The first week of the college football has passed by with big games, big upsets, and big winners and losers of our top prospects in the 2019 NFL Draft. Some big names like Nick Bosa and Ed Oliver played lights out, but in this article we will be looking at other guys who aren’t quite as high who played really well, some guys who disappointed, a small-school prospect to keep your eye on, and top match-ups to watch this upcoming weekend.
Draft Risers:
1. JJ Arcega-Whiteside, WR, Stanford:
Arcega-Whiteside probably had the most dominant first game of the season out of anyone in the country. He dominated the game against SDSU with 3 touchdowns and 6 receptions for 226 yards and looked like he couldn’t be stopped. Arcega-Whiteside has tremendous hands, but his best feature is his ability to get up and attack the ball when it’s in the air, showing that this week going up over multiple defenders at times. He also has good speed and burst, which allows him to be a good route runner. A lot of people have been comparing him to Mike Evans as a prospect, and if he can continue this performance for the rest of the year, that might not be that far off.
2. Will Grier, QB, WVU:
Will Grier had a phenomenal performance against Tennessee on Saturday throwing for 429 yards, 5 touchdowns, and a 73.5% completion percentage. Grier has a strong and accurate arm and the ball zips out of his hand on every throw. He has great footwork in the pocket and can also move outside and make good throws. Grier reads the field well and usually finds an open man. The main knock I had on him going into this season was his tendency to throw off his back foot too often. If he can eliminate that this season, he might be able to put him in the first round.
3. Pat Jasinski, LB, UCF:
Pat Jasinski has become one of my favorite prospects in this draft. He had a great game against UCONN with 11 total tackles (10 solo), a forced fumble, and a pass breakup. He is a little undersized at 6’1’’ and 220 pounds, but he has a strong build and takes on blockers head-on. I had concerns about his speed entering this year, but he showed on Thursday that he has the burst to get in the backfield or get to the sideline to make up for it. He can help out in pass coverage, although it isn’t his biggest strength. He’ll need to improve his play recognition and block shedding, but if he can build off his performance in the first game, he will be climbing boards all year.
Draft Fallers:
1. Shea Patterson, QB, Michigan:
Shea Patterson had a poor showing against Notre Dame on Saturday throwing for 227 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, 66% completion percentage, and losing a fumble on the last potentially game-tying drive. He looked panicked against any type of pass rush, abandoning his mechanics while often throwing the ball in the air in the direction of his receivers, instead of throwing it out-of-bounds. Patterson has some tools which could project him into a top round of the draft, showing great mobility and throw-on-the-run ability with a very accurate arm, but there are definite concerns moving forward after a disappointing week 1 game.
2. Jake Browning, QB, Washington:
Browning had a rough outing against Auburn throwing for 296 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and 56% completion percentage. I wasn’t very high on Browning before last weekend, but I expected him to look better than this. Arm strength was always a concern for him while accuracy is his greatest ability. But the big downside with Browning is his lack of vision when scanning the field. Most of the time Browning doesn’t even go through his reads but stares down one wide receiver as if he has pre-determined who he is throwing to before the snap. I hope he can prove me wrong, but I just don’t see Browning improving enough to be a serious top prospect come April.
3. Juwan Johnson, WR, Penn State:
Juwan Johnson was primed to have a huge season with DaeSean Hamilton, Mike Gesicki, and Saquon Barkley off to the NFL. We didn’t have much to go off for Johnson due to the big names on offense in 2017, but Johnson has the body (6’4” and 229 pounds) and tools to make a big impact on scouts. But he came up well short in the season opener against Appalachian State with several dropped passes in big moments. Every scout in the nation is now questioning his hands which is obviously the most important trait for a receiver.
Small School Prospect Spotlight:
Bruce Anderson, RB, North Dakota State:
The big name at NDSU is Easton Stick, who many are proclaiming to be the next great QB out of NDSU after Carson Wentz from a few years ago. But Bruce Anderson has been putting on a show since the beginning of last year. In 2017, Anderson racked up 1,216 yards, 5.2 YPC, and 15 touchdowns, including a 183 yard and 5 touchdown performance against Sam Houston State in the FCS semi-final playoff game.
Anderson stands at 5’11” and 210 pounds and plays with good vision, patience, and acceleration. He is agile to move through lanes and has enough speed to breakaway from defenders. In his first game this season against Cal Poly, Anderson ran for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns on 11 carries. Stick may have been getting the attention at NDSU for the past couple of months, but Anderson may be able to jump in front of him on draft night in April.
Big Match-ups This Weekend:
1. USC vs Stanford:
This will be a great matchup of some top prospects for these two teams. Stanford is loaded on offense with prospects in RB Bryce Love, WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside, TE Kaden Smith, and OT Nate Herbig. Meanwhile, USC is loaded on defense with LB Cameron Smith, CB Iman Marshall, and S Marvell Tell. There are a lot of good matchups across the field in this one and it will be a great test for all of these guys early in the season.
2. Clemson vs Texas A&M:
Clemson’s defensive line will be the focal point of this game, like they probably will be the entire season. But Clemson also has OG Mitch Hyatt and LB Kendall Joseph who are also top 100 talents on most big boards right now. For Texas A&M, the roster isn’t quite as loaded with NFL prospects, but DT Kingsley Keke, S Donovan Wilson, and DE Landis Durham make this an intriguing matchup on both sides of the field.
3. Georgia vs South Carolina:
Both teams have NFL-level talent, but this game boasts the most intriguing matchup of the weekend: Georgia’s CB Deandre Baker vs. South Carolina’s WR Deebo Samuels. Baker landed at number 15 on my preseason big board and Samuels at number 26 and I can’t wait to see how they look against each other. Georgia also will display top prospects in DT Tyler Clark and S JR Reed, and South Carolina has DT Javon Kinlaw, OG Zack Bailey, and QB Jake Bentley.
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