The SEC is back and with it some of college football’s top NFL prospects. We covered our games to watch earlier in the week and now have some college football Week 4 NFL prospects for you to key in on when viewing some of this week’s matchups.
Florida vs Ole Miss
Kyle Pitts, TE – Florida
Sam Williams, Edge – Ole Miss
Kyle Pitts returns to Florida as the go-to target for Kyle Trask and one of the country’s top tight ends. Pitts is a threat in the pass game where he has extremely reliable hands and understands how to sit and work through zone coverage. He will need to improve his blocking which could limit his availability on early downs at the next level. Regardless, Pitts is a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses and should see a significant volume increase with the departure of several key receivers from last year’s team.
Ole Miss always has some uber athletic guys on the team, and this year that title goes to edge rusher Sam Williams. At 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, Williams is slightly undersized for an edge rusher but his explosiveness and first step quickness more than make up for it. He has reportedly been clocked in the 4.4’s and while he can win with speed, he also shows some nice counter moves when his speed rush is ineffective. Williams will need to show a bit more consistency in the run game, but he has the athletic upside to be a riser through the draft process.
Kentucky vs Auburn
Drake Jackson, IOL – Kentucky
Seth Williams, WR – Auburn
Kentucky is going to be a run heavy team and right in the middle of it all will be Drake Jackson. Jackson is a bit undersized but plays with excellent pad level and knee bend, which allows him to consistently out-leverage and move defensive tackles from the point of attack in the run game. He shows a strong anchor and solid movement skills to stay in front of his man in when pass blocking as well. With a lack of length Jackson will have to continue to show tenacity and strength to prove he can hold up at the next level.
DeAndre Hopkins, Sammy Watkins and Courtland Sutton just a few wide receivers who were featured in offenses ran by Chad Morris. Seth Williams was already the No. 1 receiver returning to Auburn and now playing in Morris’ new offense, he will likely elevate his status to one of the elite receivers in college football. Williams is a nice blend of height, weight and speed, and does well extending his catch radius to snag balls thrown a bit off target. Further development of Bo Nix will be crucial to Williams production, but there is no question he has all the tools of a high-level receiving prospect.
Louisville vs Pitt
Dez Fitzpatrick, WR – Lousiville
Paris Ford, S – Pitt
Tutu Atwell might have the attention of casual fans with his flash plays, but there is more than one receiver with NFL talent at Louisville. Dez Fitzpatrick is Atwell’s running mate and do-it-all receiver for the Cardinals. He is the best route runner on the team and sure handed at the catch point. Fitzpatrick has had a decent start to the season thus far recording 11 receptions for 184 yards and a touchdown through two weeks. He will have his toughest challenge yet with a nasty Pitt defense that should challenge him to get off the line of scrimmage and at the catch point. Look for Fitzpatrick to be a go-to receiver this week for the Cardinals with his physicality and size be crucial on third downs and in the red zone.
Only a redshirt junior, Paris Ford has some eligibility left, but he is already a legit top 50 NFL prospect. Ford leads a nasty Pitt defense with two interceptions this year and surely will have more to come. He sets the tone for the Panthers defense with his relentless pursuit of the football, decisive tackling and physical nature on the back end of the defense. Ford is not limited to playing in the box and can play a variety of coverages at a high level thanks to his quickness and speed. Showing some improvement in coverage will be key for Ford’s development. Ultimately Ford’s athleticism combined with his aggressive nature give him a unique ability to effect the game at every level of the field and be a match up chess piece for defensive coordinators.
Mississippi State vs LSU
Kylin Hill, RB – Mississippi State
Terrace Marshall Jr, WR – LSU
A surprise returner for his senior season, running back Kylin Hill will get plenty of pass catching opportunities in the new air raid offense for the Bulldogs. As a rusher, Hill is a decisive one cut runner who gets down hill in hurray. He has great balance and shows the ability to absorb contact consistently running through arm tackles and giving a deadleg to would be tacklers. Hill is not a burner, but he has enough quickness to hit a hole with some speed and create some chunk plays. He will increase his draft stock with a strong showing as a pass catcher, but will be limited with his lack of elite speed.
Terrace Marshall is pretty much the only offensive hold over from last years record setting LSU offense. He has a great blend of size and speed and does well with his releases off the line of scrimmage. Marshall’s best trait is his body control especially in traffic and along the sideline where he consistently wins contested catches. He has reliable hands with only two drops last year and does well expanding the strike zone for quarterbacks with a large catch radius. With Ja’Marr Chase opting out, it will be up to Marshall to be the next great LSU receiving threat.
Florida State vs Miami
Marvin Wilson, DT – Florida State
Brevin Jordan, TE – Miami
Marvin Wilson is as good as it gets when it comes to interior defensive line play in the college football this year. After saying no to the NFL and returning to school, Wilson is looking to solidify himself as a first round prospect for the 2021 draft. At 6-foot-5 and over 310 pounds, he is a physically dominate player who can win with power, but also has movement skills to play along the interior as a 0, 1 and 3 tech. Improvements in first step quickness and pass rushing moves are needed to solidify his first round status. Regardless, Wilson is a solid player who will be relied on to anchor the Seminoles defense all year long and will likely hear his name called early in the 2021 draft.
The upcoming draft could be the best tight end draft in recent memory with a ton of athletic talent at the position. Brevin Jordan is one of those guys who figures to be off the board early if he comes out. Through two games in 2020 Jordan has already amassed 10 receptions for 171 yards and two touchdowns. His blend of speed and strength has been evident and through two games. Jordan has excellent hands and can be a threat lining up inline, split out or even in the backfield. As the go-to guy for quarterback D’Eriq King, Jordan should see plenty of opportunities to continue to display his athleticism and dominance in the pass game.
Photo courtesy of AuburnTigers.com
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