College Football Stock Report: Risers and Fallers from Week 7
Another week, another top-five upset in college football. The Iowa Hawkeyes ranked as the second-best team in the entire nation, failed to overcome their offensive obstacles this past Saturday, and lost to Purdue 24-7.
With another shakeup so high up in the rankings, it will be interesting to see if the field winds up evening out. The likes of Georgia, Oklahoma, and Alabama look like near CFP locks if they win out, but who will get that fourth spot? Will the Badgers of Cincinnati maintain their undefeated pace, or will Ohio State, Michigan, or Michigan State squeak in to represent the Big Ten?
How about undefeated Oklahoma State? We are halfway through the season, and many of the questions will be answered in the coming weeks. In terms of the individual players and the NFL Draft, the improving and underperforming players will always come and go. Who are they this week? Read below for this week’s NFL Draft Stock Report:
STOCK UP: WR David Bell, Purdue
If you’re a college football fan, David Bell is a name you’ve likely heard already. After a breakout freshman campaign in 2019 and impressive numbers during the shortened-COVID year in 2020, Bell has become one of the premier wideouts in the sport. The scariest thing is that he looks even better so far in 2021.
Through five games played for the Boilermakers, Bell carries a 38-679-4 receiving line, including 240 (!!!) receiving yards and a score in their aforementioned victory against Iowa.
A prototypical X-receiver, Bell utilizes his 6’2” height and chiseled frame to the best of his ability. He’s not going to be the type of player who burns cornerbacks, but he’s, in my opinion, the most physical wide receiver in this class, and his length and size allow him to use his catch radius to the best of his ability.
He’s a production machine who has silenced some doubters who are afraid his athleticism is sub-optimal, and he’s a one-trick pony who can’t separate. David Bell is a legit star talent who should go very, very high this coming spring.
STOCK DOWN: DL Haskell Garrett, Ohio State
I’ve mentioned in previous articles the lack of depth in this interior defensive line class. Once you get past DeMarvin Leal, there’s a second tier of Jordan Davis and Perrion Winfrey, and that’s about it for top-64 talent. Ohio State’s Haskell Garrett was anticipated to be in that second tier following this year, but he’s failed to move the needle much.
If you look at the box score, you’d be surprised to see Garrett has already surpassed his season-high in sacks with three on the year. The problem is, all three of those came against a lowly Akron team, and against Big Ten-talent, he barely shows up on the box score.
Garrett seems to have stifled a bit, a player who showcased some legit pass-rush acumen and technique in 2020. Slightly undersized for a 3-tech, he doesn’t have the get-off and overall physicality to play off the edge as well.
He’s a bit of a tweener to an extent, someone that it’s hard to find his calling card in terms of NFL starter potential. Garrett isn’t a bad player by any stretch, but it has felt that his limitations have become more glaring this year.
STOCK UP: TE Isaiah Likely, Coastal Carolina
This year’s tight end class for the 2022 NFL Draft doesn’t have a Kyle Pitts-level talent or even really a first-round player. However, the depth is massive, and teams looking to address the position in the middle rounds have plenty of options, including Isaiah here, who seems Likely to be drafted in that area (put your tomatoes away!)
The top target for Coastal Carolina’s stud quarterback Grayson McCall Likely looks well on his way to producing a second straight top-tier year for a tight end. In 2020, the senior averaged over twenty yards-per-reception for the Chanticleers. While that number will likely not be met this season, he’s nearly surpassed his career-high in receiving yards through six games with 513 total.
Likely isn’t someone who you’ll want to play in-line as a blocker often, but that’s okay! He’s a fantastic athlete who is lethal down the seam and has showcased some impressive route-running chops in the CCU offense.
In their most recent game against Arkansas State, Likely was the best player on the field by a wide margin, putting forth an eight-catch, 232-yard performance with a quartet of touchdowns. He undoubtedly has the skillset to play on NFL Sundays for a long, long time.
STOCK DOWN: RB Kevin Harris, South Carolina
When you lead the SEC in rushing yards and rushing scores as a true sophomore, it tends to benefit a player's notoriety and expectations, the latter of which were bountiful for South Carolina’s Kevin Harris coming into this year. To say he’s been disappointing has been an understatement.
Through seven games for the Gamecocks, Harris has only 247 rushing yards and two scores. Harris looks nowhere close to being that player after last season where he rushed for 1185 yards and 15 touchdowns. Most concerning is he’s seen his yards-per-carry average spiral down from 6.2 last season to a plodding 3.6 in 2021.
Never mistaken for a great athlete, Harris is a chiseled back with very little bounce and vibrance to his game. His lack of foot speed and agility allows him to be swallowed up by defenders rather quickly, and his long speed and physicality have taken a step backward as well.
With one more year of eligibility, it appears likely that Harris will be back in Columbia in 2022, and let’s hope he can get back to the level we saw him in 2020.
STOCK UP: CB Jermaine Waller, Virginia Tech
Last year we saw a Virginia Tech cornerback in Caleb Farley get not only first-round hype but overall CB1 hype as well. While Jermaine Waller likely won’t receive that type of respect for his play, he has the potential to be one of the better values on Day 2.
A redshirt junior, Waller had a fantastic 2019 season opposite Farley for the Hokies, totally ten pass break-ups and three total interceptions. He dealt with injuries in 2020 but has gotten back to his redshirt sophomore level of play, as the young defensive back has four interceptions already.
A corner with great size and length, Waller excels mostly as a man-coverage outside guy who lives to make a play a play on the ball. He’s a bit thin in his midsection and could stand to add several pounds of muscle, but his run defense is nothing to sniff at.
His feet are clean, and he has shown the quickness in his hips to drop into coverage effortlessly. In a very deep cornerback class, he’s a name to keep an eye on.
STOCK DOWN: Devontay Love-Taylor, Florida State
An athletic offensive lineman with plenty of experience playing multiple positions? Sounds like a dream for an NFL team looking for help up front. Unfortunately, Devontay Love-Taylor has had an extremely poor year, to say the very least.
The Florida State product has been one of the key reasons this Seminoles team has played rather poorly this year. Love-Taylor has left tackle, right tackle, and left guard experience from prior seasons but is currently slotted as the team’s right guard.
It has not gone well, to say the least. Maybe his season-ending knee injury from 2020 hasn’t healed well, but DLT looks slower and lumbering. The technique and pop in his run blocking have also dwindled. Here’s to hoping he can end his season on a high note because, as I mentioned before, his versatility would make NFL general managers’ mouths water.
Related
- College Football Stock Report: Risers and Fallers from Week 6
- College Football Stock Report: Risers and Fallers from Week 5
- College Football Stock Report: Risers and Fallers from Week 4
- College Football Stock Report: Risers and Fallers from Week 3
- College Football Stock Report: Risers and Fallers from Week 2
- College Football Stock Report: Risers and Fallers from Week 1
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