Week 13 of the college football season was quite eventful. A handful of the top teams in the country were knocked off by unranked opponents, shaking up the playoff picture and certainly impacting (fair or not) the draft discourse around certain players. Here are my takeaways.
For all his good, Jalen Milroe is still a work in progress. I have been among the biggest proponents of the Alabama quarterback’sNFL draft prospects. I still feel that his ceiling is as high as any of his peers. But Alabama got blown out by a lowly Oklahoma team and the Sooners defense made Jalen Milroe look helpless. Milroe struggled under pressure, forced the ball into dangerous situations, and never was able to get into a rhythm. It’s definitely the tape people are going to turn on to detract from Milroe’s NFL potential and it certainly shows where he can improve as a player. I’m still bullish on the signal caller, however!
Donovan Ezeiruaku is going to shoot up NFL draft boards after the season. Boston College hasn’t been appointment viewing this year (but they’ve still be a solid squad!) so not a lot of eyes have gotten to their draft prospects. Donovan Ezeiruaku is enjoying a dominant season for the Golden Eagles, racking up 13 sacks in 11 games, including two in a win over UNC on Saturday. Not only was the UNC passing game totally wrecked by Ezeiruaku’s pass rushing ability, but Omarion Hampton could not get going on the ground at all for the Tar Heels. It was a complete domination by the senior defender. Ezeiruaku is undersized at 245 pounds and will get knocked as a “small” during the draft process, but his style of play is reminiscent of other “small” and successful NFL pass rushers like Haason Reddick, Nik Bonitto, and Will McDonald. He has insane get-off, a great motor, and an array of pass rush moves to get to the quarterback.
There is another first round running back prospect and his name is Kaleb Johnson. It’s true that Ashton Jeanty might be the best running back prospect to get to the NFL in a few years, but Kaleb Johnson would have easily been RB1 last year and could contend for a first round selection this season. Johnson has posted gaudy numbers this season, rushing for nearly 1,500 yards and 21 scores while averaging over six yards a carry. Johnson is built like a power back at six foot and 225, but he has great burst and agility with home run speed. Running back hungry teams at the back end of the first round could consider adding Johnson to turbocharge their run game.
Players of the Week
Pat Bryant, Wide Receiver, Illinois: The Illini got into a shootout with Rutgers on Saturday, pulling out a 38-31 win to move to 8-3 on the season. That win wouldn’t have been possible without senior receiver Pat Bryant, who caught seven passes for 197 yards and a score. The 6’3” playmaker was too big and too fast for the Rutgers defense, getting behind their secondary over and over again. Bryant has flown under the radar this year, but the fourth year player has 910 receiving yards and nine scores on the season. Averaging over 18 yards per catch, Bryant is among the most dangerous receivers in the country. Expect him to turn heads during the draft process with his big body and strong hands.
Jack Sawyer, Edge Defender, Ohio State: The Buckeyes absolutely dominated a formerly undefeated Indiana team, holding the Hoosiers to 153 total yards on offense. A large part of that was the pass rush from Jack Sawyer. Sawyer had 1.5 of Ohio State’s five sacks on the day, but the senior defender’s impact went beyond the box score. The attention paid to him by the Hoosiers allowed for his teammates to get one on one match ups. Sawyer also made a big difference as a run defender. While Sawyer’s stats are far from eye popping this year, he has been a damn good player for three seasons in Columbus. I wouldn’t be surprised if the NFL thought very highly of him.
Source : BleedingGreenNation