Last week's Clemson-Louisville matchup ended a great college football Saturday and put arguably the country’s two best quarterbacks against each other in a shootout. But which quarterback will garner more NFL interest?
Elsewhere, Myles Garrett and the Texas A&M defense had another dominant performance against South Carolina, and it’s time to appreciate Garrett from a historical perspective.
Plus, we spotlight the savior of the Miami Hurricanes, we look back at the 2013 Rivals.com recruiting class and we highlight a receiving performance you missed over the weekend.
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Lamar Jackson or Deshaun Watson: Who’s the better pro?
Watson and the Clemson offense outlasted Louisville’s breakout star in a matchup of Heisman contenders Saturday night. Their performances were both high scoring and far from efficient, as the teams combined for 78 points and eight turnovers. After a sloppy start, it turned out to be as exhilarating as advertised.
Even after the loss, Jackson still appears to be the Heisman favorite, while Watson has joined Ohio State’s JT Barrett as a prime challenger. But NFL scouts aren’t worried about the Heisman Trophy.
Watson’s stock couldn’t get much higher after he led Clemson to the national title game last season with efficient play. But Jackson has stolen his and every other quarterback’s thunder this season. Dual threat doesn’t begin to define Jackson's Michael Vick-like change of direction, acceleration and suddenness as he changes from strong-armed passer to a runner reminiscent of Devin Hester returning kickoffs in the mid-2000s.
We know Watson’s skill set translates to the NFL. He’s not perfect, and the Louisville game displayed more signs of inconsistent vertical touch and the struggles he has when he’s forced outside of his arm angle comfort zone. But he has matured mentally as a passer, and he still has the running ability and in-pocket ball placement to merit first-round excitement.
Jackson’s future is far less obvious. The Vick comparison remains, but Jackson is a listed at 6-3. His arm talent isn’t as special as that of Vick, but Jackson is running basically the same simplistic and scattered offensive theme that made Vick the top pick in his draft class. Jackson isn’t a receiver prospect (yet) and has another year to clean up a host of pocket woes before he turns pro, but we haven’t seen a quarterback this shifty, this explosive and this unique in a long time.
Watson in all likelihood will enter the 2017 NFL Draft, and he remains a firm contender for the top quarterback spot. Jackson’s uniqueness will both worry and tantalize NFL teams, for better or worse. Fortunately ,they’ll get another year to determine whether Jackson can transition his production and skill set to an NFL offense.
Myles Garrett: Time to start appreciating A&M star
Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers will continue to give Garrett a run for his money, but the Texas A&M player is the country’s best defender. While he only has three sacks and five tackles for loss on the year, some still tout him as a Heisman contender. Such consideration is too hot of a take for my liking, but Garrett deserves even more publicity than he’s already getting as one of the best defenders in recent history.
It feels like every year we have a different “elite” defensive prospect who teams should draft and ignore their quarterback or tackle needs. But Garrett is a different beast.
He easily fits among the 10 best defensive draft prospects since 2000. He’ll be a better draft prospect than Lavar Arrington (2000), Eric Berry (2010), Khalil Mack (2014) and Jalen Ramsey (2016), and he’ll be either on par or a slight notch below Julius Peppers (2001), Mario Williams (2004), Ndamukong Suh (2010), Von Miller (2011) and Jadeveon Clowney (2014).
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Garrett has the most explosive and consistent get-off I’ve seen from a true defensive lineman. He can stay low and drive through/up with his hands to destroy even the most capable and experienced offensive tackles. He offers a spin move when working on the outside as well as the inside (below).
Garrett is the best talent available for the 2017 NFL Draft outside of quarterbacks, should he declare as expected. He has been the catalyst for the Aggies’ 5-0 record, and he has allowed for his defensive end running mate Daeshon Hall to thrive. The NFL talent around him, including safety Justin Evans, has received the attention and opportunity to emerge, as well.
If this defense can continue to pave the way toward an undefeated record, maybe Pro Football Focus’ Steve Palazzolo is on to something with his Heisman vote.
Player Spotlight: Brad Kaaya, QB, Miami (Fla.)
Watson and DeShone Kizer of Notre Dame have dominated the 2017 NFL Draft quarterback discussion. But Kaaya, who had no shortage of buzz before the season, has quietly led this team to a top 10 ranking and further flashed his pro-readiness along the way.
He’s still a bit delayed in his reads and decision making, and his footwork isn’t quite there yet. But he showed the confidence to step up and adjust in the pocket and produced a handful of big plays against Georgia Tech.
Kaaya’s finishing on the perimeter was a surprise against Georgia Tech, as he hasn’t had many flashy throws to start the season. The offense has been rather vanilla, and Kaaya has been adequate, if not a bit frustrating, in his ball placement and decision-making. He wasn’t perfect against Georgia Tech in a still-controlled offense, but if his flashes can come with more regularity as ACC play starts, and he can keep the turnovers to a minimum, Kaaya may lead Miami to a long-standing top 10 ranking.
And if he opts to leave school after his junior season, Kaaya may turn out to be a more promising pro than he was a college passer.
NFL SCOREBOARD: Week 4 highlights, stats
Top 10 players left from the 2013 Rivals.com recruiting class
High school recruiting rankings generally are not indicative of future college or NFL success, as so much can change between the time a player makes a school choice and when that player enters the NFL draft process. But NFL evaluators will often review and note where a prospect was ranked to see if he met expectations.
Highly-ranked prospects who have begun to reach their ceilings can get scouts more excited, while players who surprisingly haven’t emerged maybe get a second look to see what went wrong.
Here’s the ranking of 2013 class members who remain in college:
1. Eddie Vanderdoes, DT, UCLA
2. Dorian Johnson, OT, Pittsburgh
3. Tre’Davious White, CB, LSU
4. Montravius Adams, DT, Auburn
5. Jonathan Allen, DE, Alabama
6. Matthew Thomas, LB, Florida State
7. Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
8. Robert Foster, WR, Alabama
9. OJ Howard, TE, Alabama
10. Robbie Rhodes, WR, Baylor/Bowling Green (dismissed):
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Something you missed: Kenny Golladay
Northern Illinois is off to a rough start this season. It lost its first two games on the road to South Florida and Wyoming. It gave up 42 points in a double-digit loss to San Diego State and even lost to an FCS team in Western Illinois in Week 4.
But the Huskies’ one bright spot has been wide receiver Kenny Golladay.
His 13 catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with under four minutes left, gave Northern Illinois its first win on the year and a 1-0 record in the MAC. His 13 receptions made up half of the team’s total.
The senior won’t get much NFL buzz, but he’s a fun-to-watch receiver who’s now firmly on the NFL radar. Oh, and he has a tremendous vertical leap.