2018 NFL Draft Watch: Weekend Overview, Week 1

Each week at PFF, we'll break down the previous weekend's slate of college football games, with an eye towards the 2018 NFL draft including those players featured in the PFF Preseason Draft Guide.

With that, here are a look at the NFL draft storylines from Week 1 of the college football season:

QUARTERBACK

• All eyes will be on the quarterback class this season and the first-round hopefuls had mixed results in the opening weekend. USC’s Sam Darnold and Wyoming’s Josh Allen didn’t have their finest performances, while Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph, Washington State’s Luke Falk and Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield took care of business against lesser competition. Louisville’s Lamar Jackson had a strong game as a passer while UCLA’s Josh Rosen orchestrated one of the greatest comebacks in college football history, but it also came with two of the luckiest touchdowns you’ll ever see. We’ll have much more on the quarterbacks in our weekly update.

RUNNING BACK

• Oregon RB Royce Freeman had a subpar 2016, and while he debuted against Southern Utah of the FCS, seeing 150 yards, four touchdowns, and six missed tackles forced was a good way to kick off 2017. There’s still more to see from Freeman as the schedule gets difficult.
• Penn State’s Saquon Barkley is battling for the title of the nation’s top runner and draft prospect and an 80-yard run and 136.1 elusive rating helped his case.
• LSU’s Derrius Guice is competing with Barkley for top prospect honors, but the numbers don’t look as gaudy as he ran for 122 yards on 27 carries. He forced four missed tackles and notched a long run of 13 yards.
• USC’s Ronald Jones II got off to a great start, forcing eight missed tackles on his 19 carries while showing the big-play ability for which he’s become known.

WIDE RECEIVER

• Indiana WR Simmie Cobbs Jr. was limited to just one snap in 2016 after a promising 2015 season, but he was back to form with an impressive debut against Ohio State. He caught 11-of-16 targets for 149 yards and a touchdown. Cobbs Jr. worked mostly the vertical route tree with 14 of his 16 targets being “go” routes (including end zone fades and back-shoulder throws) and curl routes. Despite a drop in the end zone, Cobbs Jr. showed more good than bad, including a nifty one-handed catch while showing good ball skills on another end zone fade for his score.
• Colorado State WR Michael Gallup has had two challenging opponents to start the season, with his battle against Colorado CB Isaiah Oliver one of the best we’ll see this season.

TIGHT END

• While UCLA QB Josh Rosen was getting all of the hype on Sunday night, it was TE Caleb Wilson who truly impressed and was likely the best player on the field. Wilson complemented his solid run blocking with 15 catches for 208 yards as he was the one target who was consistently open for Rosen. He put himself on the map as a name to watch.
• Last year’s top-graded receiving tight end, UMass’ Adam Breneman, has been targeted early and often in his two games, and he now has 18 receptions on 25 targets for 305 yards (16.9 yards per reception). He had only two drops last season, and he’s yet to drop one so far in 2017, continuing his run as the nation’s top pass-catching tight end. Keep an eye on Breneman’s run blocking as he looks to round out his game as he’s off to an average start in that department.

OFFENSIVE LINE

• Texas OT Connor Williams is one of the nation’s top NFL draft prospects, but he got off to a rough start by his standards. He gave up four official pressures and another that was negated by his holding penalty while picking up another hold later in the game. Williams surrendered four pressures all last season and one of the things we wanted to see in 2017 was his transition to a new system after playing in an offensive-line friendly scheme last year. It’s worth monitoring Williams’ performance as he’s given up as many pressures in one game as he surrendered all of last year.
• UTEP G Will Hernandez is one of the nation’s top interior offensive linemen, but coming from a non-Power-5 school, his matchup against Oklahoma’s defensive front is an important one. He held his own, as he didn’t allow a pressure on 26 attempts, though he was a little late to help on one poor rep. He was average in the run game, showing his usual power on one inside zone double team while being indecisive and missing his block on one pull. Ultimately, this wasn’t the “flash” game we would have liked to see from Hernandez.

EDGE DEFENDER

• Boston College’s Harold Landry lived up to the first round hype with a dominant 94.8 grade against Northern Illinois. He picked up two QB hits and four hurries on only 29 rushes while finishing with three stops in the run game.
• Arizona State edge defender Koron Crump led the nation with his 12 total pressures (two sacks, one QB hit, nine hurries) on his 49 rushes. He’s undersized, yet productive, who may find a home on the inside at the next level. His versatility and usage pattern should be monitored throughout the season.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR

• Washington DI Vita Vea had the second-highest percentage of positively-graded blocks against the run last season and he picked up right where he left off with a 97.0 grade against the run against Rutgers. He picked up four run stops on only 23 plays against the run, good for an outstanding run stop percentage of 17.4 percent.
• Ohio State’s Dre’Mont Jones had a breakout game with a career-high seven pressures (two QB hits, five hurries). A strong run defender, his development as a pass-rusher is crucial for his draft evaluation.

LINEBACKER

• West Virginia LB Al’Rasheed Benton caught our analysts’ eye as he was flying around the field on his way to two QB hits and two hurries as a pass-rusher to go with five total stops in the game. He finished 2016 with a strong 84.6 overall grade.
• Louisville’s Stacy Thomas had the highest 2016 grade of any returning linebacker (91.2 overall) and he lit up the stat sheet with two hurries, a pass breakup and an interception on his way to an 88.3 overall grade against Purdue.

CORNERBACK

• SMU’s Jordan Wyatt caught the eye this summer as a prospect to watch and he didn’t disappoint with a 91.8 overall performance. He had two defensive touchdowns – one interception and one fumble recovery – showing off the playmaking and athleticism that make him a sleeper in this draft class.
• The Ohio State secondary lost a lot of talent, but CB Denzel Ward is ready to take over as one of their top players. He was targeted an incredible 16 times against Indiana, allowing only six catches for 58 yards into his coverage while breaking up two passes and intercepting another. Ward is an incredible athlete, combining elite straight-line speed with good quickness, a combination that will have scouts watching him closely, particularly after his strong opener.

SAFETY

• Welcome back to Florida State’s Derwin James who returned from last year’s injury to play 63 snaps against Alabama. He was all over the stat sheet with a sack, QB hit, hurry and four total stops that included a tackle for loss on his only target. James is the nation’s best safety and potential top-10 pick in next year’s draft.