The weeks keep passing us by and more and more players keep shooting up draft boards while others are seeing their stock tumble. There are also a ton of big match-ups this weekend with several of the games displaying a huge amount of players that will hear their name called in the draft in April.
Draft Risers:
1. Jachai Polite, DE, Florida
Polite has been simply dominant this season and is a big reason why Florida is back on the map in 2018. He’s had 6 sacks in his last 4 games, already a career high for a season for him. Polite has great burst and shows speed and flexibility to get around the corner and attack the backfield. He also has good awareness and intelligence and can beat a blocker coming back inside as well. Polite is shooting up draft boards and not only is a future first-rounder, but he has a chance to go in the top 15 if he keeps it up.
2. Irv Smith, TE, Alabama
I’m not very big on tight ends this year, but Irv Smith is starting to get me excited. He’s a little short at 6’3” (and 243 pounds), but he’s an excellent athlete and before his breakout this year he was mostly used as a blocker instead of a receiver. He averages 21 yards per catch this year and this past weekend he had two catches for 123 yards and a touchdown. He’s a big play waiting to happen and is just the kind of tight ends that could flourish in today’s NFL. If he can keep growing into his role this year and putting up big numbers, he might be able to find his way into the first round.
3. Nick Brossette, RB, LSU
Brossette is looking to follow the trend of LSU running backs going early in the draft, following Leonard Fournette in 2016 and Derrius Guice in 2017. Don’t overlook Brossette coming from LSU and don’t compare him to Fournette or Guice because he isn’t them, but he’s still pretty good. Brossette is elusive and has great vision, making him great in between the tackles, although he lacks speed and burst. He is also a good weapon in the passing game, showing his versatility in catching the ball and getting out into space. Brossette will continue this crazy string of good running backs coming out of LSU and will hear his name called early in April.
Draft Fallers:
1. Drew Lock, QB, Missouri
Lock has been slowly falling for me from a fringe first-round prospect to an ealry second rounder. But after a poor showing on Saturday against South Carolina, Lock keeps falling on Day 2. Lock has struggled with accuracy and field vision, but those concerns have only grown greater this season. He’s not consistent enough and doesn’t have the awareness for me to believe he can really be the answer at the NFL level for a franchise. He had a good to average start to the season, but he seems to be deteriorating each week. If he continues this trend, I don’t think we’ll see him seriously looked at until round 3.
2. Justice Hill, RB, Oklahoma State
Hill’s has flashed this season with some big plays, but ultimately that’s all its really been. Hill has lacked any sort of consistency and for every big play he’s had, he’s followed with several poor runs. His vision and awareness are the two biggest concerns in his game. He often misses open lanes or dives right into defenders instead of avoiding them in open space. As a smaller runner, you want to see Hill eluding defenders and escaping with speed and burst; however, Hill misses the opportunity to get around defenders. He chooses to run through them, which doesn’t usually work. Hill appears to lack what it will take to translate to an NFL running back, and his stock is dropping because of that.
3. Brian Lewerke, QB, Michigan State
Michigan State is off to a poor start and just lost to Northwestern by 10 at home. Add in the fact that the offensive line is playing extremely poorly giving Brian Lewerke hardly any time in the pocket to make anything happen, and placing Lewerke as a draft faller doesn’t seem fair. However, Lewerke isn’t playing at a high level either. He’s shown poor vision and awareness, failing to step up in the pocket and not going through his progressions, missing open receivers and throwing into tight windows. Lewerke also struggles with accuracy, often being off the mark on throws to open receivers. Lewerke still has potential, but he hasn’t capitalized on anything so far this season.
Small School Prospect Spotlight:
Easton Stick, QB, NDSU
Easton Stick hasn’t been lighting it up on the stat sheet this season, but that’s because North Dakota State hasn’t needed him to. Stick still has thrown for 851 yards, 56% completion percentage, 9 touchdowns, and one interception in 5 games this year. Stick has a good arm, accuracy and strength are two of his biggest strengths. He also goes through his progressions very well and can make plays happen outside of the pocket (he’s already rushed for 7 touchdowns this season). Stick is a very confident thrower, often fitting the ball into tight windows, but that can also be a downside at times. Stick isn’t Carson Wentz, lets get that straight, but he can be another NDSU quarterback taken early in the draft.
Big Match-Ups This Weekend:
1. Georgia vs LSU
If LSU hadn’t dropped their game against Florida this past weekend this would be the biggest game of the year so far. That being said, it will still be a huge game. There will be big playoff implications and a ton of future NFL talent. Both defenses are insanely talented with several players on both sides most likely being drafted in the first two rounds in April. Georgia stars cornerback Deandre Baker, defensive linemen D’Andre Walker, Jonathan Ledbetter, and Tyler Clark, and safety J.R. Reed. LSU has perennial defenders in cornerback Greedy Wiliams, linebacker Devin White, and defensive end Rashard Lawrence.
2. Washington vs Oregon
This is one of the biggest rivalries in the Pac-12 and expect both teams to play at their best on Saturday. The two sides are littered with talent that we’ll see on Sundays in the future and this will be a big game to put on their draft resumes. Washington is led by safety Taylor Rapp, offensive tackle Kaleb McGary, running back Myles Gaskin, and defensive tackle Greg Gaines. Oregon is of course led by quarterback Justin Herbert, but also stand-outs defensive end Jalen Jelks, and linebackers Troy Dye and Justin Hollins.
3. Wisconsin vs Michigan
Wisconsin and Michigan continue the list of great match-ups this weekend. It’s another big rivalry game against two top-ranked teams loaded with NFL level talent. The Wisconsin team features running back Jonathan Taylor, offensive linemen David Edwards, Michael Deiter, and Beau Benzschawel, and linebacker T.J. Edwards. Michigan displays defensive ends Rashan Gary and Chase Winovich, linebacker Devin Bush Jr., and running back Karan Higdon.