STOCK UP:
1. BRYCE LOVE - RB - 5-9 191 - JR. - STANFORD - Love has been unstoppable this year and is already over 1,000 yards after just 5 games. I could include the gaudy numbers but instead will mention his breakaway 4.32 speed, his moves, yards after contact (YACS), elusiveness in creating missed tackles (whiffs) and receiving skills to go along with his return skills. He leads the nation in rushing and at one point led all RBs in YACS and should be a Heisman Trophy finalist.
2. ANDRE DILLARD - LT - 6-5 306 - JRr - WASHINGTON STATE - was a factor in the Cougars upset win over USC as Dillard did a good job when up against USC's ace Edge Rusher Uchenna Nwosu. Dillard showed quick feet and hand use with a good kick slide though there were times when he gave up too much ground in Pass Protection. What he did show however is that he has the tools to work with and did well against Nwosu on both run and pass plays.
3. LUKE FALK - QB - 6-4 223 - SRr - WASHINGTON STATE - having prototype size at 6-4 and 223 pounds and known as a pocket passer playing in a QB friendly offense, the knock on him has been that he holds on to the ball for a long time and usually struggles when outside the pocket. And while it is unanimous in the thinking that Falk outplayed Sam Darnold in the Cougars 30 - 27 upset win over USC that can sometimes be because of game conditions and circumstances. In any event and aside from Falk's statistics, which were good despite suffering from 5 drops, what he did show was a throw in the 1st quarter when he was outside the pocket and dropped a perfect pass into the End Zone for a TD. Later in the game he hit a deep ball by putting plenty of air under it for his receiver to run under it, but most impressive was when he hung in the pocket and delivered perfect passes with a defender bearing down upon him and getting pounded into the ground.
4. JAMAL MORROW - RB - 5-9 203 - SRr - WASHINGTON STATE - another star in the 30 - 27 upset win over USC, Morrow had only 6 carries but were for 91 yards, a 15.2 average, and 1 TD and had 5 receptions and another TD. While sharing RB duties with Gerard Hicks, James Williams and Keith Harrington, it was Morrow who was explosive and broke tackles and made key plays which were crucial in keeping the drives going. Morrow has built himself up from 190 pounds and also is State's Punt Returner.
5. RASHEEN GREEN - DE - 6-4 275 - JR. - USC - this former 5* recruit has had modest production to date especially for such a highly rated recruit, but in the upset loss to Washington State he flashed a quick first step off the snap with strong hand use to toss the Guard or employed a move to beat the Guard and pressure QB Luke Falk. While he plays inside at USC, his size and quickness will have NFL teams evaluating him as a DE in a 3/4 defense and continued good play could see him rise up draft boards with the thinking that this former 5* recruit is finally reaching his potential. Another factor to consider in any player's performance is the matchup and in this case the offensive lineman lined up across from him was not the best of the Cougars lineman.
6. JORDAN CHUNN - RB - 6-0 240 - SRr - TROY - Chunn was All Conference in 2016 having run for 1,288 yards and 16 TDs along with 30 pass receptions, but not too much was thought about his exploits as the Sun Belt is not one of the Big Five Conferences. However, Chunn and his Trojan teammates changed some thinking by upsetting LSU 24 - 21 and ruining the Tigers homecoming. Chunn was a beast with a 30 carry, 191 yards with a 6.4 average and 1 TD, along with 2 receptions and his power running along with surprising speed for a big man was impressive.
7. JACQUES PATRICK - RB - 6-1 230 - JR. - FLORIDA STATE - was instrumental in the Seminoles 29 - 19 win over Wake Forest by carrying the load for a 19 - 120 - 6.3 - 1TD line with a long gain of 69 yards along with 3 pass receptions. The Noles are without their starting QB and not much of a passing game and with Freshman RB sensation Cameron Akers underperforming so far it was left to Patrick to do the heavy lifting, which he did to carry the Noles to victory. Even more impressive in his running was that the Noles lost their starting LT and LG.
8. JONATHAN CELESTIN - OLB - 6-1 232 - SR. - MINNESOTA - in the 31 - 24 loss to Maryland, Celestin stood out with his 11 Solo Tackles and 4 Assisted Tackles. What stood out was his read and react ability along with his speed and range and obvious tackling ability. What he offers to NFL teams is a possibility as a backup LBer and Special Teamer who might develop into a starter with increased development.
STOCK DOWN:
1. MARTEZ IVEY - LT - 6-5 305 - JR. - FLORIDA - this former 5* recruit, who was SEC All Conference 2nd Team in 2016 while twice being selected the SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week, didn't play up to that level in the Gators 38 - 24 win over Vanderbilt. Ivey was leaning or lunging and getting beat on Pass Protection and in general was lethargic. Ivey has had some injury issues in the past and on August 23, 2017 it was reported that he was limited in practice by a nagging injury (swelling) so I am not sure if this was still an issue on September 30th.
2. NICK FITZGERALD - QB - 6-4 230 - JRr - MISSISSIPPI STATE - the 37 - 7 win over LSU, which left the Bulldogs at 3-0, fooled everyone as it now turns out that LSU is much worse than anyone predicted and that game was followed by a 31 - 3 loss to Georgia and 49 - 10 loss to Auburn, with Fitzgerald passing at a 39.4 completion percentage against Auburn and is now at 53% for the year. It may be that opponents are taking away his running lanes and forcing him to throw from the pocket. Fitzgerald is a tremendous athlete with a great arm but has always struggled with his accuracy and at some point NFL teams will have to consider him as a TE or H-Back type player. Logan Thomas was a QB at Virginia Tech who had accuracy issues and the Arizona Cardinals tried to improve his passing skills but he is now a backup TE for the Buffalo Bills and there is always former QB Terrelle Pryor who wanted to be a QB but is now a WR with the Washington Redskins.
