Week 2 of the college football season is in the books and it’s time for another update on the 2019 NFL Draft. The early stages of the college football season is all about the information process. We use these games to continue to build the information up about all of these prospects. This week we have three games on tap that I got to watch this past Saturday. UCLA at Oklahoma, Georgia at South Carolina, and USC at Stanford. Those three games were the focus of my scouting report this week so let’s take a look at what I learned in week 2.
*Also, I really wanted to watch the Clemson vs. Texas A&M game but wasn’t able too. Very upset to miss that one.
UCLA at Oklahoma
Starting with the woeful UCLA side, I wanted to watch this game because of the matchup. With Chip Kelly at UCLA, I thought maybe he would know how to give Lincoln Riley some problems. Not in a competitive way but more so making them sweat a little. The only thing I came away with from the UCLA side was that I kept thinking “who the hell is this tight end”? Caleb Wilson? I’ve never heard of him. I only needed to watch one game to learn that this dude is a stud.
Once I started doing more research I found out that Wilson has a lot going for him. Wilson was electric early in the 2017 season but missed a lot of the season via injury. What I really like is his dad, Chris Wilson, is the defensive line coach for the Eagles. Bloodlines matter.
The first thing you really want to see with a tight end is that he can move. Yes, I’m being serious. Elite tight ends make big plays. Wilson did just that. Playing with a true freshman quarterback in Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Caleb Wilson was really the only guy who could make plays. 4 catches for 92 yards is no joke for a tight end. Check out Wilson here on the clip below. The speed and breakaway ability for a tight end is really top end and has moved his way on my radar sheet.
On the Oklahoma side, it’s hard to find a place to start. God, this team is loaded. If we’re being totally honest, I think Oklahoma is better than they were a year ago. Oklahoma can score with anyone. Kyler Murray could do whatever he wanted and he basically didn’t get touched the whole game. Left tackle Bobby Evans just looks like an NFL left tackle from what I saw so far.
My eyes started focusing on the skill position players that they have. Let’s get to the bad news first. Rodney Anderson came into the season as one of my top running backs. Building off the momentum he had during the Bowl game against Georgia, Anderson looked like one of the best running backs in the nation. The bad news is his season will end after a knee injury. Anderson looked good in the brief action against UCLA. The problem is this season-ending injury isn’t just a one-time thing. He’s missed a season with a leg injury and then a neck injury. He’s hurt all the time. I’m guessing Anderson will declare but how high will he go after another injury? Anderson is really good and could be a steal if he drops in the draft. Trey Sermon is going to be the guy now and a name to watch for 2020.
The wide receivers stole the show. CeeDee Lamb is phenomenal but he’s not even draft eligible yet. I wanted to see more of Marquise Brown cause I wasn’t totally sure how good he is. 4 catches for 88 yards and a touchdown is more than a fine showing. One thing that did become clear is that Brown can fly. Boy, can he move and shake away from defenders. It was a bit hard to evaluate because it appears that UCLA’s defense is shaky at best. The question what I want to know is if Hollywood Brown is just another Marquise Goodwin or is he much more than that? We will find out as the information process continues.
*Quick Note: Eric Murray, the linebacker from Oklahoma looked unbelievable. Never heard of him before but I was very impressed.
Georgia at South Carolina
The Gamecocks got taken to the woodshed by the Bulldogs but that was to be expected. Georgia has too much talent and blew the doors off their fellow SEC counterpart. What I really wanted to watch was the Deebo Samuel vs. DeAndre Baker showdown. Samuel is one of my favorite receivers in college football and Baker was going to shadow him the whole game. There was a pretty obvious winner and it wasn’t the guy I was expecting.
DeAndre Baker really impressed me. His measurables won’t wow you and I’m not sure how fast he is but he might be the most instinctual corner I’ve seen in college football thus far. Baker’s just overall feel for the game is fantastic. Baker showed that he’s a shutdown corner after not allowing a touchdown all last year. His performance Saturday was just ridiculous. To hold Samuel to 6 catches for 33-yards is a big accomplishment. Baker did get called for a questionable penalty or two but he was really physical and you never felt nervous when SC threw the ball his way.
On the flip side, I still really like Deebo Samuel. Samuel is a guy who can really do everything. He’s the return man on both ends. Samuel even found the end zone when things weren’t going his way throwing a touchdown. Samuel has even played running back in the past. Despite the lack of production in this game, his route running still looks like a plus. I’m high on Samuel.
*One quick note. I really like the safety from Georgia, JR Reed. I’m not sure how good he is but Reed just seems like one of those guys that covers up for a lot of mistakes. Check out this pick Reed makes in the red zone.
USC at Stanford
Bryce Love was the hot ticket item I wanted to see. Love is already a member of my fantasy team so I wanted to see him get his first licks in against a Pac 12 foe. I saw pretty much everything I was expecting. 5-10, 190, a really instinctual runner. Love runs with patience and explosion. I think the thing that separates Love from other backs is his acceleration. The speed that Love has after he makes cuts is next level. Love is the number one back on my board thus far.
this pac-12 battle goes to @StanfordFball pic.twitter.com/Nxz03L4pIr
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 9, 2018
The bad news is the questions I had didn’t get answered either. Is he a workhorse back in the NFL? I’m not sure. Can he become a productive pass catcher? We won’t find out that one either but that’s just a product of Stanford’s grind it out offense. Still, 22 carries for 136 yards and a touchdown is everything I was hoping for.
I have a bone to pick with USC for a second. This team is almost impossible to evaluate because they are so poorly coached. The offensive line still has issues despite having talent. The offensive play calling has zero creativity. There are too many idiotic fade routes and things of that nature that have no chance to work. This Clay Helton thing needs to end because Sam Darnold was the only glue holding this thing together. Stephen Carr is going to be a good one but I hate watching USC right now. Linebacker Cameron Smith had another good game for whatever that’s worth.
