NFL Draft Week 3 Scouting Notebook: Where Mahomies at?

Week 3 of college football offered a large assortment of NFL draft prospects to watch, but Patrick Mahomes made the most lasting impression.

Every week, we’ll be breaking down some of the biggest NFL draft related storylines from the college football week that was. Not only will we talk about the big-time performers and names you might know, but perhaps some others as well.

Week 3 of the 2016 college football season is now in the books. There were some major matchups, shocking blowouts, and much more. Now the name of the game is making sense of it all and figuring out what needs to be discussed.

That’s exactly what we’ll do. Here’s the NFL draft Scouting Notebook for Week 3:

Patrick Mahomes, QB – Texas Tech

He has been the most impressive quarterback I’ve evaluated in college football this season. And that includes Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson. Mahomes is a mixture of Brett Fav re, Derek Carr, Tony Romo and Donovan McNabb. Everything from his arm strength, improvisational skills and athleticism point toward NFL stardom.

I can already hear the chirping calls from the haters that he plays in an Air Raid offense. Or that he can’t make plays from inside the pocket, which is admittedly an uncommon occurrence on tape. However, it happens enough for a reasonable scout to say he can make plays from within the pocket.

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I still don’t understand how a player this talented in college football continues to get very little attention from mainstream draft outlets. It’s just insane.

Brian Allen, OL/Malik McDowell, DE – Michigan State

Secondly there’s the business of Michigan State vs. Notre Dame last Saturday. Where defensive end prospect Malik McDowell received most of the attention from that night. Some, including CBS Sports’ Dane Brugler, are proclaiming him to be a potential top 10 NFL draft pick. But it was his teammate Brian Allen the offensive guard/center who impressed me the most.

Allen showed enough of his great balance, power and athleticism in space to be a first-round offensive lineman. Meanwhile, McDowell had a very uneven performance. Yes, McDowell showed tremendous ability to use length to his advantage in space. Most of his big plays came from guards and tackles who left too much room inside or from McDowell using a well timed swim move that gave him the space to explode into the backfield.

But other than those flashes of McDowell in space, he played too high and was ultimately a non-factor against double teams. Much of the night ended with McDowell being thrown to the dirt. Why? Because he doesn’t play with controlled leverage, meaning the ability to get under an offensive lineman’s pads, get good extension with his arms and shed without fear of exposing his hip pocket.

That’s what separates him from being an interior defensive star versus an exterior star. Including the burning question: why he is being rushed from inside anyway? Without the full-time edge tape that I desire, he raises more questions than answers. He isn’t DeForest Buckner, or even Julius Peppers for that matter. He’s more of a less explosive Devin Taylor until he can play with more flexibility. And that’s not a top ten pick.

DeShone Kizer, QB – Notre Dame

The rise of Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer continues. He had an admirable game against Michigan State. He showed poise, arm strength, and accuracy at all levels. But he still isn’t consistent enough with his decision-making to be a top-10 selection in the NFL draft.

Jabrill Peppers, S – Michigan

Fourthly comes the explosive performance of Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers against Colorado. Peppers flashed during the Hawaii and UCF games as a hybrid safety/will-linebacker type.

But the Colorado game has gotten the most national attention. Peppers is an explosive player who frankly plays very reckless. He leads with his head and, though he gets the juices flowing with old school types who love big hits, I believe he needs another year of experience before he’s ready for the NFL.

When he reads his keys right, he looks like one of the best players in college football. However, he also guesses too often, falling for misdirection plays. And he’s frankly poor in man coverage where the efficiency of his footwork is off. In addition to Peppers just not possessing fluid hips. I love Jabrill Peppers, but he’s another prospect I don’t want rushed into NFL action before he can swim.

Next: 2017 NFL Mock Draft: Full First-Round

10 Player Matchups to Watch in Week 4

1. Utah’s Reginald Porter vs. USC’s Juju Smith-Schuster.
2. Georgia’s Brandon Kublanow vs. Ole Miss’ D.J. Jones
3. Wisconsin’s Ryan Ramczyk vs. Michigan State’s Malik McDowell
4. BYU’s Kai Nacua vs. West Virginia’s Shelton Gibson
5. Florida’s David Sharpe vs. Tennessee’s Derek Barnett
6. Auburn’s Johnathan Ford vs. LSU’s Leonard Fournette
7. Baylor’s Orion Stewart vs. Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph
8. Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett vs. Arkansas’ Dan Skipper
9. Northwestern’s Justin Jackson vs. Nebraska’s Nate Gerry
10. Colorado’s Chidobe Awuzie vs. Oregon’s Dakota Prukop

That concludes this week’s look at the top 2017 NFL draft prospects. Let me know if you believe I missed anyone, if you disagree, and who is your favorite draft prospect thus far.

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NFL Draft Week 3 Scouting Notebook: Where Mahomies At?

By James Cobern | Sep 21, 2016