Givanni Damico | September 11th, 2019
Welcome to the first week of stock up, stock down. In this series of articles, we will look at some NFL draft prospects and their performance during the week. Based on how they performed, they will be filed under either stock up, or stock down.
Stock Up
Zack Moss, RB (Utah)
I was a big fan of Moss going into the year, and what he did against BYU proved that he is the real deal. He averaged six yards per carry, which is good at any level. He ran the ball almost two times more than his quarterback threw the ball. Moss showed his versatility and his leadership. For him to keep climbing draft boards, he has to maintain consistency.
Julian Blackmon, CB (Utah)
Another Ute makes the list as Julian Blackmon did a little bit of everything in the Holy War. He read the quarterback well, recording a pick-six, while also holding the receivers he was covering to little or no gain on each play. I’d like to see Blackmon be a bit more consistent in zone coverage, but he’s on the right track to start the year.
Kenny Willekes, EDGE (Michigan State)
It’s no secret that Tulsa struggled immensely on offense against Michigan State in week one. One of the major reasons was Kenny Willekes. He was all over the field, recording seven tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss, and two fumble recoveries. He was a nightmare for the Tulsa offensive line. Willekes had two solid seasons in 2018 and 2017, so if he can continue to elevate his play throughout his senior season, he’ll be flying up draft boards.
David Woodward, LB (Utah State)
This guy is a tackling machine. On Friday, he recorded 24 tackles against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. He is extremely athletic and was flying around the field to make some incredible plays. Not to mention he also had a sack and 3.5 tackles for loss. I need to see more from Woodward to see if he’s someone who would be worth taking earlier than round four. You can’t judge a player off of one week, whether good or bad, so consistency remains the name of the game.
Chuba Hubbard, RB (Oklahoma State)
Hubbard did what a good running back should do to a bad team. Averaging 8.5 yards per carry, Hubbard shredded the Oregon State defense, rushing for 221 yards and three touchdowns. Running backs are always hard to gauge in college because the talent doesn’t translate to the NFL more often than not. If Hubbard can do this against a team with a good defense, I’m sure more heads will be turned.
Jacob Eason, QB (Washington)
I’m not huge on Eason as a prospect yet because all of the tape that I’ve seen is from 2017 when he wasn’t very impressive. He shredded Eastern Washington and made some beautiful throws in the process. Eason threw for 349 yards and four touchdowns in his Washington debut, and I expect more play like this from him.
Paddy Fisher, LB (Northwestern)
While the stat sheet doesn’t reflect anything special from Fisher, his play against Stanford showed otherwise. He is a hard-nosed player who isn’t afraid to make a big, physical play. What more can you ask for from a young prospect? He might be flying under the radar right now, but I don’t expect that to last for long.
Paulson Adebo, CB (Stanford)
Adebo is already the number two cornerback on my board, but his performance yesterday made me think that by the end of the season, he could be number one. He had five tackles, a stat that doesn’t mean too much for cornerbacks, two passes defended, and an interception. The Northwestern quarterbacks struggled yesterday and Adebo took advantage. He played great in coverage and did his job.
Stock Down
Justin Herbert, QB (Oregon)
I know what you’re thinking. Wait, the same Justin Herbert who is your number one quarterback? The same one who had a solid stat line yesterday? Yes, that’s the one. To be clear, he is still my number one quarterback and one week against a great defense won’t affect any NFL team’s opinion of him. I was disappointed with Herbert’s performance because he had many opportunities to put Auburn away but could not do it. Late in the game, rather than throwing the ball away when he was in trouble, Herbert took a sack which did not help his team at all. Even on the last play of the game, Herbert had to throw up a hail mary from the Auburn 40-yard line. He sent it way over the endzone. In that situation, you have to give your receivers a chance to come down with the football. All in all, Herbert was solid, but he did not shine like many wanted him to.
J.K. Dobbins, RB (Ohio State)
As a Buckeyes fan, I was quite disappointed with Dobbins performance against Florida Atlantic. He had a great freshman season, but last year was a lackluster year for Dobbins. He needed to shine this weekend to prove that his freshman year wasn’t a fluke, but he just encouraged the doubters. He only managed 4.3 yards per carry against a defense that isn’t known for their great run-stopping ability. With running backs becoming less and less valuable, it would be hard to take a flier on any running back in this class (maybe with the exceptions of Etienne and Swift) in the first round, especially if they don’t tear apart bad defenses.
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