5 Players Detroit Lions Must Scout in College Football Week 3

The Detroit Lions get the weekend off after a deflating 41-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football. The loss exposed glaring weaknesses in Detroit’s defense, with the secondary being ripped apart by Josh Allen alongside the Bills rushing for over 200 yards.

While the players are off for the weekend, the scouting department remains open, traveling out to view some of the top games in the country.

With quite a few good games to watch, here are five players the Detroit Lions must watch.

LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Notre Dame

Viliamu-Asa missed the season-opening game against Wisconsin while recovering from a knee injury, but returned against Rice. Now, the no. 11 ranked linebacker in PFF rankings in 2025 prepares to face Michigan State. The Spartans are 29.5-point underdogs, but boast the Big Ten’s leading rusher in Cam Edwards.

Viliamu-Asa will be relied upon to take away any hope that Michigan State has for an upset. His 94.0 grade against the run last season was top in the FBS. He also had 23 pressures as a pass rusher in 2025. He is a complete linebacker and could be an intriguing name in the linebacker conversation for the Lions.

The Irish kick off at 7:30 p.m. EST.

EDGE Clev Lubin, Louisville

Lubin returned to the Cardinals amidst day two grades for the 2026 NFL Draft. Instead, he bet on himself and returned to Louisville for another year. He transferred up from Coastal Carolina, where his 2024 total of 9.5 sacks against Group of Six competition became 8.5 sacks against the Power Four in 2025.

This year, Lubin has yet to record a sack, but has already punched the ball out twice. Saturday marks his first ACC game of the year, where he takes on the Southern Methodist Mustangs. The New York native was rated top 10 in the FBS among EDGE rushers last season.

The Cardinals host SMU at 3:30 p.m. EST.

CB Ashton Hampton, Clemson

It is another year where Clemson has a top defensive back prospect. Ashton Hampton possesses prototypical size at 6-foot-2, and has gotten praise on the field for his ability to play, along with getting under opponent’s skin.

The corner already has an interception and three pass deflections on the year, and his PFF WAA (wins above average) grade is the second-best among corners on the young season.

Hampton is also willing to mix it up in run support, only missing on three of his 40 tackle attempts in 2025. In a season where it is looking like Detroit will be struggling with coverage, a player like Hampton must be considered.

The Tigers host Bill Belichick's UNC team at noon EST.

S Ty Benefield, LSU

Benefield, a former Boise State transfer, is an experienced veteran at defensive back. He has snaps in the box, as a slot corner, and at safety. Wherever he goes, he makes an impact. Benefield was credited with over 100 tackles in 2025 with the Broncos.

His knock is that he lacks one particular strength, but is a rather well-rounded player. At 6-foot-3 and nearly 220 pounds, he can play where any NFL team wants. The one concern on a “tweener” player like Benefield is that there has been a track record of players failing to translate, namely Isaiah Simmons in recent years.

Benefield plays in the biggest game of the weekend, the “Lane Kiffin Bowl,” at 7:30 p.m. EST.

WR Chance Morrow, Buffalo

Seeing the name Buffalo may be scarring for Detroit fans, but the less popular Buffalo Bulls have a receiver that is turning heads in college football. Morrow transferred from Louisville and has spent the last three seasons going up the depth chart before this season.

He opened the season with a hat trick of touchdowns against FCS Albany, with highlight reel catches and highly-contested catches making up that highlight package. That play peaked at no. 3 on SportsCenter.

Last week, the Bulls traveled down to Florida to take on the Florida International Panthers. Morrow gave the Panthers as much as they could handle, with 11 catches for 170 yards and two more touchdowns. His touchdowns are tied for the leading total in the country so far, and his 18 catches rank third.

Morrow has the size needed for an NFL receiver, at 6-foot-4. This weekend is his best chance to prove himself to NFL teams, as the Bulls take on Penn State in Happy Valley. A strong game here likely garners him All-Star bowl nods in the pre-draft cycle.

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