Wild Card Preview…Another Common Cowboys L? – DraftID Podcast
UGA Dominates; Vols Storybook Season Coming to an End?
Tennessee couldn’t get their top rated offense moving against the dominant Georgia front, which resulted in a 27-13 victory for the Dawgs at home. QB Hendon Hooker had his first sub 200 yard passing performance of the season and may have failed his biggest test of the season. WR Jalin Hyatt was bottled up for 63 yards and no points, but seemed to be dinged up throughout the game. He was held to his first performance without multiple TDs since October 8. It was good to see a healthy WR Cedric Tillman Jr. back for the Vols, who gave us a phenomenal battle against CB Kelee Ringo, which will be tape that every scout watches a lot of this spring. It is not often that we see two 1st round prospects go head to head like that in an SEC showcase.
Ringo once again gained a lot of attention following a big interception in a big game, but he had a less than perfect game. Against Tillman, Ringo allowed 8 receptions on 9 targets for 72 yards and had two penalties called against him. In huge matchups against top receivers, it is important to prevent the home run plays, which Ringo did so I gave him a passing grade. DT Jalen Carter is seeming more and more like a contender to be the 1st overall pick. He missed a large chunk of the season due to injury, but has wreaked havoc since being back. He is one of the most dominant forces in College Football and has had 6 pressures, a sack and 2 forced fumbles on his 44 pass rushing snaps since returning to the lineup.
If there is anything positive that come out for the Vols on Saturday, it is that Clemson and Alabama both lost as well. The harsh truth is that UGA now has essentially won the SEC East and UT has minimal control over their own destiny. However, the great thing they have going for them is they faired much better than fellow one loss Oregon did against Georgia. With the CFPs past history of valuing common opponents and strength of record, you’d have to imagine that Tennessee stays ahead of Oregon and could be sitting in the 5 spot waiting for a slip up from TCU, Michigan or Ohio State.
Stroud “Struggles” in the Wind
As soon as I turned on the TV to see the conditions in Evanston, I knew that the anti-Stroud party would be out and about this weekend. The poor conditions held Stroud to just 76 yards passing, but the Buckeyes got the 21-7 victory to stay unbeaten. Not only was it raining throughout the game, but wind gusts were recorded at over 80 mph. I give Stroud a major pass this week and still have him ranked well and away my QB1 of this class.
Clemson Annihilated by Irish
Clemson’s postseason hopes may have drifted away with an embarrassing loss to the unranked Fighting Irish. Despite Notre Dame’s 6-3 record, they have been feisty this season and now have won their third top 16 victory in 5 games. Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei had another disappointing game after such a strong start to the season, which now may have his draft stock in jeopardy. However, there is plenty of football left and Uiagalelei has already shown tremendous improvement this season. A big finish to the season could resurrect DJs draft value in this wide open QB class.
Another Big Day for Corum
Michigan took care of business against Rutgers, largely due to their continued success in the run game. RB Blake Corum pieced together his 6th straight game with over 100 yards and added 2 more TDs to push his season total to 17. Corum continues to shine as a quick twitch RB with breakaway speed and can also handle a heavy workload. Corum faces 2 ranked opponents to finish the regular season, which gives him a major chance at making a legit Heisman run.
Tide Upset by Tigers
The #6 Crimson Tide was taken down by #10 LSU Tigers in Death Valley Saturday night in an electric OT thriller. QB Bryce Young showcased his elite playmaking abilities, but was held in check for most of the night. Many of his throws lacked the accuracy, zip and velocity that we are used to seeing, which leads me to believe that his shoulder is far from healed. If the Tide falls out of contention for the SEC West, I’d advise Young to shut it down and to begin preparing for the NFL Draft. I do not see any way for his stock to elevate any higher than it is now.
The LSU defense continues to dominate and have leaned heavily on star Edge BJ Ojulari, who added another 7 pressures and a sack against the Tide. Ojulari has been a breakout prospect for me and a guy that I have ranked inside my top 15 prospects. In his career, he now has 116 pressures and 20 sacks, which gives him a 14% pressure rate. CB Mekhi Garner continues to be one of the most slept on prospects, but also shined against Alabama and allowed just 3 receptions for 38 yards on his 10 targets. Alabama CB Eli Ricks continues his bounce-back and had a solid outing, allowing just 2 receptions for 31 yards despite two bad penalties.
Raiders Play Close but TCU Prevails
The #7 TCU Horned Frogs played a close game against in state rivals Texas Tech, but were able to pull off the 34-24 victory to stay undefeated. At the start of the 4th, TCU trailed by 4 points but then rattled off 3 TDs to take a commanding lead. QB Max Duggan was held to just 12 completions, but he rattled off 2 clutch TDs to ensure victory. WR Quentin Johnston re-aggravated an existing ankle injury, which sidelined him for the game after just one series. RB Kendre Miller continues to be one of my biggest risers in the nation and ran for another 158 yards and a TD. Texas Tech Edge Tyree Wilson continues to shine as one of the top prospects in the country and rattled off another 6 pressures and a sack.
Bo Nix is a Different Bo Nix
Following 3 seasons at Auburn and a big time embarrassment against UGA in week 1, I had my mind made up that Bo Nix would never be an NFL QB. However, a revitalizing season where he appears to be a competent passer making perfect touches passes and correctly reading defenses has my mind changed. Nix has become a competent passer, which pairs nicely with the athleticism he has always had. This QB class is wide open and Bo Nix has snuck into my top 10 for the position as well as a Heisman favorite of mine.
RB1 Looks Like Former 2nd Overall Pick
Texas RB Bijan Robinson has always been a comparable prospect to former 2nd overall pick Saquan Barkely, but the versatile back has now been putting up similar numbers to Barkley’s insane college production. The workhorse took 32 touches for 243 yards and a pair of TDs to narrowly beat #13 Kansas State.
Pair of PAC12 Playmakers Sit
Both UCLA RB Zach Charbonnette and USC WR Jordan Addison sat this weekend due to injury. Neither are considered to be serious, but the veterans took the rest while their teams both won over the weekend. #12 UCLA hosts #9 USC next week for a showdown full of NFL talent.
Best of the Rest
SMU WR Rashee Rice is looking more and more like a potential 1st round prospect as the 6’2″ 204 receiver who can fly hauled in another 2 TDs this weekend. UNC WR Josh Downs has been one of the most productive college receivers when on the field, as the slot machine took 15 receptions for 166 yards and a TD. Clemson Edge Myles Murphy has the traits and size that scouts love to see, but his underproduction continues to be a major theme for his career. Despite a sack this weekend, he was locked up for most of the outing against Notre Dame. Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr. played limited snaps in the blowout against Indiana, but he locked down while in and had another game without allowing a reception. Northwestern LT Peter Skoronski looked great against a solid Ohio State front 7 and completed the game with just 1 pressure allowed. South Carolina CB Cam Smith had his first hiccup of the season, allowing a 66 yard TD to Vanderbilt, which was just his 9th allowed completion of the year and first allowed TD. Despite losing to Liberty, Arkansas LB Drew Sanders had a big game accounting for 3 pressures, 1 sack, 6 run stops and 0 yards allowed in coverage. Notre Dame Edge Isaiah Foskey had a quiet game, but was able to record his 9th sack of the year against Clemson.
CFP & Heisman Outlook
If the season ended today, this is how my CFP Rankings would be:
1. UGA
2. Michigan
3. Ohio State
4. TCU
5. Tennessee
6. Oregon
If the season ended today, this is how my Heisman Rankings would be:
1. C.J. Stroud
2. Bo Nix
3. Blake Corum
4. Caleb Williams
5. Hendon Hooker
How does the 2024 Class Look?
I generally start piecing together my official year out Big Board around Thanksgiving, but I’ve already got 10 guys locked in at the top. This 2024 class is absolutely STACKED.
Drake Maye | UNC, QB
Marvin Harrison Jr. | Ohio State, WR
Caleb Williams | USC, QB
Joe Alt | Notre Dame, OT
Brock Bowers | Georgia, TE
Quinn Ewers | Texas, QB
Emeka Egbuka | Ohio State, WR
Dallas Turner | Alabama, Edge
Amarius Mims | Georgia, OT
JT Tuimoloau | Ohio State, DL
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