NFL Draft Implications in Week 8 Friday Night Games

College football is a alive and well, already halfway through the season! Friday night promises some interesting football to watch, I promise, and some good NFL Draft prospects to watch in this time. Here is the lineup of games available for your viewing pleasure:

6:30PM ET Marshall @ Florida Atlantic CBSSN
7:00PM ET Pittsburgh @ Syracuse ESPN
8:30PM ET Ohio State @ Northwestern BTN
10:00PM ET UNLV @ Fresno State CBSSN

It is worthy to note that the Ohio State/Northwestern game has been moved to the Big Ten Network (BTN), due to MLB Playoffs conflicts. Therefore, if you are a DirectTV customer, the only game you will be able to see on the Choice package is Pittsburgh/Syracuse on ESPN, hence why it is highlighted.

Let’s get into the prospects, shall we?

5. RB JK Dobbins, Ohio State VS LB Paddy Fisher, Northwestern

JK Dobbins is one of the top five running back prospects entering the NFL Draft. There is so much to like about him, some people like him more than Georgia’s D’Andre Swift, Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor, and Clemson’s Travis Ettiene. He’s explosive, very sudden and has the speed in the open field to run away from secondaries.

Paddy Fisher is a third year starter in Northwestern, a “coaches pet” type player. He’s been the star in the center of this defense for what feels like forever. Think of Paddy like Brian Urlacher, a physical downhill tackler who can shed blocks with ease. Fisher has collected 264 career tackles, and he’s been a monster for years in the Big Ten.

Paddy Fisher stacking up a pulling Beau Benzschawel in the hole and getting his pads in front of the back to make a tackle at the LOS. pic.twitter.com/Zqe5VWJqlP

— Kyle Crabbs (@GrindingTheTape) May 28, 2018

One of these fellows will dominate on Friday night. Whichever one it is, their draft stock will rise exponentially. If you can watch this game, see it for this reason alone. If the dominatrix is Paddy Fisher, this game will be very interesting very quickly.

4. CB Dane Jackson, Pittsburgh

It’s hard to argue with the results when a cornerback has four forced fumbles in a season.

Four?!

Yep. He’s not lucky either. Dane Jackson is, simply put, a machine. His tackling form forces fumbles, as he delivers the blow and swipes at the ball at the same time. He’s not just a good tackler, he’s great in coverage and held his own against several great receivers in the ACC.

Pitt CB Dane Jackson is one of the CBs I’ll be keeping an eye on this season. He held his own against these talented Clemson WRs and made some really nice plays like this. pic.twitter.com/aXd8lmrST7

— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) May 4, 2019

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He’s been the star cornerback in Pitt now for the last three seasons. A redshirt senior, Jackson has 33 career pass deflections to add to his 4 career interceptions. He has the tools that NFL teams like to see but isn’t receiving much attention currently. With a good game Friday night on national television, Jackson can start to pull more NFL eyes his way and get the recognition he so clearly deserves.

3. EDGE Kendall Coleman, Syracuse

Much of the attention that goes to the Syracuse defense goes to Kendall Coleman’s teammate on the opposite edge, Alton Robinson. However, Coleman is the one producing this year and deserves an additional look.

Coleman is the better run defender, often times teams game-planning around his strength of doing so. He’s collected 2.5 sacks this year, and shown good effort during the play. A high motor guy, NFL teams will like Coleman as a potential camp guy who can develop into rotational piece/low end starter.

2. CB Chris Jackson, Marshall

Chris Jackson is an exciting type of cornerback. He has an interesting play style, one centered around his ability to to not over react to what opposing receivers are showing him.

Marshall CB Chris Jackson

💥BIG HIT💥
💯PICK 6️⃣💯
@sbkvng @HerdFB pic.twitter.com/fOCwE227OE

— College Football Rankings ™ (@CFBRanking) February 16, 2019

Jackson plays a style known as trail technique, where he trails the receiver, staying a step or two behind the route in order to react accordingly to the route. He relies on his athleticism to come back into the play and prevent the catch. This allows Jackson to get beat sometimes, but the rewards are often very fruitful on deep routes.

Jackson is also a good run defender, showing a willingness to tackle. He can do a lot to help his NFL Draft stock with a good game against the Owls, who run a very unique offense.

1. TE Harrison Bryant, FAU

This guy could be the sleeper of the NFL Draft. Harrison Bryant is what the NFL wants in it’s tight end prospects. He can block, he has hands, and speed. He has size too, standing at 6’5″ and 240 pounds. Bryant has produced as a vertical threat, averaging 14.3 yards per reception through his career.

Nice catch by FAU’s Harrison Bryant, hanging on behind an OSU defenders helmet. pic.twitter.com/xjI04fkOIa

— Paul Harvey (@HammerHarvey) August 31, 2019

Bryant has a chance to go up against a good Marshall defense and show his worth picking on his linebackers group. We want to see more consistency with his effort, especially in blocking, and just a great night.