Analysis

11/15/21

13 min read

College Football: Week 11 Draft Stock Watch, Matchups and Notable Games

By The 33rd Team

Week 11 Draft Stock

Top SEC Matchups

1) Mississippi State WR Makai Polk vs. Auburn CBs

With his size, start and stop ability, and body control, Mississippi State’s Makai Polk is a tough cover week-to-week. Polk is adept at threatening opponents vertically with his size and speed before snapping back toward his QB quickly to get uncovered. Though his conversion rate against Auburn (8 catches on 13 targets) was less than stellar, Polk gave a talented CB group including Roger McCreary and Nehemiah Pritchett trouble, particularly in the redzone. Leveraging his size and body quicks in condensed space, Polk separated immediately and scored twice inside Auburn’s 10 yard line. With his production (82 rec, 810 yards, 8 TDs), Polk will be one to watch down the stretch. 

2) Tennessee OT Cade Mays vs Georgia Pass Rush

Like most this year, Mays struggled against Georgia (59.3 PFF grade). The Georgia transfer was mostly solid in pass protection against his former team, surrendering just 2 pressures and 1 sack in 40 drop backs against CFB’s top front. With his foot and body quickness, Mays was able to engage and use his size to stay in front. He fared worse in the run game (55 run block grade), where he lacks power to generate movement. Mays’ versatility and experience across two programs, where he has played all 5 OL positions, are among his best assets. He will have value as a swing prospect on the O-Line.

3) Texas A&M EDGE DeMarvin Leal vs Ole Miss OT Nick Broeker

DeMarvin Leal stuffed the stat sheet in primetime against one of the SEC’s more experienced tackles in Nick Broeker. Leal displayed his developed pass rush game (4 pressures, 1 sack), stressing Ole Miss’s pocket with both edge and inside counter moves, before a strip sack on a speed to power rush. Against the run, Leal kept the opposition on skates all night with his explosive quick-twitch athleticism at the point of attack. He was as disruptive as you will see, blowing by Broeker for multiple splash plays in Ole Miss’s backfield. Leal has been hot and cold this year, but reminded viewers of his NFL pedigree against Ole Miss.

2022 NFL Draft Stock Up:

  1. LSU LB Micah Baskerville: 91.4 PFF grade – 2 pressures/1 sack – 11 defensive stops 
  2. Missouri EDGE Trajan Jeffcoat: 80.6 PFF grade – 5 pressures – 1 sack
  3. Arkansas CB Montaric Brown: 82.4 covg. grade – 7 targets/1 completion, 5 yards allowed – 1 INT

2022 NFL Draft Stock Down:

  1. Auburn SAF Smoke Monday: 59.4 PFF grade – 0 tackles/1 missed – 1 dropped INT
  2. Texas A&M SAF Leon O’Neal: 41.3 PFF grade – 2 missed tackles – 92 rec. yards allowed
  3. Texas A&M OT Jahmir Johnson: 28.5 PFF grade – 2.5 pass block grade – 7 pressures allowed

Eyes On Next Week

Week 12: Notable Games

Arkansas vs Alabama

  1. Alabama CB Josh Jobe vs Arkansas WR Treylon Burks
  2. Alabama WR’s John Metchie, Jameson Williams vs Arkansas DB’s Jalen Catalon, Montaric Brown

Missouri vs Florida

  1. Missouri OT’s Javon Foster, Hyrin White vs Florida ED Brenton Cox Jr.
  2. Missouri C Michael Maietti vs Florida IDL Gervon Dexter

Top ACC Matchups

1) North Carolina State OT Ikem Ekwonu vs Wake Forest EDGE Rondell Bothroyd  

By Ikem Ekwonu’s lofty standards that he’s set thus far this season, this was a slightly disappointing game, though he was still quite solid. He was great in pass protection, allowing just a single pressure and containing Rondell Bothroyd nicely, but he struggled in run blocking, which is usually his strength. NC State didn’t run the ball all too frequently, just 18 times compared to 59 throws, but Bothroyd had the edge when they did. Ekwonu will look for a better outing in run blocking next week against a Syracuse defense that has been very vulnerable against the run.

2) Pittsburgh IDL Calijah Kancey vs North Carolina QB Sam Howell 

North Carolina QB Sam Howell finished the day 22 of 33 for 296 yards, 3 total touchdowns, and 1 interception. He had one of his quietest rushing days of the season with only 28 yards on 17 attempts, but salvaged it with a rushing score. The 76.6 PFF grade Howell earned was a step up from last week and keeps him atop the QB rankings. Calijah Kancey had another disruptive day with 1 sack, 2 hits, 2 hurries, and 5 total pressures. Despite the impressive performance, Kancey recorded a season low in win rate at 6.1%. He earned a PFF grade of 76.9 which is his highest since Week 2. 

3) Florida State EDGE Jermaine Johnson vs Miami OT Jarrid Williams

Jermaine Johnson was an absolute menace in the backfield for Miami QB Tyler Van Dyke to deal with, racking up 5 pressures and 3 sacks and being a constant presence. Miami’s OL, and RT Jarrid Williams in particular, had no answer for him whatsoever in the passing game. Williams wasn’t much better in the running game, though Johnson was less influential in that area. This was one of Johnson’s best performances of the season, and likely Williams’ worst, and that was key in Florida State’s narrow victory.

2022 NFL Draft Stock Up:

  1. Louisville QB Malik Cunningham: 13/18, 209 passing yards, 5 total TD, 91.3 PFF Grade
  2. Boston College QB Phil Jurkovec: 13/20, 310 passing yards, 71 rushing yards, 5 total TD, 92.3 PFF Grade
  3. Florida State EDGE Jermaine Johnson: 5 pressures, 3 sacks, 82.2 PFF Grade

2022 NFL Draft Stock Down:

  1. Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman: 20/47, 290 passing yards, 4 total TD, 3 INT, 72.3 PFF Grade
  2. Wake Forest WR AT Perry: 22 targets, 5 receptions, 73 yards, 1 TD, 53.0 PFF Grade
  3. Virginia Tech WR Tre Turner: 4 targets, 1 reception, 29 yards, 65.4 PFF Grade

Eyes On Next Week

Week 12: Notable Games

Wake Forest vs Clemson

Wake Forest OT Zach Tom vs. Clemson EDGE Myles Murphy 

Wake Forest EDGE Rondell Bothroyd vs. Clemson OT Jordan McFadden

Virginia Tech vs Miami

Virginia Tech EDGE Amare Barno vs Miami OT Zion Nelson

Virginia Tech CB Jermaine Waller vs Miami WR Charleston Rambo

Top Pac 12 Matchups

1) Oregon EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux vs. Washington State OT Abraham Lucas

Thibodeaux didn’t line up exclusively over Lucas this game, but he did line up over him enough times to see what Lucas could do against arguably the nation's top edge defender. Thibodeaux was able to beat Lucas around the edge despite Washington State’s larger splits, primarily utilizing rip moves. Lucas was more concerned about him winning inside and it cost him the edge. Lucas defended Thibodeaux’s bullrush well, but was no match for Thibodeaux in the run. He wasn’t able to sustain his blocks and allowed a couple TFLs because of it. Overall, Lucas looked adequate in pass protection, but pretty rough in the run game against one of the nation’s best defenders. 

2) Arizona State Running Back Rachaad White vs Washington’s Front 7

White showed why he has the ability to be one of the top RBs in the 2022 draft class. He showed great vision, finding holes that were small and showing the ability to be patient and wait for his line to open up running lanes. He wasn’t taken down often by the first defender and showed the ability to make defenders miss laterally or run through them behind his pads. Washington’s LBs struggled to tackle him past the LOS. Overall, White was impressive and showed plenty of patience, vision, and wiggle against a tough Washington front 7. 

3) Washington State WR Travell Harris vs Oregon’s Secondary

Heading into this game, we wanted to see Harris in a man to man matchup on either Mykael Wright or DJ James. However, that wasn’t the case as instead we got to watch Harris pick apart Oregon’s zone coverage. His awareness for the field was on display throughout the game, and he did a great job using his quickness and speed to find the soft spots in zone coverage. He had multiple catches where he was able to win at the LOS with his explosion off his release. He had explosive gains and a pair of contested catches despite his smaller size (5-9). 

2022 NFL Draft Stock Up:

  1. Arizona State RB Rachaad White: 32 carries, 184 yards, 2 TDs, 5 rec, 53 yards, 11 missed tackles forced, 7 explosive runs, 88.0 PFF
  2. Utah LB Devin Lloyd: 4 TOT, 3 solo, 1 TFL, 88.1 PFF
  3. Utah OT Bamidele Olaseni: 0 pressures allowed, 84.4 PFF

2022 NFL Draft Stock Down:

  1. Arizona C Josh McCauley: 0 pressures allowed, 1 penalty, 56.7 PFF
  2. Washington ED Zion Tupuola-Fetui: No State, 0 pressures, 49.4 PFF
  3. Oregon Saf Verone McKinley III: 8 TOT, 5 solo, 1 INT, 1 missed tackle, 52.9 PFF

Eyes On Next Week

Week 12: Notable Games

UCLA vs USC 

  1. UCLA OT’s Sean Rhyan & Alec Anderson vs USC ED Drake Jackson
  2. UCLA DT Otito Ogbonnia vs USC OC Brent Neilon & OG Andrew Vorhees 

Oregon vs Utah

  1. Oregon ED Kayvon Thibodeaux vs Utah OT’s Bamidele Olaseni & Braeden Daniels
  2. Oregon Saf Verone McKinley III vs Utah TE’s Brant Kuithe & Dalton Kincaid

Top Big 12 Matchups

1) Kansas Edge Kyron Johnson vs. Texas OT Christian Jones

At 6-foot-1 and 223 pounds, Johnson is undersized for a typical Edge, particularly when facing Texas OT Jones. At 6-foot-6 and 314 pounds, Jones has Johnson by 5 inches and nearly 100 pounds. Johnson mostly lined up in a 5-technique against Jones in a 2 point stance, in which Johnson has Jones beat on the first step. The combination of a slow, limited extension kick slide by Jones and the explosiveness of Johnson out of his stance allowed for the defensive player to consistently win. Johnson was able to take advantage of his lower center of gravity and hip flexibility to get the edge against the slower of foot Jones. Johnson earned a defensive grade of 85.1 on the week, per PFF. While Jones earned an offensive grade of just 58.0.

2) Kansas Stare OG Josh Rivas vs WVU DL Jordan Jefferson 

In an offensive scheme that requires the guard to be mobile in terms of pulling and down the line blocking, Rivas has the tools necessary to do the job. At 6-foot-6 and 317 pounds, Rivas has prototypical size for play guard at the next level. Rivas demonstrated the ability to get out of his stance quickly and slide to the left or right depending on play call. At times the 6-foot-2, 298 pound DL Jefferson was able to shed Rivas' blocks through a combination of leverage and speed, and disrupt the running lanes. Rivas held his own, generating run block grades of 79.1. Jefferson although he had a couple of plays where he was in position to make the play needs to display more consistency at that interior DL position. Jefferson earned a run defense grade of 63.6 this week.

3) Baylor WR Tyquan Thornton vs Oklahoma DB Justin Broiles

At 6-foot-3, Thornton has a significant size advantage over 5-foot-10 Oklahoma CB Justin Broiles. All three of their snaps against each other in this game were created by Baylor’s pre-snap motion on offense. Thornton enjoyed free release against Broiles and found himself with a fair amount of separation. Broiles, although not initially tasked with defending Thornton, displayed the ability to open his hip and run with the taller Thornton, not allowing a single target in three defense snaps. Thornton earned an offensive grade of 74.0. Broiles earned a coverage grade of 62.0.

2022 NFL Draft Stock Up:

  1. Kansas ED 8 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovered defensive grade 85.1 per PFF
  2. Kansas St OT Josh Rivas 57 snaps, 1 hit allowed offensive grade of 78.1 per PFF
  3. Oklahoma LB Brian Asamoah 10 tackles, 1 forced fumble defensive grade of 89.5 per PFF

2022 NFL Draft Stock Down:

  1. TCU S T.J. Carter 3 missed tackles, allowed 6 receptions on 7 targets. PFF coverage grade 36.7
  2. Oklahoma OG Christ Murray 1 sack allowed, 2 hurries allowed. PFF pass block grade 67.2 
  3. Texas OT Christian Jones 2 QB hurries allowed 1 sack. PFF offensive grade 58.0 

Eyes On Next Week

Week 12: Notable Games

Baylor vs Kansas State

  1. Baylor WR Tyquan Thornton vs Kansas St DB Russ Yeast 
  2. Kansas St OT Cooper Beebe vs Baylor ED T.J. Franklin 

Oklahoma State vs Texas Tech 

  1. Oklahoma St WR Tay Martin vs Texas Tech CB Rayshad Williams 
  2. Texas Tech OT T.J. Storment vs Oklahoma St ED Brock Martin 

Top Big 10 Matchups

1) Michigan Edges Aidan Hutchinson & David Ojabo vs Penn State OT Rasheed Walker

The top matchup of the weekend was right here, featuring one of the best pass rushers in the country and one of the top offensive tackles in the conference. Rasheed Walker was able to hold his own for a majority of the afternoon, but Aidan Hutchinson is too talented to be shut out by Walker. Hutchinson was able to generate two pressures and one sack when lined up against Walker. Walker actually struggled more against David Ojabo. Ojabo is a raw prospect, but he consistently shows flashes of his ability. Ojabo was able to generate 3 pressures against Walker, and Ojabo finished the game with 7 pressures generated, 2 sacks, and 1 FF. Hutchinson finished with 4 pressures generated, 2 sacks, and 1 FF.

2) Purdue Edge George Karlaftis vs Ohio State OTs Nicholas Petit-Frere & Dawand Jones

It was clear from the start of the game that Ohio State was not going to let George Karlaftis beat them. They knew that by neutralizing Karlaftis, they would have a very good chance of winning, and that is exactly what they did. Yes, there were a good amount of one-on-ones between these tackles and Karlaftis, but Ohio State threw a bunch of double teams his way. Even without the double teams, the gigantic Ohio State tackles held their own. These are two of the biggest tackles in the conference — it takes ten years to get around them and they are difficult to get through. Karlaftis is a relentless pass rusher, so this was a really fun matchup to watch. The Ohio State tandem definitely had the upper hand in this one, and they were able to keep Karlaftis the quietest he has been all season.

3) Michigan RB Hassan Haskins vs Penn State’s Defense

This was the first time all season where Hassan Haskins was the bell cow in a game due to freshman RB Blake Corum missing his first game of the season. Haskins got 31 of the 34 carries in the game. Penn State has one of the top defenses in the country despite losing star DL PJ Mustipher for the season. Penn State has one of the best LB groups in the nation and they have been a tough defense to run on all season. Despite that, Haskins was very productive in this matchup, running for 156 yards averaging 5 YPC. In addition, he showed his ability to catch the ball, catching 5 passes for 45 yards. Haskins generated 7 explosive runs (runs of 10+ yards), and forced 9 missed tackles on the day. He also ran for 12 first downs, including a couple very clutch first downs on short yardage situations. Although Haskins didn’t get into the end zone, he was very productive all day long and he saw his draft stock improve.

2022 NFL Draft Stock Up:

1. Ohio State WR Garrett Wilson - 10 receptions on 11 targets, 126 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 carry for 51 yards and a touchdown
2. Maryland TE Chigoziem Okonkwo - 8 receptions on 9 targets, 112 yards, 2 touchdowns, 90.9 PFF grade
3. Penn State ED Arnold Ebiketie - 9 total pressures, 2 sacks, 1 QB hit, 1 FF, 83.4 Pass Rushing PFF grade

2022 NFL Draft Stock Down:

  1. Penn State OT Rasheed Wallace - 7 total pressures allowed, 2 sacks allowed
  2. Ohio State CB Sevyn Banks - 4 catches allowed on 4 targets, 41 yards allowed, 1 touchdown allowed, 55.3 PFF grade
  3. Indiana TE Peyton Hendershot - 2 catches on 6 targets, 11 receiving yards, 58.1 PFF grade

Eyes On Next Week

Week 12: Notable Games

Ohio State vs Michigan State

  1. Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker III vs Ohio State’s defense
  2. Michigan State EDs Jacob Panasiuk & Drew Beesley vs Ohio State OTs Nicholas Petit-Frere & Dawand Jones

Maryland vs Michigan

  1. Maryland OT Jaelyn Duncan vs Michigan EDs Aidan Hutchinson & David Ojabo
  2. Maryland ED Sam Okuayinonu vs Michigan OT Andrew Stueber
Tags: Cade Mays, College Football, DeMarvin Leal See More

The 33rd Team

The 33rd Team is a Football Think Tank created by Mike Tannenbaum.

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