2022 NFL Draft: 25 notes about college football through 2 weeks and the upcoming class
2022 NFL Draft: 25 notes about college football through 2 weeks and the upcoming class
2022 NFL Draft / Week 3 College Football Notes
College Football and 2022 NFL Draft Notes
Oregon S Verone McKinley III is on draft notice after winning Defensive Player of the Week for being the Ducks’ defensive leader in a win over Ohio State. The Buckeyes have a lot of future NFL players on defense, so it’s something I take more seriously. McKinley had six tackles, an INT, forced a fumble, and had two pass breakups. Oregon was without two defensive starters also, including projected top-three pick Kayvon Thibodeaux. McKinley is 5’11, 196 lbs and is going to be draft eligible next year. McKinley was a three-star prospect out of Texas and he was highlighted before the game for allowing a game-winning touchdown to Auburn as a freshman on national TV. You’ve heard of redemption, but how about reducktion? From 2020:
Oregon RB C.J. Verdell was the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week for rushing 20 times for 161 yards and two touchdowns, with 34 receiving yards and another touchdown.
Stanford CB Kyu Blu Kelly was the Defensive Player of the Week (not McKinley) for three pass breaks and a pick-six of Kedon Slovis.
Washington State WR Travell Harris was special teams player of the week for his returning prowess. He could end up as a special teamer in the NFL, but he also has 11 catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns in the first two games.
Oregon C Alex Forsyth was the Pac-12 O-lineman of the Week, with ASU LT Kellen Diesch, Oregon State OL Joshua Gray, and WSU OT Abe Lucas getting nominated. He’s “moved up from a fourth rounder to a day two prospect” at PFN.
Oregon DE Bradyn Swinson is a freshman but he won Defensive Line honors.
Stanford QB Tanner McKee won freshman honors, but keep in mind that McKee is more than three years out of high school and will be eligible for the 2022 draft.
No Pac-12 player who won an honor in Week 1 repeated said award. UCLA’s Alec Anderson won the OL award in Week 1.
Houston FOOTBALL PLAYER Marcus Jones is attempting to Ohtani himself into NFL conversations. As a freshman at Troy in 2017, Jones was Freshman of the Year as a cornerback. He transferred to Houston and began play in 2020, starting seven games at cornerback and recording an interception. In that time, he was also Troy or Houston’s kick and punt returner. This year, Jones is also playing receiver and he’s caught seven passes for 51 yards in two games. It’s not quite the same as leading the majors in HR and ERA or whatever but playing in three phases of the game is relatively unheard of and his coach is pretty high on him as a cornerback. Coach Dana Holgorsen will decide “week to week” if Jones is better suited to play offense or defense in the next game.
SMU TE Grant Calcaterra retired in 2019 after three years at Oklahoma because of a history of concussions. He’s returned and he has three touchdowns in the first two games with hopes to make it to the NFL.
A breakdown of Virginia QB Brennan Armstrong by Cavs Corner. He’s looking good so far, as is TE Jelani Woods, “the talk of spring practice and fall camp” apparently.
Florida fans want QB Emory Jones benched for freshman Anthony Richardson. Head coach Dan Mullen said he wouldn’t make a change because much of what makes Richardson “exciting” is the fact that he needs to improvise plays after he misses several reads and throws. Richardson has 192 passing yards and two touchdowns on only six completions, with 275 rushing yards and two touchdowns on only 11 attempts. That’s almost 500 yards of total offense on those 22 attempted plays by Richardson, throws and runs. Jones has two touchdowns and four interceptions for 2-0 Florida. I still see Jones mentioned on some 2022 draft talk as a potential first rounder.
BYU RB Tyler Allgeier has 196 yards in two games and is a “strength” on the team, as is the offensive line.
Utah State QB Logan Bonner turned heads with 390 yards and four touchdowns in Week 2 against North Dakota, but he also had a decent game against Washington State and his team is 2-0 for the first time in a decade.
Weber State head coach Jay Hill is considered a fast riser in those ranks.
PFN’s other rises in Week 2 include Ole Miss LT Nick Broeker, Michigan DE Aiden Hutchinson, FSU EDGE Jermaine Johnson, Notre Dame S Kyle Hamilton, Iowa CB Matt Hankins, Rutgers LB Olakunle Fatukasi, Toledo OLB Jamal Hines, Texas A&M OT Jahmir Johnson, and Nicholls State WR Dai’Jean Dixon.
WR Dai’Jean Dixon had 14 catches for 198 yards and 2 TDs against Louisiana, a very good program right now. He is 6’3, 200 lbs, and now maybe viewed as a day three prospect instead of a UDFA.
OT Jahmir Johnson is with his fourth program.
PFN’s Week 2 faller is Ohio State DE Zach Harrison, who didn’t help the Buckeyes much in their loss to Oregon.
Grayson McCall is now EIGHTH on USAToday’s QB rankings, which is a HUGE step up from where McCall was viewed before this season began. When I placed a bet on McCall to win the Heisman back in March, I only found one sportsbook in all of Las Vegas that even had him on the board.
Mississippi State QB Will Rogers is ninth on the list. He plays in Mike Leach’s air raid offense, which has not produced any NFL QBs of note yet. I’m not saying Air Raid QBs haven’t done well (Patrick Mahomes for one), I’m saying players who directly played for Leach.
247 Sports highlighted their “early breakout players of the season” around the country. Here they are in quick order: QB Brennan Armstrong, QB Taulia Tagovailoa (neither are in my top-10 draft eligible QBs yet, but Tagovailoa was #10 last week and Armstrong is now in serious consideration for it), Memphis RB Brandon Thomas, UCLA RB Zach Charbonnet, Ole Miss WR Dontario Drummond, Georgia TE Brock Bowers, Virginia TE Jelani Woods, Baylor C Jacob Gall, Pitt DL Calijah Kancey, Oregon DL Brandon Dorlus, Hutchinson, UCLA LB Mitchell Agude, Iowa CB Riley Moss, Georgia CB Latavious Brini, Texas A&M S Leon O’Neal.
Brini is said to play the “star” position at Georgia and that’s the same role that Jalen Ramsey currently has with the Rams. I’m not comparing the two, other than to say this is a newly-touted position that is becoming popular in a hurry.
Georgia has been playing without TE Darnell Washington and TE Arik Gilbert, who 247 calls “two of the freakiest tight end prospects in recent memory.” And they still also have Brock Bowers.
Bleacher Report highlights 11 defensive players from the 2022 high school recruiting class who could be immediate starters next year.
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