2023 NFL Draft: Week 1 Stock Report

It is the first full week of the college football season, so whose stock is rising and who is falling?

Welcome back college football, it’s so lovely to see you again. This is the first week with a full slate of games and my goodness it started with a bang. We got to see the first “Backyard Brawl” in 11 years come down to the wire and in a very hard-hitting game. Not to mention a plethora of teams looking for continued success, even though they have a lot of turnover on their roster, as well as teams like USC that have gone through total makeovers. Though most of the week's outcomes did not come as a surprise, there are always those games that definitely didn’t go how it was thought they would. With such an action-packed Labor Day weekend, this week’s stock report will be in two parts. Today we focus on Thursday and Friday, so who are the players with rising stock forecasts and whose stock is on the decline?

On The Rise

QB Spencer Sanders, Oklahoma State

Though it wasn’t the prettiest game you will ever see getting into a shootout with Central Michigan, Sanders was fantastic, slinging the ball all over the field and leading his team to victory. Not only did he pass for 406 yards and four touchdowns and a completion percentage of 68%, but he was also the Cowboys' second-leading rusher with 57 yards and another two touchdowns. This is a player who has improved every season and it is a very good sign for his team that he started out so hot. Could this finally be the year that Oklahoma State finishes the job to be Big 12 Champions? Well, the opportunity is right in front of them with the way things look now, and with Sanders playing like this, they could be a very hard team to beat.

CB Joey Porter Jr, Penn State

This is a player whose stock was already very high coming into this season as the highly regarded top cornerback in this class and he did not disappoint. Porter led the Penn State defense with eight tackles, and he also had three pass deflections and a fumble recovery. What doesn’t show on a stat sheet however is the job he did in coverage. Porter locked down Purdue’s receivers all night and held Aidan O’Connell to a single touchdown. Though Purdue’s coaching decisions ultimately cost them the game, Porter and the rest of the Nittany Lions defense made it extremely difficult for the Purdue offense to get anything going for most of the game.

LB Jacoby Windmon, Michigan State

It’s safe to say that when it comes to the players picked most for the most dangerous pass rusher in the country, Windmon wasn’t talked about much. However, that will not be the case after his performance this week. Windmon absolutely destroyed the Western Michigan offensive line, racking up seven tackles and four sacks. He isn’t the biggest pass rusher, but he brings a relentless motor and has an abundance of athleticism. He showed great hip flexibility and the ability to dip under opposing linemen, while never losing a step. Michigan State is trying to build off the success of last season and their defense will be very important for that, so having that type of game-changing pass rusher is key. It will be vital to see this effort continued against better offensive lines, but he has the skill set and a vast array of moves for consistent performances.

QB Riley Leonard, Duke

Going into his first season as starting quarterback for Duke, Leonard wanted to make a good first impression, and did he ever. Though shutting out Temple was a full team effort, Leonard looked like a true star quarterback. He passed for 328 yards and two touchdowns, all while maintaining an 80 % completion rate, which is tremendous. He was also the Blue Devils' leading rusher with 64 yards. That isn’t a great team statistic, but adding the rush yards to an already outstanding performance is a big statement. Leonard will have to show he can continue this level of play against the great ACC defenses, but he is also in an excellent position to make his own name known nationally and raise Duke’s presence in the conference.

Price Drops

QB Tommy Devito, Illinois

Though Illinois started their season with a dominant win over Wyoming, Devito was underwhelming. That carried over to game No. 2 as he couldn’t get it done against conference rival Indiana. His completion percentage dropped 13 points from the first week and he couldn’t find a way to get his team over in a three-point game. This wouldn’t be a huge deal if Devito didn’t transfer to Illinois after losing the starting job at Syracuse last season. He was once a major recruit for Syracuse and showed a lot of promise when he had to step in for an injured Eric Dungy as a freshman. It didn’t end up working out there and he was looking for a fresh start at Illinois, but unfortunately, it looks like the same Devito from SU. He is much too inconsistent and doesn’t seem to have what it takes to put a game-winning drive together.

QB JT Daniels, West Virginia

The first “Backyard Brawl” in 11 years gave us a ton of hard-hitting action in what was a back-and-forth game that came down to the wire, so you’re probably thinking how could anyone have their stock drop? Well, Daniels passed the ball 40 times and completed only 23 for 214 yards. He also threw what turned out to be Pitt’s game-winning pick-six late in the fourth quarter. What magnifies this mistake is all the opportunities he had prior to the interception to put more points on the board, especially at the point in the game where West Virginia’s defense was dominating. This was a big prove-it game for both quarterbacks, but Daniels had way more chances to be great and couldn’t get it done. It will be vital for him to bounce back if West Virginia wants a shot at a wide-open Big 12.