2023 NFL Draft: Week 9 Stock Report

It's the last week of October and there was a lot more treating than tricking in games, so this week will be focused on the stars.

It was the last weekend in October, and stadiums were packed, with monsters mashing in the stands and stacked teams. Tennessee expressed their dominance in a blowout against Kentucky, while TCU held on to a win to complete an 8-0 start. Georgia, Michigan, and Ohio State played big rivalry games, and all of them were tight, but in the end, the higher-ranked teams displayed all their might.

For other teams that were playing very well, Saturday must have felt like hell. Oklahoma State had its worst loss in years, as Kansas State was playing a nearly perfect game. Syracuse had a different but equally as disappointing week because they were coming off their first loss of the season and had a beatable Notre Dame team home at the dome. Unfortunately, Syracuse could not get the offense rolling, and Notre Dame ran through the Orange's defense.

As far as our prospect stock report goes, it was another big week full of tremendous performances and big gains. This will be a different week, though, because there were so many big-time performances that it's difficult to narrow down. For this reason, we will focus on position groups and discuss all the players who starred. So let's see who the top dogs were this week. 

Pair of PAC12 Quarterbacks:

It was a massive week for two quarterbacks in the PAC12, both of who also have their respective teams surging, and that is USC’s Caleb Williams and Oregon’s Bo Nix.

For Williams and the Trojans, it was expected to be an excellent year, and for the most part, they lived up to the hype. This week was surely his best game of the season, throwing for 412 yards and five touchdowns with zero turnovers. He looked like the star everyone expected to see and overwhelmed the Arizona defense.

Bo Nix, on the other hand, is writing his redemption story. After a disappointing ending with Auburn, no one knew what Oregon was getting, but Nix has risen from the dead since becoming the Duck’s signal caller and this week sealed it. Nix not only threw for 411 yards and three touchdowns, but he also had 59 rushing yards and another three touchdowns. The only negative I could say is that he also threw two interceptions, but it lessens the sting in a performance like this. In such a crazy year of college football, a PAC12 team has an opportunity to be the first one who makes the playoffs; they have to take it. Can they? We will all find out together. 

Running Backs Who Slash:

This was another big statistical week for running backs around the country. In a game that is supposed to be all passing, we have seen more feature running backs this season than we have in a while.

One player putting together an incredible season and not getting much recognition is Zach Charbonnet from UCLA. He has now had five consecutive 100 yards games and this week was easily his best game yet. He was rushed for 198 yards and three touchdowns while leading the team in receiving with five receptions for 61 yards.

Blake Corum continued his run for a Heisman with a dominating performance against Michigan State. He single-handedly kept the ball away from Michigan State and put immense pressure on them to keep up. The way Corum can bleed a game clock is uncanny and has made his team extremely difficult to play. He is excellent at being patient and waiting for a hole to open, and then he bursts through the hole with speed and physicality.

Deuce Vaughn and Kendre Miller also helped lead their teams to victory this week and showed how special they are. Miller has been a model of consistency, with at least 80 yards and a touchdown in his last six games. Vaughn has been battling the injury bug for the last few weeks but showed us how electric he is when healthy. He not only showed elite breakaway speed on his 62-yard touchdown run but also showed his receiving skills by completing a very difficult touchdown catch.

Terrifying Tight Ends:

Is it safe to call this the year of the tight end? It seems like in every other game, we get to see an outstanding tight-end prospect. Whether it’s the two players everyone talked about before the season, Michael Mayer and Brock Bowers, or a new standout like Dalton Kincaid.

This week saw Bowers from Georgia devour the Florida defense with a massive performance. Bowers had a whopping 154 yards and a touchdown on only five catches, looking unstoppable. Bowers even showed earlier this year that he has some skill running the ball too. No matter how you look at it, just put the ball in his hands, and something amazing will happen.

Notre Dame’s Meyer only had 54 receiving yards on three catches, but those were crucial yards. Every time he caught the ball, it seemed to be an extremely important catch. He has played that role all season long, though; he is simply a clutch player. Outside of his receiving skills, Meyer is a beast blocker. His blocking was the biggest contribution against Syracuse because he sealed running lanes, used his power to keep holes open, and allowed the running back to go through them. That was the difference maker in a back-and-forth game because it allowed Notre Dame to extend drives and win the game.

Dalton Kincaid, out of Utah, also led his team in receiving and displayed exceptional leadership in a tough win over Washington State. He had seven receptions for 56 and a touchdown. Though he was injured in the fourth quarter, he kept the offense on track with a backup quarterback in the game. His presence on the field kept everyone calm and under control, which is vital because having a backup signal caller in the game can quickly throw a wrench in your plans.

Each of these tight ends are complete players too. They are all outstanding receivers, which is mostly what we grade on, but their blocking ability makes all of them can’t miss prospects. They aren’t only great run blockers but also understand the importance of chipping pass rushers when running routes, which is a lost art these days. 

DE JT Tuimolou, Ohio State:

We had to single out the performance Tuimolou had. He had six tackles, three of them for a loss, two sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, two interceptions, and a touchdown. 

Not only is this the top defensive performance of the week, but it might also be the best defensive stat line you will see for a long time. The sophomore has been decent this season but was nothing to write home about. 

A performance like this, though, could help propel him to be Ohio State’s next big pass rusher. He is still pretty raw at times, but this game gives you a glimpse of the potential Tuimolou has as a prospect.

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