Analysis
10/18/21
12 min read
College Football: Week 7 Draft Stock Watch, Matchups and Notable Games
Top SEC Matchups
1) LSU OG Ed Ingram vs Florida DL
Ed Ingram and an inspired LSU offense bullied a talented Florida front all Saturday afternoon. LSU ran behind their best lineman over and over, relying heavily on Ingram as the pulling kick-out blocker in the counter run game. Ingram arrived at the point of attack with bad intentions; teeing off on Florida’s soft edges with his outstanding natural power, punching massive holes in a front stocked with future NFL defenders. This tape will go a long way in displaying what Ingram does well for NFL scouts.
2) Alabama WRs vs Mississippi St. CB Martin Emerson Jr.
Martin Emerson Jr.’s box score stats (5 receptions allowed on 8 targets, 1 TD, 3 1st downs allowed) don’t tell the whole story of what was a competitive matchup. Emerson held his own against Alabama receivers Jameson Williams and John Metchie III, where aside from a 75-yard TD to Williams (on which he should have had safety help), he only allowed 4 receptions for 37 yards. At times, Emerson does struggle to transition from his vertical bail back downhill — seen on the long TD; but he is consistently the same player each week — a long, competitive, man-to-man corner that is a demon underneath.
3) Mississippi State DL Nathan Pickering vs Alabama Interior OL
Nathan Pickering was a rare bright spot for an overmatched defense Saturday. He played his best game of the year against the best front he will see. Pickering was disruptive all night, credited with a 77.6 run defense grade, 2 tackles, 2 assists and a defensive stop. He was also in the mix when Alabama dropped back to throw, adding 2 pressures. He was fast off the ball and active at the point of attack, keeping Alabama’s talented front on their toes. Pickering is an intriguing HT/WT/Speed prospect that will garner attention should he declare early.
2022 NFL Draft Stock Up:
- Auburn CB Roger McCreary: 87.7 PFF grade – 9 targets – 3 rec. allowed – 3 forced incompletions
- LSU OG Ed Ingram: 86.6 PFF grade – 87.7 run block grade
- Alabama SAF Jordan Battle: 92.8 PFF grade – 1 rec allowed for 3 yds – 2 INT
2022 NFL Draft Stock Down:
- Alabama TE Jahleel Billingsley: 21 snaps – 48.1 PFF grade – 1 target – 0 receptions
- Ole Miss WR Dontario Drummond: 56.0 receiving grade – 2 drops
- LSU OT Austin Deculus: 50.3 PFF grade – 25.5 pass block grade – 3 pressures allowed
Eyes On Next Week
Week 8: Notable Games
Ole Miss vs LSU
- Matt Corral vs Depleted LSU Secondary
- Ole Miss ED Sam Williams vs LSU OT Austin Deculus
Alabama vs Tennessee
- Alabama WR’s vs Tennessee CB Alontae Taylor
- Alabama LB’s vs Tennessee RB Tiyon Evans
Top ACC Matchups
1) North Carolina State WR Emeka Emezie vs. Boston College CB Josh DeBerry
NC State wideout Emeka Emezie had his quietest day of the season with just 2 receptions for 8 yards and no touchdowns. Despite receiving the most targets on the team, Emezie finished second-to-last in receiving yards. Josh DeBerry also struggled as he allowed 6 receptions in coverage along with 50 yards, 4 first downs, and a missed tackle. He received a season low PFF grade of 57.4 and a season low coverage grade of 55.4.
2) North Carolina QB Sam Howell vs. Miami SAF Bubba Bolden
Sam Howell struggled as a passer Saturday completing only 17 passes for just 154 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He was able to make up for his passing deficiencies by rushing for 98 yards and 2 touchdowns on 17 attempts. Howell’s rushing stat line included an impressive 30-yard touchdown run midway through the third to give his team a 37-24 lead. Bolden continued his struggles in week 7 by earning a PFF grade of 52.5, a 39.9 run defense grade, and 57.2 pass rush grade.
3) Boston College OG Zion Johnson and C Alec Lindstrom vs NC State DT Cory Durden
Boston College’s offense really struggled in this game, but it wasn’t because of this matchup, as Johnson and Lindstrom really bottled up Durden, keeping him without a pressure. Both Johnson and Lindstrom were better in pass protection than in run blocking, where they struggled to create holes for the RBs.
2022 NFL Draft Stock Up:
- Miami OT Zion Nelson: 1.6 pressure percentage, 75.8 PFF Grade
- Virginia SAF Joey Blount: 4 tack., 0.5 TFL, 1 INT, 1 rec. allowed, 16 yards allowed, 70.6 PFF
- Virginia QB Brennan Armstrong: 25/45 (55.5%), 364 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 74.1 PFF Grade
2022 NFL Draft Stock Down:
- North Carolina QB Sam Howell: 17/26 (65.3%), 154 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 70.0 PFF Grade
- Clemson WR Justyn Ross: 10 targets, 5 receptions, 51 yards, 0 TD, 63.3 PFF Grade
- Boston College WR Zay Flowers: 7 targets, 2 receptions, 7 yards, 1 drop, 46.7 PFF Grade
Eyes On Next Week
Week 8: Notable Games
Notre Dame vs USC
- Notre Dame IOL Jarrett Patterson vs. USC IDL Tuli Tuipulotu
- Notre Dame CB Cam Hart vs. USC WR Drake London
North Carolina State vs Miami
- North Carolina State EDGE Daniel Joseph vs. Miami OT Zion Nelson
- North Carolina State OT Ikem Ekwonu vs. Miami EDGEs Jahfari Harvey & Chantz Williams
Top PAC 12 Matchups
1) California QB Chase Garbers vs Oregon Secondary
Garbers did a good job moving around the pocket and extending plays by breaking the pocket when needed against the rush. There are some plays where he breaks the pocket prematurely. He didn’t try to force too many throws and took what the defense gave him. Garbers had a handful of missed opportunities throughout the game due to miscommunication with receivers. Overall he showed good poise, intelligence, and ability to throw passes from different platforms.
2) Utah ED Mika Tafua vs Arizona State OT Ben Scott
Tafua was utilized across the defensive line, lining up at the wide-9, 7, 3, and 2i. He struggled staying low outside of his initial set. He showed ability to use a combination of speed and bullrush techniques and had success with both, including the occasional spin move, but was stonewalled a few times due lack of being the low man. Overall he mainly had many positives and generated 13 total pressures.
3) Washington State OT Abraham Lucas vs Stanford EDGE’s
During pass protection Lucas was in a 2-tech for every snap (and stayed in a 2-tech during runs). He does a good job of stonewalling defenders when they try to win with bullrush techniques and had the length and power to end speed rush attempts. He struggled with pad level and there were a handful of plays where defensive ends were able to move him quite a bit because they won the pad level battle. Overall he allowed just 1 pressure on 34 pass attempts.
2022 NFL Draft Stock Up:
- Oregon RB Travis Dye - 19 car, 145 yds, 1 TD, 7 rec, 73 yds, 3 missed tackles forced, 80.8 PFF
- Washington State Max Borghi - 17 car, 89 yds, 2 TDs, 7 missed tackles forced, 79.8 PFF
- Washington LB Edefuan Ulofoshio - 10 TOT (8 solo), 0 missed tackles, 1 rec allowed (6 yds), 78.2 PFF
2022 NFL Draft Stock Down:
- Arizona State LB Darien Butler: 5 TOT, 3 missed tackles, 3 rec allowed, (26 yds + 1 TD), 1 INT, 50.8 PFF
- Arizona State OT Kellen Diesch: 3 penalties, 1 pressure allowed, 53.0 PFF
- UCLA OT Alec Anderson: 1 penalty, 2 pressures allowed, 54.8 PFF
Eyes On Next Week
Week 8: Notable Games
USC vs Notre Dame
- USC WR Drake London v Notre Dame’s Secondary
- USC QB Keedon Slovis v Notre Dame Saf Kyle Hamilton
Oregon vs UCLA
- Oregon ED Kayvon Thibodeaux v UCLA OT’s Sean Rhyan & Alec Anderson
- Oregon RB Travis Dye v UCLA LB Caleb Johnson
Top BIG 12 Matchups
1) Oklahoma St RB Jaylen Warren vs Texas LB Luke Brockermeyer
Warren was again the workhouse for the Pokes’ offense, tallying 33 carries on the day for 193 yds with an average of 5.8 yards per carry. While he didn’t punch one in for a TD on the day, he assisted in the Cowboys controlling the time of possession with nearly 8 minutes more than the Longhorns on the day. Warren graded out at 74.8 in rushing per PFF forcing 4 missed tackles and 8 of his rushes accounted for first downs. The Texas LB accounted for 9 total tackles between the two of them on a day where the defense was unable to get off the field at times. In Brockermeyer’s 31 run defense snaps, he earned a run defense grade of 55.3 per PFF.
2) Baylor RB Abram Smith vs BYU Run defense
Smith took control of this game from the start, rushing the ball 27 times for 188 yds, an average of 7 yards per carry and 3 TDs on the day. Smith had 130 yards after contact (4.9 yds per attempt) on way to 9 carries for first downs and a 73.7 rushing grade per PFF. The Cougars run defense missed 8 tackles on the day when their average depth of tackles was nearly 7.5 yds. As a result, BYU earned a run defense grade of 57.4 per PFF.
3) Iowa St RB Breece Hall vs Kansas State Run defense
Hall has been the model of consistency in terms of what you would like to see from the RB position from week-to-week. Hall has now had four straight games with at least 2 TDs as he toted the rock 30 times for 197 yds and also had 5 receptions for 35 yds doing it all for the Cyclones. Hall forced 5 missed tackles on the day en route to a 71.5 rushing grade per PFF. As a whole, the defensive unit for Kansas State played relatively well, grading at 69.0 per PFF in terms of run defense. The average depth of tackle was just over 4 yds and they accomplished 7 tackles for loss or no gain on the day. This speaks to the effectiveness and tenacity of Hall, who over the course of the game effectively accounted for 6 first down rush attempts.
2022 NFL Draft Stock Up:
- Baylor CB Jalen Pitre 10 tackles 1 sack 1 fumble recovery. PFF grade Run d 81.8, Pass d 79.3
- Baylor RB Abram Smith 27 car 188 yds 7.0 avg 3 TD, 2 rec 14 yds 7.0 avg long 7 yds
- Iowa St RB Breece Hall 30 car 197 yds 6.6 avg 2 TD, 5 rec 35 yds 7.0 avg long 16 yds
2022 NFL Draft Stock Down:
- Texas QB Casey Thompson: 15/27 55.6% 179 yds 6.6 avg 1 TD 2 Int long 58 yds
- TCU OG Coy McMillon: allowed 4 QB pressures. PFF grade 53.6 run block, 40.8 pass block
- Oklahoma St. QB Spencer Sanders: 19/32 59.3 % 178 yds 1 TD 1 Int, 10 car 20 yds 1 TD
Eyes On Next Week
Week 8: Notable Games
Oklahoma St vs Iowa St
- Iowa State RB Breece Hall vs Oklahoma St LBs Malcom Rodriguez, CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse
- Oklahoma St QB Jaylen Warren vs Iowa St LB Gerry Vaughn, IDL Eyioma Uwazurike
Top BIG 10 Matchups
1) Purdue WR David Bell vs Iowa CB Matt Hankins
This matchup did not disappoint as we saw a lot of snaps between these two very good players. The only thing that would have made this matchup better would have been if Riley Moss was able to suit up and see some snaps versus Bell. However, he missed his first game this season due to a leg injury. Bell was debatably the biggest reason for Purdue’s upset win over Iowa. Hankins had no answers for Bell, and Bell put on a show all day. Bell finished the game with 12 targets, 11 catches for 240 yards and a touchdown. Against Hankins, he was targeted nine times, and he caught eight of the targets for 200 yards and a touchdown. Bell was able to create separation against Hankins all day. He had a couple of big plays as well, including a 47-yard catch on a deep post to beat Hankins. Bell also beat Hankins earlier in the game on a drag route, which he was able to stiff arm Hankins and was able to get 60 yards on the play. The best play of the day between the two was when Bell beat Hankins on a beautiful double move for a 21-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to ice the game. Bell proved why he is one of the top receivers in the Big 10 and this was one of the best performances of the season — especially considering how talented Hankins is.
2) Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker III vs Indiana LB Micah McFadden
Indiana has been one of the most disappointing teams in all of college football this season, while Michigan State has been one of the biggest surprises this season. One matchup that caught our attention was Michigan State’s RB Kenneth Walker III versus Indiana LB Micah McFadden. Walker has been tremendous all season long and McFadden is one of the top linebackers in the conference. Indiana came into the game with the goal of containing Walker in between the tackles and not allowing him to bounce outside on his runs. Indiana did a very solid job for most of the game, however, Walker had some runs where he was able to break free. He finished with 84 rushing yards on 23 carries, an adequate 3.7 yards per carry. McFadden showed good competitiveness playing this game with a cast on his hand due to a broken thumb. Despite being bandaged up, he was able to have a solid impact on the game. He finished the game with 9 total tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 sack, and 1 QB hit as well.
3) Iowa OTs Nick DeJong and Mason Richman vs Purdue ED George Karlaftis
This matchup was one of the biggest reasons for Purdue’s upset win over Iowa. Iowa’s OTs Nick DeJong and Mason Richman are both not draft eligible, but they are both two guys to keep an eye on down the line due to their 6-foot-6 frames. Unfortunately for the two young tackles, they had to play against one of the best prospects in the country. DeJong finished with 6 pressures allowed and 2 sacks allowed. Richman was better, only allowing 2 pressures, but it was not his game. George Karlaftis was extremely disruptive in this game and Iowa had no answer for him. Karlaftis finished with only one sack, but he had 11 total pressures, 4 QB hits, and a 31.3 pass rush win rate. This game reassured the many people who believe that Karlaftis will hear his name in round 1 of the upcoming draft.
2022 NFL Draft Stock Up:
- Purdue WR David Bell: 12 targets, 11 catches, 1 touchdown, 83.7 PFF grade
- Purdue ED George Karlaftis: 11 total pressures, 1 sack, 4 QB hits, 31.3 pass rush win %
- Michigan State OT AJ Arcuri: 0 total pressures allowed, 87 PFF grade
2022 NFL Draft Stock Down:
- Iowa CB Matt Hankins: 10 catches allowed on 14 targets for 207 yards and 1 touchdown, 8 first downs allowed, 3 missed tackles, 5 plays of 15+ yards allowed
- Iowa ED Zach VanValkenburg: 1 pressure, 1 tackle, 53.6 pass rushing PFF grade, 62 PFF grade
- Nebraska WR Samori Toure: 1 catch on 7 targets for 1 yard, 1 drop, 47.9 PFF grade
Eyes On Next Week
Week 8: Notable Games
Indiana vs Ohio State
- Indiana WR Ty Fryfogle vs Ohio State CB Sevyn Banks
- Indiana OTs Luke Haggard & Caleb Jones vs Ohio State ED Zach Harrison & Tyreke Smith
Michigan vs Northwestern
- Michigan ED Aidan Hutchinson vs Northwestern OT Ethan Wiederkehr
- Michigan RBs Blake Corum & Hassan Haskins vs Northwestern SAF Brandon Joseph
