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Rookies of the Week – Week 3

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50-point demolitions, supposed tanking teams pulling off shock wins, and a media frenzy in Kansas. Has the NFL ever been more eclectic than it is at the moment?

Anyway, let’s shake it off and take a look at the standout rookies from Week 3.

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De’Von Achane, Running Back – Miami Dolphins

Achane was outstanding in the Miami Dolphins’ 70-20 victory over the Denver Broncos, rightfully earning himself the AFC Offensive Player of the Week title.

Finishing with four touchdowns and 233 all-purpose yards, Achane became only the second player in NFL history to have two rushing touchdowns, two receiving touchdowns, and at least 200 rushing yards in a game.


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Brian Branch, Cornerback – Detroit Lions

Branch, who was unlucky not to get in my Week 1 article, was outstanding in the 20-6 win against the Falcons. Not only did he hold his own against Kyle Pitts and Drake London in coverage, but he also helped his team stifle fellow rookie sensation Bijan Robinson, limiting him to 60 total yards.

Finishing the game with two quarterback hurries, 11 solo tackles, three for a loss, and two pass breakups, Branch only seems to be getting better.


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Jalen Carter, Defensive Line – Philadelphia Eagles

Carter continued his dominant streak for the third consecutive week, wreaking havoc on Tampa Bay’s offensive line. With half a sack, a QB hit, four pressures, and a first-career forced fumble, he’s proving to be a game wrecker. His 20.5% pressure rate so far this season is not just good; it’s All-Pro level good.


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Christian Gonzalez, Cornerback – New England Patriots

Could Gonzalez be having a Sauce Gardener-type year? It may be early in the season, but if his start is anything to go by, then he is well on pace. In Sunday’s 15-10 win over the Jets, Gonzalez was lined up against Garrett Wilson on 23 of his 41 snaps and held him to only three catches for 18 yards.


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Sam LaPorta, Tight End – Detroit Lions

LaPorta continues his hot streak on this list thanks to an eight-reception, 84-yard showing where he also scored his first touchdown as a pro. He now leads all tight ends in receiving yards with 186 and is second in receptions to T.J. Hockenson.

It’s also a third week in a row for the rookie tight end! To put that into perspective, only two players got on the list three times last year: Garrett Wilson and Dameon Pierce, albeit on a smaller ranking list last year.


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C.J. Stroud, Quarterback – Houston Texans

If Week 2 saw Stroud sneak into my article over Anthony Richardson, then Week 3 was where he cemented his place. The young quarterback had 20 completions on 30 attempts for 280 yards and two touchdowns. His PFF grade of 91.1 when throwing from a clean pocket led all quarterbacks in the league.


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Tuli Tuipulotu, Edge Rusher – Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers haven’t exactly wowed on defence, but that hasn’t deterred Tuipulotu from making his case as an early Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate, and his performance against the Vikings will only help his case. With nine pressures and three sacks in the game, he now totals 12 pressures and three sacks in just two starts this season.

Honourable Mentions: JuJu Brents (Colts), Tank Dell (Texans), Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions), Marvin Mims Jr. (Broncos), Michael Wilson (Cardinals)

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Rookies of the Week – Week 2

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Another week in the books, and boy am I glad I extended this from three rookies to seven! These guys are setting records every week.

Let’s look at my standout seven from Week 2.

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Sam LaPorta, Tight End – Detroit Lions

It’s a position with one of the hardest jumps from college to professional; however, no one told LaPorta as he set an NFL record last weekend. With his five receptions for 63 yards, Sam is now the first tight end in NFL history to have five or more receptions in the first two games of their career.


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Marvin Mims Jr., Wide Receiver – Denver Broncos

Two catches were all it took for Mims Jr. to appear on this list. In the first half of the Broncos game against the Commanders, Mims had two targets, two receptions, 113 yards, and a touchdown. Unfortunately, though, he was unable to add to that as he wasn’t targeted again for the rest of the game.


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Puka Nacua, Wide Receiver – Los Angeles Rams

In Week 2, Nacua continued to make waves as he hauled in 15 catches for 147 yards. He has now set the record for most receptions for a single game by a rookie, as well as the record for most receptions by a rookie through their first two weeks with 25.


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Ivan Pace Jr., Linebacker – Minnesota Vikings

Could the Vikings have found one of the steals of the draft? After an impressive start to his career, Pace was given the starting job this week, and he repaid his coaches with seven tackles and one sack. Amazingly, he also has the highest pass rush grade among all linebackers.


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Bijan Robinson, Running Back – Atlanta Falcons

A second week in a row for Bijan on this list, and if he continues to play the way he’s started, he might not leave. Robinson had 124 yards of rushing against the Packers, with the highlight being a 19-yard run early in the second quarter featuring a surplus of missed tackles.


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John Michael Schmitz Jr., Center – New York Giants

After a tough start to the season, Schmitz bounced back immediately with a dominant performance, helping the Giants in their comeback win against the Arizona Cardinals. Schmitz played all 68 snaps in the game, allowing only one sack and posting positive grades in both run blocking and pass blocking.


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C.J. Stroud, Quarterback – Houston Texans

The Texans might be 0-2 to start the season, but that’s no fault of the young rookie. It was an outstanding performance against the Colts, as Stroud threw for 384 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. He is currently the fourth-highest quarterback in passing yards with 626, despite being the most sacked quarterback across the first two weeks.

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Rookies of the Week – Week 1

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The return of the NFL season really had everything. Shock results, devastating injuries, struggling superstars, and outstanding rookies.

Let’s look at my standout seven from Week 1.

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Will Anderson Jr, Edge – Houston Texans

Emotions may have gotten the better of Anderson pre-game, but he was zoned in as soon as he stepped on the field to start his NFL career. The versatile rusher, who lined up predominantly on the left side, recorded four tackles, three hurries, two quarterback hits, and a sack against the normally elusive Lamar Jackson.


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Jalen Carter, Defensive Line – Philadelphia Eagles

Now that’s why he was touted as potentially going first overall! A 92.1 overall PFF grade puts Carter as the 2nd overall defensive tackle, and it’s not hard to see why. In a monstrous performance, Carter had eight pressures, one sack, and one assisted tackle. It’s no wonder that Mac Jones will be seeing him in his nightmares.


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Zay Flowers, Wide Receiver – Baltimore Ravens

Does Lamar Jackson have a new favourite weapon? Flowers continued his strong preseason with an outstanding showing against the Texans, and much like the later mentioned Bijan Robinson, he was making defenders miss all over the place. Nine catches on ten targets for 78 yards led the Ravens, while he also had two rushes for nine yards.


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Xavier Gipson, Wide Receiver – New York Jets

It’s the stuff that dreams are made of! No one saw the Jets game winner being an undrafted rookie free agent, but here we are. He forced his way into contention due to his electric preseason on special teams, which caught the eye of head coach Robert Salah. Now, thanks to his 65-yard walk-off punt return touchdown, he can now say he is the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.


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Puka Nacua, Wide Receiver – Los Angeles Rams

If you were asked to predict the only rookie receiver to go over 100 yards this weekend, I can guarantee no one would have mentioned Puka Nacua. With Cooper Kupp now on IR, the Rams needed someone to step up, and their fifth-rounder did just that. 14 targets, 10 receptions, and 119 yards. Job done.


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Anthony Richardson, Quarterback – Indianapolis Colts

Richardson wasn’t perfect by any means, as he played conservatively and had an ugly interception, but he is now the proud owner of two NFL records. Against the Jaguars, Richardson not only became the youngest player ever with a passing and rushing touchdown in the same game, but he also became the first rookie in history to have at least 200 passing yards, 40 rushing yards, a passing touchdown, and a rushing touchdown.


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Bijan Robinson, Running Back – Atlanta Falcons

A shared snap count with Allgeier didn’t count against Bijan on Sunday, as he finished with 10 rushes for 56 yards while adding six receptions on six targets for 27 yards and a touchdown in the passing game. Add in five forced missed tackles, including that disgraceful stop-start on an attempted tackle from Frankie Luvu, and you’ve got yourself a debut.

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2023 Final Mock Draft

With the 2023 NFL draft just 1 day away it is time for my final mock draft! This is the most difficult mock I have had to do since covering the draft 10 years ago. This class is deep in certain areas, weaker in the top 20, has 5 potential NFL QBs and things could get wild with crazy picks and lots of trades. In this mock I have included trades and tried to match player to the team, on that note Let’s mock!

1 PANTHERS – Bryce Young – QB Alabama


2 TEXANS – Will Levis – QB Kentucky


3 COLTS ( Trade with the Cardinals ) – CJ Stroud – QB Ohio St


4 CARDINALS ( Trade with the Colts ) – Tyree Wilson – EDGE Texas Tech


5 SEAHAWKS – Will Anderson – EDGE Alabama


6 LIONS – Devon Witherspoon – CB Illinois


7 RAIDERS – Christian Gonzalez – CB Oregon


8 EAGLES ( Trade with the Falcons ) – Jalen Carter – DT Georgia


9 BEARS – Peter Skoronski – OT Northwestern


10 FALCONS ( Trafe with the Eagles ) – Nolan Smith – EDGE Georgia


11 TITANS – Anthony Richardson – QB Florida


12 TEXANS – Bijan Robinson – RB Texas


13 PACKERS – Jaxon Smith-Njigba – WR Ohio St


14 STEELERS ( Trade with the Patriots ) – Paris Johnson – OT Ohio St


15 JETS – Broderick Jones – OT Georgia


16 COMMANDERS – Deonte Banks – CB Maryland


17 PATRIOTS ( Trade with the Steelers ) – Darnell Wright – OT Tennessee


18 LIONS – O’Cyrus Torrence – IOL Florida


19 BUCCANEERS – Anton Harrison – OT Oklahoma


20 CHIEFS ( Trade with the Seahawks) – Zay Flowers – WR Boston College


21 CHARGERS – Jordan Addison – WR USC


22 RAVENS – Emmanuel Forbes – CB Mississippi St


23 VIKINGS – Hendon Hooker – QB Tennessee


24 JAGUARS – Darnell Washington – TE Georgia


25 GIANTS – Brian Branch – TE Alabama


26 COWBOYS – Michael Mayer – TE Notre Dame


27 BILLS – Jack Campbell – LB Iowa


28 BENGALS – Calijah Kancey – DT Pittsburgh


29 SAINTS – Myles Murphy – DE Clemson


30 EAGLES – Lukas VanNess – DE Iowa


31 SEAHAWKS ( Trade with the Chiefs ) – John Michael Schmitz – C Minnesota

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Week 16: Rookie Standouts

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With the usual Christmas slate running over the weekend, there was plenty of action on the table this week. With plenty of gifts being exchanged (Broncos, we’re looking at you), let’s look at the rookie standouts this week:

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Brock Purdy, Quarterback – San Francisco 49ers

Is it time to take Brock Purdy seriously as the 49ers start their march towards the playoffs? Purdy now has three starts under his belt and looks more like a starting quarterback in this league than some of his peers.

In Sunday’s game, Purdy posted career highs across the board, finishing with 234 yards passing on 22 attempts, averaging 10.6 yards per attempt. While he did throw an interception, he also threw for two touchdowns. Amazingly, the 49ers have scored 2.52 points per offensive drive with Purdy under centre, which ranks fourth in the NFL, and if you were to take away the kneel-downs, it would move to 2.76, which is good enough to be the best in the league. If he continues these stellar performances, then the 49ers are going to find themselves with a real quarterback headache next season, only a year after the last one.

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Kenneth Walker III, Running Back – Seattle Seahawks

Despite the Seahawks falling to a disappointing 24-10 defeat against the Chiefs, they can once again look to their rookie running back Kenneth Walker III as a bright spot for the future, even if they do end up missing out on the playoffs.

This past week was Walker’s third game this season where he has rushed over 100 yards, with him finishing this week with 26 carries for 107 yards at a rate of 4.1 yards per carry. The elusive Walker also forced five missed tackles, and he was able to move the chains six times. He’s now sitting at 803 yards for the season, and if he produces similar performances for the last two games, he could join Seahawks Ring of Honor member Curt Warner as the only backs in franchise history to break 1000 yards rushing as a rookie.

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Cobie Durant, Cornerback – Los Angeles Rams

It’s been a stop-start season for Cobie Durant, who shone during his debut in Week 2, but after finally getting some defensive game time in the last few weeks, it seems he’s gained the trust of the Rams coaching staff, and it’s starting to pay off for the rookie.

It was easily the young defensive back’s best game of his short career, as he finished with a pair of interceptions, one of which he returned 85 yards for a touchdown to seal the 51-14 blowout of the Denver Broncos. Both of his interceptions showcased his athleticism and instincts, with the first one being a highlight reel catch as he was able to extend, tip the ball to himself, and secure the catch as he hit the turf. The question that now arises is why the Rams did not give him an opportunity sooner.

Honourable Mentions

Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh Steelers), George Pickens (Pittsburgh Steelers), Rachaad White (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Isiah Pacheco (Kansas City Chiefs), Tyler Smith (Dallas Cowboys), and Brian Asamoah (Minnesota Vikings)

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F10Y CFB – Week 12 Scouting Notes, UCLA vs. USC

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The penultimate week of the regular season threw up some absolute barnstormers, with all of the top four teams having some issues, and a couple were very close to defeat.

The deep dive this week though features the battle of Los Angeles, and probably the best uniform matchup of the season.

USC edged their rivals UCLA in a thriller 48-45 and this win keeps the Trojans play-off hopes alive, although a lot will have to happen to get in.

However they are still in with a chance.

We’ll start the notes on the unlucky losers…

UCLA

Head Coach Chip Kelly may not have done well in the NFL ranks, but as a college coach no one can doubt his record. He is taking UCLA in the right direction, and more importantly for us, coaching his players up to an NFL level.

Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (DTR to his mates) is one of the most exciting college passers out there right now.

When he gets things right he looks like the second coming of Lamar Jackson, but when it’s bad he looks like an undrafted free agent. This game summed him up beautifully.

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He had 390 total yards and 6 total touchdowns, but threw three horrible interceptions that ultimately cost his team the chance to win this game. There’s no doubting his commitment and desire, he leads the Bruins with confidence and carries them as far as he can, but those mental mistakes are always there.

The NFL won’t waste good draft capital on players like him.

He has played better though this season, and there are certainly tools to work with, so teams may start looking at him on early day three, but you do get a sense that he’ll be a better college quarterback than NFL one. 

Michigan transfer Running Back Zach Charbonnet has been a revelation for the Bruins these last couple of seasons. He is a bigger power type back, who will gain every yard available and run through you to do it.

He was up against a decent USC front seven, but still ploughed his way for 95 yards at 5 yards per rush. This was his second lowest output of the season, which shows you he is having another productive year in the PAC 12 and making a name for himself.

He does lack the burst and cutting ability that the great backs do, but NFL teams need backs like these to complement their rushing attacks, so although he won’t blow people away with his testing, he should still be a priority pick come day three of the draft.

Another transfer who is having a great season for UCLA is former Duke receiver Jake Bobo.

I really liked Bobo’s 2021 tape with the Blue Devils, and it looks like he is thriving again this season, just on a different team. He is a big target at 6’5 215lbs, and does use his size well to block out defenders when the ball is coming his way, but he is more than just a big body receiver.

Bobo can win in the slot or on the outside, and although clearly not a dynamic athlete, he certainly isn’t a terrible one either. He had 4 catches for 76 yards in this game, was active in the run game too, helping blocking downfield. However, he have two drops, which is very uncharacteristic of him.

Players like Bobo will more than likely go on day three of the draft, but they almost always make NFL rosters and contribute in the pros. 

Defensively, the Bruins struggled to contain USC’s high volume offense, but from an NFL point of view, they do have a couple of interesting pass rushers who are both getting a fair bit of buzz. 

EDGE Laiatu Latu has a very interesting back story to him. He was a four star recruit who went to Washington and had a nice Freshman season in 2019.

He then suffered a neck injury prior to the 2020 season and team doctors advised him to retire rather than play on and risk permanent damage.

After two seasons away from football he entered the transfer portal and joined UCLA, where their doctors cleared him to play, and he has been amazing for them so far this season.

Latu is currently tied sixth in the nation with 9.5 sacks and has become a pass rushing demon.

I’ve caught a few UCLA games this season and he has stood out in all of them, including this one. He has a long and slippery frame, has active hands and never stays blocked for long.

In fairness to USC they did a better job on him in the second half, but he still finished with 4 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

From a draft perspective, the medicals obviously will be a massive deal, but if he does declare and the medicals check out, then you have an upside player worth taking a risk on. 

The other Bruins EDGE causing some noise is North Texas transfer Gabriel Murphy. He and his twin brother Grayson transferred over together in the off season, and they are both having very nice seasons.

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Grayson has been more productive on the stat sheet, but for me Gabriel looks the better all round player. Like Latu, Murphy has stood out every time UCLA has been on, and again here he gave USC’s very talented offensive line plenty of trouble.

He is strong at the point of attack and disengages quickly to disrupt plays. Gabriel lacks the length and burst that Latu has, but he looks a much better all round player and would make a nice 4-3 base end. He (and his brother) have a year of eligibility left, so he may well go back to school, but if he were to come out I think he’d be a mid round steal for someone.

USC

The Trojans are a very exciting team to watch right now, and honestly, I think this offense, along with Ohio State’s, are the only two that would give Georgia’s vaunted defense any issues. 

The leader of this gang is Oklahoma transfer Quarterback Caleb Williams. He has been nothing short of sensational this season and quite rightly is a Heisman Trophy candidate. You can’t help but think of Patrick Mahomes when you watch him, as he can turn any play into one of those WOW moments.

Williams has everything you look for tools wise, and although he may get knocked for his size, he is easily big enough to handle the NFL life. This game had so many highlights it’s impossible to list them all, but most of them came out of structure, hitting receivers in stride in tight windows. He threw for 470 yards with two touchdowns and one pick.

The interception showed he still makes the odd mental mistake, but as a true sophomore that is expected, the great plays still vastly outweigh the bad ones. He has every chance to be the number one overall pick in next year’s draft. 

The Trojan’s star Wide Receiver Jordan Addison has had some recent injury woes, missing two of the last three games and barely featuring in the other. So, with that in mind, it was good to see him back to his best in this game, having a season best 178 yards on 11 catches and a touchdown.

Addison’s presence takes this offense over the top, as they have so much talent on the field it’s impossible to cover all of them. He looks like a spitting image size wise of Eagles wide receiver Devonta Smith, and there is a similarity to their styles of play too.

Addison is dynamic with the ball in his hand and has enough speed and savvy to create separation, so his lack of size is negated.

In my book, he is clearly one of the top wide receivers in college football, and if he can finish the season strong he should be in the conversation to be WR1 come draft day.

Defensively USC are lacking superstars, but there were a couple of guys in this game who certainly helped themselves from a draft prospective. 

EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu currently shares the lead nationally in sacks with 11.5. He was actually held sackless in this game, but the disruption he caused in both the run and passing game was excellent throughout.

He reminds me of how Texas A&M used DeMarvin Leal last year, but unlike Leal, this dude plays with his hair on fire every snap. USC even stands him up and let him rush with a head start from a yard or two off the line of scrimmage, and that’s a scary sight watching a 285lb man smashing into static guards.

Tuipulotu has decent bend as a pass rusher, especially considering his size, but his NFL money would be made inside you’d expect, or as a five tech. He really has put himself on the map with the phenomenal season he is having, and he could easily end up as a first round pick, if the right team thinks he is the missing piece to their defense.

Colorado had two excellent cornerbacks last year. Unfortunately for the Buffalos, both transferred out and ended up at rival PAC 12 teams. Christian Gonzalez is having an excellent season at Oregon, and may have become a first round pick. However, we shouldn’t forget about the “other” former Buffalo, Mekhi Blackmon, who is now at USC.

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The Colorado tape, particularly the 2020 season is excellent, and now he is showing out at a top program and getting himself noticed.

Blackmon moves really well, fluid in transitions and can stick with receivers down the field. He gave up just 3 catches on 6 targets with no big plays allowed, and even came up with an excellent interception to top it all off.

An older prospect, in a position where the NFL prefers youth, but there’s too much to like about Blackmon to ignore. Hopefully he can workout well, and although he won’t go as high as his former teammate Gonzalez, he should be in consideration as a late day two player. 

Interestingly these former teammates could very well meet in the PAC12 Championship game, if Oregon manages to beat Oregon State at the weekend. 


Follow Keith on Twitter – @Lordlucken

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F10Y CFB – Week 11 Scouting Notes, Texas vs. TCU

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The week 11 slate of games wasn’t at the same level as the previous weeks, but the Texas vs. TCU match up was littered with future NFL studs, so this got my vote for a deep dive. 

The game was very un-Big XII like with both defenses really showing up and slowing down each other’s potent offense.

It wasn’t until late in the third quarter that the first touchdown was scored, and only one more offensive one was scored in the rest of the game.

Texas Christian thoroughly deserved their 17-10 victory, and they march on unbeaten still and have a realistic shot at getting into the college football playoff.

We’ll start the round up with those happy Horned Frogs

TCU

The rumour before the game was that star wide receiver Quentin Johnston may miss the game because of an injury, but he ended playing about two thirds of the snaps in the end.

He certainly didn’t look at full speed out there, but even a 75% fit Johnston is a weapon, and he ended up making the biggest play of the game. He took advantage of a coverage bust to get behind the Texas safeties, and catch a deep ball uncontested in the end zone.

This essentially put TCU out of sight.

He was pretty well marshalled otherwise, though certainly some of that was him not being at full speed. After a very slow start to the season Johnston had really begun to ramp up the production in recent weeks, so hopefully this knock doesn’t slow him down and he can finish the season strong.

Because of his physical traits he will certainly have many NFL scouts as fans, and in an uncertain wide receiver class, he has every chance of being WR1 on some teams’ boards come April. 

There wasn’t a lot to get excited about offensively for TCU, but I thought left tackle Brandon Coleman looked good out there, albeit after a pretty shaky first quarter. He gave up a sack early on and looked confused as Texas dialled up quite a few different pressures, but once he settled down he controlled the edges nicely. Coleman also helped carve out some decent running lanes, particularly in the second half.

He is a big man (6’6 325lbs) but plays with light feet and strong hands and is having himself a very nice season. He is still only a Junior, so he will probably go back to school, but he is getting some attention right now with the season he, and this whole offensive line in general, are having. 

Most of the talk about running backs pre game would have been centered around the star on the other team, but TCU’s running back Kendre Miller stole the show from his more famous counterpart in the game.

He is a bigger back at 6’0 220lbs, but he certainly isn’t slow, as he showed by breaking a run off tackle, and out-running a couple of Texas defensive backs down the sideline for the long touchdown above.

This was his highlight play, but perhaps more impressive was the way he made every available yard, from every rush attempt, leaving no yards on the field.

He is tough, quick and has decent hands, so he is a nice complete back with plenty of tread left on his tyres. If he comes out early he has a chance to be a top 100 player. However, when we consider that the upcoming draft has a decent RB class he may go back to school and try to be a top five back in next year’s group.

Defensively, the Horned Frogs were excellent throughout this game, really slowing down one of the most exciting offenses in college football. There were quite a few stand-out performances, but I’ll highlight a couple of guys who really stepped up and made the plays when called upon.

I’ll admit that I’d never heard of Linebacker Johnny Hodges before this season, but the Navy transfer is having an excellent season and has impressed me every time I’ve watched TCU.

He was one of the main reasons that the usually dominant Texas running game could never get going. He flew around the field filling run lanes and chasing down plays, and ended up having 11 tackles, with 1.5 for a loss. He has the size and speed you look for, and at the very least you’ll get a special teams demon, but with the chance of becoming much more with time.

I’ve been a big fan of Cornerback Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson for the last couple of years now.

He is one of those guys who just makes highlight plays week in, week out, but will be knocked down draft boards because of his size. Being only 5’9 185lbs is a problem for most, but Hodges-Tomlinson plays like a much bigger corner with his physical style of play.

That can get him into trouble at times, as he tends to get a bit grabby against bigger receivers, but he loves the challenge of being the underdog, and you can’t help but be impressed with how he plays.

He was excellent in this game, going up against top quality receivers and only giving 1 reception on 8 targets.

He had this great deep ball interception, running in stride with the receiver down the middle of field and making the play on the underthrown ball. He also showed his aggressiveness at the catch point, batting away a ball intended for Texas’s 6’4 tight end on the sideline.

I really hope NFL teams overlook his size issues, as his style of play is so infectious that you can’t help but root for this guy.

Texas

This Texas offense has been exciting this season, but they came crashing down to earth here as the Horned Frogs had an excellent game plan to slow them down, and they executed it perfectly.

Quarterback Quinn Ewers has been the main reason that Texas fans are getting excited about their team again, but this game will be one he’ll want to forget.

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He never got into any kind of rhythm at all, and missed on quite a few deep balls, and a certain touchdown on a wheel route that he never saw. He is still very young and there will be growing pains in games like this one, but there’s no doubting the talent he has. As long as we don’t see too many more games like this one, he’ll still have a chance to be a top five pick next year.

The star of this whole Longhorn team though is Running Back Bijan Robinson. No other team has stopped Robinson like TCU did, they held him to a two year low of 29 yards on 12 carries, without a catch too.

The whole offense struggled so this isn’t all on Robinson, but he’ll have the NFL scouts asking him what happened here when they talk to him next, and he’ll need some good answers for them

 This game won’t affect his stock too much though, as he has so much good tape out there already, and I’m still certain he’ll be a first round pick in April.

The one bright spark for me on offense was Wide Receiver Jordan Whittington. He looked like the only weapon out there hauling in 6 catches for 78 yards.

Whittington has some nice after the catch ability and reminds me a bit of Deebo Samuel with the way he can break tackles. That said, he has nowhere near the production that Samuel had in college but the skill set is similar, and another year in this system will only boost his draft stock.

For three quarters the Texas defense played lights out, but they just ran out of puff in the end, which was hardly surprising given how much time they were on the field in the second half.

The two big senior Defensive Tackles Keondre Coburn and T’Vondre Sweat both had nice games, especially against the run. These two are very similar in size and the way they play, both excellent run defenders who can flash a pass rush move as well at times.

Coburn is the more highly rated right now and a probable day two pick, whilst I think Sweat may end up as an early day three type.

I had mixed feelings when I studied Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown in the summer. From what I’ve seen this season he has become a lot more consistent, and the position looks a lot more natural to him too now. He was always around the ball and finished with a team high 11 tackles in this game.

If he tests OK, he should be a day two player, but there is a fear that he might not test well, and if that happens you’ll be looking at a mid round guy.

For me the star of the game was Texas Nickel Jahdae Barron.

He has been impressive every time I’ve put on Texas, but in this game he was on a different level. He was so quick to diagnose throws into the flat, flying up the field beating blockers and making the tackle.

Barron showed he can also match receivers down the field, staying in phase nicely and taking away targets. He topped his day off with a scoop and score after a botched exchange in the backfield, picking up the ball in stride and running away from pursuit. He has decent size and physicality, and if he stays in school he could easily be spoken about in the same way Alabama’s Brian Branch is being talked about now.


Follow Keith on Twitter @lordlucken

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F10Y CFB – Week 10 Scouting Notes, Georgia vs. Tennessee

This game has been on everyone’s mind from the moment Tennessee upset Alabama in week seven. These were the top two teams in the country, although the playoff committee didn’t agree, having Ohio State ranked between them. For the added drama this was set up as the game of the season! One which would go a long way to deciding who will win the SEC East, and make the SEC championship game.

In all honesty the game never lived up to the billing, as the Georgia defense suffocated one of the best offenses in the country, and rightly won the game 27-13. 

I’ve covered Tennessee a couple of times already this season, so we’ll focus the main notes on the Georgia players, but we’ll start with some brief notes on the defeated Volunteers.

Tennessee

I’ve been a big fan of quarterback Hendon Hooker and his performances this season, but even I will admit that this was not a good day at the office for him. He was constantly harassed by the Georgia front four, and his big play receivers were very much kept in check.

He looked sharp completing short passes, but he missed on three big deep balls, over throwing his receivers every time. From a scouting perspective this game showed the limitations he has, but it shouldn’t hurt his stock too much, as he already has big performances in big games this season. So when evaluating, there’s no need to start moving him down boards on just one bad day.

Tennessee were very happy to have wide receiver Cedric Tillman back from injury, and although his stat line doesn’t stand out (7 catches for 68 yards), it was nice to see him back out there and showing the scouts his nice routes and sure hands.

In Tillman’s absence Wide Receiver Jalin Hyatt has been putting up some monster performances. Hyatt couldn’t really get going in this game though as he was superbly marshalled by the Bulldog secondary.

He also got hurt twice in the game and never really threatened the big plays like he has in the previous weeks. His name is still hot right now though, and if he hasn’t sustained any game costing injuries, he has an easy three game slate to finish the season and keep his name relevant. 

I think right tackle Darnell Wright has moved himself into the top 100 with his performances this season, and he did a good job in this game too, which will keep his stock on the up.

Without elite EDGE Nolan Smith, most of the Georgia pressures were from the interior, but when the Bulldogs did send outside rushers Wright handled them easily. He has all the tools you need, and now the light seems to have come on for this former 5-star recruit, and he is starting to live up to the high school hype and play his way into day two of the draft. 

Georgia

This Georgia team has a true leader in quarterback Stetson Bennett, and no matter what you think of him as a draft prospect, it’s hard not to root for this undersized overachiever.

The offense goes through him, and he makes enough good throws and improvised plays, to always have his team in position to win games. He was excellent here hitting the big plays when needed, and his running touchdown was a thing of beauty.

All that being said, Bennett is probably not going to be drafted, as his size limitations and arm strength will be big issues. Even so, you can easily see him being a Chase Daniel type back-up in the NFL and will probably turn into a very good coach when he’s done playing.

The star of this offense is Tight End Brock Bowers. He’ll be eligible for next year’s draft, but he is already the front runner to be TE1 in the 2024 group.

He is undersized (6’3 230lbs) and is deployed more like a receiver than a true tight end so he can show off his excellent hands and run after catch ability.

Tennessee did a pretty good job on him here though and limited him to just three catches in the game, but you can see the great hands and precise routes are there, and he will be widely talked about in next year’s cycle. 

Fellow Tight End Darnell Washington is draft eligible though, and he has been making quite a name for himself this year. Some of his highlight plays from earlier in the season are quite mind-blowing, especially when you consider his size.

He is almost like an extra offensive tackle out there, but one that can catch and probably run in the 4.5’s at the combine, making him a really intriguing prospect.

This game won’t feature on his highlight reel though, as he was held catchless, and his trademark aggressive blocking wasn’t as destructive as it normally is. He is still going to be drafted high, if he decides to come out, but he needs to pick the production back up, and get himself back into the TE2 conversation.

Georgia has produced some very good offensive lineman in recent years, and there’s two more that have first round potential, if they declare. Both center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger and left tackle Broderick Jones are Redshirt Sophomores and are listed as the same size too at 6’4 310lbs, but there is a difference of over 500 snaps played between the two. Van Pran-Granger has played the more snaps and he is a lot more polished technique wise.

He is an excellent tone setting leader of this line, and has played exceptionally well this season, including this game where he was picking up blitzes and opening up nice running lanes all day long. He has great football IQ, looks a decent athlete and has a strong powerful base, all vital traits of playing Center. There really isn’t a clear cut OC1 in this class yet, so if he were to declare he’d put himself in that mix for sure.

For someone so young, he has a really high floor and would be a very safe pick who could anchor your line for a decade. 

Jones on the other hand would be much more of a gamble, but he plays the premium left tackle position, where teams are more likely to take a chance on potential rather than production.

I was super high on Jones during the summer, as you could see from the few games he stepped in for Jamaree Salyer last year that he was so naturally gifted.

However, I’m not sure I’ve seen enough progress this season to give him the lofty top ten pick that I’ve seen in recent mock drafts. He was inconsistent here against Tennessee, looking like an All-Pro on one play and undraftable the next, but teams will look at that upside and think they may get the next great one. But it all hinges on whether he can fulfil that potential.

I personally would like to see him go back for another year at Georgia and iron out those flaws he has now, as if he did, he has number one overall pick potential.

If he did come out though, I can see him ending up in the range that Dallas took Tulsa’s Tyler Smith last year, a player he compares favourably to, right now.

This Georgia defense lost so much talent to the NFL last year that there were questions entering this season whether they would be able to replace them all.

Well they have.

With Defensive Tackle Jalen Carter, they probably have the best player they’ve had for some time. Carter has been banged up this year, missing two full games and barely featuring in several others. However, for this game, he was back to full strength, and boy what a difference he makes to this team.

He is such a phenomenal watch, it’s so easy to just focus on him alone and watch him tear apart respected offensive lineman. Tennessee’s guard Javontez Spraggins will be having nightmares after Carter took his soul in this game.

He has such a quick first step that  he can club, swim or bull rush you before you are set, and in a blink of an eye he is in the backfield causing mayhem. He was credited with four tackles, two for a loss and a sack.

Not only that but he caused two fumbles too, all in his first full time action for months against the number one ranked team!

He is a lock for the top ten, and depending on what team is drafting where, has a legitimate shot at being a top three pick.

Georgia has another potential first round defender in cornerback Kelee Ringo. He was another one who flashed huge potential last season when he cracked the starting lineup, but hasn’t kicked on quite as much as hoped, although he is still flashing elite traits at times.

He had a very up and down game here against the Volunteers, giving up eight catches on just nine targets, but then made a sensational interception on a deep ball in the end zone. He has all the size and speed you want, but his technique can fail him at times, and he has given up 61.1% receptions when targeted, which is far too high for a player of his calibre.

Whilst this isn’t the season he wanted so far, plays like the interception in this game show what he can be. Big speedy corners like this don’t grow on trees, and usually end up as first round picks.


Follow Keith on Twitter @lordlucken

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2022 CFB: Jalin Hyatt, Heisman Hopeful?

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Last Saturday Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt set a school record for single season receiving touchdowns in just eight games. 

The junior out of Irmo, South Carolina has emerged as an unlikely hero for the Volunteers offense during the absence of Cedric Tillman. He’s also been flying up draft boards.

As of just a year ago the Tennessee receiver wasn’t trusted to be a focal point by the coaching staff. But after putting in the work and showing much improvement he is breaking out as a potential longshot Heisman candidate.

The year that Hyatt is having is deserving of more attention. Comparing it to Heisman winner DeVonta Smith makes it even more impressive. Through seven games in his Heisman winning season the Alabama receiver had 65 receptions for 903 yards and 10 touchdowns. During Jalin Hyatt’s seven game stretch he has 13 touchdowns with 879 yards and 43 receptions. Putting the two side by side really puts it into perspective just how dominant Hyatt has been for Tennessee.

Hyatt is deserving of Heisman chatter as he is just three touchdowns away from reaching that same number that DeVonta Smith reached in his award winning season. With four games remaining, the Volunteer receiver could very well reach this and possibly surpass that number. And with a key matchup against the defending champs, he is in for another opportunity to add to his resume. This will be the receivers toughest matchup to date as he will likely be up against the defensive back, Kelee Ringo. 

Hyatt is not one to back down from a challenge though as just weeks ago he torched Alabama’s defense for 207 yards and five touchdowns. Not to mention he did all of that on just six receptions, averaging a staggering 34.5 yards per reception. 

How does Hyatt find his success?

Hyatt has been the most dominant receiver in college football. One thing that sets him apart from other receivers is his blazing speed with an official 4.31 40-time. Mix that with sheer athleticism and it is a recipe for disaster for opposing defenses. The Volunteer receiver has used his speed to explode off the line on vertical routes. Defenders often have to bail out and try to run with him man to man, it never works out well for them. Hyatt is a football player who just so happens to run the speeds of a track star. 

His ability to track the deep ball is possibly the best part about his game. Include his insane catch radius thanks to his long arms and it makes him out to be a match made in heaven for quarterbacks. If Georgia is looking to stay on top after Saturday they better look to double team Hyatt as that just might be the only possible answer currently.

Is it possible that Tennessee just might have two Heisman candidates on their team? Personally I think so as Hendon Hooker and Jalin Hyatt have been electric all season. Tennessee is currently 8-0 and is looking to take down #1 Georgia this Saturday. 

All eyes should be on Jalin Hyatt as his historic season continues to unfold in front of us.

By Will Lane – @TheWillieLane

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F10Y CFB – Week 9 Scouting Notes, Penn State vs. Ohio State

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The week 9 slate threw up a couple of interesting matchups. I hadn’t had a good look at Ohio State since their week 1 win against Notre Dame, so away at Penn State seemed a good time to check-in on some top talent, not only the Buckeyes, but a couple of highly rated Nittany Lions too. 

The game itself was a tight affair, with the Buckeyes having to fight tooth and nail to maintain their unbeaten start. They did come through in the end though winning 44-31, although the game was much tighter than the final score suggests.

We’ll start the notes with the winning Buckeyes…

Ohio State

Quarterback C.J Stroud seems to be suffering from the “over analysis brigade” this year. He is putting together a Heisman Trophy winning type season. However, the nit-pickers are highlighting some flaws, whilst ignoring the consistency and production.

Penn State gave him some issues, and truth be told it was the defense that won this game for Ohio State. That said you can’t ignore the poise and accuracy he displays from the pocket. The questions come when being asked to perform out of structure, and there’s no doubt this is his biggest weakness, but what you see from him when he’s kept clean, is one of the best clinical passers in football.

I still believe he will be QB1 come April, but in all honesty you can’t go wrong with either him or Alabama’s Bryce Young.

Stroud may have a limited ceiling, but he has such a high floor that he seems like a safe, NFL starter ready player, and those types will go very high.

Stroud’s favourite target this year has been Freshman sensation Wide Receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. Those old enough (like me) will remember his Dad destroying cornerbacks in the NFL from 1996-2008 with the Indianapolis Colts, and his son looks like he may be as good as his old man, who of course is a Hall of Famer. Those are lofty expectations, but what he displayed in this game was his smooth routes and excellent hands.

I would go so far to say that I’m certain if he was draft eligible he would be WR1 in this class.

We’ll have to wait until next year to salivate over this next great Ohio State receiver prospect as he already looks like a certain future first round pick. And would it be bold to say, possibly a high end one at that?

Left tackle Paris Johnson was very highly thought of coming into the season, but there was a question mark about how he’d transition over from guard, where he spent the 2021 season.

Well, from what I’ve seen so far this season, he’s done a very nice job, so much so that he has been talked about now as a potential top ten pick.

I really like him as a prospect too, but this tape against Penn State makes me pause, and perhaps we need to lower that hype just a touch?

 There is no doubting his natural ability and athleticism – that’s easy to see – But there still seem to be some mental errors and technique issues that would need clearing up before slotting him in the top ten for me.

Right tackle Dawand Jones is almost the complete opposite of Paris Johnson. He is a massive (6’8 360lbs) road grader who once he gets his hands on you it’s over.

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He has better athleticism than you’d think for such a huge human, but he does get done by quicker, shiftier Edges, who can get by him in a flash. He is a plug and play right tackle in the NFL and there’s an easy comparison to Trent Brown. Brown has carved out a nice career for himself, despite originally being just a seventh round pick.

Jones displayed his heavy hands and brute power in the run game against the Nittany Lions and he looked pretty good in pass protection too, as he held up well against their edge rushers, but he had some trouble with the blitz’s that Penn State dialled up.

He will be viewed as a high floor player who should be selected somewhere on day two of the draft.

As I mentioned earlier the Buckeyes have their defense to thank for this win. There were numerous standout performances but we have to start with the quite incredible show that EDGE J.T Tuimoloau put on.

It’s not often that a defensive lineman will grab an interception, but Tuimoloau didn’t just get one against the Nittany Lions, no he bagged two of them, and returned the second one 18 yards for a touchdown too.

He also battered a pass that was intercepted by fellow EDGE Zach Harrison, recorded three tackles-for-loss, two sacks and a forced fumble. Quite an afternoon from the sophomore and one that will really put him on scouts’ radars.

The interceptions were very different, the first being a great read on the running back coming out in the flat and jumping the route. The second was leaping high mid pass rush, to grab the ball intended for a receiver behind him. Both of these plays demonstrated elite athleticism and high football IQ.

However, we mustn’t get carried away here.

All of his pass rush wins were against the back-up right tackle, who was playing because of injury to their regular starter, and he was having a complete mare. I don’t think he is the second coming of Chase Young or the Bosas, he doesn’t have that kind of bend around the edge that the top pass rushers do.

But one thing he has now, is a statement game on tape and something to build on heading into the 2023 season. 

Junior safety Ronnie Hickman has impressed me quite a bit this year, and that continued with another good showing in this game. He is such a solid all round player.

Hickman is good against the run and a willing tackler, he also has nice athleticism and play recognition to match up in the passing game. He was always around the ball and finished with six tackles, three passes defensed and a forced fumble. Even the negatives were not so negative either – The only completion he gave up went for just four yards.

If it wasn’t for Tuimoloau, Hickman would have been the talk of the game. There isn’t a clear cut number one safety in this draft class, but Hickman is certainly making his way up boards and he would be a top five safety for me right now.

Penn State

The Nittany Lions were in this game deep into the fourth quarter, which is a testament to them, as there is a big gulf in the quality of draft prospects between the two teams. They do have a couple of players who are getting quite a bit of buzz right now, so let’s see how they did in this game.

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We’ll start with Left Tackle Olu Fashanu, who right now is being discussed as an OT1 possibility. He is only 19 years old, but is draft eligible and he has scouts drooling with his natural ability.

He is quite an easy watch, especially in pass protection, where he has excellent feet to control the arc and strong hands on long arms to ride pass rushers away with ease.

The problems occured in the run game where he was often beaten to his spot by a defender and knocked off balance. He does have everything scouts want in a blindside protector though, size, arm length and athleticism, so it’s easy to understand why he’s moving up boards.

I would just like to see him become more refined, especially in the run game, before investing a round one pick on him. There is a chance of course he returns to Happy Valley for another season, but with the tackle class this wide open I think he would be a certain first rounder if he did come out.

Like Marvin Harrison, Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is the son of a former NFL star too. Joey Porter Sr. was a Pittsburgh Steeler legend in his day, and now his son is climbing rapidly up draft boards and into first round mocks.

Porter Jr. is as feisty as his old man was, he is just 40 odd pounds lighter and playing a totally different position.

We were hoping to see plenty of Harrison vs. Porter matchups during the game, but the truth was they only battled each other on a handful of plays. They were a fun watch though, and although Harrison had the big stat line, Porter matched up nicely with him when they did face off.

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Porter’s physicality is both a positive and negative though. Everyone loves a physical corner who isn’t afraid to hit in the run game and jam receivers off of routes, but he also gets very grabby. He was called deservedly for one pass interference penalty in the game because of this.

I think Porter will appeal to lots of NFL teams, but without elite athleticism I think he may end up as a day two player rather than going in the first round.

Penn State’s best player in this game was wide receiver Parker Washington, who I’ve been high on for the last couple of seasons.

He had his biggest game of the season, against the highest ranked opponent they’ll play, catching 11 balls for 179 yards and one touchdown. He has great hands, runs nice routes and always seems to find a way to get open. And he does all of this without being the best athlete on the field.

How about this for a way to bring this article to a close… I feel like there’s a bit of Deebo Samuel about him, and I think if he test’s OK he may sneak into day two of the draft, if he comes out.

Check back with me in April on that one.


Follow Keith on Twitter @LordLucken