2024 NFL Draft Stock Report: Week 3
Let’s just cut right to the chase. The slate for week 3 stinks. The 204 NFL Draft stock report notes include Penn State vs. Illinois, LSU vs. Mississippi State, South Carolina vs. Georgia, San Diego State vs. Oregon State, Tennessee vs. Florida, BYU vs. Arkansas, and Colorado State vs. Colorado. Enjoy the slate. Even though the slate is terrible, remember that you won’t get better information elsewhere so be grateful. James Herrick says so.
Penn State
Daequan Hardy had a gorgeous interception that has to be noted. Redshirt senior and on the smaller side at 5-foot-9 but watch this coverage. It’s gorgeous.
Johnny Dixon had one later in the game. Altmeyer couldn’t help himself. The former South Carolina transfer looks longer too. This secondary looks really good.
KeAndre Lambert-Smith is picking up some traction too. Might need more credit in terms of having more wiggle than you think. Had a nice spin move in the open field. Created more yards with a juke. I like my receivers to have YAC ability and not be a bum that falls over like Brandin Cooks. That part was nice to see. Only three catches for 23 yards in this one but looked good after the catch.
The other receiver Dante Cephus continues to look terrible the more I see him. I mentioned in Week 1 that he’s a bad hands catcher. Even against a shaky Illinois team, I didn’t notice the guy at all. Almost never gets open and never pops off the screen. One catch of nothing in this one. Think it’s time that we can just cross him off the list.
Illinois
Jer’Zhan Newton looks pretty good. Athletic defensive tackle that can move. Swung Nick Singleton to the ground on a run player which is a lot easier said than done. Penn State really struggled running the ball in this one. You never do this stuff by yourself but you can tell he changed the game and that’s what matters. Had a sick pass deflection where it looked like he jumped a 40 the the vert. Klatt said multiple times on the broadcast that he’s going to be a first round pick. I didn’t see anything to argue against it though more works needs to be done there.
LSU
Malik Nabers finally got on the board this year. Really a coming out party for him and it was good to see. Jayden Daniels wasn’t totally terrible and Nabers scored on a nice end zone fade. We’ve seen this story before with plenty of LSU receivers in the past. I like Nabers I just don’t think he’s a total alien.
Nabers then scored on the exact same play in the second quarter. It was a walk in the park for him going against this secondary. Really exploded in this one going for 13 receptions, 239 yards, and two scores.
Jayden Daniels was a lot better today too but it’s all smoke and mirrors. You can’t complain with 30/34 for 361 and two scores. Added two much rushing scores as well. I just think there are 50 quarterbacks in college right now that could have executed those throws in this game. LSU defense won the game.
Mississippi State
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South Carolina
The Juice Wells injury stuff is starting to become a concern. He’s always hurt. The guy literally scored a touchdown, looked, fine, and then went down. Shane Beamer was talking about how the screw in his foot gives him problems.
Starting to like Xavier Legette more and more. Has the build and the monster catch radius just stands out. Went seven for 71 yards in this one. Not an easy task given how good this secondary is. Legette has a Metcalf quality to him. You can see the physically imposing part of his game.
Georgia
The spazz Daijun Edwards is back. We talked about him a lot last year. He had a really good game in this one. Just something about the way he runs angry that does it for me. That’s a compliment in more ways than one if you catch my drift. He has this weird ability to be elusive while avoiding contact while running angry. I thought he was really good in this one. Edwards rushed for 118 yards and a score on 20 attempts.
Kendall Milton also left the game early with a knee issue. That guy is just always banged up. It’s becoming harder to pound the table for the guy at such a replaceable position. Especially since he’s not the pass catcher that Kenny McIntosh was last year.
I like Carson Beck. Looks like a nerd but has swag. Pick up first downs with his legs which I wasn’t sure he could do. Beck made some big throws and has quality zip. Definitely not small. If he stunk, they would have been on serious upset alert. Beck’s throws got them back in it and they never looked away from there. I think he can play. Still more to learn but I think he’s NFL quality. Certainly more of a real upside than Stetson Bennett even if he’s not quite as fast.
If you’re smart you already know Brock Bowers is really good. Not a ton in this one to really discuss. Killed them on screens over and over again. He’s going to rake at picking up yards after the catch. His 40 time is going to be off the charts for typical tight ends. He’s more of a receiver but the dude can really run for this position. Just an insane athlete. How about the play strength he has after contact?
Anybody see number two running around out there on defense? Total piss missle. Best linebacker in the draft. Just a matter of when you’re ready to acknowledge it. Guy just zooms out there. Is anyone paying attention?
San Diego State
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Oregon State
I know you guys are going to give me that smirk but I’m in on DJ Uiagalelei. Still misses way too many easy throws but you’re starting to see that there is a way to build an offense around him. Quarterbacks are baseball stadiums. You have to build your team around them. Clemson never did that. The bottom line is the guy is a house in the running game. A total house.
DJ didn’t even have a great passing day (14/30 for 284, 1 TD, 2 INT’s) and they still dominated the day. Creates a lot of explosive plays. Great arm, just needs to speed up his process. It’s a work in progress but it’s getting there. Oregon State hasn’t been this good since I’ve been alive.
Tennessee
Joe Milton threw his first pick since 2020 so let’s give the guy a pass on one bad pick. Honestly, I don’t really worry about the decision making. It’s if the accuracy is good enough. The high end is really special, man. He is the Anthony Richardson of this upcoming class. It’s a rocket launcher arm but we have been talking about that part for a while.
Tennessee did not lose this game because of Milton. He still made some incredible throws in the game. I love Josh Heupal, but how many Fing screens is he going to call? I don’t really feel any differently than I did before the game.
Florida
Trevor Etienne won the game for them. He’s the better Etienne, just in case you’re curious. Not draft eligible.
BYU
I don’t talk a ton about offensive line guys during the year. You can’t help but notice this BYU tackle Kingsley Suamataia. They just don’t make guys that big and that fast. Check him out just clearing dudes out the club on this touchdown run. The guy may have been responsible for three of the touchdowns by himself. A left tackle that you may want to start paying attention too. Not like I expected to find this animal. Just couldn’t help but notice him.
Arkansas
KJ Jefferson definitely looks like a better passer. You can tell he’s more fundamentally sound. I still don’t love his chances as an NFL quarterback. It’s a matter of if he’s good enough to be drafted now. Still posted a 37 QBR in the game so that tells you everything you should know. Said it once and I’ll say it again. Looks like the AA baseball version of Cam Newton.
AJ Green had a good game without Rocket Sanders in the lineup. Rushed for 86 yards and two scores on just nine attempts. Not sure he’s fast but decent sized frame.
Colorado State
I did not expect to find so many guys on this team that stood out from an NFL perspective. This team actually has NFL guys on the team.
Mohamed Kamara was everywhere. He stalled a few of the Colorado drives by himself. Notched two sacks and two TFL’s in the game. Just wish we saw more of him. Could clearly see he was fighting injury and left the game three different times. 6-foot-1, 250 pound edge guy that cause a lot of problems. He also had an idiotic targeting call on him for a dirty hit. Really good showing against real competition. More to learn but a hell of a performance overall.
We also need to talk about Tory Horton. They guard the guy and just murdered the defense with 800 shallow crosses in a row. I can’t stress enough how good Horton was in the game. Easily the best receiver they’ve had since Michael Gallup and honestly looked better. Same route running ability but more dynamic with the ball in his hands. Even threw a touchdown in this one.
Horton exploded going for 16 receptions for 133 yards and a score. That really doesn’t do it justice, however. He put up on that statline on 17 targets. He basically caught everything thrown in his direction.
What more can you say? The Nevada transfer was unstoppable and isn’t small either. Stands at 6-foot-2 and did whatever he wanted. This is someone you have to start keeping track of moving forward.
Colorado
Shilo Sanders had a nice game. Still missed one ugly tackle and is starting to gain a reputation for being a bad tackler. Still, it’s easy to see why you can believe in him. The Pick six was sexy. Guy just plays the ball in the air really well and that matters. It was perfection. Also did lay a nice hit on someone during the game. It’s not like the guy isn’t tough. The CSU freshman quarterback played very well too so it’s not like he threw a ton of gimmes for the DBs.
I think some of these weapons are really starting to emerge. We talked about Xavier Weaver last week and was great in this one too. He went for nine and 98 and a score. Jimmy Horn caught a long bomb too for a score but he’s a lot smaller than Weaver. Even the tight end Michael Harrison looks good. You can tell he’s not going to be an in-line guy but can certainly catch and get open.
I love the quarterback, man. That was heart right there. 98 yard drive to tie it and never blinked. Travis Hunter left the game and everything was stacked against him down 11. Led the comeback and did it flawlessly. Even the interception he threw early in the game wasn’t really his fault. I love the decision making. Again it was another efficient 38/47, 348 yards, and four scores.
If you’re looking for one negative, it’s becoming more obvious that he’s not going to be a super dynamic runner. Certainly can move but not a gamebreaker with the legs.
Otherwise, the guy is fantastic. Throws a beautiful ball too. That’s what franchise quarterbacks do regardless of who it’s against. It’s starting to feel foolish to not be a believer and I have been since day one. I just feel better about it more and more.
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