By Daniel “The Draftnick” Rios
Time to cancel the weekend plans, because college football has another strong weekend of games. With the first College Football Playoff ranking coming out this week, plenty of these matchups will have major implications for the next one.
The Holy War kicks off the day, and Miami faces Notre Dame to end the night. While these matchups have big playoff implications, there are big draft implications embedded in these matchups as well.
NFL evaluators will be watching certain plays and units to see how they match up against tough competition in tough environments. Here are some of the best NFL Draft prospect matchups in Week 10 of college football.
BYU at Utah
RB Wayshawn Parker vs. LBs Cade Uluave and Isaiah Glasker
Parker has been the motor of the Utah offense, and he’s a big reason the team is fighting for a College Football Playoff spot. He’s up to 726 yards and nine touchdowns on the season, forcing 39 missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus. Parker won’t wow with home-run speed, but has a good mix of vision and agility that can punish any defense.
BYU is led by two standout linebackers, Uluave and Glasker. Uluave has great speed to track down players across the field and mixes that with his aggression – he can make plays. The issue is that he has 23 missed tackles this season due to his play style, the highest of his career. Glasker is a unit at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds. He’s dealt with injuries this season, but is back on the field ready to make plays.
Texas at Missouri
RB Jamal Roberts vs. LB Rasheem Biles
The quarterbacks will get the attention in this matchup, but there is plenty of talent across the field to look out for. With Ahmad Hardy being out for most of this year, Roberts stepped into the No. 1 back role for the Tigers and has thrived. He’s had over 100 rushing yards in five games this year with his consistent running style. Roberts won’t make big plays consistently, but he’ll gash defenses for eight-yard gains with his vision and physical running style.
Texas has had an up-and-down year, and so has Biles. He’s 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, offering a more athletic play style at the linebacker position. Biles is comfortable chasing plays across the field and dropping back into cover, but struggles matching runs in the box. It’ll be a good test for Biles to see if he can match the toughness of Roberts.
WR Cayden Lee vs. CB Bo Mascoe
A player who rarely gets the attention he deserves is Lee for the Tigers. He’s built like a slot receiver, but can line up out wide as well. Lee’s been a favorite target of Missouri quarterback Austin Simmons, with both having played at Ole Miss previously. Lee offers quick route running and sure-fire hands that have proven to hurt defenses over the middle this year time and time again.
While Lee lines up out wide 16.1 percent of the time, the matchup against outside corners will be scarce, but fun if we get them. Mascoe transferred in from Rutgers and has been a bright spot for the Longhorns defense. Mascoe has forced two pass breakups this season while being targeted 23 times throughout the year. He offers great patience and good technique in press.
Alabama at LSU
OT Jordan Seaton vs. DL Devan Thompkins
The excitement for Seaton going top-five has cooled off recently, but a strong matchup against Thompkins can fire those conversations right back up. Seaton is the best athlete for the tackle position in this draft class with his quality hand usage and nimble feet. He struggles to anchor down against power, but has shown in recent weeks his technique to use his longer arms to negate that problem.
Thompkins does it all for this Alabama front, lining up just about anywhere, but as a 1-tech. He’s 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds, offering great power within his rush, but moves quite well for his size. One of his best reps this season was a rip move against Kentucky early in the season, showing the type of athlete he can be to win around the edge. It’s a big test for both prospects.
WR Jackson Harris vs. CB Zabien Brown
Harris has burst onto the scene after a 178-yard performance against Auburn. At 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, he moves fluidly within his routes and shows great nuance in his release. His long-speed shines when he took a dig route 70 yards to the house, outrunning the entire Auburn defense. Another big game against Alabama could boost his stock even higher.
It’s unclear if Brown will play in this game since he’s dealing with a lower-leg injury, but it’d be fun if he does. He has the versatility to play man or zone in Alabama’s defense, but he thrives more in a zone scheme. Brown has good eyes and can play the half-turn effortlessly. It would be exciting to see how he’d match up with a bigger receiver like Harris.
Kentucky at Tennessee
OT Lance Heard vs. Edge Tyree Weathersby
Heard will face another tough matchup in the SEC, but all season he’s risen to the occasion. In eight games, Heard has given up nine pressures and has absolutely mauled defenders in the run game with his frame. Being 6-foot-6 and 325 pounds makes it hard for rushers to get around his frame. He’s used his longer arms and stronger upper body to win reps early, which has benefited his pass protection numbers.
Facing Heard will be another well-built edge rusher in Weathersby, being 6-foot-5 and 268 pounds himself. Weathersby has been a strong presence among the Volunteers, with nine sacks this season. He can line up anywhere for Tennessee and has shown he can win with power or finesse.
Miami at Notre Dame
OG Anthonie Knapp vs. DT Ahmad Moten Sr. and Justin Scott
The biggest game of the weekend also offers some of the biggest draft matchups of the season. Knapp has been a consistent player for Notre Dame, showing strong ability in pass pro and good athleticism. The base, hand usage and toughness all stand out. Miami will be a good challenge for him.
Inconsistent is the best way to describe the two defensive tackles from Miami, but there’s no doubt both are talented. They show glimpses of utter dominance, but haven’t done it on a week-to-week basis. Both Moten and Scott had quick wins against NOrt Caroline last week using quick hand-swipe moves on the interior. Scott also offers a violent and quick first step that can shoot him into gaps, creating disruption. It’s an all-around fun matchup that many scouts will have their eyes locked on.
QB Darian Mensah vs. Notre Dame secondary
The biggest challenge yet for Mensah this season. He’s been nearly perfect for the Hurricanes this season, having over 2,400 yards and 25 touchdowns. The Notre Dame secondary will be the best unit he faces all season, and depending on how he plays, it could alter his draft stock. Questions remain about Mensah’s overall arm strength to fire the ball into tight windows and downfield. But on the contrary, he’s a smart quarterback who won’t put the ball in harm’s way.
Against Notre Dame, you have to throw receivers open, because this secondary is flooded with NFL talent. Leonard Moore, DJ McKinney, Adon Shuler and Luke Talich could all be in the NFL next season. That’s how talented this unit is. They’ll have their hands full trying to contain Malachi Toney and the efficient arm of Mensah.
Georgia at Ole Miss
QB Trinidad Chambliss vs. DB KJ Bolden
Chambliss’ size concerns will make people hesitate about how NFL-ready he is, but he keeps making plays week to week. Against Auburn last week, he again was fearless throwing the ball over the middle and making plays with his feet. The ball pops out of his hands, and it’ll have to come out cleanly again to hurt this Georgia secondary.
The Bulldogs once again have a strong defnse, and Bolden is a big reason for that happening. Bolden is strong in the box and in the back half, showing the versatility he offers. He repeatedly made tough tackles against Jadan Baugh last week and has made plays attacking the ball throughout the season. Pass coverage is questionable at times, but he could force pass breakups against Chambliss with his downhill style of play.
WR Deuce Alexander vs. DB Ellis Robinson IV
Alexander will be motivated to have a good game against Georgia after two drops at Auburn last week. One was a dropped touchdown, and the other led to an interception. He’s a big and lengthy receiver who has long strides that can tackle down the field quickly. Throughout this season, Alexander has shown he can run routes underneath on quick curl routes on RPOs, but he did slip on one last week. Georgia is the perfect matchup for a bounce-back game.
There’s a lot ot like in the corner who could match up against Alexander throughout the game. Robinson is another slim build who thrives with his athletic lower half. His fluid feet put him in the right position at all times, and his ball-tracking skills are what stand out the most. Robinson has been targeted 27 times this season, allowing 14 touchdowns and breaking up five passes.
Oklahoma at Florida
RB Jadan Baugh vs. DT David Stone
It has been a rough stretch for Baugh, who hasn’t had over 100 rushing yards since Week 4. It’s been a mix of Florida’s offense being one-dimensional and the defense keying on Baugh. Against Georgia last week, it was hard for Baugh even to have a sliver of space. But when he did, he gashed the Bulldogs’ defense and had a nice jump cut that broke the ankles of a Georgia defender. The Oklahoma defense isn’t as stout, which could have Baugh back to running 100 yards.
Stone has battled an injury this season that didn’t sideline him, but definitely impacted his game. Coming into the year, there was top-five excitement, but that’s severely cooled off. Stone shows a good understanding of run concepts and does a good job flowing to match running backs in the hole. He moves fluidly for his size, and the get-off is still explosive. Stone, along with all of Oklahoma, will have their hands full trying to stop Baugh.
The post Miami-Notre Dame, Georgia-Ole Miss Headline Week 10 NFL Draft Prospect Battles first appeared on Sports360AZ.