As the calendar rolls to November, and the first College Football Playoff rankings have been released, the college football and devy analysis shifts to draft eligible prospects and mock drafts. While mock drafts are an exercise in futility due to the draft order not being set and the flurry of trades on draft day, I use them for projected draft stock of players. Juju Smith-Schuster mocked to the Eagles does not matter. However, being projected as a late 1st round pick instead of a top-10 pick before the season started does.
Texas A&M at Mississippi State
Mississippi State senior wide receiver Fred Ross has flashed this year. The 6’2″ 205lb receiver has shot up some draft boards. Ross is projected as a day 2 NFL draft pick in Bleacher Report’s most recent 3 round mock draft. His 48 catches for 543 yards and 7 touchdowns leads the Bulldogs. This is an opportunity for Ross to show his talents against a playoff hopeful Aggies team.
After his breakout against Tennessee with 217 rushing yards, Aggies freshman running back Trayveon Williams has disappointed in his last two outings. Watch to see if Williams can return to form against a Mississippi State team that only allows 154 rushing yards per game.
Virginia Tech at Duke
6-2 190 lb junior wide receiver Isaiah Ford broke out with 75 catches, 1164 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2015. Though he is off pace in 2016, he is still an early round 2 projected pick in 2017. I want to see Ford dominate in this game. His film has flashes but lacks contested catches and the ‘my ball’ mentality needed to be an NFL number one receiver.
Washington at California
Washington has been a surprise to many this year. While sophomore running back Myles Gaskin has the potential to be a top 2018 prospect, junior receiver John Ross has been shooting up draft boards. Ross is small at 5-11 190 lbs but has posted 38 catches for 534 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. These are all career highs. The mock has Ross going in the late second round.
Cal’s Chad Hansen is recovering from a foot injury. The junior receiver has missed the past two games but is expected to play this week. Hansen is still projected as a late-round pick and did not crack the top three rounds of the mock. At 6-2 205 lbs, Hansen has good NFL size and has put up solid numbers (59-770-8) for an average Cal team. This is the biggest stage left on Hansen’s schedule to showcase his ability.
