Each week we take a look at how the top NFL Draft Prospects did in their college games over the weekend:
NFL DRAFT PROSPECTS
Clark Phillips (CB – Utah) vs Jordan Addison (WR – USC)
Although Utah won the game, Utah’s Clark Phillips and USC’s Jordan Addison won this matchup. These two didn’t necessarily match up one on one all game long, but there were a number of key plays that involved the two. Addison would eventually leave this game due to an injury, but prior to that we saw him beat Phillips in multiple ways.
Addison had a couple longer receptions on Phillips. Once he beat Phillips with speed and once he settled down underneath the zone coverage after threatening with speed. Addison also scored his lone touchdown on a design motion pick play where Phillips got caught up in traffic.
It wasn’t a great game for Phillips, but I think this is a reflection of how Utah’s defense played as a unit. Caleb Williams had his way as a passer early and often. Despite his performance, Phillips will still be considered a top cornerback prospect entering the 2023 NFL Draft. Addison continues to boost his stock and is likely in the WR1 race right now with TCU’s Quentin Johnston.
Hendon Hooker vs Alabama
Hendon Hooker led the Tennessee Volunteers to one of the biggest upsets of the NCAA football season. In one of the marquee week 7 match ups, Hooker made a large step in claiming one of the top quarterback spots in the 2023 draft. The Vols’ quarterback put up big time numbers in both passing yards and touchdowns.
The game came down to one final drive following an Alabama missed field goal with the game tied. Hooker was able to drive his offense down the field with under a minute left on the clock and get into field goal range with 2 seconds to spare.
It took until week 7 for Hooker to throw his first interception of the season. Basing his entire draft stock off of this one performance is going to be a massive mistake many fans make. This game showed off why Hooker is an NFL prospect, good size to see the field in the pocket, NFL level arm, higher end mobility and a natural leadership.
However there were at least 3 other plays this game where he Hooker made a poor decision or let the ball get away from him and he was lucky he ended the day with only one pick. He needs to continue to work on his sense in the pocket and his offense needs to expand his duties from just making one sided field reads before taking off.
Xavier Hutchinson vs Texas
Iowa State lost to Texas in heart breaking fashion which may weigh heavily on the topic of this section. After posting an impressive stat line the first 3 and a half quarters Hutchinson looked to be the clutch weapon the Cyclones would ride to a victory.
Down three points Hutchinson was able to get behind the defense with no defender within 3+ yards of him. The ball reached Hutchinson and, after making an adjustment to the pass, he fell to the ground where the ball was jarred loose by the turf near the 5 yard line. He would come back for a big run after the catch, but a QB fumble sealed the game a few plays later.
Hutchinson continued to show off his skill set which has drawn the eye of a lot of draft pundits including myself. He was able to use his rare short area agility and size combination to get inside leverage on DBs and box out on multiple slant and dig routes.
The drop did hurt his image at the end of the game, but he is typically a good player when it comes to downfield tracking and hands so I wouldn’t let that characterize him as a prospect entirely. Iowa State allowed Hutchinson to attack downfield from the outside in this game which is one of the things I hoped to see from them. I am looking forward to see if that trend continues following this week 7 loss, and to see if Hutchinson is able to maintain his self confidence after the ending gaff.
Sean Tucker vs NC State
The Orange hosted one of their toughest opponents on the schedule in week 7 at the dome in Syracuse. Sean Tucker was once again the catalyst for the offense which looked to establish the ground game early and often in this game. Tucker only took 13 hand offs, but was able to rack up 98 yards on the ground including the game clinching touchdown. NC State may not have notable NFL talent in their defensive front seven as years past, but they continue to be a strong unit with good coaching despite that. Tucker was able to come out of this game with a respectable stat line and a continued push for top back in the class.
Tucker is a polarizing running back prospect and showed off why people are torn when evaluating his game. He has upped his receiving production this season which was a major concern while continuing to show good contact balance and footwork to avoid easy tackles behind the LOS. He showed some off his top speed this game and it is NFL level, but nothing elite.
His vision was solid throughout the game, but made a baffling read in a power pull scheme which makes me wonder if he will be best suited for a zone heavy system. The biggest area of his game I believe he needs to work on is not being afraid to seek out contact closer to the LOS and take the dirty yards. Tucker isn’t an undersized back, but he doesn’t run angry or with much physical intensity, instead looking to make players miss which he does well but can and did backfire on him in this game.
