Week 12 of college football brought us some close games. We saw several top 25 teams go down and a few more get pushed late into the fourth quarter before securing wins. More importantly, we saw some of the 2022 NFL Draft’s most anticipated prospects shine, especially at wide receiver. Here’s what we learned from the weekend.
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: Chris Olave & Garrett Wilson, WRs Ohio St.
The Buckeyes had no problems dispatching Michigan State. All of the team’s receivers benefitted from C.J. Stroud throwing for 432 yards and six touchdowns. Olave, Wilson, and sophomore Jaxon Smith-Njigba finished the day with at least seven receptions, 100 yards, and a touchdown.
Olave became Ohio State’s all-time leader in receiving touchdowns on Saturday. He snagged seven balls for 140 yards and two scores. The game marked Olave’s 11th 100-yard performance as a Buckeye. Meanwhile, Wilson made seven receptions for 126 yards and two touchdowns. The junior has three multi-touchdown games this season.
Olave and Wilson are consensus top-five receivers and first-round picks in the 2022 draft class.
DOWN: Malik Willis, QB Liberty
It’s time we start taking Willis’ turnover issues seriously. Yes, he’s playing behind a horrendous offensive line, but he’s thrown five interceptions in his last two games. Struggling against a superior Ole Miss squad is understandable, but will we include Louisiana Lafayette in that same conversation? I hope not because that’s just creating excuses at that point.
On Saturday, Willis completed 14 of 34 pass attempts for 162 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. He had some highlight plays, but Liberty lost 42-14. Three of the team’s four losses have come when Willis throws multiple interceptions. The Auburn transfer still has first-round physical traits, but he’s not dominating against lesser competition.
Willis has four multi-interception games this year. The nine quarterbacks taken in the first-round of the last two NFL drafts had nine multi-interception games combined in their final collegiate seasons. Jordan Love was responsible for five of those instances.
UP: Malik Cunningham, QB Louisville
Cunningham still has another year of eligibility if he wants it, but the Alabama native might consider entering the 2022 draft. He put on an insane show on Thursday night against Duke, completing 18 of 25 pass attempts for 303 yards and five touchdowns. Cunningham also carried the ball 11 times for 224 yards and two touchdowns. He’s the second player in FBS history with 300 passing and 200 rushing yards in a game.
Thursday’s performance brings Cunningham to 18 passing and 18 rushing touchdowns on the year. He’s 67 rushing yards away from 1,000 this season with a game against Kentucky and an undeclared bowl game still on the way.
DOWN: Zach Harrison, EDGE Ohio St.
Harrison continues trending toward being a second-round pick instead of a first-round selection. He failed to record a pressure in 22 pass rushing snaps against Michigan State. It’s the second week in a row where he’s failed to record a pressure. The 6'6", 268 lb. junior has 24 pressures and three sacks this season.
UP: Keir Thomas, EDGE Florida St.
Thomas is one of the most experienced players in college football. He transferred to FSU this year after spending five seasons with the South Carolina Gamecocks. The move is paying dividends for the 6'2", 272 lb. defensive end. Thomas has 39 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 37 pressures, and 6.5 sacks this season. All he needs is five more tackles and he’ll have set career-highs in each of those categories.
DOWN: Josh Jobe, CB Alabama
Jobe’s days as a first-round candidate are over. He’s stumbled one too many times this season, with the latest mistake coming against Arkansas. The Razorbacks targeted Jobe four times, and he allowed four receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown. It’s the first time the senior cornerback has allowed over 100 receiving yards in a game this season.
Jobe stumbled against Texas A&M and Tennessee earlier this season. Between his three worst games, he’s allowed 11 receptions on 12 targets for 292 yards and four touchdowns. He doesn’t have an interception or pass defensed during those contests.
UP: Drake Thomas, LB N.C. St.
Thomas solidified himself as a legitimate 2022 prospect with an outstanding performance against Syracuse. The third-year sophomore amassed eight tackles, four pressures, two sacks, and returned an interception 38 yards for a touchdown. Thomas only allowed one reception for -2 yards.
Please check out where Thomas landed on my list of the top 30 linebackers in the 2022 draft class.
DOWN: Kenny Pickett, QB Pittsburgh
Pickett hasn’t had an outright bad game this year, but he’s dipped below his Heisman-level ceiling a few times. One of those instances occurred this week against Virginia. Pickett completed 26 of his 41 attempts (63.4%) for four touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s thrown five interceptions in the past four games after only throwing one in his first seven appearances.
The fifth-year quarterback’s draft stock remains unpredictable. Some analysts, like Mel Kiper Jr., view him as the top quarterback in the upcoming class. Others still list him as a mid-second-round selection.
UP: John Metchie III & Jameson Williams, WRs Alabama
Clemson, LSU, and Ohio State might have claims to the title “WR University,” but I’d award Alabama with that moniker. Alabama’s star duo matched their Ohio State counterparts with equally dominant Saturday showings. The Crimson Tide only beat Arkansas by a touchdown, but the passing game was there all day for Nick Saban’s team.
Williams has a chance to win the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver. He’s the game’s top deep threat. He broke open a 79-yard play against the Razorbacks as the highlight moment of an eight-reception game that produced 190 yards and three touchdowns. Williams has over 120 receiving yards in five of his last six games.
Metchie didn’t allow himself to get left behind. He snagged ten receptions for 173 yards and a touchdown. The junior has six touchdowns in his last five games. Metchie doesn’t have a good chance of going in the first-round (unlike Williams), but he’s a clear second-round-caliber receiver.
DOWN: Ikem Ekwonu, OT N.C. St.
Many analysts believed Ekwonu was a future NFL guard entering the season, but he’s finally getting attention as a legitimate top-three tackle prospect. Unfortunately, Saturday’s performance against Syracuse didn’t help solidify his spot in the draft. Ekwonu allowed two pressures for the fourth time this season and surrendered his second sack of the year.
UP: Marcus Jones, CB Houston
Most draft analysts turn on Houston to watch Logan Hall, but senior cornerback and return man extraordinaire Marcus Jones deserves some attention. The former Troy transfer is only 5'8" and weighs 185 lbs., but he’s a dynamic game-changer. He had a massive impact in Houston’s 31-13 win against Memphis.
Memphis targeted Jones 19 times, but he only allowed five receptions. Those completions went for 105 yards, which isn’t great, but Jones intercepted two passes and recorded three passes defensed. Quarterbacks are completing under 50% of their passes when targeting Jones this season. He has five interceptions and eight passes defensed.
Jones is also a dynamic return man. He’s returned six kickoffs and three punts for touchdowns during his four-year collegiate career.
DOWN: Rachaad White, RB Arizona St.
White entered Arizona State’s game against Oregon State riding a two-game hot streak where he had 386 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. His momentum came to a screeching halt against the Beavers. White carried the ball 15 times for 39 yards (2.6 yards per attempt), but he made six receptions for 86 yards.
White hadn’t averaged under 3.4 yards per attempt in a game entering Saturday night. He’s skyrocketed up draft boards this season thanks to a unique combination of speed, receiving ability, and balance.
UP: Will Levis, Wan'Dale Robinson, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Kentucky
Playing New Mexico State at home is a good way to showcase your future NFL talent in a relaxed environment. Kentucky’s elite offensive trio showed up and made its presence felt against the Aggies. Robinson, who has the highest draft stock of the group, had the best day. He recorded eight receptions for 181 yards, flashing his explosiveness and big-play ability.
Rodriguez hammered the defense with his power, gaining 119 yards and scoring a touchdown on 16 carries. It’s the fourth-year junior’s third consecutive 100-yard rushing performance. However, he hasn’t caught a pass in any of those games. Rodriguez’s rushing tendencies and style likely make him a Day 3 pick at best.
Levis put himself on the map as a draft-worthy prospect this season, but I still think there’s a good chance he returns to school for his senior year. He set or tied career-highs on Saturday with 419 passing yards and four passing touchdowns.
DOWN: David Ojabo, EDGE Michigan
Ojabo began receiving serious first-round buzz over the past few weeks. He’d recorded nine sacks in his previous six appearances entering the weekend, but things didn’t go as planned against Maryland. Michigan as a team only tallied two sacks, and neither of them belonged to Aidan Hutchinson or Ojabo.
Ojabo finished the game with three tackles and two pressures. It was by far his least productive game since facing Rutgers or Northern Illinois earlier in the year. Some analysts wonder if Ojabo is a product of Hutchinson drawing so much attention. However, I believe Ojabo is a legitimate top 50 prospect, even after his off day.
UP: Treylon Burks, WR Arkansas
It was a battle of top wide receiver prospects when Alabama and Arkansas collided. Metchie and Williams had great performances, but Burks reminded everyone why he’s a consensus top-five receiver in the class. The massive 6'3", 225 lb. junior hadn’t posted a 100-yard game since October 16th against Auburn, but that changed against the Crimson Tide.
Burks made eight receptions for a season-high 179 receiving yards. He also caught two touchdowns, bringing his total to eight scores in his last six appearances.
DOWN: Xavier Henderson, S Michigan St.
Henderson has had a rough go the past two weeks. He allowed two touchdowns against Maryland and gave up two more scores this weekend against Ohio State’s dominant receiver room. Henderson allowed four receptions on four targets for 37 yards and the touchdowns. The senior’s recent struggles in coverage could cement him as a box safety at the next level.
UP: Charlie Kolar, TE Iowa St.
The Cyclones threw for 310 yards in their 28-21 loss to the Sooners. Kolar was responsible for 152 of those yards on 12 receptions. He also scored a touchdown. The 6'6", 260 lb. senior faced high expectations entering 2021 after averaging 644 yards and seven touchdowns over the past two seasons. He’s starting to get hot after a slow start.
Kolar has 25 receptions for 300 yards and three touchdowns over his last three appearances. That’s by far his hottest stretch of the year. Kolar is part of a tight end class loaded with late Day 2 and early Day 3 talent.
DOWN: Abram Smith, RB Baylor
Smith entered the weekend on a four-game streak of 125 rushing yards or more. He’d only run for under 85 yards once all season until Kansas State held him to 46 yards on 21 carries (2.2 yards per attempt). Smith is a volume rusher that doesn’t offer much upside in the receiving game, but he’s sixth among FBS rushers in yards this season.
Honorable Mentions Stock Up
Brennan Armstrong, QB Virginia
Coby Bryant, CB Cincinnati
Zach Charbonnet, RB UCLA
Romeo Doubs, WR Nevada
Kyler Gordon, CB Washington
Isaiah Foskey, EDGE Notre Dame
Trent McDuffie, CB Washington
Chad Muma, LB Wyoming
Josh Paschal, EDGE Kentucky
Nicholas Petit-Frere, OT Ohio St.
Desmond Ridder, QB Cincinnati
Mike Rose, LB Iowa St.
Tyreke Smith, EDGE Ohio St.
Dontayvion Wicks, WR Virginia