Analysis
9/9/21
5 min read
Week 2 College Football Matchups NFL Scouts Will Be Watching
Every weekend college football showcases future professional players battling in one-on-one matchups. Although these matchups are merely one game within a collegiate career, they often stand out amongst NFL scouts in deciding if a player can compete at the next level. Although the draft is still months away, NFL teams have their sights on players to preemptively stack their boards and assign grades to. All of these prospects are eligible for the draft and some have the talent to be called early. These matchups will allow NFL front offices to see how they produce against the best competition. Week 2 of the college football season hosts a plethora of intriguing matchups for NFL scouts to keep their eye on.
Oregon CB Mykael Wright vs. Ohio State WR Chris Olave
Mykael Wright will be looking to shut down one of college football's most electric receiving corps in a tough matchup this upcoming weekend. Wright is a redshirt sophomore who stands at 5-foot-11 and weighs 182 pounds. Wright is missing some physical stature to fit the ideal frame scouts are looking for. He makes up for it by being an incredibly twitchy athlete who displays excellent ball skills. In 2020, Wright started all 7 games which resulted in 9 pass breakups and a completion percentage of 52.9 percent when targeted. This earned him the recognition of being named first-team All Pac-12. Wright will be looking to prove what he is made of by facing Ohio State's dynamic wide receiver core which consists of Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson.
Olave is returning this year to build on his draft stock after forgoing the 2021 NFL draft last year. In 2020, Olave had a productive season by hauling in 49 catches, 849 yards, and 12 touchdowns. This quality of play resulted in him being named first-team All Big-10 in 2020. Olave is a sudden bursting, sure-handed receiver who can separate at all 3 levels. The Wright and Olave matchup will be between two really twitchy athletes who understand route leverage and ball positioning. NFL scouts will have their eyes on this matchup when these two future NFL draft selections go at it this Saturday at 12 pm ET.
Michigan DE Adian Hutchinson vs Washington OT Jaxson Kirkland
Adian Hutchinson is looking to continue to develop this season after his 2020 was cut short due to a leg injury. Hutchinson is a 6-foot-6, 265-pound defensive end who knows how to use his length to defeat blocks and attack the edge. During his healthy 2019 season, he tallied 68 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and 6 pass breakups. His length played a major part in this production with an ability to keep block separation and set an edge with his strong presence. The biggest knock is that Hutchinson will have to prove how flexible he is during pass rush attempts to improve his draft stock. Hutchinson is looking to pick up where he left off before his injury and go against a tough matchup in Jaxson Kirkland this weekend.
Washington will be counting on Kirkland to continue his anchoring of the left side of the line this weekend. They face an experienced Michigan pass rush who is looking to set the tone for the season. Kirkland is a monstrous 6-foot-7, 310 pound redshirt junior who has started 30 games for the Huskies. He earned first team All-Pac 12 recognition at tackle last year. He originally started out as a guard in 2018 and worked his way over to tackle after the 2019 season. Similar to Hutchinson, Kirkland is a very long and strong edge setter who battles in the trenches. It will be a hard fought matchup of length and strength that NFL scouts will be eyeing up this weekend.
Utah LB Devin Lloyd vs BYU RB Tyler Allgeier
The leader of Utah’s defense this year will continue to be linebacker Devin Lloyd. Lloyd is a 6-foot-3 235-pound redshirt junior who has started 19 games for the Utes defense. He has mainly played rover throughout his career and earned first-team All-Pac 12 in the 2020 season. Lloyd is looking to continue his dynamic production this year. In 2020, he racked up 48 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks in just 5 games. He is an explosive off-ball player who is efficient in his reads and steps when diagnosing the offense. Lloyd is planning to go up against Tyler Allgeier this week who can be a headache for opposing defenses.
On the offensive side of the ball, Allgeier will be looking to slash up the Utah defense. Allgeier is 5-foot-11, 220 pound redshirt junior. In 2019 he was actually asked to switch from running back to linebacker due to a lack of depth on the roster that year. He performed well and embraced the role with his tough style of play. The following season he switched back to his original role on the offense. Allgeier went on to rush for over 1,100 yards and average 7.53 yards per carry in 2020. Allgeier is a tough upright runner who is deceptively quick. He has good vision that allows him to instinctively shave off blocks after pressing holes. NFL scouts will be looking at this matchup because both players are high effort and relentless finishers on their respective sides of the ball.
