Two New Players In My Top 50

Hello, hello!

My urgency level jumps up a notch for the draft when the calendar turns to November.

We’re getting closer to draft season, and there are so many players to still watch! I have over 160 reports written so far for the Diehard Draft Guide, so if you want a look at every single one of those reports, you can become a Diehard and see all of them right now! 

With that, here’s what’s on my mind in the last week of October.

I added two players to my Top 50 this week. The first was Indiana LT Carter Smith. I don’t know if he’s ever going to reach consistent Pro Bowl-quality play, but I thought he was just a rock solid all-around player. A three-year starter for the Hoosiers, Smith is a fluid athlete, strains to finish, has pretty good hand usage across the board and is pretty strong on top of it. He’s not a power guy at the point of attack, but for a zone scheme I think he’ll be a good fit as a starter at left tackle or potentially guard in the NFL.

Wednesday was a big ‘tight end day’ for me with film study, and NC State TE Justin Joly made my Top 50 after my initial evaluation. He’s a move tight end known for his receiving chops, but he’s no slouch as a blocker! Can absolutely envision him being a Jonnu Smith or Dawson Knox level of presence in the NFL. Not a dynamic, game-changing type of threat on a weekly basis but a really solid contributor to a pass game. I have a pretty high grade on him; those types of tight ends make more money than you might think!

Sometimes prospects come along where you really like the film, but the profile is a bit concerning. Miami EDGE Akheem Mesidor is a good example of that. Mesidor will be 25 years old on draft night and has missed time or had surgeries due to foot injuries on multiple occasions. That’s an anchor hanging around his neck as far as his draft stock. But if we’re just talking about the tape? He’s really fun. He’s violent. He’s versatile and can win up and down the line. His hands are excellent as a rusher; he’s as developed as you could want in that area. There are a lot of reasons to believe he can step in and help an NFL team right now. 

I also (finally) wrote up one of the lightning rods of college football this week - be sure to check out the Diehard Draft Guide to see my full report and NFL projection for Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia!

We’ve seen an insane amount of coaching turnover already this season at the College Football level, which could become the new norm because of the current landscape. From an NFL Draft standpoint, I’m always interested to see how players on those teams respond after the change. There is still a lot of football left! Will there be more pep in their step, or will they go into preservation mode? Could a new outlook on their scheme and weekly game plan create more opportunity for them on Saturdays? It used to be that a coach getting fired would leave to an exodus of players to the draft, but now could we see a number of these players leaving for the Transfer Portal instead? Here are some players that come to mind when I think about this topic.

My top passer right now is (still) LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier. Is he the most gifted of the group? No. Is his tape the best from this year? No. He also has not been healthy, has seen a ton of turnover around him on the field, and, now, off the field, as both head coach Brian Kelly and offensive coordinator Joe Sloan were fired this week. Sloan came under fire this year after many questioned the Tigers’ decision to bring him back after last season. Will these changes breathe new life into Nussmeier? I’ll be watching in earnest when they take on Alabama two Saturdays from now.

The Penn State roster is chock full of prospects. I have starting grades on EDGE Dani Dennis-Sutton and S Zakee Wheatley. I believe DT Zane Durant can be a fairly impactful presence off the bench as a penetrator inside. Along the offensive front, G Vega Ioane is my top-rated interior offensive lineman and I think LT Drew Shelton has starting traits. Not to mention the two ball carriers in RB Kaytron Allen (who has seen a heavier workload since James Franklin’s departure) and RB Nicholas Singleton (who I came into the season lower on but still like his ability to fit as a role player in the league). I watched every snap of Penn State on tape before Franklin was fired, and I have not watched much since - but I’ve got a long checklist to hit once I get there.

At Arkansas, Sam Pittman was fired a couple of weeks ago, but a player who popped on tape early this season for him was EDGE Quincy Rhodes JR. A big-bodied rusher (6-foot-6, 275 pounds) with athletic traits, Rhodes has excellent flashes. I think he needs a lot of work and I’d like to see him go back to school (whether it’s at Arkansas or elsewhere), but if he does come out the traits are absolutely intriguing.

Last thing before we get into guys I’ll have my eye on this week: it’s one of my favorite weeks of the year! 

That’s right. All-Star game invites are starting to go out. The Shrine Bowl kicked things off with Memphis LT Chris Adams. There are traits to develop here, he needs work, but after watching him he definitely looks like a rock solid Day 3 type of pick going into the pre-draft process. We’ll see if a good week of practice and pre-draft workout can help him rise.

In the early window there is a fun trench battle in the ACC between Duke and Clemson. Blue Devils LT Brian Parker II is almost certainly going to slide inside in the NFL as either a guard or center. He’ll see two future pros this week in DT Peter Woods and EDGE TJ Parker. Both of the Clemson defenders are still in my Top 15 despite a disappointing season in Death Valley. This is a good test for Parker, who could go on Day 2 in April if he declares.

We get a chance to see Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza and his pair of talented pass catchers in WR Elijah Sarratt and WR Omar Cooper JR in the middle slate. The No. 2 Hoosiers take on Maryland at 3:30 ET, and that Terps secondary is led by senior S Jalen Huskey. I have not done a full report on Huskey yet, but he consistently flashes on crossover tape in the Big 10 and has certainly generated buzz with his play this fall. I’d expect to see him around the ball plenty.

The spotlight game under the lights between two Top 20 teams in Oklahoma and Tennessee obviously has it’s share of prospects. I’d like to see Vols WR Chris Brazzell flash against a talented Oklahoma defense; Brazzell has unique height/weight/speed with impressive ballskills. I have a starting grade on him right now. Oklahoma EDGE R Mason Thomas and Tennessee EDGE Joshua Josephs are similar types of players in that they are speed rushers by trade; Oklahoma has freshman offensive linemen playing while the Vols’ line has more pelts on the wall, so keep an eye on Josephs flashing in this one while chasing down QB John Mateer, who has lost a bit of the magic he displayed early in the season since undergoing surgery on his hand a few weeks ago.

Enjoy the weekend of games!

Best,

Fran Duffy


PS — I appreciate those of you who have told me which NFL team you follow. Fun fact: The non-ALLCITY represented the most among you so far has been the New York Jets.

Which honestly makes a lot of sense, if you think about it.

If you haven’t told me your favorite team yet to better help my coverage, you can do that here.