NFL Draft Primer for Week 6 of College Football
By Peter Smith
Sep 21, 2013; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies running back Bishop Sankey (25) scores a touchdown against the Idaho State Bengals during the first quarter at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Which games should you be watching this week? Where are the best match ups? Who should you be watching in this random game? We have you covered. Here is a breakdown of the college football action for week 6 including times and channels so you know what to watch, what to DVR and what to be excited for this week in college football.
Thursday 10/3
Players in Action Worth Watching
Texas DE Jackson Jeffcoat, CBs Carrington Byndom and Quandre Diggs, RBs Joe Bergeron and Malcolm Brown, WR Mike Davis vs. Iowa State, 7:30pm ESPN – While the Longhorn program may be in turmoil right now, they do have a lot of talent. If there is one player that is worth looking at above all the others right now, it might be their senior wide receiver Mike Davis. He is an overlooked, talented receiver who can make plays.
Western Kentucky RB Antonio Andrews and LBs Andrew Jackson and Xavius Boyd vs. Louisiana-Monroe, 7:30pm ESPNU – This Sun Belt matchup features a couple of intriguing prospects. Andrews is a talented running back who plays a similar style as Bobby Rainey, now of the Cleveland Browns, but with much better size for the position. Jackson, on the other hand, has incredible size and strength but his instincts and ability to read defenses have been questionable. When he is right, he can lay the wood and looked like he belonged when they played Alabama, but he needs to be right far more often. Boyd is not the physical specimen but he is more athletic than Jackson.
UCLA QB Brett Hundley, OLB Anthony Barr, OG Xavier Su’a-Filo, DE Cassius Marsh, WR Shaquelle Evans vs. Utah S Brian Blechen, 10pm Fox Sports 1 – UCLA has some incredibly talented prospects including one in Barr that could go in the top 10 of the NFL Draft, but there will be significant intrigue on the development of Hundley and what he opts to do after this season.
Friday 10/4
Players in Action Worth Watching
BYU OLB Kyle Van Noy, WR Cody Hoffman and TE Kaneakua Friel vs. Utah State QB Chuckie Keeton and C Tyler Larsen, 8pm CBS Sports Network – Van Noy is a do-it-all linebacker who uses impressive technique and instincts to make plays while Hoffman is a big receiver who shows good awareness in route running. Keeton is one of a pile of talented Mountain West quarterbacks while Larsen is a terrific center.
Nevada QB Cody Fajardo vs. San Diego State, 9pm ESPN – Another intriguing Mountain West QB, Fajardo gets the opportunity to showcase his abilities against the Aztecs.
Saturday
North Carolina at Virginia Tech, 12:30pm ESPN3
Key Matchup: North Carolina OT James Hurst vs. Virginia Tech DE/OLB James Gayle
Hurst did a pretty good job of blocking Jadeveon Clowney so he has gotten a lot of buzz while Gayle has tremendous size and length to be a great edge rusher.
Other Players Worth Watching
TE Eric Ebron, North Carolina – Extremely physically gifted tight end who will surprise with his effort in blocking, but needs to be more consistent with his hands.
S Tre Boston, North Carolina – Ball hawk of a free safety but a pretty poor tackler.
CB Kyle Fuller, Virginia Tech – Really has stepped up his play the last few weeks and has been a great player for the Hokies.
DB Antone Exum, Virginia Tech – Recovering from an ACL tear, Exum has great physical potential to play three spots in the NFL, but can get flagged for too much contact down the field
CB Tim Scott, North Carolina – Scott appears to have a ton of talent but needs to show it off more consistently.
DE Kareem Martin, North Carolina – Another in a line of talented Tar Heel defensive linemen, but needs to play up to his physical skills.
QB Bryn Renner, North Carolina – Toolsy QB who some really like but needs to be more confident in the pocket and more aggressive down the field.
QB Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech – Thomas is physically incredible but has been incredibly inconsistent and is coming off his best game in quite a while, but remains to be seen if this is a turning point or a fluke.
Notre Dame at Arizona State, 7:30pm NBC
Key Matchup: Arizona State DL Will Sutton and DE/OLB Carl Bradford vs. Notre Dame OG Chris Watt and OT Zach Martin.
Sutton is one of the most technically sound players in the country with an unstoppable will but he is playing with too much weight on him while Bradford is used all over the place and is more of a joker type player in the Sun Devil defense.
The left side of the Irish line features a tough, road grader in Watt and Martin, who is undersized slightly but finds ways to win and give opponents all they can handle.
Other Players Worth Watching
DT Louis Nix, Notre Dame – It remains to be seen what the status of his injury was after he went down against Oklahoma but he is a force in the middle and can plug the run and get after the passer.
DE Stephon Tuitt, Notre Dame – Tuitt, like Sutton, is another player who put on weight he should not have and still has issues with bending and playing behind his pads which causes him to play at a fraction of his strength and power. Nevertheless, he is a physical freak.
RB Marion Grice, Arizona State – One of the more talented senior running backs in the country, he is the biggest driving force for the Sun Devils.
TE Chris Coyle, Arizona State – More of a joker tight end because he is undersized, Coyle can get open and catch the football.
CB Bennett Jackson, Notre Dame – A physical corner probably better suited for Cover-2, but does a good job in the Irish secondary.
DE/OLB Prince Shembo, Notre Dame – Not quite as good as his press clippings would suggest, Shembo might be best suited to play strong side linebacker in the NFL.
Ohio State at Northwestern, 8pm ABC
Key Matchup: Northwestern QB Kain Colter and RB Venric Mark vs. Ohio State LB Ryan Shazier and Ohio State front seven.
Colter and Mark are both athletic running options that have typically given the Buckeyes problems. Colter is trying to develop as more of a passing threat but his future in the NFL might be at a different position. Mark can run and catch passes as an athletic threat who has a knack for avoiding defenders’ best shots.
Shazier is a tremendous linebacker who seems to be able to do everything from playing the run to covering the pass to helping on the blitz. He is an incredible athlete with range.
Other Players Worth Watching
CB Bradley Roby, Ohio State – Had a little trouble defending Jared Abbredaris but is an impressive corner with when facing the line of scrimmage who is an impact run defender.
RB Carlos Hyde, Ohio State – Enormous back who is actually a better athlete than back at this point.
OT Jack Mewhort, Ohio State – The best member of an offensive line made up of four seniors, Mewhort could potentially go to the NFL and play tackle or guard.
S C.J. Barnett, Ohio State – The Buckeyes lost Christian Bryant to a season-ending broken ankle, so Barnett has to play an even bigger role on the back end of the Buckeye defense.
QB Braxton Miller, Ohio State – Still developing as a passer but will have impressive stretches., but is still inconsistent with accuracy and some decision making.
QB Kenny Guiton, Ohio State – Guiton may not play, but he is an intriguing late round prospect who can has a lot of tools and intangibles teams will like.
Washington at Stanford, 10:30pm ESPN
Key Matchup: Washington TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins and RB Bishop Sankey vs. Stanford front seven including DE Ben Gardner, Henry Anderson, OLB Trent Murphy, ILB Shayne Skov
Jenkins is a walking mismatch with incredible size and strength for the position while understanding how to position himself to make big plays. Sankey is an incredibly natural runner who has taken a big step forward this year with added strength.
The Stanford front seven just features so much strength and power while Skov has incredible athleticism, but is still trying to get back to pre-ACL tear status in which he was considered an elite linebacker prospect.
Other Players Worth Watching
S Ed Reynolds, Stanford – Only a redshirt sophomore but an impressive safety who can make plays.
QB Kevin Hogan, Stanford – Another of an impressive sophomore quarterback class, there are some who believe Hogan can reach similar heights to Andrew Luck
OG David Yankey, Stanford – Extremely strong inside, has experience at tackle that has helped him with his ability to play laterally.
WR Kasen Williams, Washington – One of the better underclassmen wide outs in the country, Williams has long arms, good strength and playmaking ability after the catch.
Florida State LBs Telvin Smith and Christian Jones, S/CB Lamarcus Joyner, DT Timmy Jernigan and Jacobbi McDaniel, OT Cameron Erving, RB James Wilder Jr. vs. Maryland, 12pm ESPN – The Seminoles will be a substantial favorite but the Terrapins are off to a 4-0 start and might be the best team the Noles have faced so far this year. The roster for Florida State is absolutely loaded, so it is tough not to see one of their prospects.
Iowa TE C.J. Fiedorowicz and ILB James Morris vs. Michigan State, 12pm ESPN2 – This game features two pretty good defenses, so it could be interesting to see how the Hawkeyes use Fiedorowicz in the passing game. He is also a terrific blocker.
Tennessee OTs Antonio Richardson and Ju’Wuan James, C James Stone, RB Raijon Neal and ILB A.J. Johnson vs. Georgia QB Aaron Murray and TE Arthur Lynch, 3:30 CBS – The Vols are not a great team but they have some impressive players along that offensive front. Lynch is perhaps the most talented balanced senior tight end in the country.
Georgia Tech DE Jeremiah Attaochu vs. Miami(Fl) OTs Martin Bunche and Seantrel Henderson, 3:30pm ESPNU – Most of the time Attaochu will likely be matched up against Bunche, but he is a talented speed rushing threat off of the edge which gives Bunche the opportunity to improve his stock.
Minnesota DT Ra’Shede Hagemen vs. Michigan, 3:30pm ABC/ESPN2 – Hageman is a physical force in the middle of the Gopher front and could cause significant problems in the middle of the Wolverine offense.
UCF QB Blake Bortles and RB Storm Johnson vs. Memphis, 4:30pm ESPN3 – The Golden Knights could not take down South Carolina but they came close and this could be another showcase game for their main offensive players.
Colorado WR Paul Richardson vs. Oregon CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, 6pm PAC-12 Network – Olomu is one of the best corners in the country and while few are paying attention to Colorado, Richardson is having a big time year to this point.
Mississippi State OG Gabe Jackson and RB LaDarius Perkins vs. LSU, 7pm ESPN – The Bulldogs are typically overshadowed in the SEC but they have a couple of nice players on offense and are hosting an LSU team trying to bounce back after a tough loss to Georgia.
TCU CB Jason Verrett vs. Oklahoma, 7pm Fox – Verrett is arguably the best and most complete corner in college football and he goes up against a strong Oklahoma offense this week.
Arkansas DEs Chris Smith and Trey Flowers vs. Florida, 7pm ESPN2 – Arkansas is still trying to get its footing under Bret Bielema but they do have a couple of talented edge rushers.
Auburn RBs Tre Mason, Corey Grant and Cameron Artis-Payne vs. Ole Miss, 7pm ESPNU – Yes, Auburn has three talented junior tailbacks and they are all getting carries and producing.