College Football Week 4: Stock up, stock down

Best and worst performances from the weekend

It’s always draft season for football fans, meaning it’s not too early to take a peek behind the curtain. The 2022 NFL Draft features the best collection of cornerbacks and edge rushers in a decade. We’ll see how those stars fared this weekend while covering other premier names and hopefully sprinkling in a few unknown gems.

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: Jake Haener, QB Fresno St.

Haener is in his second season with the Bulldogs after transferring from Washington. The senior threw a career-high five touchdowns against UNLV in a 38-30 win. It wasn’t Haener’s best performance this season, but the Fresno St. quarterback is on pace for one of the better years in college football.

Haener has 1,842 yards, 15 touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 73.1 completion percentage through five games.

DOWN: Graham Mertz, QB Wisconsin

Jack Coan didn’t finish his revenge match against Wisconsin because of an injury, but the Badgers made a mistake when they sided with Mertz going into 2020. The Wisconsin quarterback threw four interceptions in his team’s 41-13 loss. The Badgers continue falling short of contending for titles because of their lackluster passing game.

UP: Jahan Dotson, WR Penn St.

Dotson continued trending toward a first-round selection with another strong performance over the weekend. The senior hauled in five receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown against No. 12 Wisconsin. Dotson has touchdowns in each of his first four games. The speedy wide receiver only averaged 12.3 yards per reception this year before Saturday’s game.

DOWN: Andrew Booth Jr., CB Clemson

Booth saw his draft stock slide for the second consecutive weekend. The usually terrific corner got obliterated in coverage against NC St. He allowed half a dozen receptions against Emeka Emezie and gave up both touchdowns the Wolfpack scored in regulation. Booth made several great tackles, but he crumbled in coverage.

UP: Forrest Rhyne, LB Villanova

Rhyne led Penn St. and Villanova with 11 tackles and eight solo tackles when the two teams collided on Saturday. His 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss were also game highs. Rhyne had 116 total tackles in 2019 before only playing in two games in 2020. He’s a graduate student that could attract some looks on Day 3 of the draft.

DOWN: Chris Olave, WR Ohio St.

Olave went catchless on four targets against Tulsa last week, and things didn’t improve much over the weekend. The senior caught two of three targets for 12 yards. The Buckeyes rolled with their backup quarterbacks against Akron, which played a role in Olave’s lackluster output. However, he should perform better against low-level competition.

UP: Malik Willis, QB Liberty

Willis is one of the few quarterbacks that feels like a first-round lock. He’s a dual-threat transfer from Auburn that the Tigers would probably love to have back. Willis completed 14 of 19 pass attempts for three touchdowns against Syracuse. He also ran 17 times for 49 yards.

Friday night’s game wasn’t Willis’ best, but Syracuse’s defense was the first challenging one the junior quarterback faced this year. His ability to command the offense left a positive impression, even if Liberty lost the game.

DOWN: Kenyon Green, OL Texas A&M

The Arkansas Razorbacks destroyed Texas A&M’s offense. Arkansas applied pressure all day, and Green had arguably the worst performance of his career. The projected first-round pick allowed four pressures and earned a 4.4 pass blocking grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF). That’s a 4.4 grade out of 100. Green saw snaps at left tackle and right guard in the upset loss.

UP: Cody Roscoe, EDGE Syracuse

Roscoe is a 6'1", 275 lb. edge rusher coming off of a big game against Liberty. The senior recorded five tackles, a sack, and a tackle for loss. Roscoe was never far away from Malik Willis on Friday night, constantly hunting the star quarterback. He already has a career-high in sacks this season with 4.5. That number should continue climbing against FSU next week.

DOWN: Trey McBride, TE Colorado St.

McBride opened 2021 with three consecutive 100-yard games. He accounted for 109 of Colorado State’s 110 passing yards in Week 3, but he had less success against No. 5 Iowa. The senior caught six of his ten targets for 59 yards, but his noticeable dip against elite competition won’t go unnoticed.

UP: Treylon Burks, WR Arkansas

Burks and the No. 16 Razorbacks stunned the No. 7 Aggies this weekend in a 20-10 upset. The physically imposing receiver had a height and speed advantage against Texas A&M’s defensive backs, which he capitalized on. Burks ran through A&M’s secondary for six receptions, 167 yards, and one touchdown.

Burks isn’t the next D.K. Metcalf, but he has some of the same dominant qualities that made Metcalf an eye-popping prospect.

DOWN: Daniel Faalele, OT Minnesota

Faalele is a physical specimen. He’s 6' 9" and weighs 380 lbs. Entering the season, NFL teams and analysts viewed Faalele as a mid-round selection based on his physical profile. The senior right tackle hasn’t done anything to improve his draft stock. Faalele allowed three pressures and a sack against Bowling Green this weekend.

UP: Ikem Ekwonu, OT NC St.

Many analysts believe Ekwonu can’t play tackle in the NFL. They view him as a guard. Those doubters might want to reconsider after the dominant performance Ekwonu had against Clemson’s defensive line. The left tackle only allowed two pressures on over 50 pass blocking snaps. That’s the most pressure he’s allowed in a game this season.

DOWN: Kyren Williams, RB Notre Dame

There was only so much Williams could do against Wisconsin’s defense. Notre Dame’s offensive line hasn’t put the star running back in positions to succeed on the ground. Williams only averaged 1.8 yards per carry against the Badgers, and he didn’t record a reception for the first time since his collegiate debut.

UP: Kevin Atkins, DT Fresno St.

Fresno St. struggled to put away UNLV on Friday, but plenty of Bulldogs had good nights. Atkins was arguably the program’s best defensive player. He finished the night with four tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 1.5 tackles for loss. The 6' 3", 305 lb. interior lineman has 4.5 sacks this season, only half a sack short of matching his career-high.

DOWN: Spencer Rattler, QB Oklahoma

Rattler might go first overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, but he hasn’t done anything this season to earn that distinction. He’s still throwing passes into double or triple coverage with no regard for ball security. His inability to consistently connect with receiver Marvin Mims is puzzling, and Oklahoma is primed to take a step back in the national rankings.

Rattler is a good college quarterback and has the arm talent to make a difference in the NFL. His lack of growth as a player from 2020 to 2021 is worrisome.

UP: Jalen Cropper, WR Fresno St.

Cropper is undersized for the NFL, standing 6' 0" and weighing 173 lbs. He’s gotten hot over the past two weeks. In Fresno State’s win over UCLA, Cropper tallied 141 yards and a touchdown on 14 receptions. Cropper kept up the pressure in Week 4, producing ten receptions for 108 yards and four touchdowns. Yes, he scored four touchdowns this past week.

DOWN: Jalen Wydermyer, TE Texas A&M

The junior tight end only hauled in one of four targets against an Arkansas defense that smothered Texas A&M. Wydermyer finished the 20-10 loss with 18 receiving yards. That marks the second-fewest receiving yards he’s produced in a game since the start of his sophomore year. Wydermyer already has a career-high three drops this season.

Honorable Mentions

Zach Charbonnet, RB UCLA

Zay Flowers, WR Boston College

Ali Gaye, EDGE LSU

Zion Johnson, G Boston College

Brandon Joseph, S Northwestern

Joey Porter Jr., CB Penn St.

Xavier Thomas, EDGE Clemson

Garrett Wilson, WR Ohio St.