Analysis
10/13/23
6 min read
2024 NFL Draft: Players To Watch In College Football Week 7
For the second year, Reese’s Senior Bowl scouting team will be on 10-plus college campuses around the country every week during the 2023 college football season. This year’s scouting team includes 10 former NFL scouts with more than 200 years of league experience. The Senior Bowl has had 100-plus players drafted, accounting for more than 40 percent of the past three NFL draft classes.
Follow @JimNagy_SB on Twitter on Saturday to see up-close, field-level videos on the following players:
In heights/weights, "v" denotes verified and "e" denotes estimated.
Scouting College Football Week 7
Alabama RB Jase McClellan & Arkansas CB Dwight McGlothern
Matchup: Arkansas at Alabama — Noon ET, ESPN
Jase McClellan
Height: 5101 (v)
Weight: 207 (v)
Hand: 10 1/4”
College football fans and NFL draft enthusiasts outside the state of Alabama probably aren’t familiar with Jase McClellan’s name. Still, he’ll be the next NFL running back to come out of Tuscaloosa. Similar to most Crimson Tide runners who have come before him, McClellan has had to patiently wait his turn to become the starter. There’s a lot to like about the true senior and former Texas native.
He is a true three-down back (six career receiving touchdowns), and he probably got more notoriety for his game-clinching bobbled catch on the final drive last week against Texas A&M than for anything else he’s done during his career. He runs behind his pads like the typical ’Bama back, and NFL scouts will like that there’s plenty of tread left on his tires (only 254 career carries).
Dwight McGlothern
Height: 6015 (v)
Weight: 187 (v)
Arm: 30 1/4”
If the Razorbacks are going to keep it close with the Crimson Tide, they’ll have to get a big game from instinctive cornerback Dwight McGlothern. The LSU transfer is at his best in zone and off-man coverage, where he can use his eyes and anticipation skills to make plays.
McGlothern didn’t play last week after suffering a concussion against Texas A&M, but coach Sam Pittman sounded optimistic that he will be back Saturday. McGlothern, who finished second in the SEC last year with four interceptions, already has two picks this season and will be key in keeping Alabama’s suddenly explosive passing game in check.
Wyoming LT Frank Crum
Height: 6076 (v)
Weight: 313 (v)
Arm: 34 1/4”
Matchup: Wyoming at Air Force — 7 pm ET, CBSSN
One prospect out west starting to generate some buzz on the road among NFL scouts is mammoth Wyoming LT Frank Crum. The third-generation Cowboy (his grandfather and dad both played at Wyoming) and three-year starter moved to the left side this year after spending his career at right tackle, and he’s adapted well.
He had opportunities from bigger Power-5 schools to transfer this offseason, but Crum was loyal to his home-state school. Crum has the big frame all NFL teams covet on draft weekend, and he’s played himself in position to get picked somewhere on Day 3.
Illinois OL Julian Pearl and Isaiah Adams
Matchup: Illinois at Maryland — 3:30 pm ET, NBC
Julian Pearl
Height: 6056 (v)
Weight: 307 (v)
Arm: 35 1/8"
Isaiah Adams
Height: 6040 (v)
Weight: 318 (v)
Arm: 34 1/8”
Isaiah Adams has played both tackle spots during his career, but he’s primarily held down the left guard position, while Julian Pearl has pretty much played left tackle. Pearl and Adams were eligible for the Senior Bowl a year ago, but both fell around the cut line for last year’s game and decided to go back to school for another year of development. This is the deepest offensive line class we’ve had since taking over the Senior Bowl six years ago, but we anticipate both Illinois blockers to be in the mix for invites again this year.
Kansas CB Cobee Bryant
Height: 5110 (e)
Weight: 180 (e)
Matchup: Kansas at Oklahoma State — 3:30 pm ET, FS1
This year might mark the second time in three game cycles where the Senior Bowl has a Coby or Cobee Bryant in the game. Back in 2022, Thorpe Award winner Coby Bryant parlayed a big week in Mobile into being selected in the fourth round by the Seattle Seahawks, and now Kansas’ Cobee Bryant is making a strong case for an invite. The Evergreen, Alabama product is a fun player to watch on tape because he immediately gets your attention with his suddenness, urgency and aggressive play style.
Of all the corners we’ve evaluated in this draft cycle, Bryant might play with the most swagger. And he also has some playmaking ability (seven interceptions in just more than two on-field seasons). This is an ascending player to watch during the pre-draft process.
Rutgers DE Aaron Lewis
Height: 6050 (e)
Weight: 250 (e)
Matchup: Michigan State at Rutgers — Noon ET, BTN
Few defensive prospects in this year’s draft class play as hard as Rutgers DE Aaron Lewis. When we talk to NFL scouts about Lewis, the first thing any of them bring up is his motor. Lewis is a relentless competitor who sells out to the whistle and gets much of his production on sheer hustle.
He has been disruptive in every game we’ve watched this season and has already doubled his sack production from a year ago (1.5 to 3.0). Teams looking for a high-energy 4-3 base defensive end will target Lewis somewhere on Day 3.
Florida Edge Princely Umanmielen
Height: 6036 (v)
Weight: 249 (v)
Arm: 33 7/8”
Matchup: Florida at South Carolina — 3:30 pm ET, SECN
We always tell people that stats lie, and they certainly do in the case of Florida Edge prospect Princely Umanmielen. While he only has two sacks in six games, Umanmielen has been far more disruptive than that when you put on the tape. We had a fringe top-100 grade on the two-year starter based on his junior tape, and he’s helped himself this year in a new scheme that drops him into coverage and forces him to tackle more in space.
Before becoming executive director of the Reese's Senior Bowl in 2018, Jim Nagy was an NFL scout for nearly two decades, having worked for five teams that won a combined four Super Bowls. Follow him on Twitter @JimNagy_SB.
