Analysis

11/8/21

14 min read

College Football: Week 10 Draft Stock Watch, Matchups and Notable Games

College Football: Week 10 Draft Stock Watch, Matchups and Notable Games

Top SEC Matchups

1) Mississippi State CB Martin Emerson Jr. vs Arkansas WR Treylon Burks

Arkansas does a great job scheming up ways to get Treylon Burks open and away from the opponent’s top cover man, which this week was Mississippi State’s Martin Emerson Jr. The pair only matched up for 3 targets, resulting in 0 receptions, and an interference call. In limited reps, Emerson was a tough matchup for Burks, as he challenged one of football’s top pass catchers with his imposing size and physical style of play. Elsewhere in coverage, Emerson Jr. gave up a mere 1 reception for 4 yards as he continues to solidify his draft stock.

2) Missouri OT Javon Foster vs Georgia EDGE Rushers

Missouri’s Javon Foster may not have an elite size/speed combination, but he is a good athlete with solid size and length. In his biggest challenge of the year against Georgia, Foster held steady while the game was still in doubt, staying on-balance against the nation’s premier defensive front. He only surrendered 2 pressures in the 3rd quarter after the game was largely decided. Neither pressure resulted in a sack, but they did diminish his pass block grade (64.1) after an otherwise quality performance. Foster is putting together a nice body of work this Fall on the blind side (83.8 overall grade), making his case as an intriguing draft eligible prospect at offensive tackle.

3) Auburn LB Zakoby McClain vs Texas A&M Run Game

Auburn’s Zakoby McClain played well in a losing effort, helping keep the contest close from wire-to-wire. Though McClain only has marginal size for the position, he is instinctive and plays the game fast. With his short area quickness and urgency, McClain was able to affect A&M’s outstanding run game (77.1 run defense grade). Credited with 7 tackles, 4 defensive stops, and 1 TFL, he was active and disruptive. His diminutive stature lends to him getting lost in traffic at times, but he more than makes up for it with his athletic ability, in line with the increasingly popular profile at linebacker.

2022 NFL Draft Stock Up:

  1. South Carolina RB Kevin Harris: 128 rush yds – 99 after contact – 6 1st downs
  2. South Carolina RB ZaQuandre White: 99 rush yds – 94 after contact – 6 missed tackles forced
  3. Kentucky WR Wan’Dale Robinson: 13 rec – 166 yds – 72 yards after catch – 5 explosive plays

2022 NFL Draft Stock Down:

  1. Florida SAF Trey Dean III: 55.2 PFF grade – 2 missed tackles – 2 rec. allowed – 40 yds
  2. Kentucky SAF Tyrell Ajian: 26.5 PFF grade – 27.9 covg. Grade – 0 tackles – 1 missed tackle
  3. Alabama OL Chris Owens: 35.3 PFF grade – 20.8 pass block grade – 2 pressures/1 sack allowed

Eyes On Next Week

Week 11: Notable Games

Georgia vs Tennessee

  1. Georgia CB Derion Kendrick vs Tennessee WR Velus Jones Jr.
  2. Georgia DL vs Tennessee OT Cade Mays

Missouri vs South Carolina

  1. Missouri OT’s Javon Foster, Hyrin White vs South Carolina ED Kingsley Enagbare
  2. Missouri C Michael Maietti vs South Carolina IDL Zacch Pickens

Top Big 10 Matchups

1) Maryland OT Jaelyn Duncan vs Penn State ED Arnold Ebiketie

This weekend’s contest between Maryland and Penn State featured some great matchups, however, none were better than this one right here. Maryland OT Jaelyn Duncan has an NFL frame, coming in at 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds. Penn State edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie, on the other hand, has been one of the best pass rushers in the country and has seen his stock soar up this season. This week was another win for Ebiketie's resume. Duncan struggled to stay in front of Ebiketie throughout the game and Ebiketie came up with some big plays. Most notably a sack against Duncan and a third down pressure on Maryland’s opening drive that resulted in an intentional grounding and pushed Maryland out of field goal range. In addition, Duncan was called for holding on that play, though it was declined. Duncan also was called for two false starts in key moments in the game.

2) Penn State WR Jahan Dotson vs Maryland CB Jakorian Bennett

This was one of the most dominant performances of the season for a wide receiver. Maryland had no answers for Jahan Dotson all day. The losses of cornerbacks Deonte Banks and Kenny Bennett were not ideal for the Terps and put a lot of pressure on Bennett to stick with him for most of the game. Dotson had success for most of the day against Bennett. Against Bennett, he caught 3 of 6 targets for 71 yards, including an impressive 21-yard touchdown. He was able to manipulate Bennett’s hips and high point the ball in the endzone. Dotson also scored on a beautiful double move versus Maryland’s star safety and draft hopeful Nick Cross. Dotson also scored an 86-yard touchdown and had a 45-yard catch and run later in the game to set up a field goal. Dotson finished the day with 11 catches for 242 yards and 3 touchdowns.

3) Indiana OT Caleb Jones vs Michigan EDs Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo

There may not be a defensive player in the country more disruptive than Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson. Hutchinson has been disruptive all season, and this weekend was no different. Caleb Jones, meanwhile, is a massive individual who will get the attention of scouts due to his huge frame. Jones mostly aligns at RT, though he saw time at both LT and RT in this matchup. Regardless of where he was, he was still not able to stick with Hutchinson. Hutchinson is too quick, and is too good with his hands for Jones. Hutchinson was able to get a nice QB hit that almost resulted in a fumble by swatting Jones' hands away and leaving the tackle prospect in the dust. In fact, each of the two pressures Hutchinson had against Jones were due to his ability to displace Jones’ hands and run by him. David Ojabo is another talented pass rusher for Michigan, and is another one to keep an eye on. He didn’t see much time against Jones this weekend, but had an impressive sack against Jones in limited reps. Ojabo was able to get by Jones easily with a beautiful spin move. Jones' adequate foot quickness was evident this weekend, and he is going to need to learn how to utilize his length better if he wants to become a better pass protector. 

2022 NFL Draft Stock Up:

  1. Penn State WR Jahan Dotson: 11 catches, 242 yards, 3 touchdowns
  2. Michigan State ED Jacob Panasiuk: 1 sack, 1 QB hit, 11 total pressures, 91.1 PFF grade
  3. Purdue WR David Bell: 11 catches, 217 yards, 1 touchdown

2022 NFL Draft Stock Down:

  1. Minnesota QB Tanner Morgan: 15/28 180 yards 0 passing touchdowns, 1 rushing touchdown, 2 interceptions, sacked 6 times, 1 fumble lost
  2. Maryland OT Jaelyn Duncan: 3 total pressures allowed, 1 sack allowed, Beat by his defender 7 times, 3 penalties, 53.8 PFF grade
  3. Maryland SAF Nick Cross: 0 solo tackles, targeted 5 times, 5 catches allowed for 84 yards and 1 touchdown, 60.6 PFF grade

Eyes On Next Week

Week 11: Notable Games

Penn State vs Michigan

  1. Penn State OT Rasheed Walker vs Michigan EDs Aidan Hutchinson & David Ojabo
  2. Michigan RBs Hassan Haskins & Blake Corum vs Penn State’s defense

Ohio State vs Purdue

  1. Ohio State OT Nicholas Petit-Frere vs Purdue ED George Karlaftis
  2. Ohio State CB Sevyn Banks vs Purdue WR David Bell

Top ACC Matchups

1) Wake Forest SAF Traveon Redd vs North Carolina QB Sam Howell 

North Carolina QB Sam Howell continued his surprisingly impressive season as a rusher with 104 yards and 8 missed tackles. As a passer, Howell had a quiet day statistically, but was still effective while going 16 of 26 for 216 yards and 1 score. He recorded a modest PFF grade of 73.8, which was a step down from the 90.0 he posted against Notre Dame. Traveon Redd had one of his lowest graded performances of the season at 62.7. He had 4 tackles and recovered a fumble, but failed to make a significant impact in the game aside from that. 

2) Clemson LB Baylon Spector vs Louisville QB Malik Cunningham

Malik Cunningham dealt with an injury in this game, but only missed one series and was pretty effective, accounting for 311 total yards. Though it ultimately wasn’t enough to win the game, Cunningham put in a solid performance against an excellent Clemson defense, especially considering his injury sustained during the game. Spector was part of a decent, albeit disappointing defensive performance from Clemson, as they relied on a good performance from a struggling offense to win. Spector had four tackles as he struggled to contain Cunningham’s rushing.

3) Boston College OT Ben Petrula vs Virginia Tech Edge Amare Barno

The Boston College OL controlled the trenches, allowing Boston College to rack up 234 rushing yards and almost 37 minutes of possession. Petrula played a key role while often matched up against Virginia Tech’s best box defender, Amare Barno. Barno ended up with just one tackle in a game where he struggled to make an impact. His 70-pound weight disadvantage was on display, as Petrula used his clear strength advantage to move Barno where he wanted him to create holes. Runs to the right side were successful throughout the day for Boston College, and Petrula was a huge reason why.

2022 NFL Draft Stock Up:

  1. Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett: 28/44 (63.6%) 416 yards 3 TD 0 INT, 8 car 57 yards 1 rush TD (90.6 PFF Grade) 
  2. Wake Forest WR A.T. Perry: 14 targets, 6 receptions, 129 yards, 2 TD (59.6 PFF Grade) 
  3. Boston College OG Zion Johnson: 0 sacks allowed, 0 hits, 0 hurries, 0 PR, 100 PBE (77.9 PFF Grade) 

2022 NFL Draft Stock Down:

  1. Boston College WR Zay Flowers: 7 targets, 3 receptions, 55 yards, 0 TD (63.5 PFF Grade) 
  2. NC State WR Emeka Emezie: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 7 yards, 0 TD (52.6 PFF Grade)
  3. NC State DL Cory Durden: 1 pressure, 1 tackle, (60.1 PFF Grade)

Eyes On Next Week

Week 11: Notable Games

North Carolina vs Pittsburgh 

  1. North Carolina QB Sam Howell vs. Pittsburgh IDL Calijah Kancey 
  2. North Carolina S Cam’Ron Kelly and CB Tony Grimes vs Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett

North Carolina State vs Wake Forest 

  1. North Carolina State OT Ikem Ekwonu vs. Wake Forest EDGE Rondell Bothroyd 
  2. North Carolina State LB Drake Thomas vs. Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman 

Top PAC 12 Matchups

1) Oregone EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux vs Washington OT Jaxson Kirkland

Kirkland’s performance this week showed why so many were high on him as we entered the season. On the pass protection snaps where he went against arguably the nation’s top pass rusher in Thibodeaux, Kirkland was able to hold his own. He utilized his reach well to get first contact and was able to keep up with Thibodeaux around the edge. Thibodeaux did beat him on a few snaps, with one resulting in a cleanup sack. Once he got his hands inside Kirkland, he was able to drive him back with pure strength. Overall, Kirkland showed more promise as a pass protector this week than he had in past weeks. 

2) USC EDGE Drake Jackson vs Arizona State’s OTs Kellen Diesch and Ben Scott

We really wanted to see Jackson take on ASU’s Kellen Diesch for most of this matchup but there weren’t enough individual 1-on-1s between the two to make it a primary matchup to watch. When these two did face off however, Diesch was able to hold his own against Jackson’s speed rush. Jackson utilized speed to power more than he has in past games and really was able to control either tackle once he got his hands inside their chest. Diesch and Scott did a great job eliminating Jackson’s speed off the edge and forced him to move to more of a power rush. Jackson looked average against the run, but did a nice job scraping down the LOS when pursuing run plays that went opposite him. 

3) Utah OT Braeden Daniels vs Stanford EDGE Gabe Reid

Daniels has played just 5 games at RT in his 22 starts in college (the other 18 coming at OG) but his experience at both positions make him an intriguing prospect. In pass protection, his lack of length was noticeable, especially if Reid was able to get his arm inside his first. Daniels was inconsistent on the speed of his kick steps, which allowed Reid to beat him outside some plays, but for the majority of their reps Daniels was able to neutralize Reid. They got a handful of snaps against each other in the run game where Daniels noticeably excelled, handling Reid with relative ease. Daniels utilized good technique and drive, which stemmed from his low pad level and ability to keep his shoulders and hips aligned. 

2022 NFL Draft Stock Up:

  1. Arizona State RB Rachaad White: 28 carries, 202 yards, 3 TDs, 2 rec, 35 yards, 9 missed tackles forced, 3 explosive runs, 114 yards after contact, 83.9 PFF
  2. California SAF Elijah Hicks: 4 TOT, 3 solo, 1.5 TFLs, 3 targets, 0 rec allowed, 1 INT, 86.3 PFF
  3. Arizona State C Dohnovan West: 0 pressures allowed, 84.8 PFF

2022 NFL Draft Stock Down:

  1. Oregon C Alex Forsyth: 0 pressures allowed, 54.9 PFF (57.2 run blocking)
  2. Washington TE Cade Otton: 4 rec, 30 yards, 1 dropped pass, 50.6 PFF
  3. Arizona St. CB Chase Lucas: 57.2 PFF grade, 3 PDs, 8 rec. allowed for 81 yards, 5 1Ds allowed

Eyes On Next Week

Week 11: Notable Games

Oregon vs Washington State

  1. Washington State CB Jaylen Watson v Oregon WR Devon Williams
  2. Washington State OT Abraham Lucas v Oregon ED Kayvon Thibodeaux

Arizona State vs Washington

  1. Washington ED Zion Tupuola-Fetui v Arizona State OT Kellen Diesch
  2. Washington TE Cade Otton v Arizona State OLB Merlin Robertson

Top Big 12 Matchups

1) Baylor WR Tyquan Thornton vs TCU CB Tre’vius Hodges-Tomlinson

At 6-foot-3 and 182 pounds, Tyquan Thornton projects as an X receiver at the pro level. In man coverage, Thornton utilized a hesitation step to the outside while pushing vertical on his route stem to open up Hodges-Tomlinson’s hips, creating separation in the back of the end zone. The stutter step kept Hodges-Tomlinson from getting his hands on Thornton to disrupt his routes. Hodges-Tomlinson, at 5-foot-9 and 177 pounds, often lined up in soft man coverage and was overall ineffective, consistently being beaten on the break point of routes. Thornton receiving grade of 86.4 per PFF. Hodges-Tomlinson coverage grade of 41.0 per PFF. 

2) Iowa State RB Breece Hall vs Texas IDL Keondre Coburn

Breece Hall, at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, displayed good patience while allowing for blocks to set up. Hall’s suddenness on cutbacks allow him to bypass Keondre Coburn on most carries, in addition to shedding arm tackles. The 6-foot-2, 346 pound Coburn aligned at 1- or 3-technique DT in obvious rushing situations. Coburn shed a blocker and made a tackle on Hall in the backfield for a loss as Hall conceded that the play was lost and went down on his own. Coburn mostly handled his assignment of clogging running lanes and forcing Hall into cutback lanes. Hall finished with a rushing grade of 87.7, per PFF. Coburn finished with a run defense grade of 75.8, per PFF. 

3) TCU OT Obinna Eze vs Baylor EDGE TJ Franklin 

Eze aligns at LT, and at 6-foot-8  and 334 pounds, pad level and ability to open hips and kick to be in best position against incoming pass rushers is key. Eze, although a little slow out of the snap, made up for it with his arm length. He was able keep TJ Franklin away long enough to survive. Franklin showed a clear speed advantage and at times to force Eze on his heels, though Franklin does not have the flexibility in his hips to bend and utilize his low center of gravity to get the corner on pass rushing downs. Eze finished with a pass block grade of 91.8, per PFF. Franklin sported pass rush grade of just 56.9. 

2022 NFL Draft Stock Up:

  1. Oklahoma St. WR Tay Martin: 7 rec 63 yards 2 TD long 18 yards 
  2. Oklahoma St. LB Devin Harper: 8 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble 
  3. TCU S Nook Bradford 5 tackles, 1 sack 

2022 NFL Draft Stock Down:

  1. West Virginia RB Leddie Brown: 10 car 25 yards 2.4 avg, long 15 yards. 2 rec 10 yards 5.0 avg
  2. Baylor QB Gerry Bohanon: 14/20 214 yards 10.7 avg 3 TD 2 INT, 6 car 15 yards 2.5 avg 
  3. Texas OT Christian Jones: 7 QB hurries allowed

Eyes On Next Week

Week 11: Notable Games

Oklahoma vs Baylor

  1. Baylor WR Tyquan Thornton vs Oklahoma CB Justin Harrington
  2. Oklahoma TE Jeremiah Hall vs Baylor LB Dillon Doyle 

Oklahoma St. vs TCU

  1. Oklahoma St WR Tay Martin vs TCU CB Tre’vius Hodges-Tomlinson
  2. TCU WR Taye Barber vs Oklahoma St CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse 

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