Top-5 College Football Performers from Week 1

Here is your Week 1 roundup of the top college performers, with an eye toward potentially filling future New York Giants needs.

Aug 29, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) before the game against the North Dakota State Bison at Folsom Field. / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Each week, Damian Parson, a national scout and draft analyst whose credentials include The Draft Network, Locked On NFL Draft, and, more recently, Bleacher Report, will give you his standout picks from the world of college football as they potentially relate to the New York Giants' needs.

Here are Damian’s top five standouts from Week 1 of the college football season.

QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

One of the best quarterback performances of the week goes to Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. 

Against one of the top FCS programs in the country, North Dakota St, Sanders went 26/34 for 445 passing yards and four passing touchdowns in the victory. 

Sanders displayed the mental qualities we desire for potential franchise quarterbacks: poise, calmness, toughness, and leadership. 

Physically, Sanders was distributing the football from clean pockets and under duress from the defense. Multiple “big-time” NFL throws with a free runner bearing down to lay him out delivered right to his receivers. 

Sanders’s A-trait is his accuracy and ball placement to deliver pinpoint passes at every level of the field. 

He entered the season as QB1, and that hasn’t changed after one week of full play. 

QB Carson Beck, Georgia 

Carson Beck was entrenched in a physical battle early against an outstanding Clemson Tigers defense. Beck and the Bulldogs offense eventually broke the dam and found their rhythm. 

Beck remained calm, cool, and collected. He is efficient in targeting the middle of the field and knows when to use velocity over touch and vice versa. 

Beck combines NFL height with functional mobility, allowing him to make timely runs for first downs with his legs and keep the chains moving. Teams needing a quarterback early in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft will have their eyes on Beck all season. 

OT Kelvin Banks Jr.,  Texas 

One of the top offensive tackle prospects in the country resides in Texas with the Longhorns. Kelvin Banks, Jr plays with quickness, athleticism, and fluid movements as Quinn Ewers’s blindside protector. 

Banks kicked the season off against Colorado State, where he pitched a shutout—allowing zero hurries, pressures, quarterback hits, or sacks. 

Banks also helped pave the way for an offense that averaged nearly five yards per rush attempt. He has the physical ability and starting experience at tackle to be a top-15 pick in April 2025. 

WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona 

One of the best, if not the best, performances in Week 1 came from Arizona star wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. The 6-foot-5 pass catcher was left on single coverage, dominating New Mexico’s secondary. 

He caught 10 of his 15 targets for 304 receiving yards, averaging 30.4 yards per reception, and four touchdowns. He won in a multitude of ways, stressing the defensive coverage. 

McMillan has the frame and athletic profile of a traditional X-receiver but moves with the fluidity of a 6-foot-2 receiver. 

McMillan is currently the favorite WR1 of the class, and with a performance like this one, his potential status as the WR1 in this next draft class will not change anytime soon. 

RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State 

If you didn’t know who Ashton Jeanty was before Week 1, you do now. After rushing for 267 yards and six touchdowns on 20 carries, Jeanty introduced himself to the rest of the draft community and football world.

 This was one of the most dominant performances we have seen from a running back. Jeanty averaged a mind-blowing eight yards after contact and forced 10+ missed tackles against Georgia State. 

His ability to string together cuts is outstanding. Jeanty is a force to be reckoned with in the open field. Listed as 5’9 215 pounds, I don’t know if he will be a first-round pick, but I expect to hear his name called no later than Round 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft. 

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