2018 NFL Draft watch: Lamar Jackson struggles against Clemson; Baker Mayfield shines

Ron Clements

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2018 NFL Draft watch: Lamar Jackson struggles against Clemson; Baker Mayfield shines image

Each week during this year's college football regular season we will highlight some of the top draft-eligible performers from around the country.

Lamar Jackson won the Heisman Trophy last season by putting up video game numbers, especially in the first month of the season. He's been at his best in September, but struggled mightily Saturday against the defending national champions.

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No. 3 Clemson harassed Jackson and cruised to a 47-21 win over No. 14 Louisville at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Jackson finished 21 of 42 for 317 yards with three touchdowns and an interception that was returned for a touchdown. It was the first interception thrown by Jackson in 138 pass attempts and he was the victim of several drops by his receivers. 

Jackson did add 64 rushing yards to break the ACC record for career rushing yards by a quarterback, but did not have the type of performance he wanted to have in front of the several NFL scouts who were at the game.

Jackson was outplayed by Clemson's first-year starter Kelly Bryant, who was 22 of 32 for 316 yards and a score. The 6-4, 220-pound junior also ran for 26 yards and two scores in the ACC matchup. 

Bryant wasn't the only quarterback who impressed against a conference opponent.

Washington State senior Luke Falk threw for 396 yards and six touchdowns in a 37-of-49 night to lead the Cougars to a 52-23 win over Oregon State. The 6-4, 223-pound senior did not throw an interception and now has 900 yards with nine touchdowns and one pick in three games.

Mississippi State junior Nick Fitzgerald led the Bulldogs to a 37-7 rout of No. 12 LSU. The 6-5, 230-pound quarterback went 15 of 23 for 180 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 88 yards and two more scores on 14 carries.

Behind senior tackle Martinas Rankin and junior linemen Elgton Jenkins and Deion Calhoun, Mississippi State junior running back Aeris Williams added 146 rushing yards on 23 carries. 

Oklahoma senior quarterback Baker Mayfield continued to be the Heisman front-runner by throwing for 331 yards and four touchdowns without an interception in a 56-14 win over Tulane. 

Here were a few more of Saturday's top NFL Draft-eligible players:

Josh Adams, RB, Notre Dame — Adams is a big, 6-2, 225-pound junior and pounded out 229 rushing yards on 18 carries in a 49-20 win over Boston College. Adams did not score, however, as junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush scored four times while rushing for 207 yards as the Irish racked up 515 yards on the ground. Adams has been a productive back the last two years and runs with power. 

Duke Dawson, DB, Florida — The 5-10, 202-pound senior missed a couple of tackles, but he also made a huge stop on second down inside the 10-yard line during the third quarter of Saturday's game against Tennessee. Dawson followed that tackle up with an acrobatic interception at the goal line. Dawson nearly had another interception, but dropped it. He has playmaking ability, but has to be more consistent to have an NFL future. 

James Hearns, DE, Louisville — The Cardinals were thoroughly beaten by Clemson, but Hearns flashed as a disruptive pass rusher. The 6-3 senior showed off a nifty spin move and recorded a pair of sacks in a losing effort. 

Kenny Hill, QB, TCU — Hill isn't exactly mentioned when discussing the top quarterbacks in next year's draft, but the 6-1, 212-pound TCU senior was nearly perfect against SMU. Hill went 24 of 30 for 365 yards and four scores to lead the Frogs to a 56-36 win over the Mustangs. Hill is completing 75 percent of his passes through three games with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. 

John Kelly, RB, Tennessee — Kelly is just a junior, but should he decide to enter the draft, he boosted his stock Saturday. Kelly ran for 141 yards on just 19 carries and caught six passes for another 96 yards in Tennessee's 26-20 loss to Florida.

Dorian O'Daniel, LB, Clemson — After recording 14 tackles and 1 1/2 sacks last week in a win over Auburn, the 6-1, 220-pound senior linebacker returned a Jackson interception 44 yards for a touchdown. O'Daniel has shown himself to be a playmaker the last two weeks and has surely drawn the attention of scouts. 

Dante Pettis, WR, Washington — After breaking the Pac-12 record for career punt returns for touchdowns last season, Pettis tied the NCAA record of eight returns for scores by taking a Fresno State punt 77 yards to the house in the first quarter of Washington's blowout win.

The 6-1, 195-pound dynamo also scored three times through the air and even completed a 36-yard pass in the rout. 

Cam Phillips, WR, Virginia Tech — The Hokies senior had a huge day at East Carolina. Phillips set a single-game school record with 14 receptions for 189 yards and three scores in the 64-17 victory. The 6-foot senior is coming off a career year and already has 27 catches for 417 yards and five touchdowns this season. 

Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA — The junior put up some big numbers Saturday (34-56, 463 yards, four TDs), but gave up a pick-six on a pass into traffic and threw another interception late in the fourth quarter of the Bruins' 48-45 loss to Memphis.

Mason Rudolph, QB, Oklahoma State — Regarded as a potential top-10 pick, the 6-5, 230-pound senior burned Pittsburgh for 273 yards and four touchdowns — and that was in the first 18:38 of their game. Rudolph finished the game completing 23 of 32 attempts for 497 yards with five TDs and an interception in OK State's 59-21 victory.

Chase Winovich, DE, Michigan — The 6-3, 253-pound senior was a wrecking crew against Air Force with nine tackles, two for loss, and 1 1/2 sacks. Wolverines senior linebacker Mike McCray added a game-high 11 tackles with two for loss in Michigan's 29-13 victory. 

Ron Clements