It’s Championship Week and the college football playoff has been set. Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma earned entry to the playoff. However, this week I will be going through NFL Draft worthy prospects and how they faired during Champ Week. This week the games that I watched included Utah vs. Washington, Texas vs. Oklahoma, Memphis vs. UCF, Alabama vs. Georgia, Clemson vs. Pitt, and Ohio State vs. Northwestern. Here we go.
Utah vs. Washington
I only have one thing for this game. Byron Murphy… wow. This dude is really good. Now in fairness, Utah didn’t have their starting quarterback but Murphy won the Pac 12 for Washington by himself. Murphy had two interceptions in the game including one that went to the house. He also didn’t allow a single completion during the entire game. A corner scored the only touchdown in the entire game. Murphy has been fantastic all year and probably locked himself into the first round. Washington has produced quality NFL defensive backs in the past so don’t be phased by the Pac 12 competition.
BYRON
MURPHY
ALL
THE
WAY
HOME.#PurpleReign📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/yv8vDMLJyo
— Washington Football (@UW_Football) December 1, 2018
Texas vs. Oklahoma
I thought Texas actually did an okay job at least slowing down the Oklahoma offense… except for the one guy I was hoping to see perform. Kris Boyd was named as a first-team corner in the Big 12 and he couldn’t guard Marquise Brown if his life depended on it. The stat line for Brown doesn’t look as impressive because he left the game early but also because Boyd committed four penalties in the game. On two occasions, Boyd just straight tackled Brown before the Ball was even thrown. Maybe it was because of the speed of Brown but Boyd stood no chance.
In terms of a draft standpoint, I want to talk about the Texas wide receivers. Collin Johnson and Lil Jordan Humphrey are real weapons and have to deal with horrendous quarterback play. Johnson had a monster game with 8 catches for 177 yards and one touchdown. Johnson is an interesting case study because he is enormous. Johnson is 6-foot-6 and as expected, all of his catches are contested. How fast is he? Can he be more than just a jump ball receiver? Here’s an example of what Johnson did against Oklahoma.
I still prefer Lil Jordan Humphrey to Johnson. Humphrey also caught a touchdown. Humphrey is 6-4 but he also has more elusiveness and can also win a jump ball.
Memphis vs. UCF
I came to see one guy and one guy only. Darrell Henderson came to play again. 16 carries for 210 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns. He also threw another touchdown for whatever that’s worth. I hate to jump to an early conclusion and the timing of this comparison is awful but Henderson reminds me of Kareem Hunt. 5-9, 200, stout, quick, tough, and fast. Remember, DeAngelo Williams went in the first round of the draft too from Memphis. This guy is just flat out awesome. Watch the cuts he makes on these home runs.
Alabama vs. Georgia
This one was a tough one to judge. Obviously, when Tua Tagovailoa isn’t healthy, Alabama is very beatable and Georgia had them on the ropes. Alabama’s best defensive player is Quinnen Williams. Georgia has a fantastic offensive line and Williams is in the backfield on what seems like every single play. It’s hard not to talk about him. Williams had 8 tackles from the interior including two for loss and a sack. Williams is just a killer. There is no other way to put it. If you have a top pick, I truly don’t know how you pass on this guy.
You know who else sort of stood out, Shyheim Carter. He’s sort of just that swiss army knife that does everything. He can blitz, play corner, play the slot, and play safety. Carter deflected three passes in this game and is very well coached. You can tell he never panics when the ball is in the air. Carter is going to fly under the radar because of how much talent Alabama has but this guy is fantastic.
DeAndre Walker was all over the field again for the Bulldogs. Both Georgia safeties also had interceptions. I’m really intrigued by JR Reed.
Keep an eye on the Georgia wideouts. Riley Ridley and Mecole Hardman are very underrated. Riley is the brother of Calvin Ridley and both have big-time talent.
Clemson vs. Pitt
Pitt is a joke so I won’t waste much time. It’s another week and Clemson’s defensive front keeps killing people. Just watch this. They do this every week. All of them are uber talented. Christian Wilkins can move huh.
Ohio State vs. Northwestern.
The Dwayne Haskins experience is the hardest thing for me to evaluate. My brain is just mush watching him. Beware, this next segment is going to be muddled but I think this is the best way to describe it.
He looks like Cardale Jones. But his numbers are off the charts. But the Big 10 is trash. But his arm looks strong. But he is super raw and makes bad decisions from time to time. But the entire University was playing with a black cloud the whole season. But he’s a one-year starter, he’s not ready. But he’s super mobile and can always make big plays. But his weapons are far superior to every other team.
I really hope Haskins goes back to school but that seems doubtful with a weak quarterback class. All I know is Haskins is the best hope for a team to find a franchise quarterback in 2019. Haskins threw for 499 yards and 5 touchdowns in this one. Here are two of them. One to superstar running back (for 2020) JK Dobbins and another one to Terry McLaurin.
Dre’Mont Jones is a beast. This defensive line class is outrageous. I’ve talked about Jones in the past. He’s undersized but he really gets after the quarterback. Now he’s putting up sacks without Nick Bosa which helps his cause.
Malik Harrison is really coming into his own late in the season. Another huge game. Also, I’m not wasting my time on Clayton Thorson or any Northwestern player. Sorry, not sorry.
