2021 NFL Draft Stock Report: Week 15
The final week of the 2020 college football regular season is in the books. Next week is the conference championship games already. Where did the time go? The 2021 NFL Draft is starting to get some real buzz now so who stood out for better or worse this week?
Not a deep slate of games this week. We will focus on North Carolina vs. Miami, LSU vs. Florida, and USC vs. UCLA. Just three games this week but still plenty to talk about with the 2021 NFL Draft.
North Carolina vs. Miami
Whatever metaphor you want to use for being killed, that’s what happened to Miami. North Carolina whooped the Hurricanes 62-26. It was a beat down in every sense of the word. I guess Manny Diaz got fired by Mack Brown for a reason when they were back at Texas. Mack had to show him his defense is garbage.
I pretty much turned the game at halftime but I still saw what I needed to. I’ve seen two prior games of UNC. That was against Syracuse and Notre Dame. The North Carolina running backs are legit. I feel good about saying it now.
This was a bloodbath.
Michael Carter: 24 carries, 308 yards, two touchdowns.
Javonte Williams: 23 carries, 236 yards, three touchdowns.
I’m in on both. Now there were lanes for these guys to work obviously but that doesn’t matter. Both guys are so light on their feet and can’t make cuts to make guys miss, not just make themselves look like they’re trying. You can see the way both guys move. Right on the balls of their toes and able to get to the spot they want.
Carter especially was really impressive. He’s got an extra gear that maybe I didn’t know he had. There’s a real elusiveness in his game. I think there’s a chance his 40 time wows some people too.
Williams had a run in this one that blew me away. He’s starting to really gain a reputation as the yards after contact king. His balance and strength while being nimble on his feet is eye popping.
I’ve been waiting to talk about this one cause I didn’t want to speak too soon. I’m ready to say it now. Chazz Surratt, the former quarterback turned linebacker, sucks. He picks up tackles because he can run. Not because he’s an instinctive linebacker with high twitch movement skills.
Ja’Qurious Conley was the best linebacker on the field and he’s a freshman. You can just watch Surratt bend his knees and know that Roquan Smith upside isn’t there. Being able to run and cover ground doesn’t make you a great athlete. I’m out of the Surratt business and that includes his brother (who is a wide receiver at Wake Forest who will likely run a 4.8)
I can’t say anything about anyone on Miami after that game. It was terrible all the way around.
LSU vs. Florida
Down goes Florida! Marco Wilson throws a shoe and the entire season gets flushed down the toilet.
In reality, Kyle Trask took a step back this week which really cost his team the game. It wasn’t all bad. 29-47, 474 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions is passable. However, Trask showed inefficiencies in his game.
I thought he was shaky in the red zone and struggled with decision making. He probably could have thrown five picks in this one. His mobility is also a problem. He’s going to really struggle with interior pressure because he’s a bit of a statue back there. He doesn’t look great if his first option isn’t there.
However, Trask still has plenty of juice on his ball and can make tight window throws. His accuracy is even better than it was a year ago. Some of those flash throws were only his guy can get it are there.
The draft stock for Trask has pretty much been written. He’s very much draftable but the first round is far too rich. There’s still holes in his game.
The growth of Kadarius Toney has been impressive over the years. Toney is no longer just a gadget guy. He’s a functioning member of the passing attack. The pure route running technician might not be there yet but it works because of the raw tools. Toney led the team with nine receptions for 182 yards and a score.
Toney also added 56 rushing yards on three carries. Toney checks in at 193 but he never looks tiny on the field. That’s important. It’s more than past time to take Toney seriously who can probably play both positions.
For the Gators defense, two players really stood out. More and more Kaiir Elam is starting to sell me. He had a great day against LSU. He only had two tackles because nothing got completed to his side of the field. Elam is constantly in the hip pocket and gave up nothing all day. It was Marco Wilson who got ripped up.
I’m also in on Brenton Cox. He didn’t get a sack in this one but I don’t care. Cox has such a suddenness and extra notch to his game. There was a spin move he pulled off that was flawless. Cox is only 250 but he’s going to be perfect for 3-4 teams where he can stand up and go hunt.
Two quick shoutouts on the LSU defense because they kept them in the game. JaCoby Stevens can play. He was one of the few starters still left from that national championship team. He got a sack and made a bunch of great plays in coverage.
Jabril Cox blew me away. We didn’t get to see him cover Kyle Pitts who was out but he aced his coverage test. Cox is a transfer from North Dakota State who was all over the field. It was impressive to see the 230 pound linebacker cover the way he did. Number 19 was all over the field. Three QB hurries and two pass deflections is a good day.
USC vs. UCLA
Quck rant: USC is the luckiest team in the country. This team is garbage and had Alabama and Notre Dame removed from the schedule cause of COVID. It’s nonsense. They suck.
Anywho… back to the game. The Trojans march on to win another squeeker. This time it was a 43-38 win over cross town UCLA. Still don’t know how this USC team is undefeated but here we are.
I want to start with Amon-Ra St. Brown. Ten receptions for 73 yards and two touchdowns sounds like a nice day. He sucks too, sorry not sorry. All of his damage came within five yards of the line of scrimmage. There is no dynamic movement skills.
Both of Kedon Slovis’ interceptions were St. Brown targets. The first one happened because St. Brown doesn’t get separation. The other came via a drop that got tipped in the air.
St. Brown gets open because he’s stronger than Pac 12 defensive backs. Not because he’s this polished route runner. That isn’t going to fly in the NFL. I’ll be checking out of this hotel too.
I wanted to catch at least one UCLA game because Demetric Felton has gotten some buzz. He wasn’t a guy really on my radar at all. A year ago, Josh Kelley was the RB of note and I wasn’t high on him at all. Felton had faded into my background.
I’ll be the first to admit, I was impressed. More so impressed like a 6 out of 10. I’m not sold on Felton yet but he did some good things. I thought he looked solid as an inside the tackler runner. However, the things he did in the passing game made me think something more might be here.
21 carries for 90 yards on the ground is one thing. Five catches for 47 yards and making guys miss for two scores? You sir now have my attention. You can see that Felton has plus speed and can shift when necessary. Felton looked good for the first I’m seeing of him.
