We’re getting towards the home straight of the college football season but there is still a tonne to play for when it comes to the draft. We’ve already seen some big risers, as well as projected first rounders who have struggled to get going. These all feature on the list below of players to watch in Week 12 of college football.
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Hamsah Nasirildeen – Florida State Seminoles
It looked like this would be a big year for Nasirildeen. He had been putting up good numbers in 2019 before suffering an ACL injury in November. On 24 targets he allowed just 205 yards, with three forced incompletions and a passer rating of just 68.9. He has only just returned, making his first start of the season last weekend at NC State. He has slipped down draft boards as a result and will be hoping for a good showing through the Seminoles’ remaining games.
Nasirildeen is one of the most versatile defensive players in this year’s draft class. He has split his time between a variety of roles, playing as a single high safety, in the slot, and at linebacker. He’s an excellent athlete too, with great speed and sideline-to-sideline agility. There will be questions about whether he is refined at a particular position, but he’s certainly got a tonne of talent.
This week he will face Clemson in Trevor Lawrence’s first game back. Tests don’t get any bigger than this and a good game here would be a big boost to his draft stock. Over the summer I had him as a potential first rounder, but right now he looks like a day two player thanks to injury issues. Teams will understandably have concerns about his injury history so a strong finish to the season is a must.
Terrace Marshall Jr. – LSU Tigers
The 2021 wide receiver class is easily one of the most talented in recent years. I have seven receivers inside my Big Board’s top 50, with Marshall missing out by just one spot. It might be too much for him to challenge the likes of Ja’Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle at the top of this class, but he is undoubtedly a talented and productive receiver.
With Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase gone, Marshall has taken on a much bigger role in LSU’s offense this season. He’s moved into the slot and been really productive, with 540 yards and nine touchdowns through five games. He offers the ideal mix of size, speed, and strength, with enough shiftiness in the open field to create after the catch.
This weekend the Tigers come up against Arkansas. Despite the Razorbacks’ performance last weekend against Florida, they remain one of the nation’s better pass defenses and this will be a good test. Marshall needs to work on his drops (six on 44 targets) but if he can keep up his current level of production he might make it into first round contention.
Shaun Wade – Ohio State Buckeyes
Coming into the season, some had Wade as one of the top corner prospects in the class, competing with the likes of Caleb Farley and Patrick Surtain. He’s struggled to transition to a role as an outside corner this season, looking really out of place through three games. Wade needs to turn things around quickly if he’s to have a chance of being a first round pick come April.
Wade was excellent in the slot last year, allowing a passer rating of just 69.9 and chipping in with eight forced incompletions on his 48 targets. This production hasn’t translated to the boundary and he is allowing a passer rating of 130.6 and has given up three touchdowns through three games. Despite having the physical tools and athleticism to be a boundary corner, he’s not been able to convert this to production.
There was always going to be a transition period but in a shortened season he can’t afford to play like this for much longer. The Buckeyes’ defense will be tested this weekend against Indiana and an in-form Michael Penix. Keep a close eye on Wade’s performance in this one. If he doesn’t show signs of improvement he may slip out of the first round entirely.
Jayson Oweh – Penn State Nittany Lions
Things might not be going to plan for Penn State, but in Oweh they have one of the more exciting edge rushers in the 2021 class. Everyone always knew that he had the tools to be a great pass-rusher, but with just 238 pass-rushing snaps prior to 2020 we hadn’t seen it over a large enough sample size. His performances so far this season are encouraging and he is pushing for first round contention.
Oweh is one of the most explosive edge rushers in college football. Despite standing at 6’5″ and 257 lbs he reportedly ran a 4.33 40 last year. He’s still a little raw from a technical perspective, though he has shown signs of improvement this season. Through four games he has amassed 15 total pressures, with 10 of them coming in the opener against Indiana.
If he wants to guarantee his place in the first round, Oweh will need to show improvements in his pass-rushing moves and some more power to his attacks. This weekend the 0-4 Lions face a tough test against Iowa and it will be interesting to see how Oweh fares when coming up against one of the best offensive lines in college football. A big game here against top competition would do wonders for his draft stock.
