Draft Risers:
1. Deionte Thompson, FS, Alabama:
Thompson has had a rough hill to climb to see the field so far in his career at Alabama, but as we know, Alabama is usually stacked at every position, so this is typically the case for most of their players until their third year. Thompson made his first two starts at Alabama last year in their two CFB playoff games against Clemson and Georgia and made a good impression. He doesn’t excel in any specific areas, but he does many things well.
Thompson fits better as a free safety in the NFL due to his superior zone coverage skills over his man cover skills, but he also loves coming up in run support and laying a big hit. He has tremendous range and that was on display this past Saturday against Ole Miss with a great interception coming back from halfway across the field. Thompson continues to impress, and his draft stock continues to rise.
2. Dre’Mont Jones, DT, Ohio State:
Jones has seemed to be a bit forgotten in the eyes of just about everyone due to a guy named Nick Bosa dominating every game so far this year for Ohio State. Everyone, that is, except NFL scouts and opposing college offenses. Jones made my preseason top 25 Big Board coming in at #14, but he’s surpassed that ranking so far this season. Jones is a big body with a ton of athleticism and pass rushing skills and he has used that to keep opposing offensive linemen on skates this year. Bosa and Jones have a good shot at being top 15 picks in the 2019 draft.
3. D.K. Metcalf, WR, Ole Miss:
Like Dre’Mont Jones, Metcalf has been overlooked due to a teammate at his position that has gotten so much hype in A.J. Brown. But Metcalf has shown this season that he deserves as much talk as Brown and is making a case to be selected early come April. Ole Miss was obliterated by Alabama on Saturday, but Metcalf had a good game and showed abilities that scouts will love. His touchdown against Alabama showed his great route running and ability to win at the line of scrimmage with quickness and agility. On top of that, Metcalf is 6’4” and 225 pounds making his quickness and agility just not fair for defensive backs. Metcalf is turning heads this season and could be just warming up for a huge final season at Ole Miss.
Draft Fallers:
1. Jarrett Stidham, QB, Auburn:
Stidham had a big test against a hungry LSU defense filled with NFL-level talent that had major draft implications for him. Unfortunately for Stidham, he did not impress throwing for 198 yards, 57% completion percentage, two interceptions, and one touchdown. Stidham confirmed my biggest concern about him on his very first pass against LSU; he felt pressure in the pocket, abandoned his technique rushing the throw, and threw an interception. He had flashes of good play leading several good drives down the field, and the season is still young, but his inconsistency and play under pressure will have scouts worried about selecting him as their future franchise quarterback.
2. Jordan Ta’amu, QB, Ole Miss:
Going up against Alabama was a big test for Ta’amu after looking good in the first two games this season against Texas Tech and Southern Illinois. We found out on Saturday that Ta’amu is not ready for big competition and possibly is dropping into the late rounds or even going undrafted. He completed only 7 attempts on 22 passes, 133 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions and led Ole Miss to a huge defeat. On the first play of the game he hit D.K. Metcalf for a 75-yard touchdown and after that only completed 6 passes for 58 yards. He made too many poor decisions, badly thrown deep balls, and struggled to go through his progressions and read the field. Nothing he showed on Saturday would lead teams to believe he could be an answer at QB in the NFL.
3. Travis Homer, RB, Miami:
Homer was believed to become a breakout star this season at Miami and potentially becoming a top 50 prospect for the 2019 draft after rushing for 966 yards and 8 touchdowns last season on 163 carries. He has fallen well short of those expectations so far this season (162 yards and zero touchdowns on 36 carries) without any indications he will turn things around, especially now with DeeJay Dallas taking carries away from him (16 carries for Homer on Saturday and 17 for Dallas).
Homer hasn’t shown the burst, vision, or agility needed at the line of scrimmage or to make defenders miss on the second level. He prefers to lower his shoulder against tacklers instead of trying to make them miss, which doesn’t typically work out for him. The stats aren’t there for Homer this season and he doesn’t look like an NFL-level running back; staying for his senior year would probably be best for him.
Small School Prospect Spotlight:
Devin Singletary, RB, FAU:
Singletary’s numbers alone from last season were incredible, racking up an FBS-high 32 touchdowns, 9 more than the second-place finisher. He already has 7 touchdowns this year with 5 coming from FAU’s matchup on Saturday. Beyond his crazy stats, Singletary has great athleticism and agility that allows him to quickly make lateral cuts in traffic and bounce toward open rushing lanes. He is a bit small at 5’9” and 200 pounds, but his toughness creates the ability to break tackles on inside runs. Singletary remains a scoring machine and is giving himself a great chance of being an early selection in the 2019 draft.
Big Match-Ups This Weekend:
1. Alabama vs Texas A&M:
Alabama will probably become a weekly fixture on this list just as long as they play teams with some NFL talent. The Tide will most likely once again boast several players taken in the first round of the draft. This year’s picks should be led by Offensive Tackle Jonah Williams,. Other draft likely draft picks include Defensive Tackle Raekwon Davis, Linebacker Mack Wilson, and Running Back Damien Harris. For Texas A&M, Defensive Tackle Kingsley Keke, Safety Donovan Wilson. Defensive End Landis Durham won’t end up being drafted as high as Alabama’s top players but expect them to be taken in early to mid-rounds. Alabama hasn’t really had any resistance up until this point, but I expect Texas A&M to give some pressure and be able to test some of Alabama’s top prospects.
2. Stanford vs Oregon:
While both teams have high-powered offenses that will probably light up the scoreboard, Stanford comes in loaded with more NFL talent prospects in Running Back Bryce Love, Wide Receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Tight End Kaden Smith, and Offensive Tackle Nate Herbig. Meanwhile, Oregon has Defensive End Jalen Jelks, Inside Linebacker Troy Dye, and led by my top QB for the 2019 Draft, Justin Herbert. Expect a lot of points on the scoreboard, and a lot of NFL scouts in the stadium for this one.
3. Georgia vs Missouri:
This is such an intriguing match-up because we will see Missouri’s QB Drew Lock up against an insanely talented defense. Many have pegged Lock to be a first-round QB in 2019 and this will be a good test for him to show scouts that he deserves to go that high. Georgia’s defense is dynamic on all levels with Cornerback Deandre Baker, Defensive Tackle Tyler Clark, Safety J.R. Reed, Outside Linebacker D’Andre Walker, and Defensive End Jonathan Ledbetter. Safe to say, Lock has his work cut out for him.
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