News and Notes
After multiple weeks of some quiet in the world of college football, it got very loud this week. Since this is supposed to be an article on the draft, I will start with draft news and slowly work my way to the NFL. The big draft news from this week was a video of Mississippi State defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons standing over a young woman and punching her repeatedly. You can watch the video on YouTube if you so choose, but warning it is not a good look. Videos like this come up every single year it seems like and it always brings into question the of ethics scouting. Simmons is currently the number 17th overall player on my big board, but next week he will drop straight off it. Any man who strikes a woman in my book is completely undraftable. The problem with this is there are plenty of NFL teams who do not agree with me. So while you might hear other media scouts say a lot of teams have taken Simmons off there board. You must also realize that it only takes one in thirty-two teams to select him where his talent dictates and not where his character dictates. It pains me to say this, but the NFL values talent above all else. If you have enough talent the NFL will give you a shot no matter what. Sticking with college football I want to address the play of Justin Herbert this weekend. Herbert played by far the best game against a quality opponent any top QB prospect has played all year. I know they lost the game in the end but when you watch the tape it is easy to see him as QB 1. In some more positive news, four rookie quarterbacks will be starting this weekend. Sam Darnold and Josh Allen have already started multiple starts, but Baker Mayfield and Josh Rosen will be making their first starts. Mayfield was obviously fantastic coming in for the injured Tyrod Taylor and bringing The Browns their first win in 635 days. Josh Rosen, on the other hand, got thrown into the worst possible situation I have seen. First off, he comes in with only enough time for two drives. Second, he is thrown into the game against the Chicago Bears defense that has one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. Third, it was all obvious passing situations so of course, the Bears were going to tee-off on him. Fourth, Rosen has almost no help around him. His offensive line is bad and his receivers are not doing him any favors either. My point with this rant is that, with quarterbacks what situation they get drafted into is the most important thing. You can ruin a great quarterback prospect quickly if you mismanage him like Arizona did Josh Rosen. Outside of the quarterbacks, I want to highlight one more player from last years draft. Leighton Vander Esch played great at LB for the Cowboys on Sunday. He made multiple stops in the backfield and was flying sideline to sideline. Vander Esch seems to be the only bright spot for Dallas right now.
Top 30 Big Board
1. Nick Bosa | DE | Ohio State |
2. Ed Oliver | DT | Houston |
3. Jonah Williams | LT | Alabama |
4. Raekwon Davis | DT | Alabama |
5. Clelin Ferrell | DE | Clemson |
6. Dalton Risner | OG | Kansas State |
7. Greedy Williams | CB | LSU |
8. Rashan Gary | DT | Michigan |
9. Devin White | LB | LSU |
10. Deionte Thompson | S | Alabama |
11. Devin Bush | LB | Michigan |
12. Justin Herbert | QB | Oregon |
13. David Sills V | WR | West Virginia |
14. Noah Fant | TE | Iowa |
15. Montez Sweat | DE | Mississippi State |
16. Dre’Mont Jones | DT | Ohio State |
17. Jeffery Simmons | DT | Mississippi State |
18. Jaquan Johnson | S | Miami |
19. Greg Little | LT | Ole Miss |
20. N’Keal Harry | WR | Arizona State |
21. Deandre Baker | CB | Georgia |
22. Taylor Rapp | S | Washington |
23. Ryan Finley | QB | NC State |
24. Lamar Peters | CB | Mississippi State |
25. DK Metcalf | WR | Ole Miss |
26. Jarrett Stidham | QB | Auburn |
27. Zach Allen | DE | Boston College |
28. David Edwards | RT | Wisconsin |
29. Joe Jackson | DE | Miami |
30. AJ Brown | WR | Ole Miss |
Three Must Watch Games for Week: 5
Game One: Ohio State vs Penn State/ Saturday, 9/29 7:30 PM
Oh yes, I have been waiting for this game all season and it is finally here. This game might include the most NFL prospects in a single game all year. Both teams have multiple players on each side of the ball, and both teams are off to good starts this season. If you care at all about the draft this is a must watch.
Players to watch for Ohio State:
Nick Bosa: DE 1 (Will not play)
Dre’Mont Jones: DT 4
Kendall Sheffield: CB 5
Mike Weber: RB 6
Mike Jordan: OG 10
Isaiah Prince: LT 6
Dwayne Haskins: QB (week 5 tape study)
Players to watch for Penn State:
Amani Oruwariye: CB 4
Shareef Miller: DE 7
Miles Sanders: RB 7
Juwan Johnson: WR 9
Trace Mcsorley: QB (week 5 tape study)
Game two: Stanford vs Notre Dame/ Saturday, 9/29 7:30 PM
I know what you’re going to say, “Dante please stop telling us to watch Stanford”, and to that, I say too bad. Stanford vs Notre Dame is a great rivalry, and it includes a lot of future NFL talent. Both teams are currently ranked in the top 10, so if you need more incentive their it is.
Players to watch for Stanford:
Bryce Love: RB 8
Kaden Smith: TE 2
JJ Arcega-Whiteside: WR 5
Nate Herbig: IOL 6
Brandon Fanaika: IOL 11
Players to watch for Notre Dame:
Julian Love: CB 10
Jerry Tillery: DT 9
Alize Mack: TE 6
Game three: Temple vs Boston College/ Saturday, 9/29 12:00 PM
I can hear all of the cries of biased right now in my head as I am typing, but again I do not care. This game has a lot of NFL talent, and bonus, I have highlighted neither team so far this season.
Players to watch for Temple:
Rock Ya-Sin: CB 8
Delvin Randle: Safety 8
Players to watch for Boston College:
Zach Allen: DE 4
Lukas Dennis: Safety 5
Tommy Sweeney: TE 3
Wyatt Ray: DE (week 5 tape study)
Tape Study Week 5:
- Dwayne Haskins QB, Ohio State
- Trace Mcsorley QB, Penn State
- Wyatt Ray DE, Boston College
- Jonathan Abram S, Mississippi State
- Marquise Brown WR, Oklahoma
Stock Report
QB
Name | School | Movement |
1. Justin Herbert | Oregon | None |
2. Ryan Finley | NC State | None |
3. Jarrett Stidham | Auburn | None |
4. Drew Lock | Missouri | None |
5. Brian Lewerke | Michigan State | None |
6. Will Grier | West Virginia | None |
7. Jake Bentley | South Carolina | None |
8. Brett Rypien | Boise State | None |
9. Clayton Thorson | Northwestern | None |
10. Nick Fitzgerald | Mississippi State | None |
RB
Name | School | Movement |
1.Benny Snell | Kentucky | Up one spot |
2. David Montgomery | Iowa State | Down one spot |
3. Justice Hill | Oklahoma State | None |
4. Devin Singletary | Florida Atlantic | None |
5. Damien Harris | Alabama | None |
6 Mike Weber | Ohio State | None |
7. Miles Sanders | Penn State | Unranked (Week 4 tape study |
8. Bryce Love | Stanford | Down one spot |
9. Rodney Anderson | Oklahoma | Down one spot |
10. Myles Gaskin | Washington | Down one spot |
Benny Snell: Snell has been by far the most impressive back in this class since the injury to Rodney Anderson. He has run all over multiple SEC defenses and already possesses Kentucky’s all-time touchdown record.
Miles Sanders: The reason I left Sanders off the list for so long was that I was not sure he could fill Saquan’s shoes. Look, he is nowhere near as good as Saquan, but overall is still a solid prospect in his own right. He has a great chance to prove himself this week against Ohio State.
WR
Name | School | Movement |
1.David Sills V | West Virginia | Up two spots |
2. N’Keal Harry | Arizona State | None |
3. DK Metcalf | Ole Miss | Up one spot |
4. AJ Brown | Ole Miss | Down three spots |
5. JJ Arcega-Whiteside | Stanford | Up one spot |
6. Deebo Samuel | South Carolina | Down one spot |
7. Anthony Johnson | Buffalo | Up one spot |
8. Ahmmon Richards | Miami | Down one spot |
9. Juwan Johnson | Penn State | None |
10. Ryan Davis | Auburn | None |
David Sills V: I took a real hard look at my rankings this week, and it jumped out to me that Sills should be WR 1. Nobody in the entire country is better at the point of attack. He runs a better route than I gave him credit for earlier in the season.
DK Metcalf: Metcalf was a tape study who shot up my board, and his play is letting him rise up more. Metcalf made a great one-handed catch this weekend, and he has the ideal size for an outside WR.
JJ Arcega-Whiteside: Okay so Whiteside has been putting up video game numbers all season for Stanford. He scored two more touchdowns on Saturday night against Oregon. Next to Sills, Whiteside is the next best jump ball guy in this class.
Anthony Johnson: Johnson also moved up this week because I was able to go back and review some of his tape. He gets consistent separation and he can high point the ball pretty well. He will be a popular sleeper come April.
AJ Brown: The reason Brown fell so many spots is less about his skill and more about him not performing as well as the other guys. Brown has disappeared against the best opponents on his schedule.
TE
Name | School | Movement |
1.Noah Fant | Iowa | None |
2.Kaden Smith | Stanford | None |
3. Tommy Sweeney | Boston College | None |
4. Albert Okwuegbunam | Missouri | None |
5. Dawson Knox | Ole Miss | None |
6. Alize Mack | Notre Dame | None |
7. Caleb Wilson | UCLA | None |
8. CJ Conrad | Kentucky | None |
9. Foster Moreau | LSU | None |
10. Brandon Fritts | North Carolina | None |
IOL
Name | School | Movement |
1.Dalton Risner | Kansas State | None |
2. Martez Ivey | Florida | None |
3. Mike Dieter | Wisconsin | None |
4. Elgton Jenkins | Mississippi State | None |
5. Hjayle Froholdt | Arkansas | None |
6. Nate Herbig | Stanford | None |
7. Beau Benzschawel | Wisconsin | None |
8. Ross Pierschbacher | Alabama | None |
9. Nate Linder | Indiana | None |
10. Mike Jordan | Ohio State | None |
OT
Name | School | Movement |
1. Jonah Williams | Alabama | None |
2. Greg Little | Ole Miss | None |
3. David Edwards | Wisconsin | None |
4. Mitch Hyatt | Clemson | None |
5. Kaleb McGary | Washington | None |
6. Isaiah Prince | Ohio State | None |
7. Trey Adams | Washington | None |
8. Bobby Evans | Oklahoma | None |
9. Prince Tega Wanogho | Auburn | None |
10. Daniel Cooney | San Diego State | None |
DT
Name | School | Movement |
1.Ed Oliver | Houston | None |
2. Raekwon Davis | Alabama | None |
3. Rashan Gary | Michigan | None |
4. Dre’Mont Jones | Ohio State | None |
5. Jeffery Simmons | Mississippi State | None |
6. Dexter Lawrence | Clemson | None |
7. Terry Beckner | Missouri | None |
8. Christian Wilkins | Clemson | None |
9. Jerry Tillery | Notre Dame | None |
10. Gerald Willis III | Miami | None |
Edge
Name | College | Movement |
1.Nick Bosa | Ohio State | None |
2. Clien Ferrell | Clemson | None |
3. Montez Sweat | Mississippi State | None |
4. Zach Allen | Boston College | None |
5. Joe Jackson | Miami | None |
6. Anfernee Simmons | Alabama | None |
7. Shareef Miller | Penn State | None |
8. Brian Burns | Florida State | Unranked (Week 4 tape study) |
9. Austin Bryant | Clemson | Down one spot |
10. Chase Winovich | Michigan | Down one spot |
Brian Burns: Burns is a prospect that I hate to scout so much. On some plays, he looks the part of a first round pick, but on others, he looks more of a 3-4th round guy. When Burns shows up and his motor is high, watch out.
LB
Name | School | Movement |
1.Devin White | LSU | Up one spot |
2. Devin Bush | Michigan | Down one spot |
3. Cameron Smith | USC | None |
4. Josh Allen | Kentucky | None |
5. TJ Edwards | Wisconsin | None |
6. Shaquille Quarterman | Miami | None |
7. Mack Wilson | Alabama | None |
8. Sutton Smith | Northern Illinois | None |
9. Khalil Hodge | Buffalo | None |
10. Christian Miller | Alabama | None |
CB
Name | School | Movement |
1.Greedy Williams | LSU | None |
2. Deandre Baker | Georgia | None |
3. Jamal Peters | Mississippi State | None |
4. Amani Oruwariye | Penn State | None |
5. Kendall Sheffield | Ohio State | None |
6. Lavert Hill | Michigan | Up three spots |
7. Mark Gilbert | Duke | Down two spots |
8. Trayvon Mullen | Clemson | Up four spots |
9. Rock Ya-Sin | Temple | Up two spots |
10. Julian Love | Notre Dame | Down two spots |
Lavert Hill: Hill is yet another guy who benefits from me catching up on tape this week. He has been a shutdown corner all year for Michigan. Hill adds to what is already a great CB class. He displays the footwork and technique you want to see in an NFL CB.
Trayvon Mullen: I dropped Mullen off the list a couple of weeks ago, and that was a mistake. He had a bad game against Texas A@M but has bounced back nicely to the form we saw last season.
Rock Ya-Sin: There will be some people who will argue that I am being biased moving Ya-Sin this high, and to that I say, go watch his tape. He has locked down every single WR he has faced and has multiple interceptions. Ya-Sin is a sleeper that could creep into the second round if he continues playing at this level.
Safety
Name | School | Movement |
1. Deionte Thompson | Alabama | None |
2. Taylor Rapp | Washington | None |
3. Jaquan Johnson | Miami | None |
4. JR Reed | Georgia | None |
5. Lukas Denis | Boston College | None |
6. Chauncey Gardner-Johnson | Florida | None |
7. Jo-Jo Mcintosh | Washington | None |
8. Delvin Randall | Temple | None |
9. Jah’Shawn Johnson | Texas Tech | None |
10. Andrew Wingard | Wyoming | None |