We highlight and profile the 2017 NFL draft-eligible prospects for Saturday's UCF vs. No. 5 Michigan, Tulsa vs. No. 4 Ohio State, and Cal vs. San Diego State game.
Week 2 of the college football season is upon us, and with the start of the 49ers regular season just around the corner, we are going to take a look at our potential future. Each week throughout the college season we will break down a few college football games providing highlights and profiles of draft-eligible prospects. I'll start things off covering UCF/Michigan and Tulsa/Ohio State games, and Jake will end the evening with the match-up between Cal and San Diego State. So, sit back, put your scouting hat on, and let's get things started with Week 2.
UCF Knights at No. 5 Michigan Wolverines
Time: 9:00 AM PST
Channel: ABC
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
Lead by new head coach and rising star, Scott Frost - former Oregon OC and pupil of Chip Kelly, UCF comes into Ann Arbor off a tremendous win shutting down South Carolina State with their fast-paced offense, 38-0. Frost, the former Nebraska Cornhuskers star quarterback and a thorn in Michigan lore, is poised to lead his team to their first FBS win since 2014. Michigan, and their fans, are no doubt looking for a bit of payback against Frost, because the last time the Wolverines won the national championship (1997), they had to share it with Frost and the Cornhuskers.
Why the resentment? Well, at the time Frost made it publicly known that Nebraska was the far better team. Although the players are far removed from the squabbles of years past, I am confident the passionate Jim Harbaugh with his love of Wolverine tradition, will use the Frost incident to his advantage - not that he needs it after Michigan steamrolled past Hawaii with a 63-3 win, and fielding a boat-load of high quality draft-eligible talent. But we know Harbaugh all too well. Nevertheless, from a 49ers perspective, it will be interesting to see a former Chip Kelly protégé go up against the khaki Michigan god-like figure, Jim Harbaugh.
UCF
QB Justin Holman, No. 13, 6'3" - 213 lbs., 4.86 40 - (UDFA)
TE Cal Bloom, No. 87, 6'3" - 255 lbs., - (UDFA)
OLB Errol Clarke, No. 51, 6'2" - 230 lbs., 4.87 40 - (UDFA)
CB Shaquill Griffin, No. 10, 6'1" - 200 lbs., 4.41 40 - (7th-UDFA)
CB Drico Johnson, No. 21, 6'1" - 207 lbs., 4.64 40 - (UDFA)
P Caleb Houston, No. 36, 6'0" - 210 lbs., 5.08 40 - (UDFA)
UCF has several potential draft-eligible prospects that could find their way onto an NFL squad as an undrafted free agent rookie, but one name of note to keep an eye on is CB Shaquill Griffin, No. 10.
CB Shaquill Griffin, No. 10, offers a nice combination of size, strength, athleticism, speed, and leadership skills to the position. The former high school track athlete displays a good ability to play the ball down the field and judge the ball in the air with sound ball skills. Brings versatility to play safety and cornerback.
*= indicates junior status
**=indicates redshirt sophomore status
Michigan
RB De'Veon Smith, No. 4, 5'11" - 228 lbs., 4.57 40 - (5th-6th)
WR Jehu Chesson, No. 86, 6'3" - 200 lbs., 4.50 40 - (1st-2nd)
WR Amara Darboh, No. 82, 6'1" - 215 lbs., 4.46 40 - (3rd)
TE Jake Butt, No. 88, 6'6" - 250 lbs., 4.74 40 - (1st)
OT Erik Magnuson, No. 78, 6'5" - 305 lbs., 5.05 40 - (7th-UDFA)
OG Kyle Kalis, No. 67, 6'4" - 305 lbs., 5.24 40 - (6th-7th)
OG Ben Braden, No. 71, 6'5" - 322 lbs., 5.29 40 - (UDFA)
*C Mason Cole, No. 52, 6'5" - 305 lbs., 5.06 40 - (2nd-3rd)
DE Taco Charlton, No. 33, 6'5" - 285 lbs., 4.87 40 - (2nd)
DT Chris Wormley, No. 43, 6'4" - 303 lbs., 4.92 40 - (1st-2nd)
DT Ryan Glasgow, No. 96, 6'3" - 300 lbs., 5.02 40 - (3rd)
*DT Maurice Hurst Jr., No. 73, 6'2" - 282 lbs., - (4th-5th)
ILB Ben Gedeon, No. 42, 6'2" - 248 lbs., 4.86 40 - (UDFA)
CB Jourdan Lewis, No. 26, 5'10" - 176 lbs., 4.43 40 - (2nd)
CB Jeremy Clark, No. 34, 6'3" - 210 lbs., 4.59 40 - (7th-UDFA)
CB Channing Stribling, No. 8, 6'1" - 181 lbs., 4.54 40 - (UDFA)
FS Delano Hill, No. 44, 6'0" - 212 lbs., 4.59 40 - (UDFA)
*DB/LB Jabril Peppers, No. 5, 6'1" - 205 lbs., 4.48 40 - (1st)
SS Dymote Thomas, No. 25, 6'1" - 195 lbs., 4.56 40 - (7th)
P Kenny Allen, No. 91, 6'3" - 210 lbs., 4.98 40 - (UDFA)
It is insane at the amount of draft-eligible talent Harbaugh has with Michigan. I mean, just look at that list above. No doubt "Michigan" will be a name uttered a lot during the 2017 NFL Draft, and I can only imagine the sinister looking grin Harbaugh will make knowing the love all his players will get during the draft. As for who to look for as a prospect, quite frankly, all of them on the list above, but for now, I'll highlight a couple of notable prospects to keep an eye on: WR Jehu Chesson, No. 86 and TE Jake Butt, No. 88.
WR Jehu Chesson, No. 86, the team's MVP, displays a terrific combination of size, length, speed, strength, and toughness to his game. Chesson showcases an outstanding ability to break in and out of his cuts with impressive suddenness, gaining the ability to separate from defenders, and does a fantastic job utilizing his size and strength to counteract at the line of scrimmage when pressed. He shows great deep speed on the outside (Harbaugh says Chesson is the fastest guy on the team), but also the physical toughness to make plays in traffic with reliable hands and great ball skills; moreover, his vision after the catch is superb. Brings value on special teams in the return game and coverage units.
TE Jake Butt, No. 88, displays an athletic frame with a terrific combination of size (6'6"), speed, and strength. Butt has deceptive sneaky speed, is fluid in his route running, showcases excellent ball skills, very strong reliable hands, and is a solid blocker. Butt is a complete tight end and is arguably the top prospect at the position coming out of this years' draft class.
Tulsa Golden Hurricanes at No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes
Time: 12:30 PM PST
Channel: ABC
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
Ohio State comes off of an impressive win blowing past Bowling Green, 77-10. Today, the Buckeyes will be hosting the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes - their very first meeting - and look to stop the Golden Hurricanes' wide-open spread attack. Tulsa comes off a win of their own, defeating San Jose State 45-10, but they will definitely have their hands full matching up against one of the premier teams in all of college football, the Buckeyes, a four-touchdown favorite.
Tulsa
QB Dane Evans, No. 9, 6'0" - 210 lbs., 4.91 40 - (UDFA)
WR Keevan Lucas, No. 2, 5'10" - 195 lbs., 4.54 40 - (6th-7th)
WR Josh Atkinson, No. 88, 6'1" - 208 lbs., 4.59 40 - (UDFA)
OLB Matt Linscott, No. 38, 6'1" - 223 lbs., 4.83 40 - (UDFA)
CB Johnell Celistan, No. 7, 6'1" - 197 lbs., 4.56 40 - (UDFA)
P Dalton Parks, No. 26, 6'3" - 209 lbs., 4.94 40 - (UDFA)
Tulsa has a few draft-eligible prospects that may get their shot in the NFL as an undrafted free agent rookie, but one possible late round prospect to keep an eye on is WR Keevan Lucas, No. 2.
WR Keevan Lucas, No. 2, missed the majority of the 2015 season (played the first four games only) with an injury he sustained during the game against Houston - torn patella tendon in his right knee. The explosive playmaker showcases good short area-quickness, extends to pluck balls from the air with sound hands, adjusts to errant thrown balls well with good awareness and agility, the ability to break in and out of cuts with suddenness separating from DB's, as well as utilizing his frame to shield defenders. Shows the ability to thrive in the slot at the next level and brings value in the return game.
Ohio State
WR Corey Smith, No. 84, 6'0" - 188 lbs., 4.43 40 - (5th-6th)
WR Dontre Wilson, No. 2, 5'10" - 195 lbs., 4.40 40 - (7th)
*OG Billy Price, No. 54, 6'3" - 315 lbs., 5.19 40 - (3rd)
C Pat Elflein, No. 65, 6'3" - 300 lbs., 5.22 40 - (2nd-3rd)
**DE Sam Hubbard, No. 6, 6'4" - 265 lbs., 4.76 40 - (2nd)
*DE Tyquan Lewis, No. 59, 6'3" - 260 lbs., 4.78 40 - (1st-2nd)
*OLB Dante Booker, No. 33, 6'2" - 233 lbs., 4.68 40 - (3rd-4th)
*ILB Raekwon McMillan, No. 5, 6'2" - 243 lbs., 4.78 40 - (2nd)
*CB Gareon Conley, No. 8, 6'0" - 195 lbs. 4.50 40 - (4th)
P Cameron Johnston, No. 95, 5'11" - 195 lbs., 4.84 40 - (7th-UDFA)
After churning over a truckload of draft-eligible talent in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Buckeyes are primed to provide more high quality athletes filling up NFL rosters for 2017. All players listed above are noteworthy to keep an eye on, but two names to highlight today are C Pat Elflein, No. 65 and *ILB Raekwon McMillan, No. 5.
C Pat Elflein, No. 65, is one of the top draft-eligible centers in this years' class. The former high school wrestler and track and field athlete is a physical and tough offensive lineman who plays with a tenacious aggressiveness. Elflein showcases great power at the point of attack and quick feet that helps him do a great job in pass protection and excellent when pulling showing great athleticism finishing his blocks with aggression. His size is not ideal at 6'3", but he does have versatility to be a utility interior lineman at the next level.
*ILB Raekwon McMillan, No. 5, was the nation's top-rated inside linebacker out of high school and is a dominating force in the middle for the Buckeyes. A box inside linebacker and tackling machine (led the Buckeyes in tackles in 2015), McMillan displays quality bulk with the ability to take on the run at the point of attack, and gets low separating with his hands making tackles. A strong tackler that hits with explosion behind his pads, McMillan lacks elite explosive burst and agility, but makes up for it with sound awareness and instincts, easily capable of reading run keys and has decent play speed to track down the football. He shows a good ability to play in coverage showcasing nice balance and awareness, but his lack of short-area quickness can give him issues in space.
Cal vs. San Diego State
Still to come