fit at guard in the NFL. In the early going against Georgia, he made some impressive run blocks, including a few plays on which he pancaked defenders into the turf with violence. Just before halftime, Kinnard was slow to react to a stunt, allowing the rusher notch a sack after looping around Kinnard. Kinnard came back to pull around the left side and spring his back for a chunk run, with Kinnard swallowing up a linebacker in the hole.
Kinnard is a big blocker at the point of attack who is powerful and imposing. For the college level, his feet and athleticism are good enough to play tackle, but he could have problems with speed rushers in the NFL. He could be a nice competitor as a power right guard as a pro, and he might be worthy of mid-round consideration.
Ojulari had a nice outing for Georgia. He was active in the ground game, contributing some tackles and flowing to the ball. In the pass rush, he put heat on the quarterback on a few plays. The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder could stand to get stronger for the NFL. It would help him to develop more functional strength to shed blocks. Ojulari is only a redshirt sophomore, so he has plenty of time to do it, but he would be better off returning for at least his junior year to improve and develop.
Georgia nose tackle Jordan Davis is a massive defender at the point of attack. Unfortunately, he left the game in the first half with a right arm injury and had his arm in a sling on the sideline in the second half. Davis could be a nice fit as a 3-4 nose tackle in the NFL.
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