This week’s article will be shorter than usual because I had to work Saturday afternoon and didn’t get to see all of the action. However, I saw enough to feel comfortable selecting 14 players for Stock Up, Stock Down. Cornerbacks, edge rushers, and offensive tackles dominate the list, which isn’t surprising considering those are some of the deepest positions in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Please keep in mind that this article only includes players eligible for the upcoming draft. True freshmen and sophomores don’t qualify, so don’t complain about not seeing Bryce Young.
Information on height, weight, and sacks comes from ESPN.
Feel free to tell me in the comments or on Twitter @Sam_Teets33 if you saw a player over the weekend that belongs on this list.
UP: Bernhard Raimann, OT Central Michigan
Raimann is a 6'7", 305 lb. fourth-year junior left tackle for the Chippewas. His draft stock has skyrocketed since he moved to left tackle full-time in 2020, but the Austrian’s collegiate career hit a new peak against Kent St. Raimann earned a 94.3 offensive grade from PFF on 81 snaps. That’s the highest single-game grade of his career.
Raimann didn’t allow a pressure or sack in 32 pass blocking snaps. At worst, he’s a third-round prospect, but some analysts believe he could sneak into the first-round.
DOWN: Storm Duck, CB North Carolina
Duck shook off injuries that led to him missing the season’s first half just in time to come up big against Wake Forest a week ago. Unfortunately, his success didn’t translate to the matchup against Pittsburgh. The third-year cornerback allowed five receptions on six targets for 72 yards and a touchdown. He also committed two penalties.
Pittsburgh’s two top leading receivers, Jordan Addison and Jared Wayne, both recorded at least 30 yards against Duck.
UP: Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE Penn St.
Ebiketie is a 6'3", 256 lb. senior transfer from Temple in his first season with the Nittany Lions. Penn State didn’t upset Michigan on Saturday, but the outside linebacker wreaked havoc all afternoon. The Maryland native amassed seven tackles, nine pressures, two sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
Despite facing tougher competition, this is by far the best year of Ebiketie’s college career. He has 46 pressures and 8.5 sacks. He applies pressure on about 14.5% of his snaps as a pass rusher.
DOWN: Xavier Henderson, S Michigan St.
Henderson is a Swiss army knife in Michigan State’s secondary, playing double-digit snaps in the box, slot, and at free safety most weeks. Unfortunately, shifting around so much against Maryland caused problems for the senior safety. He allowed six receptions on six targets for 115 yards and two touchdowns. That’s the first time he’s allowed over 50 yards in a game this year.
I like Henderson best as a box safety at the next level, even if he only weighs 210 lbs.
UP: Aidan Hutchinson & David Ojabo, EDGEs Michigan
Hutchinson and Ojabo are one of the nation’s best pass rushing duos. The former is trending toward being a top-five selection while Ojabo has quickly ascended to the level of a Day 2 pick. The two stars combined to put the hurt on Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford when the two Big Ten powerhouses clashed.
Hutchinson amassed seven tackles, three pressures, three sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. In comparison, Ojabo finished the day with four tackles, seven pressures, two sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
The Wolverines wouldn’t be near their current rank in the College Football Playoff standings without their two best defensive players.
DOWN: Matt Hankins, CB Iowa
Covering Minnesota’s Chris Autman-Bell proved surprisingly difficult for Hankins. The fifth-year corner allowed 95 yards in coverage against Autman-Bell, including a 68-yard strike. For the whole game, Hankins gave up five receptions on nine targets for 115 yards and a touchdown. It’s the second time he’s allowed over 100 yards in a game this season.
This year is an interesting mix of highs and lows for Hankins. He’s surrendered 14 receptions for 321 yards and two touchdowns in his two worst performances. However, he’s only allowed 11 receptions for 83 yards and no touchdowns in his eight other appearances.
UP: Garrett Wilson, WR Ohio St.
Wilson, one of the candidates for WR1 in the 2022 class, had an outstanding game against No. 19 Purdue. The junior caught ten of his 11 targets for 126 yards and three scores. He also had one carry that turned into a 51-yard touchdown run. That’s a new high-water receiving yards mark for Wilson this season, and it’s the second-highest total in his collegiate career.
Ohio State’s other star receivers contributed heavily to the 59-31 win. Chris Olave caught nine passes for 85 yards and a score, while sophomore Jaxon Smith-Njigba made nine receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown.
DOWN: Rasheed Walker, OT Penn St.
Walker’s junior season struggles continued when Penn State faced Michigan. The offensive line faced two of the nation’s hottest pass rushers, and things went about as well as you might expect. Walker allowed six pressures and two sacks, marking the first time he’s allowed multiple sacks in a contest during his collegiate career.
Walker might return to college for his senior season after a disastrous 2021 run. The 6'6", 325 lb. left tackle had some hype as a top 100 pick entering the year, but that’s all gone now.
UP: Travis Jones, IDL Connecticut
Jones will start for an NFL team next year. The 6'4", 333 lb. defensive tackle went to Death Valley and held his own against Clemson as the Tigers shredded every other part of UConn’s team. Jones finished the afternoon with three tackles and five pressures.
The junior interior lineman is second on his team in pressures with 21, only trailing 247 lb. defensive end Kevon Jones’ 23.
DOWN: Sam Hartman, QB Wake Forest
It’s time to kill the Hartman Heisman hype and prepare for another season of the fourth-year sophomore at Wake Forest. Hartman had a good streak going into Week 10, but everything fell apart over the past two weeks.
Hartman hasn’t completed over 50% of his passes during the last two games, and he’s thrown five interceptions. Wake Forest lost by three points to North Carolina in Week 10 before narrowly topping North Carolina State by three.
UP: Channing Tindall, LB Georgia
The Bulldogs got off to a slow start against Tennessee before pulling away. Georgia’s defense still hasn’t allowed 20 points in a game this season, and Tindall played a large role in keeping that streak alive on Saturday. He tallied eight tackles, four pressures, three sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
Tindall remains largely overlooked on a defense featuring more well-known prospects. Week 11 was the first time the senior played over 40 snaps in a game this year.
DOWN: Treylon Burks, WR Arkansas
Despite what some people believe, Burks hasn’t solidified himself as a first-round pick yet. Saturday’s performance didn’t help the junior. He only recorded four receptions for 16 yards with a long of 11. Compared to the best receivers in the 2022 class, Burks has a habit of disappearing in games against high-level competition.
UP: Nicholas Petit-Frere, OT Ohio St.
Petit-Frere suffered the worst two-game stretch of his season just as he began appearing in the first-round of some mock drafts. The 6'5", 315 lb. fourth-year junior allowed 11 pressures and his first sack of the season between weeks nine and ten, but he rebounded against Purdue. Petit-Frere didn’t allow a pressure in 42 pass blocking snaps.
DOWN: Damarri Mathis, CB Pittsburgh
The Thursday night game between North Carolina and Pittsburgh was rough for defensive backs. Mathis allowed four receptions, 110 yards, and two touchdowns on six targets. The senior hadn’t allowed over 60 yards in coverage in a game this season until UNC’s Antoine Green burned him several times.
Mathis has only allowed two 100-yard games since the start of 2019.
Additional Mentions Stock Down
Martin Emerson, CB Mississippi St.
George Karlaftis, EDGE Purdue
Derion Kendrick, CB Georgia
Boye Mafe, EDGE Minnesota
Perrion Winfrey, IDL Oklahoma
Honorable Mentions Stock Up
Brian Asamoah, LB Oklahoma
Kameron Butler, EDGE Miami (OH)
Leo Chenal & Jack Sanborn, LBs Wisconsin
James Cook, RB Georgia
Romeo Doubs, WR Nevada
Emeka Emezie, WR N.C. St.
Ralph Holley, IDL Western Michigan
Sheridan Jones, CB Clemson
DeMarvin Leal, IDL Texas A&M
Lew Nichols III, RB Central Michigan
Bumper Pool, LB Arkansas
Abram Smith, RB Baylor
Jack Sorenson, WR Miami (OH)
Cameron Thomas, EDGE San Diego St.
Zach VanValkenburg, EDGE Iowa
Rachaad White, RB Arizona St.
Jameson Williams, WR Alabama