2024 NFL Draft: Week 5 Prospect Stock Report
By Jack Brentnall
Week 5 of the college football season is in the books. Which prospects boosted their draft capital? And which saw it take a tumble? Here are five prospects who saw their stock shift after this weekend.
Stock UP: Ray Davis – RB, Kentucky
Kentucky have looked good so far this season and they managed to maintain their unbeaten record with a win over Florida in Week 5. That wouldn’t have been possible without a tremendous performance from Davis. The former Temple and Vanderbilt running back had a career day, finishing with 280 yards and three touchdowns on his 26 carries.
His 280 rushing yards is the best single-game mark in the FBS this season and is the third-highest mark in school history. He was tough to bring down, forcing 10 missed tackles and averaging a massive 7.3 yards after contact. His eight explosive runs and six breakaway runs were also the best single-game mark of any Power Five running back this season.
Stock UP: Brian Thomas Jr – WR, LSU
LSU might have ended up losing what was a thrilling encounter with Ole Miss, but there were a number of standout performances in that game from the Tigers. Chief amongst these was that of wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. A former four-star prospect and a top 75 recruit in the 2021 class, Thomas continued his rise up draft boards with his showing against the Rebels.
He was a consistent threat downfield, logging 124 yards and three touchdowns on his eight receptions. Seven of those catches went for first downs as he averaged 15.5 yards per catch. Thomas also showed off his ability at the catch point with a pair of impressive contested catches. He is certainly a name to keep a close eye on over the rest of the season.
Stock UP: Howard Cross III – IDL, Notre Dame
Cross has been playing some outstanding football for Notre Dame this season and he had perhaps his best game of the year against Duke in Week 5. The graduate student, who is in his fifth season with the Fighting Irish, repeatedly tore through Duke’s offensive line and made plays in the backfield.
Cross finished the game with six pressures, two of which were sacks. He forced two fumbles, one of which was a strip sack on Riley Leonard that ended the game and sealed the win for Notre Dame. This game marked the second time in Cross’ career that he has logged double-digit tackles. He also became just the second defensive tackle this season to log eight defensive stops in a game.
Stock DOWN: Riley Leonard – QB, Duke
Leonard has looked pretty good so far this season, but he had an absolute stinker against Notre Dame in Week 5. He ended up leaving the game with a high ankle sprain late in the fourth quarter, but the tape he put out before that had been patchy at best.
Leonard completed just 12 of 27 passes, logging an adjusted completion rate of 53.8%. For context, that ranked 112th of 120 FBS quarterbacks in Week 5. He was averaging just five yards per attempt, with just 134 passing yards to his name. Per PFF, Leonard also finished the game with three turnover-worthy plays, the most he has ever had in a single outing.
Stock DOWN: Omarion Cooper – CB, Colorado
Going up against Caleb Williams and a high-flying USC offense was never going to be an easy test for Colorado. That said, a number of their players really struggled. One of those players was Cooper. The former Florida State cornerback was routinely picked on in coverage and gave up a handful of big plays.
He finished the game with nine targets, surrendering seven catches for a whopping 121 yards at 17.3 yards per reception. Three of these targets also resulted in touchdowns for the Trojans as Cooper gave up a perfect passer rating of 158.3 when targeted. He has now allowed four touchdowns this season, tied for the most amongst FBS cornerbacks.
