30 NFL prospects you need to know ahead of a loaded college football weekend

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2:50Bank Smartly Visa Signature Card. Welcome to an all-new episode of Building the Beast, and let's not have any fuss. I am Dave Hellman. Dane Brugler is joining me, and we are going to preview a loaded, loaded weekend of college football. Six or seven ranked-on-ranked matchups this weekend. So many draft prospects playing in so many big games. Let's get right to it.

3:22Well, Dan, it happens every year. I'm doing my prep. I'm watching tape back. I'm getting my notes in order for the show. And I start looking at the records of the teams, and it's like 8-0, 7-1, 6-2. And all of a sudden, I'm a little sad, man. We only got a month of this left before it's time to turn to the postseason and really crank the draft process up, which I guess that's exciting in its own right, but we do this for the games, right? And I'm already starting to come to grips with the end of another season. It's not right on the doorstep, but it's getting closer. Like, we're already on the back half of the year.

3:59It's flying, man. And once we get past Halloween, that's always a kind of a trigger for me because November, it's like, okay, my updated top 50 comes out very soon. My first mock draft of the year comes out very soon. And then once we get past Christmas and New Year's, then it's full speed ahead. So, yeah, we're on the fast track. It's in this Saturday, like talk about a it usually happens. It's that first weekend in November where it's just a massive Saturday of games, like just not only for college football purposes and the playoff and all that, but the stage for these prospects. And so, I don't know, showdown Saturday, loser goes home Saturday.

4:43You're more creative than I am. So, you know, you can maybe come up with something. But there's a lot of big games that we can talk about. They used to call it separation Saturday. Maybe now it's like seeding Saturday, like figure out how we put the bracket together. I was going to say there's like two big tent poles in November. One of them is obviously Thanksgiving weekend, rivalry weekend. It's one of the best events of the year in college football. But this is going to be a really special weekend, even by loaded slate standards. I think this one is really, really good. So a little bit of housekeeping, if you're listening, just so you know, the NFL trade deadline is next week, and we will not be doing building the beast just because there's going to be a live episode of the athletic football show.

5:31We'll be reacting to the deadline in real time. It's going to take up all day Tuesday. So we will not have a building the beast next week. In addition, Dane is right in the middle of putting together his revised top 50 for the back half of college football season. So put one out before the season started. Finally, after eight or nine games, we got the new one coming out. I'll say soon, Dane. So with the, with all of that in mind, We're going to do our best to preview this coming weekend of college football. And in addition, try to highlight as many guys as we can who we feel reasonably confident are going to appear on your top 50 when that does release.

6:17Does that sound about right? That sounds good. Let's do it. All right. Let's get right into it. So many games. I think we've got we've got like seven ranked on ranked matchups to get into here. and I think there's no better place to start. I think it's the centerpiece of the weekend. Number one, Miami. Number four, Notre Dame. You don't even need to include the sour grapes from last year and how all of that ended to get juiced up for this, but when you factor that in, it's even better, but it's two of the top teams in the country and two of the lighter schedules among the contenders, And so we knew in August this was going to be the game to assess these teams by and therefore these prospects by.

7:05So what I want to do for each of these games, Dane, is we're going to do the the main attraction as well as the the don't forget about undercard. So let's call it come for this, stay for that. And in your mind, Miami-Notre Dame, what is the main attraction here that we need to be watching heading into this game? It's got to be the quarterbacks, right? I mean, this is the game that scouts have had circled on the schedule. For kind of what you said, both these teams, Miami and Notre Dame, lighter schedules, we want to see these quarterbacks challenged. This is the type of matchup where you can get that.

7:43And Darian Mensah, he's been playing at a very high level all season. And he's completing 81 % of his passes, 25 to 1 interception or touchdown interception ratio. He is so good at understanding where to attack, his accuracy, his natural touch as a thrower. I think those things, when you focus on that and nothing else, that's why some scouts are stamping him with a starter grade at the next level. But Mensah really benefits from a lot of screens, a lot of quick game underneath targets. his average depth of target this year is 7.7 yards. That's 86th in the country. And I think he also benefits from receivers that just don't drop the football.

8:24I think he's third in the nation in terms of his targets and their catch rate. So this is an offense that doesn't make a lot of mistakes. They are really good at what they do, especially with Malachi Tony, arguably the most explosive weapon we have in college football. Notre Dame's a very man-heavy team. And so they're going to look to take away some of those easy button plays that Miami has dialed up for Mensa for that offense. They're one of the best defenses in the country and limiting first downs. And so I'm just very interested to see what kind of what they have cooked up for this Miami offense.

9:05And then how does Mensa and the offense, how do they answer that back? speaking of malachi tony is leonard moore gonna be up for this game do we know that yet i'd be surprised if he wasn't i mean i i he's i know he's been in and out and um maybe not 100 percent but yeah but this is what you save a guy for like this is why you might hold a guy out to get him ready for a matchup like this it sounds like dj mckinney uh the other corner is probably out but I think Leonard Moore is going to be yeah full go I mean Malachi Tony obviously not draft eligible but whatever clips we get of those two going against each other a electric B those will be passed around on social media for the rest of this draft cycle and whatever Malachi Tony's draft cycle looks like as well that I mean that's no uh I think I think you're right that getting a good look at Mensa against A-plus competition is what it's all about, but that's right underneath as like a storyline B, right?

10:12Yeah, I mean, and both sides of this, right? Because Notre Dame, you try not to look ahead, but, you know, the game against BYU, and then you go and face a team like Navy, and they play a certain brand of offense, and so your defense has to shift. So I'm just very interested in all these moving parts for Marcus Freeman and that squad. How do they get ready for this offense? I mean, Miami has been vulnerable this year. I mean, going to overtime against Florida State, Bill Belichick gave them everything they could handle this past weekend against North Carolina. So especially on defense, Miami is gettable.

10:54And so can Notre Dame take advantage of that? And that's where C.J. Carr comes into, right? And it's not just Mensa, but CJ Carr, who there are some parallels between these two quarterbacks. I think they have, I think, mentally, like they had the mind of a quarterback. They understand where to go with the football. The physical tools are good, not great with both of these players. But I think it's just the way they operate. It's very clean. It's very smooth. Miami, the big difference this year compared to last year is obviously on defense, where last year they had that just game wrecking defensive line.

11:29They had dudes in the secondary. This year, they are, I think, 92nd in the country, something like that, in terms of opponent passer rating. And they're letting North Carolina's passing attack find answers against them. And so this feels like it's going to be more of a shootout than a low-scoring game. Real quick before we highlight some of those defenders a little bit more, just thinking about Mensa. and we've talked about it before largely because of the schedule it kind of feels like minsa has been an afterthought talking from a prospect perspective and i'm curious like do you think that's more about the schedule and like miami beat wake forest earlier in the year i think it's their only ranked win like half of their schedule is at or below 500 right now do you think it's more about the schedule or more about Mensa's skill set and just not having overwhelming traits that pop out at you?

12:31If the draft were tomorrow, Mensa would be a first-round pick. Like, there's just, there's, what he has done this year and put on film, I think he has done enough that he, there wouldn't, teams wouldn't have a choice but to draft him the first round based off of what he, what he's done. Now, I think a lot of scouts, when you talk to them, like, they're taking a wait and see approach okay how does he do against Notre Dame once Miami gets in the playoffs how does he hold up if you know they have to go to uh and face Georgia or an Indiana defense or you know just a better competition than what they've faced so far so there is definitely a wait and see approach but I think there's enough appreciation for what Mensah has done that he would be a first round pick tomorrow.

13:14Bo Nix currently holds the FBS record for season long completion percentage at 77 percent Mensa's at 81 percent right now it's it's it's crazy when um and this will kind of transition us to some of these defenders but when Mensa has a clean pocket he's completing almost 90 percent of his passes so it's just it's it's pitch and catch uh but when he's pressured that number's cut almost in half and so for Notre Dame the the recipe's clear here Can you and this is why the fact that they play main coverage, they're going to crowd the line, try to take away some of those easy buttons, but then let Bubacar Traore and that pass rush get after Mensa because that'll be the difference if Notre Dame's able to slow down this offense.

14:05I was going to say, let's transition to our undercard because I think that's it. If your team talking to all pass rush needy NFL fans, if your team needs a pass rusher, this is a game worth having an eye on. You mentioned Bubakar Traore for Notre Dame. We've talked a good bit about him. The Fighting Irish also have Bryce Young. One guy I wanted to talk about, and we mentioned Miami's defensive lineman at the start of the year. one guy I had not checked in on really at all was one of my favorite prospects from last year who went back to school and that's Damon Wilson the edge who was at Missouri last year I thought he was phenomenal with Chris McClellan my guy's eye on young and now he's at Miami I'll be honest I kind of got lost in the shuffle for me I was just checking in on him today what have you what have you think about when you checked in on him?

15:01Because you said it's been a minute. What did you come away thinking? I watched him against Wake Forest and he had a really disruptive day against Clemson. And the bend that I remember being a big fan of is still there. I feel like I wanted to see more power and more moves from him, from what I was able to see where I was just Like you're still like a very natural athlete and you have the ability to bend the corner and it works. But he wasn't like finishing enough or overpowering enough for me personally. But maybe my expectations were too high because I remembered liking him. No, and I think you're on the right track from my experience as well, because I think you're right.

15:48There's a feast or famine nature to his game this year because you watch Wake Forest, you watch Clemson. frequently around the quarterback. But then you watch every other tape, and he's almost a non-factor. Like, he's – and you look at the stats, and it kind of backs it up. He has three and a half sacks this year, but only six tackles? Like, he just – he doesn't show up in the run game at all. And then there are some games where he doesn't show up in the pass game at all, the last two games especially, where it's just he disappears. And so I think when you're talking to scouts, Damon Wilson's a guy that comes up as just being a major disappointment so far this year.

16:28So can this be a game where he gets back on track? It won't be easy. Notre Dame, they've allowed two sacks all year. That's literally number one in the nation. So it's not going to be any easier. But this is a type of game, a type of stage where Damon Wilson can turn a disappointing season into maybe changing the narrative of where things are headed. It's funny. in the NFL, I'm like, sacks are not that important of a stat. Are you getting pressures? Are you getting quick pressures? Are you affecting the pocket in college football? I'm kind of like, if he's such a good pass rusher, how come he ain't get to the quarterback?

17:03Like, I don't know. I'm a little more willing to simplify it. And so I was a little disappointed digging into it, but he doesn't have pressures either too. That's the thing. Yeah. Yeah. Totally fair. I think his zero pressures, the last two games, like, and you're a guy that is more of a pass rusher than a run stopper. So, I mean, you've got to show up here, especially in a game like this. A game like this can change the narrative. Okay, Traore and Bryce Young, if you have something on them, I think we've hit on them, but I think circle those two names on your sheet. And then I wanted to ask you about Miami's DTs as well and what they've been up to.

17:41Yeah, and I think that, I mean, talking about Justin Scott, he's the underclassman. he came in the higher graded prospect of the two and somebody that he's very talented but why isn't the impact greater and this is something that has been common with a few of the DTs defensive tackles in this class I just I want to see you impact the game more for what your talent says and then Ahmad Moten who's the senior and the not as highly graded prospect but still a good player you know he's someone that is it's a lot of feast or famine as well he's so tall that he too often he stands up at the snap and he'll get moved and that shows up a lot in the run game but because he is so big he can create movement and create disruption in the backfield so it just seems like there's a lot of up and down to his tape where you want to see more consistency and this is the type of game where uh you know if you can do it on this stage on this tape that'll go a long way.

18:41At the same time that Notre Dame and Miami kick off, we've got number two, Georgia at number 12, Ole Miss. Good night for the multi-view, I suppose. Going to have both of these heavyweight fights going on at the same time. I think I'm, for my money, you could obviously focus on Trinidad Chambliss and what a huge opportunity for him going against one of the best defenses that he'll see this year in Georgia. On top of that, I think It's just been a shaky few weeks for the Ole Miss offense in general. Like it's two weeks in a row that you and I are texting each other about Deuce Alexander having drop issues in games.

19:22And Trinidad has had a few too many picks for my liking. And again, this is a loaded Georgia defense that should be able to, A, pressure him, B, potentially keep him in the pocket and keep him from making plays out of structure. so that's in general like yes Trinidad Chambliss for sure but just in general this Ole Miss offense I feel like needs to find another gear in a set a setting like this well and I think it was Trinidad Chambliss against Georgia last year in the playoffs that opened up a lot of eyes right like I think that that was the type of performance that converted a lot of doubters like all right a d2 transfer who's you know 5 '11 and like i just not taking him totally seriously as a next level quarterback what he did in the playoff specifically against that george defense i think converted a lot of those uh that were maybe not taking him as seriously as they should have and it wasn't just the escapability at least for me the moving around using his legs that's fun but it was the way that he anticipated downfield with different route concepts it was the way the ball came off his hand now I think to your point this year has been more volatile than last year he already has five more interceptions than he did all of last year so we're talking like 150 fewer pass attempts and he still has that that many more turnovers But I think this comes down to can he put on film against this defense the type of playmaking ability that we saw last year?

21:02Because that's what it's going to take for them to beat Georgia in this defense, a defense that's led by Chris Cole, a guy that we've talked about since the summer. You know, I mean, if you look back at it, Ole Miss beat Auburn by 30 points last week, 45-15. But it was very much one of those games that was much more frustrating than the final score would let on. Like the dam kind of broke on Auburn in the final 10 minutes of the game. And so, again, like I'm just looking for a little bit higher degree of consistency. I'm also curious, and I know he dealt with an injury that knocked him out for a while, but this would be a hell.

21:43You mentioned Chris Cole. This would be a hell of an opportunity for Kawan Lacey to potentially flash like one of the top running back prospects. And he's not going to play. He's out. That's that is very disheartening day. And I thought he was available. So, I mean, so the thing he's been dealing with knocked him back down, I assume. It was a shoulder from, I think, the last game separated shoulder. So I think it sounds like he's trending towards not being able to play. So it sucks. Right. And so I think it's going to, again, put more on the shoulders of Chambliss to go make plays and win from the pocket, but then also use his legs.

22:22And so I think, yeah, it's going to be interesting how Georgia, how they decide to play and defend Chambliss. Like you watched Georgia last year against Ole Miss in the regular season than in the playoff. Like they did a nice job. They were at the most successful when they kept Chambliss in the pocket. But, you know, they had like five or six batted down passes at the line. But when he was able to get outside the pocket, that's where he was really able to find success. And so interested to see how they defend him in this one. I mentioned Deuce Alexander already. If Kwon Lacy can't go, hell of an opportunity for him to step up from what we've seen over the last two weeks.

23:02Because he had one against Texas, and then another egregious explosive drop against Auburn. Wide open. I mean, for six, yeah. And honestly, it wasn't even just that. He had two drops against Auburn. He also had a false start. He also had a muffed punt. So it was arguably the worst game of his career. And it's like, okay, go out there and make amends now, right? Go out there and put it behind you and come out here and make some plays. We'll see if he can do it. He will likely see a fair amount of Ellis Robinson as well, I would guess, which maybe that's like the slight step down from Leonard Moore and Malachi Tony.

23:46I mean, particularly in this draft class, these will be on the short list at each of their positions going against each other. This is another one of those matchups where whatever happens will get clipped out and shared endlessly between now and April. Yeah, and I don't know if Deuce Alexander is going to end up being a top 50 guy, but he's still someone that has an NFL future. Robinson is a top 50 guy, and he has played well this year. He's allowed only one catch over 15 yards. So Deuce Alexander, we know he can get open vertically and has some juice after the catch. Can he find some success when he goes up against Robinson?

24:24That'll be definitely something scouts are keeping an eye on. Well, I was going to bring him up anyway when I thought Kwon Lacy was going to play. But if he's not, what do you think about Makai Frazier, who has, I mean, he's got 357 yards rushing for Ole Miss this year, even when Lacy's been available. So I would imagine a huge opportunity for him going against this Georgia defense. I guess even with Lacy out, I think they've still found some success in the ground game. So I don't, while it's a bummer, I mean, you want more explosive players as part of your offense, I think Ole Miss is still okay in terms of what they want to be on offense.

25:07But then my mind immediately goes to Chris Cole, and it's like, okay, can Chris Cole do enough to just shut down what Ole Miss wants to be using that athleticism, using that speed? Chris Cole has literal sideline. We say sideline to sideline range a lot. He really has that range where he will make plays from the opposite hash and beat ball carriers to the sidelines. But he can also work down in the trenches where he can fill, shed and then find the ball carrier, finish in the run. So I think regardless of who is out there for Ole Miss, Chris Cole is going to have something to say about it. Going to be a loaded Saturday night schedule.

25:47I don't know. I might have to, like, wheel another TV out or something because, like, the small multi-view boxes aren't cutting it for something like this. Like, I need full screen coverage. I'm ready to put Chris Cole, like, in the green room, but let's just wait and see how this game goes. I mean, I'm fine putting him in now, but let's – I think if he puts, you know, kind of the cherry on top of the big performance against Ole Miss, that'll kind of be is what punches his ticket. I don't mind waiting just because I feel like I'm a kiss of death with the green room. Like right when I think about adding somebody, they have a rough night.

26:25So we'll see what Chris Cole does and we can adjust accordingly. But I don't blame you for feeling that way. All right. That is the nighttime schedule for Saturday. Plenty more matchups we want to preview. We'll take a quick break first. NBA Cup season is back. When you turn on the games and check out the courts, turn on the Athletic Live on YouTube. Become part of the show in the interactive chat along with hosts Zach Harper, Kofi Yeboah, and the Athletic Slam Dunk NBA staff. The Athletic Live is presented by Google Gemini. Check it out now and subscribe on YouTube. Football season has arrived, and with the U.S.

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29:43All right, Dane, one of the headliners from the mid-afternoon game I'm very much not looking forward to watching. I never am. It's Alabama at LSU. 2.30 kick this year, which is a little bit unusual. I'm not mad about it though. And even Bama's six and two LSU six and two, probably a little, it is in Baton Rouge. Hey, uh, last time, I think the last time we beat them, actually the last two times LSU has beaten Alabama were two 30 kickoffs. So I'm not, I'm not mad about it. I know LSU likes to play at night, but this is fine with me, but I don't know. Probably like relatively disappointing relative to each team's level of expectation that they both have two losses.

30:26And this kind of feels like an elimination game for whatever hope you have of reaching the playoff. All of that aside, this is still going to be a classic LSU Alabama matchup where there's like upward of a dozen NFL prospects on the field. I mean, this is a loaded game in terms of NFL caliber players. And where I want to start is Jordan Seton against whoever Alabama wants to put up against him. Obviously, Yonsei Pierre is a guy that we've talked about a lot. And I also want to talk to you about Devin Tompkins. But Bama has NFL caliber rushers. And if you're talking about stakes and what you can do for yourself in a matchup, we talked about it a week or two ago.

31:12Trevor Gooseby, unfortunately, is out for the year. There is another big offensive tackle we're going to talk about on this show. But I think Jordan Seaton is the front runner to be OT one. and what better way to put a stamp on that than erasing Alabama's pass rush in this game like I think this is a huge showcase opportunity for him yeah and I think yeah both sides because let's just say that um Colin Simmons Dylan Stewart are going to be the first two edge rushers drafted I think there's a a good race for who's edge rusher three in this class and Yonsei Pierre is in that mix. I don't, coming into the year, that's where he was.

31:51I don't think he's necessarily taken full command of that spot. I love the violence that he plays with, but scouts just want to see a more cohesive pass rush plan from him. But going up against Jordan Seaton, like you said, this is the type of matchup where, okay, if you can, because Seaton is very toolsy, right? The talent off the charts. There are still sloppy parts to his game, but NFL teams are going to welcome that type of talent into the building. We can coach them up. But if a guy like Yonsei Pierre can go out there and have some success, then okay, that's not going to go unnoticed by scouts.

32:30And I'm glad you brought up Devin Tompkins, who a little bit unique because he looks like an interior guy at 6 '5", 290. But he works as an edge rusher. He can set a firm edge. He can create pressure working against tackles. you know he's a USC transfer who has an interesting backstory and is kind of peaking at the right time Devin Tompkins is a classic case of what we talk about when you watch prospects all the time where I flip on the Bama tape and I'm looking for number zero that's Yonsei Pierre just FYI so I'm looking for number zero and like five snaps in I'm like I want to watch number one Who's this number one over here who looks like a DT, but can kind of bend like an edge rusher.

33:15And he's just violent as hell. I mean, he's so physical at the point of the tack. He's just disruptive. He ruins every run play that comes his way. And like I said, he's got juice as a guy that can bend the corner too. I'm so impressed with him. I don't know if you think of him as a top 50 sort of guy, but I got that level of excited watching him at times this year. He's ascending. Like, I mean, he is a guy, he's a fifth-year senior who didn't really, he played Pop Warner football, but then he focused on basketball. And then he returned to football his senior year of high school. And so, and at that point, he was like 220 pounds.

33:56And then he just, over the last five years, filled out his frame and got bigger, but did not lose that athleticism. and learned how to play football in a more consistent way. And so four years at USC, transfers to Alabama was a pretty – it was a payday for him in the NIL this offseason. And, I mean, he is living up to his end of the bargain with how he's been playing for the Tides. So, yeah, this is a player who is ascending at the right time. And someone that will be – I don't know that he'll get to Thursday status, but certainly a player that we'll be talking about on Friday night of draft weekend.

34:34Going back to Yonsei for a minute, you know what I think would go a long way toward helping him out, particularly in a matchup like this? Stop dropping him. I'm so tired of watching Yonsei Pierre in coverage. Like, send him after the quarterback, Alabama. Actually, you know what? Don't do that. Don't do that, Alabama, because I might enjoy watching the game a little bit more if you don't. I mean, you don't want to see Sam Levitt look like a cat with a laser? just kind of all over the place. But honestly, this is a good game for the pass rushers, not just the two we talked about for Alabama, but the two for your LSU Tigers, I mean, they might be the best pass rushing duo in terms of edge rushers in the entire country.

35:21Talking about Prince Will Umen Mielin and then Jordan Ross, these guys get after it. And I think that with Umen Mielin, he's all about the speed, right? He's more of your pass rush specialist. His ability to win upfield, bend the edge, and he can do it that way, winning the corner with speed. But he also has speed through gaps where he's not necessarily powerful, but he creates so much force with that acceleration that he can win through gaps as well. And then Ross, man, he's just a freaky talent. He's built more like an NFL player, so I think he's probably the higher-graded prospect. But, yeah, he's a freak.

36:01So that's LSU, LSU's guys, Alabama's guys. If you have pass rusher on your shopping list, this is a must-see game. Absolutely. I mean, for that matter, and Alabama too, don't get me wrong, and Alabama has owned this series, so I'm not talking shit. But I've said it before. The LSU defense, look in a direction, and you're going to see an NFL prospect on this defense. I mean, the front is loaded with them. uh tj dottery has had a really nice season for lsu at linebacker even the guy that took over for whit weeks i think i was watching the mississippi state tape and um i can't remember what number it was like 42 or something like that devon devon keys yeah yeah i was like oh who's this guy like and so it's like okay they they have depth they have a lot of talent so yeah it's this is a you're i think you're absolutely right it's uh whether we're talking about the headliners that we just talked about or but some of the secondary players as well well speaking of which let's our undercard is probably the secondary here I know you wanted to focus on the safeties in particular yeah again I think if you want pass rushers it's a good game to watch same thing with safeties Ty Benefield for LSU we've talked about a bunch this year can play the post can play single high but I won't be surprised if we see him as more of a down player and spying the quarterback Keelan Russell.

37:25He did that a little bit on the Mississippi State tape. He's done it in previous games. I think the versatility that he offers is such a big selling point because he's big, he's long, he can run, and he's another guy that's ascending. And then for Alabama, Bray Hubbard, he processes the field very quickly. He's a former high school quarterback, so now he's just flipped on the other side now. But he makes plays in coverage. He'll work downhill and run support. Scouts really like him on day two. I'm going to call my shot here to Benefield gets. He gets most of the attention for LSU and deservingly.

37:59So to Marcus Cooley is a good player, his safety running mate in the LSU secondary. He's got a nose for the ball. He's a physical guy. He seems to come up with big plays for them. And I don't hear his name thrown around as often. And again, like I, I hate trying to grade players. I have no idea, but he's a draft guy, and he's worth watching in this game. No doubt. His range, whenever I watch LSU's defense, the range of number zero, that stands out consistently. All right, let's keep it pushing an 11 a.m. kickoff, which seems 11 central. Yeah, 11 central 10 o 'clock mountain time kickoff, which just seems like bullshit for a game between two top 10 teams.

38:50But what do I know? But number seven, BYU, number three, Utah, the Holy War, playoff seating on the line, absolutely underrated rivalry in terms of animosity, a lot going on here. But I did want to talk to you because you've got a feature coming out about this guy. And I mentioned the other major offensive tackle prospect we wanted to talk about Utah just turning into OTU out there in Salt Lake City, I guess, after last year. And now Zaraway Williams is the big name we want to focus on in this matchup. Yeah, you know, it's funny. I mean, I talk to hundreds of players every fall, and most of the information I get, I keep to the beast.

39:34That's the whole point, right? But sometimes stories are so fun that it's like, all right, I'm just going to write about this. and make it its own feature. And that's the case with Zaraway Williams. Spending time with him, and he's just such an effervescent guy, very positive, and learning about his background as a former basketball player and gave up football. And then his senior year, and this is during COVID, so they barely had a season, but based off a scrimmage, he got noticed by teams and goes to Utah. but then a couple injuries. And I kind of outlined the timeline in the feature. It's up on The Athletic right now.

40:16You can go check it out. But then he's found himself stuck behind two first-round picks, Spencer Fano, Caleb Lomu. And I flat out ask him, why don't you transfer? And he just, he's loyal to a fault. But at the same time, he was ready to enter the workforce. He's like, you know what? Maybe this just didn't work out for me. And then at the last minute, the NCAA granted him a sixth year. So we were rewarded with this final year of Zaraway Williams, a left tackle. And he's been just dominant. In eight games, he's allowed six pressures, zero sacks. You see some of the inexperience, especially in the run game.

40:51But, man, he is a talented, talented dude. I talked to Jordan Gross, former NFL All-Pro offensive lineman, who's now the offensive line coach for the Utes, and talking to him about, you know, what makes him so talented, what makes him an NFL player. And so that's all in the future. People can go check that out. That's such a cool story. And I'm so glad he got that opportunity because, yeah, I mean, I think the word is out that he's a riser. But in a, I mean, we've talked about it. There's not a glut of really exciting offensive tackle prospects at the top of this class. And one of them, unfortunately, Trevor Goosby is out for the year.

41:33Seems like there's a lot of potential for Zaraway Williams to get himself drafted really, really highly, especially playing for a team like this, where the deeper Utah goes, the more opportunity he's going to get to put tape out there against better and better prospects, I would assume. Yeah, and I think the feedback from scouts has been mostly like second round, but we know that tackles get pushed up, right? And so Zeroway has his own – he's, you know, an older guy. He's already 24 years old. Oh, no, he's ancient. Right. And so he has – so if you count five games as a senior in high school and then this year he's played eight games.

42:18So he's played 13 games of football since, you know, like Pop Warner. um so like that that's that's something right and so like that factors into the the draft equation but again teams draft traits and for a guy his size his length he's got over 35 inch arms he moves well good feet um I think the more he can and each game has gotten better and better which is exactly what you want to see from an inexperienced player like this so I think he right now if the draft were tomorrow I still think he'd be more of a day two player um but you know know, second round type of player. But by the time we get to April, who knows?

42:56Maybe he does sneak into that first round. Let him get into the playoff and lock horns with a first round edge and just whip his ass and see how that can change overnight. Yeah. Well, I think that is one of the criticisms is what is the best pass rusher he's faced this year? But BYU will throw a lot at him. And so this is Utah is undefeated right now for several reasons, but the left tackle is definitely one of them so you would probably know are my measurements verified here that he is 6 8 with 35 and three-quarter inch arms yes that is uh or no he's 6 he's 6 7 6070 316 35 and three quarters 10 inch hands 82 and three-quarter wing so you had me at 35 and three-quarter inch arms man big boy you see it awesome guy awesome guy you see it when you watch him play like he's just and yeah like obviously there's going to be inexperience there and i don't know if he's the most powerful offensive tackle i've ever watched but like when you have length like that you can just erase people you know it's like a geometry problem at a certain point where it's just hard to it's hard to get a step on somebody with that sort of movement ability and wingspan it's really impressive to watch and I think the whole Jordan Gross angle is interesting too because again he that that's somebody that has been around I mean he's a first round pick himself uh you know somebody that played in the league for over a decade he knows what it takes and so talking to him about what they're working on and like I think that's something that will help him um because I mean there was a lot of upheaval because the coaching staff that recruited Zaraway to Utah they left uh went to michigan and so it was like oh no what does this mean they were able to bring in a guy like jordan gross who i think it's going to end up being a positive for for zero way to okay you had the one coaching staff and what they would preach and coach and teach now you bring in somebody else and i think that's only going to help him i can't wait to watch this game we don't have to spend a lot of time on it because honestly it doesn't sound like we know for sure by you running back lj martin who i mean i think big 12 offensive player of the year last year 13 1 ,300 rushing yards for BYU last year.

45:08He's trying to get back from an ankle injury. I don't know the status of that, and I assume BYU doesn't want us to know the status of that leading up to this game. We probably won't know until closer to the game, and even if he is able to play, who knows what it looks like just knocking off the rust. But I think this is a good running back game because of Wayshawn Parker on the other side for Utah, a guy that has been awesome. he was good last year transferring from Washington State, and he's been good this year. He's averaging 4.76 yards after contact. 4.76 yards, okay, solid, if it's just that's your rushing average.

45:47He's doing that after first contact. So he's been productive in the passing game as well. So I think the running backs, especially if L.J. Martin's able to play, that's definitely a position to watch in this game. It sucks that it's at 11 a.m., But it's really exciting that this matchup is getting this kind of spotlight. And I'm excited to watch it. All right. We got three more matchups to get to. We'll do that after one more break. Debt is an all too familiar state of being. And it's something that most of us have some experience with. Maybe it's a credit card. Maybe it's student loans. Maybe it's paying off a car.

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48:59This one's easy, Dane. At the same time, the Holy War is kicking off, 11 a.m. Saturday. Texas is at Missouri, number 10 at number 19. Sometimes we want to be hipsters and talk about the safeties and this offensive lineman has a lot to gain. And I'm tuning in to watch the quarterbacks here, and I'm not ashamed to admit that. It's a big opportunity for Arch Manning because every game is. And Austin Simmons as well, going against a really, really good Texas defense, even without Colin Simmons. This is a really good Texas defense. Should be a hell of a test for him. Big measuring stick game for both of these quarterbacks.

49:39No doubt. And it could be a look-ahead game, too, because Texas has LSU next week, and then Missouri's schedule the rest of November is crazy. So it's like, okay, you have to get past this one first. Manning's coming off a pretty good game against Mississippi State, but it's still, okay, can you stack another one, you know, back-to-back like this? And one of the reasons I was so optimistic about Arch over the summer coming into this year was you watch his 2025 film and he took care of the football. You know, we can talk about specific plays and what he did well, what he needed to work on, but he took care of the football.

50:13That hasn't been the case this year. He has yet to have a game this year without at least one fumble or interception. There's only two players in all of FBS who have at least seven interceptions and at least seven fumbles. One of them's a true freshman, Jared Curtis at Vanderbilt. The other one's Arch Manning. So it's like, okay, can you give me one game of fumble, interception, free football? And Missouri's defense, you know, we saw what Trinidad Chambliss did against them. Kamario Taylor had a field day against that defense. And so can Arch Manning step up, have that type of performance? And then, yeah, with Austin Simmons, I think talking to scouts, it's like, okay, probably more of a 2028 prospect.

50:55But can, you know, there's still time for that to change because Simmons puts pro level type of throws on every single tape. Yeah. We don't have to overreact to beating Arkansas, but you know the throw I'm talking about. And if you haven't seen it, go find it on social media. I watch it to help me fall asleep at night. It is the type of throw that you audibly gasp when you watch it for the first time. But that's the type of arm talent he has. And that's why he is in this conversation. But when you look at Missouri's schedule through November, it's, okay, Texas, then Georgia, then Kentucky, then Oklahoma.

51:35And so you've got four defenses on the menu here that are going to give you everything that you can handle. And if Simmons can come out of that unscathed or relatively unscathed, maybe he does go pro. But if he gets beat up a little bit and has some down moments, like probably should be expected against that level of talent, you know, then it's probably more likely as a 2028 guy. But it all starts with this game against Texas. I can't help but wonder if this is a matchup between guys we're going to be talking about this summer as like the headliners for the upcoming quarterback class. But I mean, the benefit of playing in a loaded conference is a lot of opportunity to put good tape out there, which I mean, we I touched on it, but we wanted to highlight.

52:20If you're watching this from Austin Simmons's perspective. Colin Simmons is still out, but Texas has some dudes. Jelani McDonald at safety is a guy we wanted to highlight. And Rasheem Biles, the Texas linebacker, probably two guys we haven't mentioned much. Yeah, McDonald was a guy that was in my top 50 coming into the year, one of my top seniors, regardless of position. And he's played well. He leads Texas in tackles. And the Texas defense has been good as a whole. They lead the FBS in yards per play allowed. It's like just over four yards. And so Missouri has a good run game. Ahmad Hardy made his debut last week.

53:02He only played two snaps, but hey, good to see him out there coming back from the gunshot wound in the offseason. Trying to work him in the game shape. Who knows how much we'll see him in this game. But even if we don't, Jamal Roberts has been. So you said, how about the other guy? Yeah, I don't even want to call him a backup because he has been, you know, every bit. There are three players in all of college football, all of FBS, that are over 1 ,000 yards rushing. He's one of them, the only SEC player to reach that mark so far. So this will be a fun game of, okay, you've got a really talented quarterback, you've got a good run game, Caden Green on the offensive line trying to create room, going up against a defense that has been vulnerable at times, but for the most part has been a really good unit with some NFL pros.

53:47Rasheem Biles, you know, I wish he were maybe a little bit bigger. The missed tackles are a little frustrating, but he plays fast. He plays physical, and he will be drafted in April. So even without Colin Simmons, like you said, this is still a pretty good defense. I watched McDonald against Florida this morning. He's a thumper, man. He's fun. He's big, he's long, and he can run. And so he's kind of like Ty Benefield, where you can play him in different spots. You can play the nickel. You can play him as a free. You can be creative with how you deploy him. Oregon, Ohio State is it's a great matchup for this show because it's not as enticing as it was supposed to be from a college football narrative standpoint.

54:31But who cares about that when you're watching prospects and both of these rosters still have plenty of them. Where do you want to start? Well, I mean, start with the Oregon defensive line, because I think this was a unit that was supposed to be like a difference making group of players for for the Ducks. And so even if the offense struggled, well, the defense led by that defensive line was going to pick up the slack. And it just you see it in flashes, but you don't see it consistently. And for me, it starts with Amari Washington, a defensive tackle who is so talented. He was a top 25 player on my preseason board.

55:08He just he hasn't lived up to it. I mean, the talent is there, but the impact isn't. And it's like, what am I missing here where you see the tools, you see the talent, but his impact on the game overall, it just leaves you wanting more. And so, you know, where are we going to see him turn the corner? Edge rusher Mateo Uyongoleli. Help me out with the last name. Uyongoleli. I knew you'd have it. He's probably coming off his best performance of the year against Northwestern. And he was frequently in the backfield in that one. He's playing well. He's a try-hard rusher more than a, you know, a freaky, toolsy type of guy.

55:45but there is room in the NFL for those types of players. So he's doing what he can to get into the top 75, top 60 range. Ohio State on that offensive line, when you have a true freshman, a quarterback, obviously you want to lean on the run game. And I'm betting that's what we're going to see in this one. So the offensive line for Ohio State, they have to win in the trenches going up against this defensive line. And Austin Cereveld's back after missing a few games, but he probably played the worst game of his career against USC at right tackle. And so can he be better in this one? I mean, he's more of a guard than a tackle, but they need him at right tackle because that's where the hole is.

56:23But I just want to see the trenches battle in this one with Saraveld and Carson Hinsman up against that really talented Oregon defensive line. I'm really intrigued by our undercard in this game because let me say this, Dane. I bet Jamari Johnson thought this year was going to go a lot better. you know i bet he didn't think he'd be sitting on 26 catches for 328 yards in november and i feel for him you lose your quarterback all bets are off still a really fun player dude still a really fun player he didn't forget how to play and he's been banged up um that's a big part of it but did you see the usc freshman tight end mark bowman and what he did against ohio state last week i did he went through that defense specifically the safeties like just tissue paper and Jamari Johnson's probably looking at that saying, all right, let's, because I think he's the receivers and the speed they have on the outside.

57:21That's how you can create explosive plays. The tight end keeps you on schedule. And I think that they can have similar success. Now, if you're Ohio State and you're Jalen McClain, if you're Earl Little Jr., you're itching to get back on the field and get that bad taste out of your mouth. Jalen McClain had probably the worst game of his career that I've seen at Ohio State. Earl Little had some moments he wants back. So from a scouting perspective, all right, that happened. That's on film. You can't erase that. What do you do the next week against an offense that can move the football? We saw it last week.

57:52We saw Dylan Raiola kind of settle in a little bit at quarterback. So can you answer and have a big game at home against an offense that can still be explosive? I don't want to compare Jamari Johnson to what Bowman did last week because that was breathtaking. But like he can do some stuff, man. Like Jamari Johnson's he's going to hurdle a guy like he's going to make some athletic plays. And he had an outstanding diving catch against USC like he he can absolutely get after these guys, maybe not to the degree that Bowman did. But he is impressive to watch. He's really good at making the quarterback right because he so easily adjusts the footballs behind him.

58:33His catch radius is huge. We know Oregon likes to use their tight ends on those seam routes and, you know, fit them right in between the linebacker and the safety. So I'm sure we will see plenty of that in this game. But, yeah, I mean, the tight ends, trade-ins green to me, tight end one. And then it's like, okay, tight end two. Is it going to be Jamari Johnson? Is it going to be Luke Reynolds from Virginia Tech? This is the type of game where Jamari can really show out. I also want to say I'm dubious of tight ends as blockers in the college game. Jamari Johnson is a fun blocker to me. Like he will get in there and mix it up.

59:13He's more physical than I would have guessed before I watched him. Well, because he used to be like 280 pounds. And now he's down to closer to 245, 250. But it's just interesting to see his maturation and transformation as a tight end over the years. But yeah, I agree. He can, he's not a nothing as a blocker for sure. Last but not least, which it's crazy that this is the last game we're getting to, because it's number eight versus number 16, Kentucky seven and one at Tennessee. Really? I mean, it's cool to see Kentucky in this spot. Reminds me a little bit of Indiana in recent years where whole it's a whole new world out there in, in the modern landscape of college football.

59:55And they've got some players. I specifically, we wanted to focus the trench on the trenches in this game. We talked about Xavier Williams at Tennessee a little while ago, but what I didn't know was Kentucky center Colton Price, who is draw, who will be drawing him in this matchup and what that could mean for price with, you know, in a big spot. Yeah. And going to Neyland is not easy. And so the communication has to be on point. And there's a lot on the center when you go on the road and you have to hear that deafening noise. This is a big opportunity for Colton Price to go out there and have a good game.

1:00:34He's more of a day three prospect, but I think scouts see him as draftable. Xavier Gilliam, he's been just a rocket ship this year. The disruptive qualities, he's probably my favorite player to watch on film every single week. Tennessee was off this past weekend, so it was a little bit of a bummer. But this guy just loves to get after it because he's so quick, so twitchy, so powerful. And then even with our undercard, because I think this Tennessee defensive line as a whole is so impressive. They lead FBS and sacks with 35. Tyree Weathersby at the edge. Going up, anytime he goes up against left tackle Lance Hurd for Kentucky, that's going to be a must-see matchup.

1:01:13Length versus length, power versus power. Or I think Lance Hurd, I've got a lot of responses on social media saying, oh, man, maybe he's a guard. What on film tells you he's not a tackle? I don't know. I'm missing something because he looks like a left tackle to me. Long, mean, he's yet to allow a sack this season. So I think he's another player that's trending in the right direction. We talked about LSU's, you know, duo of edge rushers, and he looked just fine against those guys in Kentucky's win against LSU. Another big opportunity, though. So this, I mean, Tennessee's defensive line is one of the big engines of their success.

1:01:49So again, you talk about having a chance to make a statement at the top of the offensive tackle class. What an opportunity. No doubt. All right. I think that does it. I think that's everything we wanted to hit. And on top of that, there, I mean, there's plenty more. This is just, this is going to be one of the best Saturdays of the year. Can't wait to watch it. As we said, deepest apologies. We will not be back on the other side to recap it. We're off next week for the trade deadline, but Dane's top 50 is going to drop. We'll have more matchups to preview. We got plenty more to talk about as we get closer to the end of the regular season.

1:02:25Until then, we appreciate it. We'll talk to you all next time. Thanks for tuning in. Make sure to hit that subscribe or follow button so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed what you heard, please like, comment, and leave a rating. We'll see you next time.

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