Stock Up, Stock Down, Names To Know: Week 11

Week 11 of the college football season had some great play as the draft eligible players showcased themselves for the NFL Draft. In this edition of Stock Up, Stock Down & Names to Watch, I will dig into the games I watched and prospects who made an impact or lagged behind. These are only taken from the games I watched for Draft Countdown, but we will discuss even more prospects on our Podcast. If you want to see where I think players are in terms of their overall stock, head over to my Rankings, and if you want more specifics, sent me a tweet @ShanePHallam 

 

Stock up

Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia

Georgia’s defensive prospects get all of the NFL Draft love, but Jones has played like a first round pick consistently this season. Big, long, and he moves so seamlessly in all aspects of the game. Top pass rushers have faltered, and he was flat out dominant against Mississippi State, not allowing a pressure. A big upside OT who is now putting it all together, Jones has entered the first round discussion for sure.

 

Lathan Ransom, S, Ohio State

Ransom gets left behind when talking about the top safeties in class, but the in the box thumper is having a solid season. The Buckeyes used him in a variety of ways, rushing the QB for 1.5 Sacks, and dropping back into coverage often. He also returned a punt with some success and blocked a punt in the team. For a versatile special teams player with starting upside, Ransom is worth drafting. 

 

 

Stock Down

Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State 

The Nittany Lions had a dominant defensive performance against Maryland, but were lacking their stud corner in Porter Jr. After the game, James Franklin said Porter had a non-football injury situation that they are monitoring. Any injury can derail a draft picks stock, especially when the difference in a few picks in the first round can be millions. This is a situation to monitor.

 

Names To Know

Cameron Young, DL, Mississippi State

Young just got a Senior Bowl invitation and I was interested to see him as a player I had not focused on. The massive nose tackle had a solid game against a good Georgia team. He didn’t get moved around at all with cement feet that couldn’t be walked back. He filled his run gaps, and that was his game. Not much pass rush, but in terms of plugging the run, he is a name to know. With plenty of teams struggling against the run game this year, Young could be an intriguing Day Three pick.

 

Jonah Tavai, DL, San Diego State

The penetrating defensive lineman has 3 sacks against San Jose State and was dominating the line of scrimmage throughout the game. Tavai is a player I had some notes on, but nothing impressed me much. In this game, his explosiveness was on display with good hand work inside for penetration. He becomes an intriguing Day 3 pick and a name to know.

 

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