NFL Draft 2017: 5 College Football Games to Watch in Week 9
No. 2 Michigan Wolverines at Michigan State Spartans (Noon ET, ESPN)
There are two players in this game who are currently ranked in the Top 10 of all NFL Draft prospects, according to CBS Sports, in Michigan safety Jabrill Peppers and Michigan State defensive tackle Malik McDowell.
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Peppers is a redshirt sophomore who this season has totaled 37 tackles (27 solo) with 2.5 sacks and one forced fumble. In his first three games of the season (against Hawaii, UCF and Colorado), he collected 25 of those 37 tackles.
In Big Ten play this season, Peppers has collected 12 tackles and no sacks. Stats don’t necessarily describe just how good Peppers is. He can play all over the field, including linebacker, and can play some offense and even on special teams where he returns punts. You will hear Peppers’ name called a lot on Saturday, and be ready to see him drafted early next April.
McDowell is a 6-6, 276-pound junior defensive lineman and is a player to take notice of right now. Just two weeks ago against Northwestern, the defensive lineman totaled 11 tackles (seven solo) and a half sack. In the past two games (Northwestern and Maryland), he’s collected a total of 16 tackles (10 solo) with 1.5 sacks.
For the season, McDowell had 32 tackles (18 solo) with 1.5 sacks. CBS Sports has McDowell as their sixth overall best player in the draft with draft expert Dan Brugler describing him as a player who is “supremely gifted, but never shuts it down either.”