Check out our last blog post - https://www.theloganblackmanshow.com/post/tlbs-officially-official-usmnt-2022-world-cup-squad-prediction
Hello and welcome back to another Draft "Expert" blog post! I would hope you kind of get the gist of this now, as we have finished week seven in the college football season, so that means we have to reveal our post week seven quarterback prospect rankings for the 2023 NFL Draft!
As usual, I hope you take the time to read through each and every reasoning we present to you on this post, as this one took a little longer to do than some of our other previous posts. This is mainly due to there being some many fun games this weekend with a bunch of quarterbacks putting up very solid numbers.
Whether that was Hendon Hooker against Alabama, Bryce Young against Tennessee, Tyler Van Dyke against Virginia Tech, or even KJ Jefferson against BYU, we saw a lot of good statistical performances this week from this current crop of quarterbacks.
Now, are there a lot of changes from the previous week? Not really, but there is movement none the less, which always gives these lists a little more pizazz than usual. So, without any more further delays, I, Logan Blackman host of the Logan Blackman Show, am proud to present to you our officially official week seven quarterback prospect rankings! Enjoy!
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Pictured; Tyler Van Dyke, Miami (FL); Hendon Hooker, Tennessee; KJ Jefferson, Arkansas
1. CJ Stroud, Ohio State
Wk 7 - BYE
Season - 113/160 1,737 yds 24 touchdowns 3 interceptions/10 carries 4 yds 0 touchdowns
After scoring 40+ points in five straight games, the Buckeyes got a nice little rest before their big time match-up against the Iowa Hawkeyes this Saturday. Am I looking forward to this game? As an Iowa fan, no, not at all. I'll try to be as optimistic as I can be but I don't really see this game ending too well for the Hawkeyes, especially with the game being played in Columbus. As for Stroud and the Buckeye offense, they will be facing a tough ass defense on Saturday, but with how Stroud and the receivers are playing, Iowa will be put under the most pressure they've been under all season, and by some margin. Though Iowa boasts a top three passing defense, I'm expecting a very good performance from Stroud once again. Like I essentially said before, Iowa hasn't played a team of Ohio State's level all season, and has rarely faced a quarterback as good and as precise as CJ Stroud. I'm open to being wrong, but I don't really see Stroud having too many problems come Saturday.
Pre-Season - 2
Wk 1 - 2
Wk 2 - 2
Wk 3 - 1
Wk 4 - 1
Wk 5 - 1
Wk 6 - 1
Wk 7 - 1
Wk 8 - v Iowa
2. Bryce Young, Alabama
Wk 7 - 35/52 455 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/4 carries -4 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.6 Tennessee (52-49 L)
Season - 125/186 1,657 yds 16 touchdowns 3 interceptions/22 carries 150 yds 3 touchdowns
Going into Saturday afternoon, I was so excited for the game between Alabama and Tennessee. More importantly though, I was excited to see Bryce Young and Hendon Hooker square off for the first time this season, as the two are both near the top of the Heisman rankings. Let me tell you, if you didn't watch this game on Saturday, I'm sorry, but you missed out on an instant classic. We'll get to Hendon Hooker a little bit later in the list, but this game showed everyone how important Bryce Young is to this Alabama offense. His poise, his awareness, and his ability to make plays on the move is second to none in all of college football, which is high he's always so high on peoples ranking for the Heisman and the NFL Draft. No offense to Jalen Milroe, but if Bryce Young didn't play against Tennessee on Saturday, Alabama would've had next to no shot at winning this game. Yes, I am aware Bama did come up on the wrong side of the score sheet, losing 52-49, but Bryce Young played a very good game against a solid Volunteer defense in front on 100,000+ screaming Tennessee fans. Like, you could hardly tell that he was fresh off of a shoulder injury, throwing the ball 52 times in the game, while completing 35 of them. Look at his throw to Ja'Corey Brooks in the first quarter. Pocket collapsing around him, Young sidesteps to his left, throw basically from his back foot and delivering a strike to Brooks for a big first down. Young would then hit Isaiah Bond down the far sideline for a nice 33-yard gain, placing the ball perfectly between the defender and the sideline, putting it only where his receiver could get it. Alabama would then score a few plays later, but the throws made by Bryce Young on that drive set everything up very nicely. Young would then get beat up on the next drive, with Alabama getting down 21-7 towards the end of the first quarter. Young would then drive the Crimson Tide with a few shorter passes, getting them into the red zone but having to settle for a field goal to make it 21-10. After a weird special teams play by Bama allowed Tennessee to go up 28-10, Bryce Young needed to turn it up again, hitting some nice passes to different receivers before throwing a beautiful ball to Cameron Latu for a 12-yard gain and a first down. Latu, a 6'5" 244 lbs. tight end, had himself a very nice game on Saturday, but this specific pitch and catch between the pair was probably my favorite. Young, dropping back, throws it to Latu on a out route down the near sideline. If it weren't Bryce Young throwing the football, this pass probably gets picked off, but Young threw an absolute dime to Latu, putting it just over the outstretched hand of the Tennessee defender, allowing the bigger Latu to make a play on the ball, which he did. Young would then hit Brooks in the end zone for a touchdown to make it 28-17, which was nice job by Young rolling out to his left and hitting a streaking Brooks across the end zone. After a couple of nice throws to Kobe Prentice and Cameron Latu, Bama kicked a field goal to go into halftime down 28-20. Then, after a very nice throw to Jermaine Burton down the far sideline, which was probably an even better catch by Burton, Bama scored via a Jahmyr Gibbs run to get them within two, before Young found Brooks in the back of the end zone to tie it up at 28 early on in the third. My favorite play of the game, for Young, came about mid-way through the third quarter. After rolling out to his right, with a Tennessee defender chasing him, Young proceeded to throw on the breaks, allowing the defender to breeze past him, before hitting Jermaine Burton across the middle for a first down. Was it the prettiest throw ever? Not necessarily, but what Young did on that play, there's very little quarterbacks in the county that can do that. Very impressive stuff right there. We then had Young making magic again later in the drive. Though it didn't result in a touchdown on that play, Young's ability to make defenders miss, while rolling out to his left, is insane. Essentially, he made the entire Volunteer defense run right past him. And again, though it wasn't a touchdown, the play ended with a Tennessee pass interference call, which in turn set up an Alabama touchdown a few plays later. Fast forward to the fourth quarter, with the score sitting at 42-35 in favor of Tennessee, Young, on second and 24, steps up in a congested pocket, and while jumping, hits a wide open JoJo Earle for a massive 42-yard gain, setting up a touchdown pass by Young to Latu to tie the game up at 42. On the touchdown, Young did a great job at sucking the defense in, making them think he was going to run the ball, which forced the defender covering Latu to either come after Young or stick with Latu. Looking at it again, I think Bama was going to score regardless of what the defender did, because I think Young would've gotten into the end zone had he decided to run. Though Bama would score on a fumble by Tennessee, it wasn't enough, as Tennessee ended up winning the game 52-49. After coming off a shoulder injury that caused him to miss the game last week, Young played one hell of a game, and made Tennessee's defense work for everything. Young's ability to extend plays is second to none, and he can feel hard done by that he didn't end up with a win. This coming week though, Bama's got another tough test, this time against Mississippi State. I do think Alabama will be able to take care of business, but it could be a little harder than expected given how Will Rogers' has played this year. Should be a fun one.
Pre-Season - 1
Wk 1 - 1
Wk 2 - 1
Wk 3 - 2
Wk 4 - 2
Wk 5 - 2
Wk 6 - 2
Wk 7 - 2
Wk 8 - v no.24 Mississippi State
3. Will Levis, Kentucky
Wk 7 - 17/23 230 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/4 carries 7 yds 0 touchdowns v no.16 Mississippi State (27-17 W)
Season - 114/164 1,635 yds 13 touchdowns 5 interceptions/44 carries -49 yds 2 touchdowns
Like Bryce Young before, Kentucky's Will Levis is also coming off the injury list. Unlike Young though, instead of a shoulder injury, Levis is coming off a foot injury which he suffered in Kentucky's loss to Ole Miss a couple of weeks ago. This time around, Kentucky welcomed a streaking Mississippi State Bulldog team to Lexington, and after coming off back-to-back loses, losing to South Carolina last week, Kentucky needed a win in order to stick around in the top 25. Let's just say that getting Will Levis back was really big for the Wildcats and their 27-17 win over the Bulldogs last Saturday night. Again, like Bryce Young's situation, I mean no offense to Kaiya Sheron, but he's just not at Will Levis' level, at least yet. Now, though Kentucky's first drive of the game resulted in a fumble, Levis made some very nice throws. With penalties pushing them back to long distance downs, Levis would stand in the pocket and deliver some strikes, some shorter than others. Like his check down to JuTahn McClain, which gave Kentucky a much easier chance to go for it on fourth down, going from third and 15 to fourth and one, which they would then get thanks to a Chris Rodriguez run. On the pass, though it was a 'check donw,' it was still a decent throw. With the pocket collapsing, Levis got hit right in the mouth by a Bulldog defender, but got it off just in time to McClain who picked up some nice yardage after the catch. Though they might not be the most 'highlight worthy' plays, they still need to be made in order to win games. The fumble though would come a few plays later, where Levis found Rahsaan Lewis, who fumbled the ball trying to fight for the first down. On third and 17, I can't blame Lewis for wanting to fight for extra yards, but he just needed to hold on to the ball, which is easier said than done, I know. Later in the quarter, with the pocket collapsing, again, Levis lofted the ball down the far sideline to Dane Key, who made a very impressive catch on a 31-yard gain for the Wildcats. That being said, Kentucky would go without scoring on that drive, waiting until just before half to get their first points of the game. Though it wasn't completed, Levis had a nice off balanced throw to Dane Key, I believe, just before half, which resulted in a defensive pass interference. Nicely weighted pass, the receiver just couldn't come up with it. Fast forward to the start of the third quarter, Levis lofted a beautiful ball down the near sideline to Barion Brown for a 33-yard gain, but like almost every pass Levis throws, he took a massive shot, landing on the left shoulder, which forced him to leave the game for a little bit. After settling for a field goal, Levis came back in for Kentucky, who ran the ball on every single play, apart from one, in an attempt to spare Levis from any further beatings, at least directly after the injury. What's the one play Kentucky threw it? Well, it was a nice three-yard toss to Rahsaan Lewis from three yards out. Though it wasn't a crazy long pass, Levis did show off his arm strength, as he threw the ball in-between five Mississippi State defenders for the touchdown. The defenders didn't even really have time to react, as the ball was thrown with such force that they kind of just watched it go by, hitting Lewis right in the chest for a touchdown. Levis would then show off some more magic on the next drive, as on third and eight, with two defenders around him, Levis threw a very nice short side armed pass to JuTahn McClain, who not only picked up the first down, but picked up 31-yards on the play. Again, it wasn't anything deep, but to have the awareness the throw the ball between two defenders while getting hit is impressive. Kentucky would score a play later with a Chris Rodriguez run. Though Levis would throw a pretty regrettable pick six on the next drive, which was a set up screen that the defender jumped, not a whole lot he could do there, he would manage to put the game out of reach a drive later, hitting a wide open Dekel Crowdus for a 50-yard gain. Was this one of Levis' best throws? No, not at all, as Crowdus could've probably scored had the ball not been behind him. Regardless, Kentucky would score a play later with another Chris Rodriguez run, ultimately winning the game 27-17. Levis got hit a lot in this game, and has been taking a lot of hits all season up until this point. After the bye week, Kentucky is taking on their in-state rival Tennessee, and I am kind of nervous for Levis behind that shaky offensive line. I think a bye week is perfect for Levis as he can use this time to recover from certain aches and pains from this season. That game though against Tennessee on October 29th will be very fun though.
Pre-Season - 3
Wk 1 - 4
Wk 2 - 4
Wk 3 - 3
Wk 4 - 3
Wk 5 - 3
Wk 6 - 3
Wk 7 - 3
Wk 8 - BYE
4. Anthony Richardson, Florida
Wk 7 - 15/25 185 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/9 carries 109 yds 1 touchdown v LSU (45-35 L)
Season - 96/170 1,367 yds 6 touchdowns 7 interceptions/56 carries 395 yds 6 touchdowns
Remember a couple weeks ago, when we talked about Anthony Richardson's first couple plays against Eastern Washington? How they perfectly showed off why he should be considered one of the best quarterbacks in this class, despite his 'poor' statistics? Well, it happened again, though it was just the first pass, the massive run cane later. But Richardson, on what I think was the exact same pass play as they hit against Eastern Washington, had a short roll out to his right before delivering a strike down the field to Justin Shorter for a 51-yard touchdown to put Florida up 7-0 before the clock even reached the 14 minute mark in the first quarter. It's just so effortless. I've said it before and I'll say it again, in regards to natural ability and physical tools, there is not a better quarterback in college football than Anthony Richardson. Like, on this throw, he put little to no effort into it, and yet, led Shorter into the end zone for the touchdown. Was it a tad 'under thrown?' If you want to nitpick, sure, Shorter had to slow down a little bit, but it's still an impressive display of just natural arm talent. The unfortunate thing is that that was Richardson's last passing touchdown of the game. Now, that's not saying he didn't have more impressive moments throughout the game, it's just that none resulted in passing touchdowns. Like his throw to Ricky Pearsall at the start of the third quarter. With a free rusher coming from his back side, Richardson could've had the mindset of trying to make a play with his feet. Instead, as he was getting hit, he delivered an absolute strike across the middle to Pearsall, who picked up 29-yards on the pitch and catch. Now, a little later, he did end up pulling it down and running. He read the secondary, saw there was nothing really there, saw a hole to the left side of the offensive line, and dart through the gap for an 81-yard touchdown run. Like, dude broke about five or six arm tackles on the play. When you're a defender, and you see a 6'4" 232 lbs. quarterback barreling down on you, the very last thing that is going to bring him to the ground is an arm tackle, and Richardson made those who tried that pay. Now, I'm not a massive fan of the dive towards the pylon when down for 21 in the fourth, but hey, if I just ran through a top college football team's defense for an 81-yard run, breaking numerous arm tackles, I'd be a little hyped too, as Richardson was. Florida would score one more time to make the score 42-35, but LSU would proceed to eventually kick a field gosling, winning the game by a score of 45-35. Though Richardson was a little inconsistent throughout the game, I thought he played alright. Scoring 35 points, at home, is usually a nice recipe for victory, sadly for the Gators, LSU scored 45. I think this bye week will serve Florida well. They have talent, but just haven't been able to put it all together throughout an entire game. Their next game though is against Georgia, and I am a little nervous for that game. But if they come out after the bye week motived, I think that could be a very fun game. Hopefully it actually is.
Pre-Season - 5
Wk 1 - 3
Wk 2 - 3
Wk 3 - 4
Wk 4 - 4
Wk 5 - 4
Wk 6 - 4
Wk 7 - 4
Wk 8 - BYE
5. Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
Wk 7 - 21/30 385 yds 5 touchdowns 1 interception/14 carries 56 yds 0 touchdowns v no.3 Alabama (52-49 W)
Season - 119/170 1,817 yds 15 touchdowns 1 interception/59 carries 287 yds 3 touchdowns
The other quarterback involved in the awesome Alabama v Tennessee game on Saturday. Though Bryce Young played a very good game, Tennessee's Hendon Hooker probably had the best game of his collegiate career on Saturday, going 21/30 with 385 yards and five touchdowns, with a further 56 yards on the ground. For how good Hooker has been playing this year, weirdly, this is the first time all season that he's thrown for more than two touchdowns in a game, throwing exactly two in every game this season. Though it was also his first game with an interception, I think five touchdowns and a win against Bryce Young and the Alabama Crimson Tide will make him forget about the interception. Let's just start off with that, I guess. I wouldn't even really say that the interception was 100% on Hooker, as he got hit as he threw the ball, which caused it to sail over the intended receivers head and right into the thankful arms of the Alabama defender, who made a very nice diving catch to secure the interception. Alright, now that we got the bad thing out of the way, let's go over the good stuff. Now, if you've listened to the Logan Blackman Show at all this season, I've pretty held the consistent take that Hendon Hooker throws the best deep ball in all of college football, and that was fully on display in the game on Saturday. Whether it was to Jalin Hyatt for 36, 60, or 78-yards, the deep ball was working beautifully for Hendon Hooker, who always seems to have perfect weight and touch on his deep balls, apart from one that he missed to Ramel Keyton late in the second half. Though his other two touchdowns weren't massive deep balls, they were still both to Jalin Hyatt. It's crazy, in the game, Jalin Hyatt and Hendon Hooker connected on six passes for 207 yards and five (FIVE) touchdowns in the win, absolutely crazy. Hooker's first non-deep ball touchdown to Hyatt came later in the first quarter. Nothing to spectacular, just a short roll out to his right, hitting Hyatt, who came across the formation, for an 11-yard touchdown. The second non-deep ball touchdown to Hyatt came with three minutes left in the fourth, tying the game at 49. This one was a lot more impressive than the second time these two hooked up. A well designed RPO style play, Hooker gets the defense to go to the left side of the formation, as he's reading the left side of the field, before flipping his hips and throwing a dart to Hyatt in the end zone between two Bama defenders. With Branch on Hyatt's back hip, there was little room for Hooker to make a mistake, and he didn't putting it only where Hyatt could get it for a touchdown. This was also nice because with the other defender hitting Hyatt in the end zone, if Hooker led him too much, the pass would've been broken up, picked off, or would've seen Hyatt get destroyed. But since the ball was placed on Hyatt's bodied, it allowed him to cover up, avoiding the hit and securing the ball in the process. Then, after a missed Alabama field goal, Hooker gets the Volunteers into field goal range with some very nice passes, setting up the game winning field goal. All in all, this was an insanely fun game to watch, with Hooker and Young proving that they're some of the best quarterbacks in the country. This week is expected to be a little easier for Tennessee as they're taking on UT Martin. I'm expecting another very nice game for Hooker, who could see himself win the Heisman if he keeps playing at this level. He's been really fun to watch this season.
Pre-Season - 10
Wk 1 - 8
Wk 2 - 8
Wk 3 - 7
Wk 4 - 6
Wk 5 - 6
Wk 6 - 5
Wk 7 - 5
Wk 8 - v UT Martin
6. Jaren Hall, BYU
Wk 7 - 26/41 356 yds 3 touchdowns 1 interception/6 carries 23 yds 0 touchdowns v Arkansas (52-35 L)
Season - 155/229 1,914 yds 17 touchdowns 3 interceptions/45 carries 98 yds 0 touchdowns
I came away from this game kind of surprised on Saturday, and that was mostly down to the fact that I had no idea what would happen. Ultimately, I picked BYU to cover due to Arkansas' very suspect secondary and question marks surrounding KJ Jefferson and if he was actually going to play of not. Though KJ Jefferson went out for the first drive of the game, things couldn't have really started much better for BYU. Though after forcing a fumble on Arkansas' first drive, BYU did end up punting, but they then went on to score touchdowns on their next three drives, making me feel really good for picking them to win/cover. The game started particularly well for BYU's quarterback Jaren Hall, who was responsible for two of those three opening touchdowns. There first touchdown was set up by a beautifully thrown ball by Hall down the far sideline to Puka Nacua. Not only was it a great throw, it needed to be a great throw, as BYU was facing a fourth down and eight. Like, it was as close to a perfect throw as you could get. Hell, the Arkansas defender had his hand up and everything, by almost all accounts, this should not have been completed, and yet it was. I'm giving a lot of deserving credit to Hall here, but what a great catch Puka Nacua, seeing the ball in with a defender completely blocking his view of the ball. Also great field awareness to know exactly where the sideline is in order to make the impressive play. BYU would score on a play later on a speed out ran by Isaac Rex from the four yard line. On their next drive, Hall would hit Kody Epps on an out route, which saw Epps make a few people miss before getting into the end zone for a 21-yard score. Very easy pitch and catch for the pair, making the score 13-7 after the missed extra point, which shows why they went for it on fourth and eighth earlier. After an Arkansas touchdown, Hall would get a touchdown erased due to a penalty, but still managed to make some nice plays throughout the drive. The main one coming on a second a 10. Hall, with pressure coming right up the middle, makes an unbalanced back foot throw across the middle to Kody Epps for a 37-yards, which set up a Puka Nacua touchdown run a few plays later. It wasn't the prettiest pass, but the fact that he was able to get the pass off was impressive enough. Not a lot of quarterbacks can make that kind of throw while hopping backwards, it was just a very nice display of Hall's throwing ability. Hall would then hit Keanu Hill on the two point conversion to make the score 21-14. Then, while down 24-21 late in the second quarter, BYU's luck starts to wear down, as Hall threw a bad pass late and across the field that was easily jumped by Hudson Clark. Now, it would've been a hard throw to make if it was on time, let alone when he's way to late to be making that throw. Easy interception that killed BYU's drive and ended in an Arkansas touchdown. BYU would try to keep things closer, as Puka Nacua got another touchdown run and Jaren Hall registered his final passing touchdown, but it was too little too late. BYU wouldn't score again and Arkansas would score a few more times to make the final 52-35. Now, Hall did make a very nice throw on his final touchdown pass, throwing in a nice pump fake for good measure but again, it just wasn't enough. I don't think Jaren Hall played all that bad, but I don't think this was his best game. He had a few late throws throughout the game, with one resulting in the interception we talked about before. I think Hall and the Cougs will bounce back but the weeks match-up against Liberty will be tough. BYU are the favorites, but again, this'll be a tough match-up for the Cougs.
Pre-Season - 8
Wk 1 - 7
Wk 2 - 6
Wk 3 - 6
Wk 4 - 5
Wk 5 - 5
Wk 6 - 6
Wk 7 - 6
Wk 8 - @ Liberty
7. Tyler Van Dyke, Miami (FL) (+1)
Wk 7 - 29/46 351 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/6 carries 13 yds 0 touchdowns @ Virginia Tech (20-14 W)
Season - 141/221 1,656 yds 9 touchdowns 4 interceptions/27 carries -2 yds 0 touchdowns
These past couple weeks have been pretty good for Tyler Van Dyke. After getting benched after a pretty terrible performance against Middle Tennessee, which saw his first two passes intercepted, Van Dyke has put together two back-to-back solid games against the likes of North Carolina and Virginia Tech. After not throwing for over 270 yards all season, he's come back with 496 yards against North Carolina and 351 yards against Virginia Tech, while also throwing five touchdowns, which is more than he had in Miami's first four games combined. As far as natural talent goes, Van Dyke is what you're looking for, but he hadn't put forth anything that made you think he was realizing that talent, especially after three straight losses. I think what worked well in this game for Miami is that they're giving Van Dyke more control over the offense, something that I don't think was the case in the previous weeks. Like, on Miami's first drive of the game against Virginia Tech, Van Dyke was methodical, ending the drive with a touchdown pass. His second completion on the drive was his one, coming way via a very nice catch by Colbie Young down the far sideline. Like we say all the time, this was a very well placed ball by Van Dyke, throwing it right on Young's outside shoulder, putting it only where he could get it. With the defender draped all over him, Young made a very nice one handed catch, just an overall awesome play to watch if you're a Miami fan, or even a neutral. Van Dyke's touchdown came a play later, as he waited for the receiver to cross the formation before hitting him in the back of the end zone for six. Though the throw was a tad bit high, it resulted in a Miami touchdown, so I don't think they'll care all too much. Great catch by Frank Ladson Jr.. On Miami's second drive, Van Dyke showed his ability to make throws on the run. Rolling out to his right after some pressure came up the middle, he made a slight roll to the left before hitting Brashard Smith for a 15-yard gain. This was an impressive display of Van Dyke's arm strength, which he has plenty of, as he was getting hit in the legs while letting the ball go. It's no secret that rolling out to your left is harder if you're right handed, but it's made even harder when your legs are getting taken out from underneath you. Very strong play from Van Dyke. Later, he had a pass to his tight end Will Mallory over the middle. With a defender draped over Mallory, and a second defender coming from up top, Van Dyke did a nice job at putting the ball right on Mallory's back shoulder. Though the drive only resulted in a field goal, it was still a nice drive for the Hurricane offense. When talking about Van Dyke's throw to Mallory on the last drive, at the start of the second quarter it shows you why that placement was important. Van Dyke made another throw to Mallory across the middle, except this time he led him right into the path of the defender. Good on Mallory for seeing the ball in, but that's a throw that needs to be either on his hip or in front of him. Since the throw was behind, Mallory had to twist around, which caused him to lose site of the defender, which led to a massive hit. I'm being nit picky, but I'm sure he would like that one back, though it did result in a nice gain for Miami. Fast forward to their next drive and Miami would get their second touchdown of the game, which saw Van Dyke hit Colbie Young in the back of the end zone for the score. This was a beautifully thrown ball by Van Dyke, how led his receiver to the goal post, placing it just above the out stretched hand of the Tech defender. Like we before with Young, another great one handed catch. Though that was his final touchdown, Van Dyke was still able to make some plays throughout the rest of the game, like his one to Frank Ladson Jr. in the third. First off, Ladson Jr. ran a really nice comeback route, breaking away from his defender and giving Van Dyke a window to work with. For Van Dyke, dude threw this pass right on his break, which gave the defender no time to react and resulted in a big gain for Miami. Comeback routes are all about timing, and if the smallest detail is off, it can result in an incompletion, or worse, a pick six. With the timing perfectly down, Miami was able to get a nice little gain, though the drive would stall out shortly after that. Miami would kind of stall out after that, coming away with a nice 20-14 road victory. Against Duke this week, I expect Van Dyke to have another nice statistical performance, as Duke does not have that solid of a defense. I like what I'm seeing from Van Dyke as of late, and I hope it continues.
Pre-Season - 4
Wk 1 - 5
Wk 2 - 5
Wk 3 - 5
Wk 4 - 7
Wk 5 - 8
Wk 6 - 8
Wk 7 - 7
Wk 8 - v Duke
8. Will Rogers, Mississippi State (-1)
Wk 7 - 25/37 203 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/2 carries -8 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.22 Kentucky (27-17 L)
Season - 227/319 2,313 yds 23 touchdowns 4 interceptions/16 carries -68 yds 0 touchdowns
Before Saturday's game against Kentucky, Mississippi State's offense was rolling at a very impressive clip. Other than the loss to LSU in week three, Mississippi State had scored 35+ points in every single game, including wins over top conference opposition like Texas A&M and Arkansas, both games saw the Bulldogs score 40+ points. Throughout those games, quarterback Will Rogers looked really good, throwing for over 400 yards three times and over 300 two more times. Want to know the only two games this season that Will Rogers has thrown less than 300 yards? Both of Mississippi State's losses, one to LSU, and the other coming this past Saturday against Kentucky, who held Rogers to a season low 203 pass yards. Saturday was also the first time in three weeks that Rogers had thrown an interception, with him throwing 12 touchdowns in the three games prior to the Kentucky game. Now, the interception came off of a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage, but even then, dude was throwing into five Kentucky defenders. I think regardless of if it was tipped or not, I think Kentucky would've wound up with the football. Sadly for Rogers and the Bulldogs, that interception ended the game, as Kentucky just wound down the clock to take home a 27-17 victory. All in all, this was just a very strange game for Mississippi State on offense, and it showed with the number of yards they had in the first half. For the first time since 2020, Mississippi State totaled less than 100 yards, which is just crazy to think about given how high octane the offense has been recently. Though it's surprising to see that stat, it's not that surprising watching the game, as seemingly all of Will Rogers' throws went somewhere between five and seven yards. Kentucky was literally doing everything in their power not to get beat deep, and when Rogers would check it down, Kentucky broke on the play with great speed. The entire game Rogers just looked frustrated, and I don't blame him. You've had a ton of success as an offense up until this point, and now you're known as 'Captain Check-Down,' which is not anything any quarterback wants to hear. Yeah, there's not really a whole lot to say about this game, from a Rogers perspective, then that. I was just a lot of check downs, which has it's place in the sport and can be effective, but Saturday just wasn't it. Going up against Alabama this week, I wouldn't expect things to get much better in that regard. Do I think the Bulldogs can put up a fight? Sure, but they struggled mightily against the Wildcats defense, I am concerned on how they'll do against Bama's.
Pre-Season - N/A
Wk 1 - 10
Wk 2 - 9
Wk 3 - 10
Wk 4 - 9
Wk 5 - 7
Wk 6 - 7
Wk 7 - 8
Wk 8 - @ no.6 Alabama
9. Tanner McKee, Stanford (+1)
Wk 7 - 26/38 288 yds 0 touchdowns 0 interceptions/3 carries -4 yds 0 touchdowns @ Notre Dame (16-14 W)
Season - 124/192 1,537 yds 10 touchdowns 5 interceptions/31 carries -60 yds 1 touchdown
Stanford finally won a game! Ok, they're already won once this year, but that was against a bad Colgate team, so this was their first win against 'top opposition' this season, and I'm here for it. As we've said on the show a few times, Stanford's offense is not the reason they're as bad as they are, their defense just can't hold anybody back. Offensively, Stanford are scoring around 26 points a game, with 397 yards per game. Defensively, they're giving up around 30 points per game, while allowing a further around 410 yards. Now, they haven't necessarily had the easiest schedule either, playing the likes of USC, Washington, and Oregon, with two of those games coming on the road. Last week, I picked Stanford to at least cover in this game, and I was more than happy to see that they came out on the winning side of things this time around, especially after their tough loss against Oregon State a week ago. As for Tanner McKee, though he didn't throw a touchdown in this game, I thought he put forth a very solid outing. Like, dude will always make a few very nice throws a game, as he has one of the best arms in all of college football. Like earlier on in the game. On a third a four play, with pressure streaking through the middle of the offensive line, McKee did an excellent job at getting the ball out quick to his receiver who was running a quick out route to the near side of the field. He had another nice throw to his receiver Elijah Higgins in the third quarter. After a fake handoff/RPO style of play, McKee hit Higgins perfectly right up the middle of the defense. Overall, this was one of the games where McKee wasn't really asked to do a whole lot, and I don't really think he minds, just as long as Stanford came away with a nice road victory. Against Arizona State this week, back at home, Stanford will be facing a very like minded opponent, as the Sun Devils' defense has struggle much like Stanford's has this year. This could be a very fun match-up come Saturday afternoon.
Pre-Season - 6
Wk 1 - 6
Wk 2 - 7
Wk 3 - 8
Wk 4 - 8
Wk 5 - 9
Wk 6 - 10
Wk 7 - 9
Wk 8 - v Arizona State
10. KJ Jefferson, Arkansas (NEW-ish)
Wk 7 - 29/40 367 yds 5 touchdowns 0 interceptions/10 carries 32 yds 0 touchdowns @ BYU (52-35 W)
Season - 109/161 1,463 yds 14 touchdowns 1 interception/91 carries 344 yds 4 touchdowns
This is the type of game I have been waiting for when it comes to Arkansas football. The entire season we have talked about wanting to see them cut KJ Jefferson loose, as the dude is one of the more physically talented quarterbacks in all of college football. Like, we know what he can do in the run game. At 6'3" 242 lbs., KJ is an absolute battering ram when he has the ball in open field but again, we already knew that. If people are going to view KJ Jefferson as a top quarterback in this year's draft class, they need to let him throw the ball more, especially since he has one of the strongest arms in college football. So far this season, Jefferson has registered more than 30 pass attempts once, coming in week three against Missouri State. Other than that, he's only had one other game where he's even registered more than 25 attempts, which came against Cincinnati in week one. This time though, oh boy, the took the reins off Jefferson, and dude went nuclear. Though Arkansas' first two drives ended with a fumble and a punt, Arkansas started to get things going thanks to a Raheim Sanders touchdown run. After that, it was on. Jefferson would then hit Trey Knox in the end zone for a six yard touchdown that I don't think was meant for him. With how hard Jefferson threw it, I'd imagine he was trying to hit Ketron Jackson, who was running a slant route from the opposite side of the formation. Regardless of who the intended receiver was, the play ended the same, with an Arkansas touchdown. The next drive, following a BYU touchdown, Arkansas would have to settle for a field goal, but Jefferson did make some nice throws throughout the drive. One coming on a pass to Trey Knox on a dig/post route across the middle. Jefferson did a really nice job at staying calm inside the pocket before delivering a dart to Knox over the middle. Also, very nice catch by Knox, as the throw was a little high. Later in the second quarter, Jefferson would hit AJ Green down the near sideline for a 14-yard gain. After rolling a little bit to the right, Jefferson then threw across the field to field Green on the opposite sideline. Was it the greatest throw? Not at first glance, but when you see the safety crashing down, it was actually a decently placed ball by Jefferson, though it seemed a little late. With the ball being a little more behind, it allowed Green to work back towards the ball, which in turn made it a harder play for the defender, and saved Green from getting lit up. Jefferson would then hit Matt Landers in the end zone for an easy touchdown to go up 24-21 late in the second quarter. Was that it though? No, no it was not, with Jefferson having one of the plays of the season. On third and 11, on their own side of the 50, the pocket completely collapses around Jefferson, with dude getting hit by three or four BYU defenders. It's like we said before with Anthony Richardson, why are you trying to tackle someone that big that high? Jefferson just shrugged off the defenders, before rolling out to his right, and hitting Trey Knox for a massive gain, which set up another Arkansas touchdown just before the half, where Jefferson hit a wide open Rashod Dubinion for an easy touchdown. Dubinion ran a very nice wheel route out of the backfield, and Jefferson placed it nicely in the bread basket to go up 31-21 at the half. Towards the mid-way point in the third quarter, Jefferson would find the end zone again, this time hitting Matt Landers for a 39-yard touchdown. The play was set up by a very nice fake by Jefferson, which allowed Landers to get free of the player guarding him, which saw him get wide ass open for the touchdown. Very easy throw, but was set up by the nice fake. Jefferson's last touchdown of the day went to Landers again, this one just from the five yard line. Before that though, Jefferson, with a defender at his knees, hit a streaking Ketron Jackson on a 30-yard pitch and catch. It was a nice example of Jefferson not breaking the pocket, standing tall, and delivering a strike, beautiful play all around on third and 10. That was pretty much all she wrote for Jefferson, as he set a new career high in passing yards and passing touchdowns. Jefferson and co. can feel really good going into the bye week.
Pre-Season - H/M
Wk 1 - 9
Wk 2 - 10
Wk 3 - 9
Wk 4 - 10
Wk 5 - H/M
Wk 6 - N/R (injured)
Wk 7 - 10
Wk 8 - BYE
Others
Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina
Wk 7 - 26/34 358 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/11 carries -20 yds 0 touchdowns v Old Dominion (49-21 L)
Season - 137/194 1,940 yds 18 touchdowns 1 interception/59 carries 146 yds 3 touchdowns
Aidan O'Connell, Purdue
Wk 7 - 35/54 391 yds 4 touchdowns 1 interception/2 carries 3 yds 0 touchdowns @ Nebraska (43-37 W)
Season - 178/269 1,950 yds 14 touchdowns 5 interceptions/18 carries -22 yds 0 touchdowns
Michael Penix Jr., Washington
Wk 7 - 36/44 516 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/3 carries 13 yds 1 touchdown v Arizona (49-39 W)
Season - 194/288 2,560 yds 20 touchdowns 4 interceptions/21 carries 32 yds 2 touchdowns
DJ Uiagalelei, Clemson (NEW)
Wk 7 - 15/23 203 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/14 carries 26 yds 1 touchdown @ Florida State (34-28 W)
Season - 137/213 1,665 yds 17 touchdowns 2 interceptions/81 carries 337 yds 4 touchdowns
Cameron Ward, Washington State
Wk 7 - 25/54 345 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/11 carries -21 yds 0 touchdowns @ Oregon State (24-10 L)
Season - 175/277 1,962 yds 16 touchdowns 8 interceptions/50 carries -32 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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