As the pre-draft process kicks into high gear, names across the college football landscape become ‘must watch’ each weekend. For the Senior Bowl, the premier showcase in the pre-draft process, the fall is a critical proving ground for players to boost their NFL draft stock, and ultimately, earn an invite to Mobile.
Below, we’ll dive into five prospects whose matchups and individual skill sets will draw a hefty spotlight in Week 11.
Thomas Fidone II, TE, Nebraska
Thomas Fidone II is a smooth-moving tight end with the makeup offensive coordinators would love to deploy inside their offensive architecture. A heavily featured weapon inside the Cornhuskers offense (41 targets), Fidone II is another flex weapon to become familiar with who is expected to enter the draft.
A’Marion McCoy, CB, Boise State
An under-the-radar name to the public, A’Marion McCoy has been one of my personal favorite corners to watch this fall. RB Ashton Jeanty has holstered headlines for the Broncos, and rightly so, but McCoy looks every bit of an NFL contributor within the secondary. He’s got excellent instincts, an electric downhill trigger, and plays behind his pads nicely when asked to make tackles in isolated opportunities.
Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss
Although Jaxson Dart hasn't lived up to the top-40-pick spotlight that surrounded him over the summer, the USC transfer has had his moments. While his needed improvements are evident (as evidenced by his performances against LSU and Kentucky), his knack for understanding how to attack matchups in space has allowed him to produce at high levels in his senior season. He's intelligent, instinctive, and can expand a playbook with his legs more than Clausen ever did.
His showdown against No. 2-ranked Georgia this Saturday will be his biggest test yet.
Jared Ivey, EDGE, Ole Miss
On the opposite side of the ball for the Rebels sits Jared Ivey, a riser in the edge class with an improving pass-rush repertoire and ideal size at the position. He can play up and down the defensive front at 285 pounds, with the vertical push to threaten the pocket as a physically overpowering five-tech. Then, on run downs, he can slide into 4i and stack-shed an offensive tackle head-up with ease. He can be classified as a bit of a tweener due to his body mass and lack of get-off, but his physical approach and hands paint the picture of a contributor.
Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
Garrett Nussmeier’s performance against Alabama this week will go a long, long way toward his projection at the next level. In what is basically a CFP elimination game for the Tigers and the Crimson Tide (both teams at 6-2), his ability to concurrently take care of the football while also taking calculated shots to put points on the board will sit under a fine lens from NFL scouts in attendance.
While the skill set of Nussmeier is vastly different from the one Tigers fans have watched over the past two seasons with Jayden Daniels, his knack for understanding how to attack coverage rotations and open space has seen his game continue to thrive. The 22-year-old has become a name to highlight every week as LSU pushes for a CFP spot.
