Week 9 of the college football season is in the books which means we have another 2020 NFL Draft update. I can’t believe it’s been 9 weeks already. This week we have Wisconsin At Ohio State, Auburn At LSU, and Penn State At Michigan State. Just 3 games this week. There’s too much going on. Start of NBA, NFL, and the World Series just has my brain all over the place. Still, we have 3 games to cover so let’s get to it. Who stood out during week 9 of the college football season in terms of the 2020 NFL Draft?
Wisconsin At Ohio State:
Chase Young is the best player in college football. He’s in that class with the Myles Garrett, Von Miller, Nick Bosa, etc. Just take him and know you are getting a world class pass rusher for the next decade plus. 4 sacks and 5 tackles for loss is just another day at the office for Chase Young. It looks like he’s playing a different game. He’s bigger, stronger, and faster than everybody else. Let’s also keep in mind this is Wisconsin. A program historically known for having a great offensive line. Chase Young ate them for lunch. The guy is a monster. 6-foot-5, 265, and down right explosive off the edge. Below is just one of his 4 sacks. Keep in mind Wisconsin kept a conscious effort to double him on every snap. He still killed them. Chase Young is the best overall player in the 2020 NFL Draft. I don’t need to see anything else.
I also want to add in a few other notes on this Buckeye defense. Don’t sleep on these Ohio State linebackers. Jonathan Taylor had a bad day. One of the reasons why is because the linebackers tackled well in space. Malik Harrison, Pete Warner, and Tuf Borland should all be on the radar. It’s rare that this defense doesn’t tackle. Harrison probably has the highest ceiling. He’s the most athletically gifted of the group.
Speaking of tackling, Jeff Okudah is willing to get his nose dirty. I’m just amazed. It feels like this team never misses a tackle. Even the corners tackle. We already went over how good Okudah plays the ball. He also tackles. Stock UP!
We also had another storyline in this game. Jonathan Taylor vs. JK Dobbins. Which is the better running back? I had Dobbins ranked higher than Taylor coming into the year. The majority of people feel the opposite. Just looking at the box score, Dobbins was the clear winner. Both Taylor and Dobbins had 20 carries. The guy from Wisconsin had 52 yards averaging 2.6 yards per carry. The guy from Ohio State had 163 yards and 2 touchdowns averaging 8.2 yards per carry.
Now the gap between the two may not be that large. Ohio State has the better surrounding talent. However, you can probably still give the offensive line edge to Wisconsin. Maybe the gap isn’t that big but I still prefer Dobbins. The Ohio State back is more twitchy, powerful, and more polished in the passing game. I think Taylor may have more straight line speed. I’m not sure about anything else. Dobbins will also have a lot less carries under his belt entering the NFL.
Bonus pick here. Chris Olave isn’t eligible for the draft yet but I think he’s a stud. I wanted to see what Binjimen Victor has. What does KJ Hill have? Neither are it. It’s Olave. He’s going fly under the radar all year and then explode next year. Then you will say “when the f*ck did Chris Olave get this good”? He’s that good right now. High ceiling here.
Auburn At LSU
This is mostly going to be an LSU version post here. If you haven’t figured out that Derrick Brown is a freak by now, that’s on you. Don’t worry, I clipped his one sack for you. The guy is ridiculous.
Okay, now on to the important stuff. What do we make of Joe Burrow? I’ll tell you what, color me confused. Early on in the game, Burrow really was a dink and dunk guy. Later on, he started to open up the offense more and more. I’m not sure I see the high end arm talent but he can make throws. Let’s keep in mind, I’m not sure Burrow gets drafted last year. His stock has been soaring off the charts. 32-42 for 321 is not a bad line. He did throw one pick on a 50-50 ball but that’s whatever. Really careful throws doing enough to win.
Let’s just go through what he know. The new offensive coaching staff has really helped Burrow. Things are spread out and he’s making the easy throws. That’s good. Does he have elite arm talent? Probably not. Does Burrow look like he belongs? Yes, no doubt. Leadership? Looks like he has that too. Mobility? Former point guard, he’s got more than enough. Burrow is moving in the right direction. Is that a first round quarterback talent? I’m not going there yet. Let’s see what he has for us against what is a down Bama defense.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire is the hidden gem in the SEC. Edwards-Helaire rushed for 136 yards on 26 carries against what is a monster defensive front at Auburn. His offensive line wasn’t opening up gaping holes either. His longest run of the day was 26 yards. Edwards-Helaire is a bowling ball that gets lost in the bodies and jets through for a gain. It’s incredible to watch. The LSU back stands at 5-foot-8 and has serious wiggle. I don’t know how he does it but I’m in on the guy. I think he can be a factor in the passing game too. In what is a loaded running back draft, don’t sleep on the LSU back. He’s a short back, not a small back. We can work with that. The guy does damage on every carry.
Bonus Pick: Derek Stingley is the best true freshman corner I’ve ever seen. LSU is DBU but I think there’s a chance Stingley is the best one yet. I don’t care what happens two years from now. Stingley is CB 1 in 2022.
Penn State At Michigan State
Quick rundown here. KJ Hamler is awesome. How about the tight end Pat Friermuth? 5 catches for 60 yards and 3 touchdowns. I’m not saying the guy is a world beater but he has a big body and gets open. He’s not Mike Gesicki athletically but he is more physically imposing. Maybe he flys under the radar and becomes the next Jason Witten. Penn State might have something here.
