Revenge of the Birds
Here’s a scouting menu for you
Amazingly, none of the top 4 seeds in the CFP advanced to the semi-finals. With the CFP semi-finals games taking place next Thursday and Friday, let’s do a little ROTB scouting on the top NFL-Draft eligible players, shall we? Anyone game?
Penn St.
Abdul Carter, ED, 6-3, 252, 90.8 —- 12 sacks, 37 hurries
Tyler Warren, TE, 6-6, 261, 91.0 —- 1,158 yards, 8 TDs
Kobe King, LB, 6-1, 248, 88.5 —- 90.7 run defense, 72.3 coverage grades
Notre Dame
Riley Leonard, QB, 6-4, 216, 83.2 —- 2,381 yards passing, 18-6 TD/int, 831 yards rushing, 15 TDs
Jack Kiser, LB, 6-2, 231, 79.5 —- 75 tackles, 4 TFLs, 2 sacks
Rylie Mills, DI, 6-5, 295, 71.8 —- 8 sacks, 21 QB hurries
Texas
Kelvin Banks, Jr., T, 6-4, 320, 85.3 —- gave up only 1 sack, 6 QB hurries
Alfred Collins, DI, 6-5, 320, 88.5 —- 55 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 1 sack
Quinn Ewers, QB, 6-2, 210, 73.5 —- 3,185 yards passing, 29-11 TD/int, 28-8 career record
Ohio St.
Jack Sawyer, ED, 6-5, 260, 90.2 —- 9 sacks, 32 QB hurries
TJ Tuimoloau, ED, 6-5, 269, 84.5 —- 12 sacks, 20 QB hurries
Will Howard, QB, 6-4, 235, 84.2 —- 3,483 yards passing, 32/9 TD/int, 165 yards rushing, 7 TDs
Note: was watching the Georgia LB/edges Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams last night and my frustration with the Bulldogs’ edges continues. Dripping in athletic talent, they are just not as productive as their talent would suggest. Alas, Williams was injured again last night, after missing a number of games this season with a high ankle sprain. It just makes it nerve-wracking to consider taking him at #14. Walker is an ILB/OLB tweener who is a fabulous athlete. But he likely projects to ILB in the NFL.
Walker and Williams combined last night for 4 tackles, 1 pass deflection and 0 sacks in a lackluster 23-10 loss to Notre Dame.
Career sacks:
Correct me if I am wrong, but for the Cardinals in addressing their pass rush, wouldn’t you prefer Abdul Carter or Jack Sawyer?
Do any of the three QBs intrigue you?
All three appeal to me in different ways. How clutch was Quinn Ewers versus ASU? Some scouts rave about him, while others feel iffy. Riley Leonard’s physical and mental toughness are prolific, but there are question marks about his passing efficiency. Will Howard has superb size and the way he is connecting with superstar freshman WR Jeremiah Smith could make one wonder how well he could sync up with Marv.
What players jump out at you here?
I picked three from each team whom I thought could interest the Cardinals. Are there others on those teams whom you are high on?
