The Fantasy football gods hate me, and we’re back with another 2021 NFL Draft stock report post. What else is new? Jaylen Waddle broke his ankle, but that won’t stop us from going over Week 8 action of the college football season. Who stood out for better or worse as we project towards the 2021 NFL Draft?
Waddle Injury
First things first, let’s talk about the Jaylen Waddle injury. Yes, the fantasy football gods hate me. I swear they do. We don’t know the severity of the injury long term. If it’s just a broken ankle and no ligament damage, you would have to think his first-round status is already taken care of. Be wary of passing on the unicorn.
The games on tap this week include; Auburn vs. Ole Miss, Penn State vs. Indiana, and Michigan vs. Minnesota
Auburn vs. Ole Miss
Auburn won 35-28 in a game that went back and forth the entire time. I don’t have a ton on the Ole Miss side of things. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin is still working on getting his recruits in place.
The tight end, Kenny Yeboah, is starting to become interesting. Four receptions for 83 yards in this one. Most of which came on a 60 yarder, but the Allentown PA product is explosive. Yeboah checks in at 6-foot-4, 240, and is averaging over 23 yards per catch. Something to think about.
Two positive notes on two Auburn players; Roger McCreary again did a nice job in this one, as he came away with an interception and played well in coverage overall.
The other is Seth Williams. He went for eight receptions for 150 yards and a score. Williams continues to look like a poor man’s Mike Williams. Against Georgia, he lost most of the one on one battles to Tyson Campbell. Against Ole Miss, Williams had the upper hand.
His touchdown came on a 50-yard pass, where he won a contested-catch situation and took it to the house. It’s going to be hard to know what to do with Williams on draft day. Talented? Yes. However, there are many holes in his game, and creating separation is one of them.
Penn State vs. Indiana
What an embarrassing performance by Penn State. How do you lose to Indiana in overtime? Penn State’s best offense was a QB draw by Sean Clifford. It was all around UGLY.
The two tight ends were worth watching coming into the game. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a ton to see. Peyton Hendershot had two receptions for 13 yards. It was also terrible QB play, but it’s hard to take that performance too seriously.
Penn State’s tight end Pat Freirmuth is getting a lot of buzz. Call me crazy, but Kyle Pitts is light years ahead. Freirmuth had seven receptions for 60 yards in this one. He made a couple of nice catches, including a one-hander. Nevertheless, I don’t see an elite prospect.
Yes, the 6-foot-5, 258, frame is a great start. I don’t see Gronk level physicality. He’s not going to run a super fantastic time either. I think Freirmuth can end up being a good player, but we better be careful here. I’m not 100 percent positive he’s better than Mike Gesicki. We have more work to do here.
Michigan vs. Minnesota
This game got out of hand quick, and from that point on, I pretty much just watched the World Series. (What a game, by the way). Michigan put a beat down on Minnesota 49-24.
Michigan lost a ton of guys to the NFL this year, so I mostly came in hoping to see a jump from Minnesota. What were we getting from Tanner Morgan and Rashod Bateman? Well…
Tanner Morgan is what he is—probably looking at a career back up best-case scenario. I don’t see any elite traits; he doesn’t look like a good athlete. In this one against Michigan, Morgan threw for 197 with one touchdown and one interception. It wasn’t a promising performance.
Rashod Bateman, on the other hand, looked the part. He did what he was supposed to do. Michigan plays a lot of man coverage, and Bateman won his one on one matchup consistently. He was the only option in the passing game. Nine receptions for 101 yards is a damn good showing.
Bateman is a much more complete receiver than Tyler Johnson, who is mostly destined for slot duties. I still don’t know quite how good Bateman is, but there’s no denying there’s a lot of talent here.
