It’s Week 7 of the college football season and there are a bunch of exciting matchups on display. With that in mind, we’ve produced this list of five NFL Draft prospects that you need to keep a close eye on.
Will Sheppard – WR, Vanderbilt (6-3, 198, Senior)
It is safe to say that Vanderbilt doesn’t produce many legitimate NFL prospects. They have had just four players drafted in the last five years and you’ll have to go all the way back to 2008 to find the last time they produced a first round pick. Whilst Sheppard isn’t going to break that streak, he is certainly a draftable prospect.
The fourth-year senior has been starting for the Commodores since 2021 and he is on track to become just the eighth player in school history to log over 2,000 career receiving yards. He is also just four touchdowns away from setting the school record. This weekend he has a very tough test against reigning national champions Georgia. Seeing how he fares against top competition will be a good litmus test for his draft stock.
Michael Penix – QB, Washington (6-3, 213, rs-Senior)
There isn’t a better quarterback in college football right now than Penix. Amongst Power Five quarterbacks he ranks second in passing yards (2,004) and passer rating (136.3), third in touchdowns (16) and adjusted completion percentage (83.3%) and first in yards per attempt (11.2). He has done all of this whilst playing one fewer game than most of his contemporaries.
This weekend he has a tough test against a good Oregon team. Another big showing from Penix would certainly help boost his draft stock further. There are of course going to be some significant medical questions in Penix’s evaluation (he’s had four season-ending injuries in college) but if he keeps putting out tape like this it will be tough to overlook his potential as a prospect.
Jackson Powers-Johnson – IOL, Oregon (6-3, 320, Junior)
On the other side of the Oregon-Washington matchup is Powers-Johnson. A former four-star recruit, he burst onto the scene as a sophomore in 2022 with a dominant campaign at right guard that saw him play 12 of Oregon’s 13 games. He shifted back to center for the 2023 season and has continued to play at an incredibly high level.
Powers-Johnson is going to generate plenty of buzz in NFL circles. His proven ability to be a reliable pass protector whilst also possessing the play strength to carve out wide open rushing lanes as a run blocker is hugely valuable. This weekend he will have his work cut out against a strong Washington defensive front. Another good showing here will definitely pique the interest of scouts everywhere.
Dontay Corleone – IDL, Cincinnati (6-2, 318, rs-Sophomore)
Corleone burst on the scene last season as a redshirt freshman for the Bearcats. The former three-star recruit logged the sixth most run stops in the FBS last season, despite ranking just 256th in run defense snaps played. Following the Bearcats’ move to the Big 12 over the offseason he has had to face a higher level of competition. So far he has looked very comfortable in doing so.
Corleone leads all Bearcats defensive linemen with 10 defensive stops through five games and has logged seven pressures as a pass rusher. He will have one of his tougher tests of the season this weekend against Iowa State. A good game from Corleone would help to provide him with a nice boost to his draft stock.
Taliese Fuaga – OT, Oregon State (6-6, 334, Junior)
If offensive line play is your thing, then watch out for Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga. A former three-star recruit, he committed to the Beavers over offers from the likes of USC and Oregon. Fuaga earned the starting right tackle role in 2022, going on to be voted a Second Team All-Pac-12 member.
Fuaga boasts NFL-ready size and has already shown that he can be a difference maker as a run blocker and as a pass protector. He has given up just three pressures so far this season and he has not yet given up a sack in his college career. Both of those records will be tested this weekend as he prepares to face off against highly-touted UCLA edge rusher, Laiatu Latu. Latu’s 28 pressures this season rank fifth amongst all Power Five defenders.
