Hello one and all and welcome back to another addition of stupid lists that'll mean nothing a few months with me, your host, Logan Blackman! Unlike last week though, we will be looking at each quarterbacks performances from week four, as opposed to week three like last week. Gotta love it, right?
To me, this past week was the best week in college football. We had some absolutely insane performance, both on the good and bad side of things. We saw Will Rogers toss six, SIX, touchdowns against Bowling Green, we saw Hendon Hooker and Anthony Richardson battle it out in Knoxville, and we saw the mighty Hurricanes lose by double digits, at home, to a not very good Middle Tennessee team. Good weekend for the state of Tennessee I guess.
With all these insane performances, this list consists of the most movement out of any list this year. How far will Van Dyke drop after being benched? Will Hendon Hooker reach the top five? What about Will Rogers, after setting a school record in passing touchdowns, how far does he move up? Does his offense effect his stock? Well, you'll just have to read and find out.
So, with all that being said, without any further delays, I give you the "Draft Expert's" week FOUR quarterback prospect rankings for the 2023 NFL Draft! Enjoy!
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Pictured: Hendon Hooker, Tennessee; Will Rogers, Mississippi State; Tyler Van Dyke, Miami (FL)
1. CJ Stroud, Ohio State
Wk 4 - 17/27 281 yds 5 touchdowns 1 interception/0 carries 0 yds 0 touchdowns v Wisconsin (52-21 W)
Season - 79/112 1,222 yds 16 touchdowns 1 interception/7 carries 9 yds 0 touchdowns
Was there anyone out there who actually thought this was going to be a game? After watching Wisconsin up until this point in the season a couple of things were certain. One, their defense is very solid and two, they have no offense, outside of Braelon Allen. In these types of games, when you're going up against an insanely high powered offense, you need to have some sort of an offense in order to take some much needed pressure off of your defense. Now, I find myself subscribing to the 'bend but don't break' mentality, but like most objects, you can only bend so much, and when you reach that limit, the break is fairly violent. In this game though, Wisconsin's defense didn't even have time to bend, they just broke under the immense pressure that Ohio State was putting on them from the world 'go.' Seriously, Ohio State's first four drives of the game resulted in touchdowns, with their fifth one even resulting in points as Noah Ruggles hit a 25-yard field goal. With CJ Stroud pulling the strings, the Buckeyes dominated the first half, finding themselves up 31-7 at the half, before finding themselves up 45-7 towards the end of the third quarter. Like, this game was just a blood bath from the start, with Ohio State running through a seemingly tough Wisconsin defense like they were one of their 'weaker' FBS opponents from weeks two and three. For Stroud, he just looked like his normal self. Apart from an interception in the second quarter, on a pass he over shot his receiver which saw the Wisconsin defender make a nice catch along the sideline, Stroud never looked to frazzled while taking on this Badger defense. With Stroud pulling the strings, the Buckeyes executed multiple long drives, with most, if not all of their touchdowns, coming from inside the red zone. The thing I've really enjoyed about CJ Stroud this season is that he's not overly reliant on Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who was sidelined due to injury for this game, and has utilized the liked of Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr. a lot to this point, with Egbuka being Stroud's 'go-to-guy' so far this season. Stroud's most impressive throw of the game, arguably, came on a slant route ran by Egbuka which saw Stroud lace an absolute piss missile through two defenders to see Ohio State go up 45-7 in the third. I'm seriously loving what I've been seeing from Stroud this season, and I expect another insane performance against Rutgers, who are coming off a 27-10 loss to Iowa last weekend. Last season, Stroud threw for 330 yards and five touchdowns on the road against the Scarlet Knights, I expect nothing different this time around in Columbus, which will mark Ohio State's fifth straight home game to start the season.
Wk 1 - 2
Wk 2 - 2
Wk 3 - 1
Wk 4 - 1
Wk 5 - v Rutgers
2. Bryce Young, Alabama
Wk 4 - 25/36 385 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/1 carry 6 yds 0 touchdowns v Vanderbilt (55-3 W)
Season - 83/121 1,029 yds 13 touchdowns 2 interceptions/16 carries 150 yds 2 touchdowns
Much like what we talked about before with CJ Stroud, did anyone actually think, in their heart of hearts, that this game was going to be close? Look, I don't really care if Vanderbilt beat the likes of Hawai'i, Elon, and Northern Illinois, nothing in the world could've possibly prepared them for a game against Alabama in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday night. After Saturday's win over Vanderbilt, Alabama's now current win streak over the Commodores sits at 23, with Vandy's last win against the Crimson Tide coming on September 29, 1984. This game was never going to be close, and Bryce Young made light work of the Vanderbilt defense on Saturday, throwing for 385 yards with four touchdowns. Though their first drive ended with a punt, Bama scored a touchdown on four of their next five drives, putting them up 31-3 at halftime. It didn't get any better for Vanderbilt after that, as Alabama proceeded to score 24 more points in the second half to take home a 55-3 victory. Though Young didn't end up playing in the fourth quarter, he did put on a show, making multiple throws from outside the pocket while also placing some nice passes where only his receiver(s) could get them. His first touchdown pass, which went to Ja'Corey Brooks for a 21-yard touchdown, Young did a very nice job at going through his progressions, working his way from left to right before hitting Brooks in the back of the end zone for a touchdown. Credit must be given to Brooks on that catch as well, very nice play from the receiver who led Bama in receiving yards and touchdowns. He also had a throw, later in the game, that was a very nice off balance throw. Though it didn't result in a touchdown, his ability to make off balanced throws is very impressive, and one could make a very solid argument that he is the best at doing so in all of college football (the throw I'm referring to went to Kobe Prentice). Again, much like Stroud before, Young made light work of a conference foe Saturday night. This week though should be interesting as Bama are traveling to Arkansas to take on the Razorbacks. I would love to see this be a competitive game, but given how Arkansas has struggled defending the pass this season, Bryce Young could have a heyday. Regardless of the outcome, it should be a decently fun game to watch.
Pre-Season - 1
Wk 1 - 1
Wk 2 - 1
Wk 3 - 2
Wk 4 - 2
Wk 5 - @ no.20 Arkansas
3. Will Levis, Kentucky
Wk 4 - 18/26 303 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/9 carries -10 yds 0 touchdowns v Northern Illinois (31-23 W)
Season - 79/117 1,185 yds 10 touchdowns 4 interceptions/31 carries -37 yds 2 touchdowns
This game was very weird. Kentucky, then ranked eighth in the nation, was struggling at home to Northern Illinois. Like, it was very much a back-and-forth affair between the Huskies and the Wildcats, so much so that we went into halftime tied up at 14 a piece, with Northern Illinois scoring just before the half ended. But then, as the game progressed, Kentucky's offense started to wake up a little more, as they found themselves up 31-14 in the fourth quarter. This was just a very strange game because I'm sure not a lot of people out there expected the Huskies to be in this game for very long, as they were a 26.5 point dog before the game according to Vegas, but even when they were down by 17, though they ended up falling short, they mounted a nice comeback to make the final score 31-23. All that being said, though Kentucky struggled at times in this game, quarterback Will Levis never really looked switched off, and arguably had the best game of his career up to this point, statistically. One thing I've really liked about Levis' development this season is that he's not forcing the issue, he's taking what the defense is giving him, which may result in more 'check downs' but he's being more efficient. Eating up yards with the short passes before hitting the defense deep once they're all sucked in. For example, on Kentucky's first offensive drive, Levis hit one, maybe two, long passes, with the drive ending in a Barion Brown touchdown which came from a screen play. Then later, on a third and eight, Levis stood in the pocket, knowing he was going to get drilled, and delivered a strike to his favorite receiver, Tayvion Robinson, for a 69 (lol) yard touchdown to go up 14-7 in the second quarter. On that play, Levis did a very good job at letting it set up and didn't worry about the hit that was inevitably coming for him. On his third touchdown, Levis stepped up into the pocket and delivered an absolute missile over the middle, hitting Barion Brown for a 70-yard touchdown. These types of throws, surprisingly, are some of the hardest to make. Brown was coming across the field on what seemed like a dig route. On these throws you can't lead them too much because they'll get their head taken off, and you can't throw it behind them, again, too much, because, more often than not, it'll result in an interception. You have to place it pretty much on his hip, and Levis put it between two defenders and just let Brown do the rest. I think overall, what Levis did better than anything was staying in the pocket. Even though Northern Illinois came through with some blitzes, he didn't worry about the hits that were coming, he stood tall and delivered strikes all across the field. Overall, I though this was a very nice game from Levis. Now, the Wildcats will travel to Oxford, Mississippi and take on the Ole Miss Rebels in their second road conference game of the season. Ole Miss is opening as the favorites, but Levis and the Wildcats could pull the upset on Saturday. Should be a fun one to watch.
Pre-Season - 3
Wk 1 - 4
Wk 2 - 4
Wk 3 - 3
Wk 4 - 3
Wk 5 - @ no.14 Ole Miss
4. Anthony Richardson, Florida
Wk 4 - 24/44 453 yds 2 touchdowns 1 interception/17 carries 62 yds 2 touchdowns @ no.11 Tennessee (38-33 L)
Season - 65/121 876 yds 2 touchdowns 5 interceptions/41 carries 196 yds 5 touchdowns
Anthony Richardson is becoming a very intriguing prospect. On one hand, you see someone who has all the physical tools to be a real threat in the NFL. But on the other hand, you see someone who many not be 'all there' as a passer, yet. Like, on Saturday, we saw Richardson throw his first two touchdowns of the season on the road against then no.11 Tennessee. His first touchdown of the game (and season) showed off all the things he can do with the football, that so many others can't. On an RPO style of play, Richardson fakes the hand off the running back, before stepping up in a very crowed pocket before unleashing a jump pass with players all around him. It may not have been the prettiest pass, and yes the receiver made an insane play getting into the end zone, but it was still a very impressive throw nonetheless. Then later, right before his second passing touchdown, Richardson scrambled to his right and hit a pass right in between the numbers of Ricky Pearsall, a pass which he threw between three defenders. A couple plays latter he hit Pearsall in the end zone on a slant route to close the gap, though it proved not to be enough as Florida came out 38-33 losers. Throughout the game, you saw the positives and the negatives surrounding Richardson's game. I truly think he has one of the best arms in all of college football, and his ability to make plays in the run game makes him a very incising prospect, but he needs to hone some things in as a passer to really take that 'next step.' Throws like the one he made to Justin Shorter down the sideline are signs that he definitely has the skills, as there are not a lot of quarterbacks who can place a ball like that while throwing off balance/off your back foot like he did. If he can becoming more 'complete' as a passer, he could be truly special. Everything is in place, he just needs the time to reach that insane potential. And look, I know there's a lot of people out there thinking, 'why is the higher than Hendon Hooker? Hooker outplayed Richardson on Saturday, did he not?' To that I say yes, Hooker did play better and got the result in the end, I just feel Richardson's ceiling is higher, at this point and time, than Hooker's. This isn't a diss to Hooker or anything like that, if you've listened to my show long enough you'd know how much I admire his game, but I want to give Richardson some more time because I think he can be special. Only time will tell if this was the right decision to make or not. I do though expect Richardson to have a great game against Eastern Washington, a team that allowed Bo Nix to throw five touchdowns on them, we'll just have to see if this game will actually be played in Florida or not.
Pre-Season - 5
Wk 1 - 3
Wk 2 - 3
Wk 3 - 4
Wk 4 - 4
Wk 5 - v Eastern Washington
5. Jaren Hall, BYU (+1)
Wk 4 - 26/32 337 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/8 carries 17 yds 0 touchdowns v Wyoming (38-24 W)
Season - 103/144 1,164 yds 9 touchdowns 1 interception/31 carries 79 yds 0 touchdowns
Jaren Hall is becoming one of my favorite quarterbacks in all of college football. I don't care who he plays for and who he's play, dude can sling the rock all across the field, and this week was no exception. If you're on social media at all, at least Twitter, I'm sure you saw this throw, but he threw an absolutely point perfect back shoulder throw to Keanu Hill down the near sideline, which resulted in a 47-yard gain for the Cougars. Just an absolutely insane throw that only a few in college football can make. Sure BYU struggled on their first couple drives of the game, both ending in three and outs, but after that throw to Hill, things stated rolling a little more for the Cougars. After that pass to Hill, on a nice little reverse pitch back play, Hall hit his tight end Isaac Rex for a 32-yard gain, which set up an easy six-yard run for Christopher Brooks to put the Cougs up 7-3. The pass to Rex was a nicely thrown ball down the far sideline, and Hall put it only where his 6'6" tight end could get it, coming down with a very nice catch. Throughout the rest of the game, Hall showed off his arm talent, hitting Hill, again, between two defenders and hitting Puka Nacua on a beautifully thrown off balanced pass. Then, once again down the sideline, he hit Brayden Cosper on a very nice 'back shoulder' throw. I put that is quotations because I'm not sure you would classify that as a back shoulder throw, but it's the best thing I could come up with to describe the pass. I just think Hall has a lot of talent, and this was a game where he showed off what he can do. Though he didn't register an insane amount of rushing yards, his ability to prolong plays, letting them develop, helped BYU move the ball down the field. There was one play, though it didn't result in anything significant, Hall escaped a lot of pressure in the pocket, evading tackler, before throwing it to Cosper down the field. Though the defender was on him, Cosper dropped the pass. He maneuvers around the pocket well, he has insane ball placement, and throws a beautiful deep ball, as shown by his touchdown pass to Hill in the fourth quarter to go up 35-17. It was hard to decide between Hall and Hooker for this fifth spot, and though Hooker balled out against an SEC rival, I think Hall's performance keeps him from getting jumped by Hooker, at least for now. This week, BYU has a Thursday night game against Utah State, a team that gives up 411 total yards per game on defense. This honestly should be light work for the Cougs, and I'm expecting nice numbers all around for the BYU offense.
Pre-Season - 8
Wk 1 - 7
Wk 2 - 6
Wk 3 - 6
Wk 4 - 5
Wk 5 - v Utah State
6. Hendon Hooker, Tennessee (+1)
Wk 4 - 22/28 349 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/13 carries 112 yds 1 touchdown v no.20 Florida (38-33 W)
Season - 81/113 1,193 yds 8 touchdowns 0 interceptions/35 carries 175 yds 3 touchdowns
This was, arguably, the best game of Hendon Hooker's collegiate career. Against a team that beat Hooker at the Vols 38-14 last season, Tennessee came back with a vengeance. That seems to be a theme up until this point for Tennessee this season, as they did the same thing to Pitt just a few short weeks ago. Last year against Florida, on the road, Hooker threw for 221 yards with two touchdowns and just 23 yards on the ground. This time around, Hooker balled tf out, throwing for 349 yards with two touchdowns and a further 112 yards on the ground with another touchdown to boot. With those 112 yards, Hooker led the team in rush yards while averaging a very impressive 8.6 yards per carry. This was Hooker's 'look at me, I'm legit' game. Now for those of you who have listened to the Logan Blackman Show, we already knew Hooker was one of those dudes, but now it seems the whole country has been made aware of that fact. All that being said, it did take Tennessee a little bit to actually get going, as their first drive end in a fumble and their second drive stalled out, resulting in a field goal. After those first two drives though, Hooker looked on, hitting a wide ass open Bru McCoy down the far sideline, which in turn set up a nice four yard touchdown run for Hooker which put the Vols up 10-7 in the second quarter. On Hooker's first touchdown pass, which came just before halftime, he hit wide receiver Ramel Keyton down the near sideline, with Keyton making an amazing catch to reel in the pass. Then later, once they got into the red zone after a Hendon Hooker rush, Hooker sees no one open and instead of trying to force something, he lobs the pass out of the back of the end zone. Though it might not seem like much, Hooker was aware enough to know time was of the essence, and just threw it against the upright. Tennessee also got a nice holding call in the end zone to help out. Then finally, Hooker rolls to the right, buys enough time for his receiver to get open, and hits him in the end zone to go up 17-14 before the half. His second touchdown, really, wasn't anything that special, as he just hit the back flaring out of the backfield for a touchdown, but still, good on him for going through his progressions before settling on a for sure touchdown, putting the Vols up 24-14 in the third. Then, in probably his most impressive play of the game, Hooker looks downfield, can't find anyone, then avoids multiple sack attempts, before break out a 44-yard scamper. Now, he did get a little careless with the ball in the pocket, it always stresses me out when ball carriers start lifting the ball above their head but hey, he didn't fumble and as the old adage goes, better to be lucky than good. In the end, this was just a very fun game to watch, and just as fun to watch back. Like I said before, this was Hooker's 'look at me' game. Dude is legit, and doesn't seem to be slowing down as he's been one of the most consistent quarterbacks in all of college football this season. After a game where he took some decent hits, I'm sure this bye week will feel very nice, before getting back to it again and taking on LSU in 'Death Valley.' I'm excited to see what Hooker does the rest of the season and if he continues in this fashion, he should be in very heavy consideration for the first round.
Pre-Season - 10
Wk 1 - 8
Wk 2 - 8
Wk 3 - 7
Wk 4 - 6
Wk 5 - BYE
7. Tyler Van Dyke, Miami (FL) (-2)
Wk 4 - 16/32 138 yds 1 touchdown 2 interceptions/3 carries -12 yds 0 touchdowns v Middle Tennessee (45-31 L)
Season - 70/118 809 yds 4 touchdowns 3 interceptions/15 carries -17 yds 0 touchdowns
What the hell happened? Out of all the possible outcomes for Miami's game against unranked Middle Tennessee, I did not foresee a 14-point loss at home. With Mario Cristobal coming in from Oregon, Miami was finally supposed to be put 'back on the map.' Well, I guess you could say in some ways they are, just not in the ways you or I were expecting when the season started. Besides their 70-13 victory against Bethune-Cookman, Miami really haven't looked all that great, so maybe we shouldn't be too surprised that this happened. Against Southern Mississippi, sure they won 30-7, but it took them until the final 20 seconds of the first half to get the lead. And then, against Texas A&M, they just didn't really show up in a very boring 17-9 loss. It just trips me out that Miami, 'The U,' lost to a team that got trounced 44-7 by James Madison in week one. A James Madison team playing their first game at the FBS level. With all due respect to JMU, who are currently 3-0, Miami should not be losing to teams that get their backs blown out by new FBS teams. I'm sorry, but that's the truth. As for Tyler Van Dyke, I'm having a difficult time figuring out where I want to rank him. Sure, he can make every throw on the field, but you can't get benched against a team you're favored by 25.5 to beat. It just can't happen. Not to mention that he threw two picks on his first two throws of the game, though he could feel hard done by on the second one because it was tipped by a d-lineman. I would love to say this is a one off thing but he hasn't looked that amazing this season, regardless of this past Saturday. And before you say it, yes, I am aware his passing numbers are similar to that of Anthony Richardson, who is fourth on this list, but where Richardson has looked shaky against Kentucky and South Florida, not to mention his insane week one perfjoamcne against Utah, Van Dyke has looked shaky/bad against Southern Miss and Middle Tennessee. They're similar body types and can both make insane throws but Richardson's ability to make plays with his feet keeps him from drastically dropping down the list, even without mentioned Van Dyke and Miami losing by double digits to Middle Tennessee. I don't really think a lot of Miami fans will have a problem with me saying this either, as he's already made enemies of some Hurricane fans saying they have no real home support. Like we said last week with Justin Fields, it doesn't matter if that's true, you can't diss your own fans, I'm sorry. I think a bye is the best thing for Van Dyke and this Miami offense. Maybe we don't even see Van Dyke after the bye week, and Jake Garcia is the starter moving forward. Regardless, they've got to get things moving on the offensive side of the ball. For their next game, Miami will be taking on North Carolina, a team that has one of the worst defenses in college football. If Miami wants to get back on track, per say, this could be the game to do it. Though it may not seem like it, I like Van Dyke, I want him to do well, but that performance was very bad on Saturday, got to clean that up. Spencer Rattler 2.0?
Pre-Season - 4
Wk 1 - 5
Wk 2 - 5
Wk 3 - 5
Wk 4 - 7
Wk 5 - BYE
8. Tanner McKee, Stanford
Wk 4 - 17/26 286 yds 3 touchdowns 1 interception/13 carries -33 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.18 Washington (40-22 L)
Season - 59/88 814 yds 6 touchdowns 4 interceptions/21 carries -45 yds 1 touchdown
This game started off pretty rough for Tanner McKee and the Stanford Cardinal. After getting hit twice on their first drive, which resulted in a punt, McKee led the Cardinal offense down the field on a 14-play drive all the way down to the Washington 16-yard line, and then disaster hit. McKee tried to hit his running back Casey Filkins out of the backfield, but Filkins slipped coming out of his break and it resulted in an interception. Now, to be fair to McKee, though it'll go down in the stat book as an interception, dude put it right on Filkins chest, even with him falling over. The ball basically bounced right off Filkins chest and landed into the waiting arms of Bralen Trice. I'm not 100% certain, but I think if Filkins didn't slip, the Cardinal may have just tied the game at seven, but again, I'm not certain of that. The next couple drives didn't go much better for McKee, as they had to punt on their next drive before McKee got strip sacked on their next next drive, which set up Washington with a short field, and they took advantage of that scoring just two plays later, going up 17-0 before halftime. Then, after almost everything had gone wrong for Stanford, they finally got lucky, as McKee hit a couple of very nice passes to get Stanford on the scoreboard. The first pass came down the far sideline, where he hit Michael Wilson for a beautiful 37-yard gain. Then a few plays later, McKee hit Wilson, again, for a 23-yard touchdown. The second throw to Wilson, McKee hit a nice little pump fake to throw the defense off, before hitting Wilson 'between' two defenders to close the gap before halftime. Then, at the blink of an eye, the score sits at 30-7, with Washington seemingly in cruise control. A punt followed by a failed quarterback sneak on fourth and one didn't help Stanford's cause in this game. But then, seemingly like their last touchdown drive, they finally got something to click. They went for it on fourth down, again, but this time McKee hit Elijah Higgins on a well run slant route to get them across the 50-yard line. A few plays later, McKee hits John Humphreys with a beautifully thrown ball to the front pylon to make this game a little more respectable for Stanford. It was a nice back shoulder throw that the corner was no where near ready for. Just a perfectly placed throw, it just sucks that it would do little to change the outcome of the game. And then, like clock work, Stanford's next two drives consisted of a turnover and a punt, before scoring their finally touchdown with under two minutes to go. This one was probably the least impressive of the three touchdowns, as McKee hit a wide open Wilson across the middle on a slant route, which saw Wilson just out run everybody to the far pylon on a 78-yard pitch and catch. There's part of me that feels bad watching Tanner McKee play quarterback for Stanford. The arm talent is clearly there, but he gets hit almost every single time he drops back to pass. Over the course of the past two games, McKee has been sacked 13-times, with eight of them coming in this past weekends loss to Washington. If McKee had a little more time to throw, or was a tad more mobile, he may be considered one of the top quarterbacks in this draft class. I can't foresee McKee and Stanford to pull off the upset like this did last year against Oregon. These next few weeks will be pretty tough for McKee and the Stanford Cardinal.
Pre-Season - 6
Wk 1 - 6
Wk 2 - 7
Wk 3 - 8
Wk 4 - 8
Wk 5 - @ no.13 Oregon
9. Will Rogers, Mississippi State (+1)
Wk 4 - 39/50 409 yds 6 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries -13 yds 0 touchdowns v Bowling Green (45-14 W)
Season - 140/190 1,386 yds 16 touchdowns 3 interceptions/14 carries -60 yds 0 touchdowns
This was a very impressive game for Will Rogers. I know what some are going to say, 'but Logan, it was against Bowling Green, a quarterback as good as Rogers should throw for six touchdowns against a team like Bowling Green.' As true as that may be, it is still an insanely impressive performance by Rogers, who currently sits in the top 10, nationally, in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and completion percentage. He's had a very impressive season up until this point, and he showed off his talent against Bowling Green on Saturday. Like, if we just look at each touchdown, all of them are fairly impressive throws. His touchdown ass to Ducking to start the game off, a beautifully thrown ball towards the back pylon. The only player who could actually make a play on the ball was the receiver, and Rogers placed damn near perfectly. His second one came from pretty much the same spot on the field, expect this time Rogers was met with a little more pressure. With a d-end crashing off the right side of the offensive line, Rogers did a great job at stepping up in the pocket before making a semi-jump throw to Simeon Price, who had to adjust for it, to a certain extent, but a really nice play all around for the Bulldogs. The third one, again, came from pretty much the same part of the field (opposite end though), where Rogers hit Ducking, again, but this time on a post route that Rogers placed right on his body. With a safety somewhat in the area, it was a smart throw by Rogers to not lead his receiver too much, as his receiver could've been lit up. The fourth touchdown came from just a few yards out. Mississippi State got away with a pretty clear pick play, and Rogers found Jamire Calvin wide open on a nice little speed out to put the Bulldogs up 31-7 a few minutes before halftime. His fifth passing touchdown was a fairly simple one, as he hit Lideatrick Griffin on a beautifully run post corner route near the front pylon. Now, though it was relatively simple, those types of passes get jumped more often then some people think, so it was very good ball placement by Rogers, though the receiver was open on the play, you just can't be too careful. Then finally, the sixth and final touchdown was, like the previous ones, fairly easy, as Jaden Walley was wide ass open at the front pylon on the far sideline. With those six touchdowns, Rogers tied a Mississippi State school record for touchdowns in a game. What was even more impressive, to me, is that he hit 12 different receivers, with five of the registering touchdowns, other than Ducking who caught two. Even with all those touchdowns, Rogers best throw of the game went to Jalen Walley. With pressure in his face, Rogers did an excellent job at escaping the pocket, rolling to his left, and hitting Walley with an inch perfect pass down the sideline. Like, I think there are only a hand full of quarterbacks who can make that throw, and it was almost marked incomplete because Walley bobbled it at first, probably because he didn't actually expect the ball to get to him. It was just an insanely impressive throw in an insanely impress game from Rogers. Quarterbacks like Rogers are 'harder' to scout though due to the fact they play in an 'air raid' style of offense. Though his numbers may be slightly boosted, Rogers can still make some insane throws on the football field. This weekend though, hosting Texas A&M, this'll be a nice test for Rogers and the Bulldog offense. If he can follow up his six touchdown performance with another solid one, we may see Rogers move his way even further up the board.
Pre-Season - N/A
Wk 1 - 10
Wk 2 - 9
Wk 3 - 10
Wk 4 - 9
Wk 5 - v no.17 Texas A&M
10. KJ Jefferson, Arkansas (-1)
Wk 4 - 12/19 171 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/18 carries 105 yds 1 touchdown v no.23 Texas A&M (23-21 L)
Season - 67/97 941 yds 8 touchdowns 1 interception/64 carries 274 yds 4 touchdowns
This game couldn't have started much better for Jefferson and the Razorbacks on Saturday night in Arlington. After their first drive ended in a punt, Arkansas scored touchdowns on back-to-back drives to take a 14-0 lead over the Texas A&M Aggies going into the second quarter. The first touchdown drive for Arkansas was everything you want to see from this offense. The drive started with a few short run plays by running back Raheim Sanders before KJ Jefferson showed off the wheels and hit A&M with a nice little run of 26-yards to get them within striking distance of the end zone. Though it ended up being a run, the original play was set up as a pass, but when you're as big and as athletic as Jefferson is, if the defense gives you a lane, you might as well take it and make them pay, which he did. The next play after the run, Jefferson hit wide receiver Ketron Jackson Jr. on a little screen play to the far hash. After starting well behind the line of scrimmage, praise must be given to Jackson for the moves he made to make sure he got to the end zone. Their next drive was even more fun. It started off similar to the drive before, a few run plays here and there, but instead of a short screen play, on 3rd and 14, Jefferson cocked back and hit a fairly wide open Warren Thompson for a 56-yard touchdown. What I liked about this play from Jefferson was that Thompson wasn't his first option. As the play starts, you can see him looking to his left, even at one point pump fakes to fool the defense, before hitting Thompson on a post route in the middle for a touchdown. After that second touchdown drive though, Arkansas went on a mighty cold stretch where they couldn't really get anything going on offense. Like, they almost, and probably should've, scored towards the end of the second quarter, but Jefferson fumbled the ball at the three yard line, which resulted in an Ed Reed style touchdown for the Aggies, who then missed on a two point conversion to make the score 14-13. Prior to the fumble, Jefferson orchestrated a 12-play drive which saw Arkansas run the ball with relative ease. The game plan from Arkansas was pretty simple, run the ball a lot to try and set up something either short or across the middle, and it almost/should've worked on that drive, sadly though, it was not to be. Though Jefferson scored a rushing touchdown in the fourth, and hit some very impressive passes with pressure in his face, it just wasn't to be for the Razorbacks, as their kicker hit the top of the upright and missed the field goal. This is a game Arkansas can feel hard done by because they really beat themselves. Whether it was the fumble on the three or the missed field goal or even the near devastating snap that almost cost Arkansas the chance at the field goal, they'll feel they probably should've won this game. As for Jefferson, he just wasn't asked to do a lot passing the ball. A lot of Arkansas' pass plays were screens or crossing routes, with most of their offense circulating around the rushing attack, which isn't too unusual, running the ball 54 times as a team. Running the ball, Jefferson looked really threatening, but wasn't at his best in the passing game, despite the two touchdowns. I'm very intrigued to see how him and the Razorback offense does against this Alabama defense.
Pre-Season - H/M
Wk 1 - 9
Wk 2 - 10
Wk 3 - 9
Wk 4 - 10
Wk 5 - v no.2 Alabama
Others
Sam Hartman, Wake Forest (NEW)
Wk 4 - 20/29 337 yds 6 touchdowns 0 interceptions/8 carries 10 yds 0 touchdowns v no.5 Clemson (51-45 L OT)
Season - 64/100 962 yds 13 touchdowns 2 interceptions/6 carries 12 yds 0 touchdowns
Devin Leary, NC State
Wk 4 - 32/44 320 yds 4 touchdowns 1 interception/4 carries -7 yds 0 touchdowns v UConn (41-10 W)
Season - 80/125 890 yds 9 touchdowns 2 interceptions/14 carries 2 touchdowns 2 interceptions
Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina
Wk 4 - 19/27 268 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/8 carries 38 yds 1 touchdowns @ Georgia State (41-24 W)
Season - 69/98 1,001 yds 11 touchdowns 1 interception/29 carries 91 yds 2 touchdowns
Michael Penix Jr., Washington
Wk 4 - 22/37 309 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/1 carries -5 yds 0 touchdowns v Stanford (40-22 W)
Season - 92/143 1,388 yds 12 touchdowns 1 interception/9 carries 26 yds 0 touchdowns
Cameron Ward, Washington State
Wk 4 - 37/48 375 yds 2 touchdowns 2 interceptions/9 carries 4 yds 1 touchdown v no.15 Oregon (44-41 L)
Season - 104/151 1,102 yds 10 touchdowns 5 interceptions/24 carries -8 yds 1 touchdown
Previous Rankings
Pre-Season - https://www.theloganblackmanshow.com/post/the-draft-expert-insanely-early-2023-nfl-draft-prospect-rankings
Wk 2 - https://www.theloganblackmanshow.com/post/the-draft-expert-2023-nfl-draft-wk-2-prospect-rankings
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