Last week against Illinois, Ohio State defensive end Cameron Heyward was disruptive. He showed as much mobility as ever and worked nicely to the outside. He showed signs of not being strictly a five-technique end. He'll have to continue showing that mobility against Indiana's James Brewer today. Brewer may be able to match Heyward in strength.
Also in this game, keep an eye on Indiana quarterback Ben Chappell. He's not as much of a developmental prospect as some think.
Word came out this week that NFL scouts love Temple free safety Jaiquawn Jarrett. There's plenty to like in the 6-foot-2, 202-pound senior. As arguably the best player in the Mid-American Conference, Jarrett is experienced and savvy. Northern Illinois has a solid run offense, so Jarrett could play closer to the line to neutralize that area of the game. He's shown that even though he's somewhat undersized, he can handle the run.
Saturday NFL Draft watch notes
Speaking of scouts, Chris Steuber of NFL Draft Scout reports that personnel men from Jacksonville, Washington and Seattle will be at the Boston College/North Carolina State game. The game features a handful of middling prospects. The Wolfpack’s best draft eligible players are inside linebacker
and tight end
. Boston College’s are a little better in offensive tackle Anthony Costanzo and
. After missing last season, Herzlich has been solid all year. However, he doesn’t have a sack. To be considered a top prospect, he’ll have to start getting in the backfield.
No game will be packed with scouts like the LSU/Florida game. A top matchup in that game could be LSU defensive tackle
lining up against Florida center
. The latter is a power blocker who could give the slippery Nevis trouble. Pouncey has had plenty of doubters this season and could quiet them with a good game today.
It will also be interesting to see who Florida cornerback
lines up against. Will he be put up against tall LSU receiver Terrence Toliver? One of Jenkins’ knocks is his play against physical receivers. There could be no more physical he’ll see all season than Toliver. Similarly, the matchup of
(LSU) and junior Deonte Thompson (Florida) should be good.
will face a tough test against Michigan State today. But what does a true sophomore slash quarterback have to do with the NFL Draft? Easy. The player trying to neutralize him is sideline-to-sideline stud Greg Jones. The Michigan State inside linebacker hustles to the ball. He’ll have to show off his speed a lot today.
If you haven’t seen Nevada’s Dontay Moch, stay up late tonight. Nevada plays at 10:30 tonight on ESPNU against San Jose State. The Spartans are not good. Moch is good. If he’s going to stuff his stats, tonight could be the night.
