We survived the weekend of weak college football games. Now we are about to enter one of the best weeks of the year. There are so many great match-ups that it was nearly impossible to select three must-watch games. We have another great group of risers, a group of disappointing fallers, and possibly the most impressive small-school prospect in this draft class. It’s a loaded recap article so let’s get started.
Draft Risers:
1. Trayvon Mullen, CB, Clemson:
This Clemson defense isn’t just about their defensive linemen. Trayvon Mullen is one of the top corners in college football this year. Mullen has great size at 6’2” with speed to lock onto top receivers and bother all day. He’s primarily a man coverage corner with great instincts and a high IQ. He’s a high riser in a good corner class and while I don’t think anyone can top Greedy Williams, Mullen could end up being the number two cornerback selected in this class.
2. Chase Winovich, EDGE, Michigan:
If you want heart and an extremely high motor on your defense, look no further than Chase Winovich from Michigan. If you’ve watched a Michigan game this year, Winovich was the maniac flying around with the long blonde hair. He has the right mindset for a defensive lineman in that he is aggressive, but controlled, and wants nothing more than to make plays in order for his team to win. The biggest question for Winovich will be his athleticism and how he tests at the Combine. But if you’re looking for a boost in your locker room and a leader, look no further than Chase Winovich.
3. Lil’Jordan Humphrey, WR, Texas:
While he’s competing for one of the best names in the draft. he’s also competing among a very deep wide receiver class. I still like Humphrey’s teammate Collin Johnson a bit better, but Humphrey has been phenomenal this season. He excels with the ball in his hands after the catch, effortlessly working through the defense and collecting broken tackles. This is a guy that you can create plays for with bubble screens and motioning across the backfield on sweeps. Humphrey can be a guy in this class that keeps on raising until the draft. He may find himself being selected early on Day Two.
Draft Fallers:
1. Kendall Sheffield, CB, Ohio State:
While many cornerbacks are rising in this class, Kendall Sheffield just keeps falling. He seems to be getting worse and worse each week while teams are starting to pick on him a lot more. He looks lost, he gets burned deep, and his lack of strength also allows receivers to out-muscle him at the catch-point. Sheffield often has a mis-step which creates separation from good receivers to burn him or run a good route and get open. He’ll be facing a very talented wide receiver group this week against Michigan, and I don’t expect him to fare well.
2. A.J. Brown, WR, Ole Miss:
Brown continues to be a faller at receiver this year. He started off this year as my top receiver and a top-10 player, but now he looks to be a late first round selection and several receivers may get drafted before him. Playing in slot most of his college career, Brown has been asked to play outside the past few weeks, which has not been good for him. There were concerns about his ability to separate and get open but playing in the slot naturally helped him. Brown looks exposed now on the outside and really struggles to get open. It will be interesting to see if he can figure it out these last few games and learn to separate at the line of scrimmage.
3. Emaneul Hall, WR, Missouri:
Hall has crazy speed with great burst and the ability to beat press coverage off the line, but his hands are just too inconsistent. The receivers’ number one job is to catch the ball, and Hall drops the ball way too often. He also isn’t a great route runner and his route tree is fairly stunted, but if an NFL team is simply looking for a big-play dynamic receiver, Hall may not drop very much at the end of the day.
Small-School Prospect Spotlight:
Oshane Ximines, EDGE, Old Diminion:
This edge-rusher class is immensely talented, but Oshane Ximines is still able to stand out and get the attention of scouts. Ximines has great athleticism and the agility and bend to turn the corner and take down quarterbacks. He can also use his athleticism to drop back in coverage and has had a high amount of pass break-ups during his college career for an edge rusher. We saw a meteoric rise from Marcus Davenport last year, who ended up going in the first-round, due to his athleticism and raw potential, and those are the two biggest things that stand out for Ximines as well.
Top Match-Ups This Weekend:
1. Michigan vs. Ohio State:
Ohio State has looked shaky the past few weeks, but this is still one of the best match-ups we’ll see this year. Michigan has been on fire since losing to Notre Dame in week one, having gone undefeated since then. Ohio State is looking to prove doubters wrong. Many potential draft prospects know they need a good game to keep their stock up. Ohio State is led by quarterback Dwayne Haskins, defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones, offensive linemen Michael Jordan and Isaiah Prince, cornerbacks Damon Arnette and Kendall Sheffield, wide receiver Parris Caampbell, and running back Mike Weber. Michigan features defensive lineman Rashan Gary, linebacker Dein Bush, EDGE Chase Winovich, running back Karan Higdon, and quarterback Shea Patterson.
2. Oklahoma vs. WVU:
Both of these teams started off hot, lost recently to teams they probably should’ve beaten, and are now hungrier than ever to get a win. While Oklahoma’s electric quarterback Kyler Murray is essentially guaranteed to go to the MLB next season and not be in the draft, Oklahoma is still loaded with future 2019 NFL Draft selections. They are led by wide receiver Marquise Brown, running back Rodney Anderson, offensive linemen Bobby Evans, Ben Powers, and Dru Samia, lineback Caleb Kenny, and safety Prentice McKinney. WVU has quarterback Will Grier, wide receivers David Sills and Gary Jennings, offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste, and defensive linemen Ezekiel Rose and Jabril Robinson.
3. Alabama vs. Auburn:
Alabama will probably beat Auburn by about 40, but there are a ton of draft prospects in this game, most with Alabama but Auburn has some too. We all know Alabama, but I’ll list them again: defensive linemen Quinnen Williams and Raekwon Davis, safety Deionte Thompson, offensive tackle Jonah Williams, linebacker Mack Wilson, tight end Irv Smith Jr., running back Damien Harris, and center Ross Pierschbacher. Auburn’s quarterback Jarrett Stidham badly needs to have a good game in order to revive his draft stock and make a play for the first round. Auburn also has defensive lineman Derrick Brown, offensive tackle Prince Tega Wanogho, and wide receiver Darius Slayton.