Once the games end on a college football Saturday, my work begins as I pore through the coaches’ film of each game, taking notes and writing reports.
Here are plays from Week 6 that help illustrate the skills of 10 NFL Draft prospects:
After transferring from Arizona State, Daniels took a jump in his development last season at LSU and has made another sizable leap in 2023, specifically as a downfield passer.
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On throws of 20-plus yards, Daniels is completing 69 percent of his attempts (20 for 29), which ranks No. 1 in the country. With a 13:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio on such throws, he also leads college football on touchdown passes of 20-plus yards, just ahead of Caleb Williams (10).
This post throw off play-action against Missouri isn’t necessarily “special,” but the execution is perfect, from Daniels’ drop to the accuracy of his 50-yard pass. Only halfway through the season, Daniels already has a career-high 19 touchdown passes — he’s never had more than 17.
A legitimate dual-threat weapon, Daniels currently leads the FBS in total yards (2,391) and has made himself a contender to be the first senior quarterback drafted in April.
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I was in Columbus this weekend, and it was helpful to see Ohio State-Maryland from the sideline Saturday. Unsurprisingly, wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was clearly the best player on the field and surpassed even my sky-high expectations.
On defense, though, it was Proctor who stood out as the Buckeyes’ MVP. A sixth-year senior, Proctor finished the game with seven tackles (1.5 for loss) and this 24-yard pick six, which put Ohio State on the scoreboard:
At 6-f00t-2 and 204 pounds, he is an impressive athlete with outstanding speed and length (he’s got a larger wingspan than Aidan Hutchinson).
Proctor introduced himself to scouts as a redshirt sophomore in 2020 and was receiving top-100 grades. However, he missed most of the 2021 season with a broken right leg, which still affected him in 2022 and put his football future in limbo. Despite not being promised a starting spot by Ohio State’s coaching staff, Proctor returned for a sixth season and has been a difference-maker for the Buckeyes — reestablishing his draft stock in the process.
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Between Ohio State’s Proctor and Lathan Ransom and Maryland’s Brade and Dante Trader Jr., this was a great matchup to scout safety play. All four prospects have NFL futures. Brade led the Terrapins with eight tackles Saturday and added a pair of pass breakups, including this one in the first quarter:
Patrolling the middle of the field in zone, Brade maintains proper spacing with Emeka Egbuka out of the slot and shows terrific drive quickness on the throw. Not only does he have perfect timing, but he hammers down with his right arm to punch the ball out.
It’s a textbook play by Brade, who is one of the better senior safeties I have scouted for the 2024 class.
In my summer quarterback preview article, I wrote that the margin between Caleb Williams and Maye for QB1 status was “razor thin” — and that is still the case almost halfway through the 2023 season.
Syracuse had very few answers Saturday for Maye’s arm, as the North Carolina QB threw for 442 yards and three touchdowns and added several NFL-level throws to his resume tape for scouts. I tweeted a few of them.
But Maye still doesn’t get enough credit for what he can do with his legs, especially when plays fall apart and he must improvise.
On this play, Maye quick pumps the flat to draw the corner and open up the slot fade. However, Syracuse doesn’t bite, and both of Maye’s targets are covered up. Maye has a defensive tackle bearing down on him, too, but he doesn’t panic and allows his athletic instincts to take over, forcing three missed tackles on his way to a first down.
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Some around the league believe Williams is the clear-cut QB1, while others see it as a close race. Regardless, both quarterbacks will be drafted very high in April, most likely with the draft’s first two picks.
Saturday’s Red River Shootout was the full Bowman experience. He had a handful of frustrating missed tackles, but also was all over the field and impacted the game in several different ways. Bowman finished with 11 tackles and this pass breakup at the goal line:
A touchdown there would have tied the game, but Bowman instead created a turnover with his reaction quickness and physicality to play through the hands of Ja’Tavion Sanders (his high school teammate). The placement of the pass by quarterback Quinn Ewers could have been better, but Bowman’s decisive play deserves to be highlighted.
There are a handful of underclassmen safeties who will have tough NFL decisions to make after this season. Bowman is one of them.
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This is the second week in a row I found myself impressed with Davis. He averaged fewer than four yards a carry Saturday as the Kentucky offense struggled to find success versus Georgia’s defense, but he again showed off dynamic receiving skills with this 26-yard catch and run for a touchdown:
This is a well-designed screen by Wildcats play caller Liam Cohen. Davis doesn’t waste any time getting north-south, and his speed erases the cornerback angle and makes the first man miss. He then shows his open-field vision, redirects his momentum 90 degrees toward the corner and allows his blockers to do their jobs.
Davis leads all FBS running backs with four receiving touchdowns, and he is the only back with double-digit receptions averaging better than 15.0 yards per catch. Davis is making a convincing case to be one of the top five senior NFL prospects at his position.
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Most already know about projected first-round pass rusher Laiatu Latu, but there are several other NFL prospects on the Bruins’ defense who also deserve attention — specifically, Murphy (and his twin brother, Grayson).
Murphy was in the face of Washington State quarterback Cameron Ward all game Saturday, with his blend of explosiveness and effort. On this play, his edge speed is too much for the left tackle, and Murphy puts Ward on his backside just as he delivers the ball.
A Bryce Huff-type of NFL prospect, Murphy is short-armed, and there will be concerns about his ability to hold up versus the run. But he can burn the edges and shoot gaps as a pass rusher, providing valuable juice for a front seven. Based on NFL feedback, Murphy’s draft projection is somewhere on Day 3, but it won’t be a surprise if he sticks and outplays wherever he is picked.
Benson needed only 11 carries to reach the 200-yard rushing mark against Virginia Tech on Saturday, and his 18.2 yards-per-carry average set a school record.
This play is proficiently blocked by the Seminoles, but credit to Benson for finding those blocks and using his burst and runaway athleticism to turn it into a touchdown. He belongs in the conversation to be one of the first three backs drafted in April.
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Replacing Tyree Wilson was never going to be easy, but Linton was brought to Lubbock this season for his pass rush. His performance against Baylor was the breakout Red Raiders fans had been expecting. The Syracuse transfer only played on passing downs Saturday, but he finished with three sacks — two of which resulted in fumbles.
Here, having stressed the right tackle with corner speed most of the game, Linton is able to create an inside path to the quarterback by selling his outside rush:
Linton is not a complete player, by any means. He needs to develop his hand use and improve versus the run. But explosive speed off the edge will always have a home in the NFL, and that’ll hold true for Linton, even if he doesn’t rise above sub-package status.
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Just eight FBS running backs are averaging better than 7.5 yards per carry, and Jordan is one of them. The senior put himself on the NFL radar last year, but he is far surpassing expectations through six games in 2023. Against Notre Dame on Saturday, Jordan rushed for a season-high 143 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
This touchdown was the dagger that sealed victory for the Cardinals:
Yes, Jordan is presented with a gaping hole, but he doesn’t hurry through it. With an Irish safety waiting for him on the other side, he instead gives a subtle outside move, which forces the safety to stop his feet while Jordan accelerates north and through the arm tackle. The natural run instinct to set up the defender is an understated part of this game, but it makes all the difference on this touchdown.
Jordan had mostly free-agent grades from NFL teams this summer, but his draft arrow is pointing up based on what he has put on film in 2023.
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(Photo of Jayden Daniels: Scott Winters / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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