College football fans everywhere will be pleased to see the Big Ten returning in October, but there is plenty of football to get excited about in the meantime. Week 3 is pretty quiet, with just nine games on offer, but there are a handful of draft prospects to keep an eye on.
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Patrick Jones II – EDGE, Pittsburgh Panthers
With Jalen Twyman opting out, Jones will be the focal point of Pitt’s defensive line this year and it will be interesting to see how he develops. 2019 was his first season as a full-time starter and he was impressive, leading the Panthers in pressures and finishing with 10 sacks and a PFF pass-rushing grade of 84.2.
He has good burst off the line, with great fluidity and athleticism to beat offensive linemen to the outside. He reads the game well and if he can improve on his hand placement he should start rising up draft boards.
Jones was pretty quiet against Austin Peay last weekend but he has a good opportunity to bounce back against Syracuse. Tommy DeVito was under siege against North Carolina, being pressured on 19 of his 44 dropbacks so don’t be surprised if Jones puts up some good numbers this weekend.
Chuba Hubbard – RB, Oklahoma State Cowboys
Hubbard has been generating a tonne of hype after a fantastic 2019 campaign. He finished with over 2,000 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns, averaging 6.4 yards per carry. He was tough to bring down too, with 77 forced missed tackles and an average of 3.9 yards after contact.
The Cowboys will open their 2020 campaign this weekend against Tulsa, a team who were pretty solid against the run last season. They finished with a PFF run defense grade of 86.5, ranked 30th in the FBS, and have one of the best run-stuffing nose tackles in the country with Jaxon Player.
Hubbard’s offseason clash with head coach Mike Gundy looks to be a thing of the past and it will be exciting to see him make another run at the Heisman Trophy after finishing eighth last season. He enters the year as my RB3 in the 2021 class and whilst he won’t displace Travis Etienne at the top, he could rise up draft boards with another great year.
Quincy Roche – EDGE, Miami Hurricanes
Roche was one of the most dominant edge rushers in college football with Temple last year. He posted 68 total pressures, the most amongst returning edge rushers and led the FBS in pressures on third and fourth down. Per PFF he ranked as the second most valuable edge rusher in Wins Above Average.
With Gregory Rousseau having opted out of the 2020 season, Roche will need to step up and prove that he can be the Hurricanes’ main pass-rushing threat this year. The big questions surrounding him as a prospect are his lack of size and the level of competition he faced in the AAC and a good season with Miami could see his draft stock rise significantly.
This looks like it will be a good game, with Louisville just 2.5 point favourites and only one place separates the two teams in the AP rankings. The Cardinals offensive line allowed 13 pressures last week against Western Kentucky so I would expect Roche to put up some good numbers in this one.
Tutu Atwell – WR, Louisville Cardinals
Another one to watch in the Miami vs Louisville clash is Tutu Atwell, one of the most exciting players in college football. Last season he racked up 1,270 yards and 12 touchdowns on 70 receptions, finishing the season with a 91.7 PFF receiving grade. He is electric with the ball in his hands and his average of 10.7 YAC ranked seventh amongst eligible receivers.
He opened the 2020 season with a good game against Western Kentucky and hauled in seven of his eight targets for 78 yards and will be hoping for a big game against Miami this weekend. Last time these two teams met Atwell had six catches for 136 yards and a touchdowns and averaged 18.2 yards after the catch.
At just 5’9″ and 165 lbs, there will always be concerns about Atwell’s size and his ability to translate to the NFL. If he can develop as a route runner this season and fill out his frame, he has every chance of being a top-end Day 2 pick come the draft.
