2023 NFL Draft: Week 10 Stock Report

It's the first weekend of November and the College Football Playoff ranking is finally out for the time this year. Time to check our stocks and see who's rising and who is falling.

It’s officially the final full month of college football and the first week that we had a College Football Playoff ranking to watch. Surprisingly Tennessee jumped the reigning champions and fellow undefeated Georgia, with Ohio State and Clemson rounding out the field. Seeing the defending champions not be number one was a shock and must fire up the Bulldogs. Thankfully for Georgia, they have their shot at Tennessee this week and a chance to prove who the real number one is.

The fact that Clemson is in the top four is also surprising because they are coming off a down year, and it seems like everyone is waiting for them to slip. However, they haven’t done it and have looked like a completely different team this season. They will have a big game against Notre Dame this week, and though Notre Dame has been very inconsistent, they are absolutely a team that would love to ruin Clemson’s season.

What about teams like Tulane and Oregon State? Are they as good as their rankings, or will they come back down to Earth? Can Syracuse bounce back after two straight losses? Many questions can be answered this week because seeing the first playoff ranking will put a lot of pressure on teams. So who is going raise our profits, and who is making our stocks plummet?

Rising

LB Dorian Williams, Tulane:

When it comes to underrated prospects making big waves this season, Williams is the first to come to mind. Here is a player that has been a standout for Tulane the past couple of seasons, and instead of transferring to a bigger school, he stayed at Tulane and now sees them as a top 20 team.

Williams is a great football player. He's smart and a very strong tackler. Williams has led Tulane in tackling the past three years and can even defend against the pass with deflections and interceptions, not to mention the flashes Williams has shown as a pass rusher. Some will want to say he is too small but turn on the tape, and you will notice how good he is. Not only is Williams always flying around the field, but it also seems like he is the team's leading tackler every game. Williams has a great chance of becoming this season's Christian Benford because he is wildly underrated and can make an immediate impact. 

LB Tommy Eichenberg, Ohio State:

Ohio State is known for its pass rushers, but the unsung heroes of those Buckeye defenses are their linebackers and Eichenberg is a perfect example of that. He is a tackle machine and can play sideline to sideline, which allows the pass rushers to play more aggressively.

He is a tone-setter in stopping the run and is the team’s leading tackler. He isn’t a flashy player but is an extremely smart and technically sound linebacker. Eichenberg is a middle-round prospect, but like several recent linebackers to come out of Ohio State, there is a good chance we will hear his name for years to come. 

Falling

Orange Out Of Juice:

One of the biggest stories of the early season was the resurgence of the Syracuse Orange. Starting the season 6-0, they looked good at every aspect of the game, but after losing a hard-fought game to Clemson, things have changed drastically. Syracuse’s last two games have been so different that it’s hard to believe you’re watching the same team.

Over the last three weeks, they haven’t scored more than 21 points. During the six-game win streak, the Orange scored a minimum of 22 points. The offense also gained at least 300 yards per game with a balanced attack of run and pass. Sean Tucker was one of the top running backs in the country already, and the addition of Garrett Schrader had the passing game elevated to a higher level. However, the offense has looked flat starting in the second half of the Clemson game. Schrader got injured against Notre Dame, but the offense was already floundering, and Del Rio gave them life when he entered the game.

This week was a very different story, though and it was pretty concerning. The team didn’t even reach 150 yards, and it looked like they were playing in molasses. Tucker only had ten rushes for 26 yards, and Del Rio completed 8 of 26 passes for 120 yards. Stand-out receiver Oronde Gadsden didn’t even record one reception. The team has a big matchup next week against Florida State, so it will be imperative for them to get back on track.

Alabama’s Inconsistent Defense:

If there is one thing you can always depend on in college football, it’s that Alabama will have a fierce defense; that isn’t quite the story this year. Some games look exactly how you would expect, and others leave you scratching your head. Especially when you see how undisciplined they are, it’s very shocking to see this from a Nick Saban-coached team.

In their loss to Tennessee alone, the team accumulated a school record of 17 penalties, which became a major factor in the outcome. Overall, the team averages eight penalties a game, most for big yards. The rate that Alabama gets a major penalty is jarring and something we aren’t used to seeing. Of course, you can’t blame the defense for the penalty numbers; the offense has shown up every game, and that can’t be said for the defense.

To explain the Alabama defense in a microcosm, even the consensus All-American Will Anderson has had an inconsistent year. Anderson isn’t even a top-five tackler for his team, and though he leads the team in sacks, that is all he has done statistically. This was a far cry from last season when it seemed like he was filling up the stat sheet every week.

Having two losses will make it extremely hard for Alabama to make a run for another championship, so it will be important for them to keep on track and show what they are made of. 

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