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The bulk of the NFL season is over, and with the Week 18 schedule less in play outside of Lions-Vikings, the NFC South and the AFC wild card race, we’re turning our attention to college football to start the new year. particularly the College Football Playoff and how the remaining teams stand in terms of NFL draft talent. There’s no better place to start than Boise State, which may have the best overall player in the entire class.
Ashton Jeanty is a first-round running back, period
Don’t put the words “positional value” on the table when talking about Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty has been the most dominant offensive player in college football this year and would have won the Heisman Trophy if there hadn’t been a guy named Travis Hunter who won the Bednarik and Biletnikoff awards this year. Jeanty’s exploits this season are simply incredible and he is the reason Boise State was able to earn a bye in the first 12-team College Football Playoff.
In 13 games this season, Jeanty rushed for 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns! He is just 131 yards away from tying Barry Sanders’ record for most rushing yards in a season (2,628 yards in 1988) and probably would have surpassed it had he not missed some second halves, due to scoring margin, early in the season. . the season. Screw the level of competition: If it were that easy to rush for that many yards in the Mountain West, more players would have done it. There are no qualifiers for Jeanty’s season, even if Penn State shuts him out in the Fiesta Bowl. He is a remarkable running back and simply one of the best players in the next draft class.
There really doesn’t seem to be a glaring hole in Jeanty’s game that would prevent him from quickly becoming a top-tier player in the NFL. He may not run a 4.2 40-yard dash, but he has plenty of breakaway speed considering he’s had a dash of at least 50 yards in nine of the 13 games he’s played so far, and four of those games featured runs of 70 or further. yards. He rarely goes down on first contact, has incredible vision, top-notch speed in short areas, and the strength to drag defenders when tackled. Even against Oregon, Jeanty rushed for 192 yards and three touchdowns on just 25 carries. It’s not like he’s just beating up the guppies of college football.
Where Jeanty lands will be a fascinating discussion. In terms of pure talent that can be projected in the NFL, he has a very strong case to be considered the best player in his class overall. However, he is a running back and no team will take one with the first pick. There is at least recent precedent with Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson and Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs as top-12 picks for Jeanty to go high, but it will still be interesting to see how he is valued in what is perceived as a weaker class in the top.
That will come later, but for now it’s time to enjoy Jeanty in what could be his last collegiate game. Hopefully he can get the record, but very soon he will be carrying the stone for an NFL team for a lot of money.
Where QB play is lacking, there is no trench play.
This draft class has been ridiculed ad nauseum for its lack of quarterback talent. Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, the top two quarterbacks in the upcoming draft, did not make the playoffs. Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, a mid-to-late-round prospect, injured his elbow and will miss the Bulldogs’ Sugar Bowl quarterfinals against Notre Dame.
That leaves little room for NFL quarterback prospects in the playoffs other than Quinn Ewers and Riley Leonard. That may be a shame for some fans, but there is some great talent on display for most of these teams that are still in the national championship race; That’s worth paying attention to for the upcoming NFL Draft.
Georgia vs Notre Dame
Pairing/Players to Watch: Georgia’s DL Nazir Stackhouse, EDGE/DL Mykel Williams and LB/EDGE Jalon Walker against the Notre Dame offensive line
Georgia has two likely top-20 picks on its defense in Mykel Williams and Jalon Walker, who will need to play at full strength to defend against a really strong Notre Dame offensive line and running game. Notre Dame doesn’t have any star offensive line talent in this year’s draft, but they are a good group, as always.
Texas State vs Arizona
Pairing/Players to Watch: The Texas offensive line duo of Kelvin Banks and Cameron Williams
Kelvin Banks and Cameron Williams have a chance to be selected in the first round of the draft. They’ve struggled at times against talented teams up front, but Arizona State doesn’t present them with the same challenge that Georgia perhaps did.
Oregon State vs Ohio
Pairing/Players to Watch: Ohio State Offensive Line vs. Oregon Defensive Line
This trench showdown likely has most future pros going head-to-head. Oregon has potential first-round pick Derrick Harmon and fellow defensive lineman Jordan Burch against an Ohio State front led by Donovan Jackson. Ohio State loves being able to run the damn ball with its two NFL running backs in Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. The game may very well be won with this matchup here. Oregon also has second-year defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei, who is projected to be a top pick in 2026.
Pennsylvania State vs. Boise State
Pairing/Players to Watch: Penn State’s Abdul Carter, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Zane Durant and Dvon J-Thomas against a historically great rushing attack
This one is fascinating because Penn State has a clear talent advantage coming into this game in terms of its defensive line versus Boise State’s offensive line. However, Ashton Jeanty is good enough to cause headaches for Penn State’s defense, so this group will have to be on their toes.
Speaking of quarterbacks, Riley Leonard is the best quarterback to play.
For what it’s worth, Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard is the top quarterback prospect playing in the College Football Playoff. He’s not the flashiest quarterback out there in terms of consistently dazzling throws, but he does some things well that will lead to him being drafted a little earlier in April. Someone has to come out on top when it comes to the lack of quarterback talent in this draft and Leonard could be the beneficiary.
This is not a slight, but Leonard is probably the quarterback Josh McDaniels thought he was going to get when he drafted Tim Tebow with a first-round pick in 2010. Leonard is a strong, mobile quarterback who can run between tackles and carry a charge in the running game. He also has great arm strength and enough accuracy to throw the ball downfield. It’s a good roll of the dice for development, especially in this class.
His passing numbers against Georgia or other teams, if they win, probably won’t be eye-popping, but Leonard is just a solid football player that some teams may want to take the time to work with. There’s not much to say about his game yet, so let’s move on to some more players who are also playing for NFL money in the CFP.
A player who goes unnoticed for every team to follow
Georgia Bulldogs -CB Daylen Everette
Daylen Everette hasn’t had the cleanest career at Georgia, but he has played his best game as a senior and has become a reliable playmaker for the Bulldogs. Everette had his best games against Texas this year, totaling nine tackles, three interceptions, two sacks, a forced fumble and recovery and a tackle for loss in two games against the Longhorns. Georgia’s best defensive games tend to depend on how it plays and it could see a big boost to its draft stock with another strong run in the College Football Playoff.
Notre Dame fighting the Irish – DL Howard Cruz III
For a team that is considered one of the best in the nation, Notre Dame doesn’t have a ton of draft-eligible star talent, but defensive lineman Howard Cross has a chance to hear his name called. He’s not the flashiest guy or the biggest, but he does a lot of dirty work on the interior of the Fighting Irish defense.
Boise State Broncos -DB Seyi Oladipo
Boise State doesn’t have much NFL talent outside of Ashton Jeanty, but defensive back Seyi Oladipo is a player to watch. Oladipo had 6.5 sacks this season and was a threat as a blitzer this season and will need another disruptive game if the Broncos want to upset Penn State.
Penn State Nittany Lions – EDGE Dani Dennis-Sutton
Penn State’s front will be tough for any team they see the rest of the way and defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton is a big part of that. Dennis-Sutton was injured for a few games this year, but he was still able to be disruptive and have 5.5 sacks to this point. He’s a bigger edge defender, standing at 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, but he has impressive power off the edge.
Oregon Ducks – DL Jordan Burch
Oregon has a lot of guys up front, but Jordan Burch is one of the players moving them forward. He plays more of a classic 3-4 defensive end position and is a liability at the point of attack. He was able to get 8.5 sacks and at the same time was a tough player against the run. He will be an integral part of Oregon’s national championship hopes.
Ohio State Buckeyes — EDGE Jack Sawyer
Sawyer is known for grabbing one interception this season against Michigan, but he has been a consistent force for the Buckeyes’ front seven. He has the pass-rushing skills to potentially be a top-50 pick this year.
Arizona State Sun Devils -DB Shamari Simmons
Running back Cam Skattebo is the best player on this team, but one deep draft prospect to keep an eye on is Simmons, who did a little bit of everything for Arizona State this season. According to Pro Football Focus, Simmons had 175 spread coverages, 122 in the slot and 74 combined against tight ends and routes out of the backfield.
Texas Longhorns -S Andrew Mukuba
Mukuba has been a complete performer for Texas this season and calling him an under-the-radar safety prospect may be a disservice to him. It is a terror that deals damage to any low-skilled player who approaches its direction. He’s also a talented coverage player and will be on the screen a few more times before Texas’ playoff run ends.