This is probably the slowest weekend on the college football calendar, but the NFL draft watch never stops. There are several 2023 NFL draft prospects who will get some serious scouting evaluation done on them this weekend.
The Detroit Lions scouts will be out and about around the country checking on players who could come into draft consideration after the season. Here are a few worth watching and taking notes on with an eye for how they might fit in Detroit someday.
Lions 2023 NFL draft prospect watch for CFB Week 2
Penn State at Auburn
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Big Ten and SEC teams don’t often meet before bowl season. In fact, Auburn has never hosted a Big Ten team before.
They might not want to see another one after playing against a potential first-rounder CB Joey Porter Jr. The son of longtime NFL linebacker Joey Porter, he plays with a physical style that honors and draws upon his father. Porter Jr. has shown serious ball skills with six PDs already this season. At 6-foot-2 and adept at tackling and playing the run, Porter is definitely one to watch.
Penn State also has a well-built wideout Parker Washington. Short but not small at 5-10 and 210 pounds, Washington plays in the slot and he’s really adept at intermediate routes. Another WR, Mitchell Tinsley, has shown some great hands and sharp routes in his first few games since transferring from Western Kentucky and could blossom into more of a prospect, too. It’s a good matchup against Auburn CB Nehemiah Pritchett, who is skinny but savvy and has some ball skills of his own.
Auburn has a fun one at RB Tank Bigsby, a big and keen-eyed rusher who is not easy to tackle. He’s not overly fast or much of a home-run threat, but Bigsby is a solid prospect who can help himself if he shows more ability in the passing offense.
Fresno State at USC
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There are quite a few prospects in this one, but the focus is all on Fresno State QB Jake Haener. This is Haener’s best chance to assert himself against a high-caliber opponent.
Haener reminds me a lot of a more accurate Jake Plummer with a splash of Gardner Minshew. Gritty and adept at throwing strikes on the run, Haener is always looking to make a play and pulls it off more often than not. He’s not big (6-1/190) and the arm strength fades after about 20 yards down the field, but there’s just something about Haener that is scouting catnip. If he dices up USC the way he did Oregon State, a lot more mock drafts will start recognizing Haener’s game.
Youngstown State at Kentucky
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Youngstown State doesn’t get much attention as an FCS school, but the Penguins have themselves a legit draft-worthy prospect in RB Jaleel McLaughlin. The 5-9, 195-pound speedster has already racked up more than 6,000 career yards between his time at YSU and a prior stint at D-II Notre Dame College.
This is a huge opportunity for McLaughlin, who did not have a day to remember (13 carries for 34 yards) against Michigan State last season. If he can get into the open field against Kentucky and showcase his acceleration and excellent vision, McLaughlin solidifies himself as a guy worthy of Day 3 consideration.
Kentucky has a pair of linebackers who are on the Senior Bowl watch list Jacquez Jones and DeAndre Square who will attempt to snuff out McLaughlin. Square had a very nice game against Florida last week, showing off speed and awareness in helping slow down the Anthony Richardson hype train.
Towson at West Virginia
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Another FCS team with a high-profile prospect looking to make some noise in the most prominent game of the season is Towson and EDGE Jesus Gibbs. This will be my first look at Gibbs, but he’s already intriguing based on his appearance on the annual “Freaks” list from CFB analyst Bruce Feldman. He’s also on the Senior Bowl watch list.
Gibbs has dominated at the FCS level, although a torn Achilles a year ago slowed his momentum. From Feldman’s list at The Athletic,
In the offseason, Gibbs vertical-jumped 37 inches, got 10 feet in the broad jump and had a terrific 10-yard split of 1.58 seconds. He also bench pressed 400 pounds.
West Virginia has a few guys on the Senior Bowl watch list itself, and the one who jumped off the film in the Mountaineers early game against Pittsburgh was DT Dante Stills. He was an active, agitating force on the interior in the Backyard Brawl. The power in his hands and his nicely coordinated movement skills for a 285-pounder should have Stills in consideration in the middle rounds next spring.
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