Hello ladies and gentlemen and welcome to this week five edition of the Draft "Expert's" quarterback prospect rankings for the 2023 NFL Draft! Like all the other one's before, this list will be ranking each quarterback prospect based on how they did during the previous week.
That being said, unlike the previous weeks, we have a new face entering the top 10, which is always exciting. Though this is the first time this quarterback has been officially ranked, he has always been in and around the honorable mention section, with us writing a whole dissertation on this quarterback back in May.
I don't really have much to say after that, I just hope you enjoy the list! If you don't, I'll apologize and I'll try better next time. Sound like a plan? Good. So, without any further delay, I, Logan Blackman, host of the Logan Blackman Show, present the Draft "Expert's" week five quarterback prospect rankings. Enjoy!
Latest Podcast Episode (Monday)
Pictured: Cameron Ward, Washington State; Bryce Young, Alabama; Anthony Richardson, Florida
1. CJ Stroud, Ohio State
Wk 5 - 13/22 154 yds 2 touchdowns 1 interception/2 carries -1 yd 0 touchdowns v Rutgers (49-10 W)
Season - 92/134 1,376 yds 18 touchdowns 2 interceptions/9 carries 8 yds 0 touchdowns
This game didn't really start how a lot of people thought it would. Sure, it ended with a pretty predictable scoreline, but how many people thought Rutgers would ever be leading in this game? Especially with it being played in Columbus, which was weirdly, Ohio State's fifth straight home game this season. After Ohio State forced a three-and-out, Rutgers punted the ball to the normally sure handed Emeka Egbuka, but Egbuka made a weird attempt for the ball and just flat out dropped it, Rutgers then scored three plays later. After going down early, Rutgers made the strange decision to go for an onside kick. Sure it would've been sick if you recovered, but why as Rutgers, would you be giving one of the most high powered offenses in college football a short field? To the surprise of no one, Ohio State took advantage of the short field and would then score 28 unanswered points to go up 28-7 at the half, before winning the game with a final score of 49-10. Now, in regards to how CJ Stroud did, he didn't really need to do a whole lot, as Ohio State ran the ball 34 times for 252 yards on Saturday. Stroud just didn't look himself against Rutgers, completing a season low 13 passes while throwing a season low amount of yards, 154. He even threw his second interception of the season, which came on a pass he forced into, essentially, quadruple coverage. Now, though he put up season low numbers in this game, it wasn't like he was awful or anything, it's just that we've seen Stroud play so much better than this in the past. He did have some nice passes throughout the game, like his pass to Emeka Egbuka late in the third. Sure the defender fell down in coverage, but Stroud threw a very nice ball on on Egbuka's out route which set up Ohio State in the red zone to go up 42-10. Those throws are a little more difficult them some give it credit for, throwing for the far hash to the near sideline is difficult, and Stroud put it in a very nice spot so Egbuka didn't lose any momentum. All in all, Stroud just wasn't asked to do too much. Rutgers had no answers for Ohio State's run game, and like Hayden Fry said, scratch where it itches, so Ohio State kept on pounding the rock, and it paid off. Next week, Stroud and the Buckeyes go on the road for the first time this season as they take on Michigan State. Last season against the Michigan State, Stroud went for 432 and six touchdowns in a 56-7 drubbing of the then seventh ranked Spartans. With Michigan State coming off of three double digit losses, Stroud should be able to put up some massive numbers this coming Saturday.
Pre-Season - 2
Wk 1 - 2
Wk 2 - 2
Wk 3 - 1
Wk 4 - 1
Wk 5 - 1
Wk 6 - @ Michigan State
2. Bryce Young, Alabama
Wk 5 - 7/13 173 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/2 carries 4 yds 1 touchdown @ no.20 Arkansas (49-26 W)
Season - 90/134 1,202 yds 14 touchdowns 3 interceptions/18 carries 154 yds 3 touchdowns
Saturday must've felt really weird for a lot of Alabama fans out there. Sure, you got the win, beating Arkansas 49-26 on the road, but you lost the reigning Heisman Trophy winner for God knows how long due to a shoulder injury. One of those 'you won the battle but lost the war' type things, right? I'm sure they have all the faith in the world in Jalen Milroe, but he's not Bryce Young, or at least not yet, so who knows how this could effect Alabama's offense long term. For the short term though, it seems like Milroe will be the starter as the Crimson Tide take on the Aggies of Texas A&M this Saturday, and maybe that's not a bad thing. Despite the injury to his throwing shoulder, this wasn't one of Bryce Young's best games. For starters, literally, he threw an interception on the very first drive of the game, which was tough to see because he was throwing the ball very well up until the interception stopped Bama dead in their tracks. Young threw a beautiful ball towards the far sideline to Kobe Prentice, who ran a very nice post-corner route to set Alabama up on the Arkansas side of the 50. Young then made another really nice throw to Traeshon Holden down the far sideline, this one much shorter than the throw to Prentice, but it was arguably more impressive. Look, I love the deep ball as much as the next guy, but seeing super accurate short throws are just as good, in my opinion. Like the old fastball vs curveball debate, which one is more impressive? Different people have different preferences but Young's ball to Holden was placed perfectly on his outside shoulder, away from the defender for a first down. Not to mention the pass could've easily been jumped by the Arkansas defender and taken back for six had the ball not been placed properly, it's just a shame the drive ended in an interception. Hell, even the interception was a pretty nice throw, just got unlucky as Holden stuck out only one hand to try and catch the ball, and since he didn't palm it, the ball bounced right off his hand and landed in the grateful arms of Dwight McGlothern. Now, Mr. Young did bounce back shortly after, as he hit Kobe Prentice over the middle for a nice 47-yard touchdown. This was one of those plays where as long as Young and Prentice connected, it was going to result in six. Third and three, the safeties were pressed closer to the line of scrimmage with a clear opening on the left side of the field. With how Arkansas' secondary has played this year, a touchdown was almost guaranteed given how they lined up. The play that's going to be at the center of all the highlights though is Young's deep ball to Isaiah Bond. Young stepped up into the pocket and delivered a dart down the middle of the field. Should it have been a touchdown? Probably, yes. Bond is wide ass open and Young slightly over throws him, but that's me being nit-picky, it was a beautiful play and Bama ended up scoring a few plays later on a Bryce Young rushing touchdown. The drive after though, at the start of the second quarter, Young rolled out the the right, was falling over and tried to make a throw down the sideline. Unfortunately, Young landed hard and awkwardly on his right shoulder. Not technically on his shoulder, but his arm was extended and he landed awkwardly. Young tried to continue on after that, but it just wasn't meant to be. Again, we'll have to see if he plays on Saturday. If I'm Alabama, and I see how A&M has been playing up to this point, it wouldn't be the worst game to rest him to avoid further injury. It's obvious how important he is to this team, but his longterm health is more important, in my opinion. Dude is a beast, and I just hope this injury doesn't effect him long term.
Pre-Season - 1
Wk 1 - 1
Wk 2 - 1
Wk 3 - 2
Wk 4 - 2
Wk 5 - 2
Wk 6 - v Texas A&M
3. Will Levis, Kentucky
Wk 5 - 18/24 220 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/9 carries -19 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.14 Ole Miss (22-19 L)
Season - 97/141 1,405 yds 12 touchdowns 4 interceptions/40 carries -56 yds 2 touchdowns
This was the game I was the most excited to see this past weekend, a seventh ranked Kentucky Wildcats team with one of the top quarterback prospects in next years draft taking on one of the fastest paced teams in all of college football in Ole Miss. It is kind of funny looking at each team and how they run things offensive because they're totally different. On one hand, like we said before, Ole Miss is one of the fastest paced teams in the country, ranking second in regards to how fast they run each play. For Kentucky though, they are one of the slowest paced teams in the country, using up damn near the entire play clock with each and every play, it was just really funny to see. Early on in this game it was all Ole Miss, who scored two touchdowns on their first three drives of the game. To be honest, they could've been three for three had a false start not kept them from punting it on their first drive. For Kentucky and Will Levis though, it took them a little bit to get going. On their first drive of the game, Levis missed Barion Brown down the far sideline, just placing it too far to Brown's outside shoulder. I'm not sure if Brown could've made a play on it or not, but that was certainly a play Kentucky wished they had back, especially since they were forced to punt on that drive. Now, Kentucky had a chance to score on their second drive, as Levis and Brown hooked up for a massive screen play, but kicker Matt Ruffolo missed the 39-yard attempt. Then, after a massive Barion Brown kick return, Levis handed it off to Chris Rodriguez, who was back from suspension, to make to the game closer at 14-6 (extra point was blocked). The next drive though did not go so smoothly, as Levis tried to make something out of nothing, but had little to no time to make something happened and tried to throw it while he was getting tackled in the end zone, which resulted in a safety. On this play, Levis dislocated his middle finger on his non-throwing hand, which leads me to this point, thank God Levis is a bigger dude, because with how often he get shit behind tis makeshift offensive line, I don't think he'd survive being any smaller. So far this season, Levis has been sacked 19 times, and that's not including the other times he's been hit running the ball. Dude takes a lot of hits over the course of the game, but he's seemingly big enough so he can take it, to a certain extent. Now, Kentucky did manage to get in the end zone before halftime, with Levis taking what the defense gave him on some shorter passes before tossing it to Tayvion Robinson to get Kentucky to within seven (should've been six but the extra point snap was fumbled). We then saw Kentucky claw their way back down the field, with Kentucky hitting some short run plays after a Levis competition to Dane Key. With the defense sucked in, Levis delivered a dart to his tight end Jordan Dingle for a 17-yard touchdown, tying the game at 19. On this throw, Levis hit Dingle in between four defenders, placing it right between the defenders before Dingle did the rest to punch it in. It wasn't a crazy long throw or anything, but the placement of the pass was very nice from Levis. After that touchdown though Kentucky couldn't get anything else going. They had a nice kick return by Brown to set them up on the Ole Miss side of the 50 but their drive stalled out. The next two drives to follow resulted in two fumbles by Levis, which saw Ole Miss come away with a 22-19 victory. Now, prior to those, Levis did make some impressive throws, i.e. his one to Dane Key, who had the ball bounce right off his hands, but he drew a holding penalty, so it worked out to some extent. Then his throw on the same drive to Dingle, which saw a defender drive right through his chest before delivering a strike to Dingle for the first down. Like we said last week, his ability to stand tall in the pocket and take massive hits is a big time testament to his toughness and his abilities as a quarterback. That throw was very impressive, it's just a shame a few plays later came Levis' fumble, where he got hit low, spun around, and aw the ball get punched out while he was in the air. Then on his second fumble, after Levis and Brown connected for a 51-yard catch and run, a d-end came around Levis' front and hit the ball out while he was trying to throw. Should he have felt the pressure coming off the edge? Yes, but Ole Miss didn't even blitz, the tackle just got flat out beat. In the end, you could say this was an extremely tough loss for Kentucky because they left a lot of points on the field. This is a game that they probably should've won but the said reality is that they didn't, so now they're going to have to bounce back against South Carolina, who have struggled against SEC opposition son far this season. I think Kentucky, being back at home, comes away with a nice dub here to get them back on track.
Pre-Season - 3
Wk 1 - 4
Wk 2 - 4
Wk 3 - 3
Wk 4 - 3
Wk 5 - 3
Wk 6 - v South Carolina
4. Anthony Richardson, Florida
Wk 5 - 8/10 240 yds 2 touchdowns 1 interception/1 carry 45 yds 0 touchdowns v Eastern Washington (52-17 W)
Season - 73/131 1,116 yds 4 touchdowns 6 interceptions/42 carries 241 yds 5 touchdowns
I can't be the only one who forgot this game was played, right? Because of Hurricane Ian, Florida's home match-up against Eastern Washington was postponed to Sunday. This was one of those games that Florida had to show out in. Sure, Florida has had a somewhat shaky start to the season, but they had to put on a show against a then 1-2 Eastern Washington team, and they did. Though this was expected, Anthony Richardson had a very nice game against this suspect Eagle secondary, and it started off with Florida's very first offensive play. After faking the hand off to the left, Richardson rolled a little to his right before delivering an absolute dart down the field to Justin Shorter for a massive 75-yard touchdown. This play just exemplifies Richardson's throwing abilities. Maybe I'm wrong, but it feels like some people out there want to diminish Richardson's arm talent because of how well he runs the ball, but this dude has an absolute hose on him. Like, Richardson put little to no effort into this throw, and yet it went from the Florida 18-yard line (where he released the ball) all the way down to the opposite 25-yard line. It was just a flick of the wrist, and there aren't a lot of quarterbacks that have his kind of arm talent. And then, the next drive, they set up the same play again, but this time, it resulted in a 45-yard run by Richardson. I find it pretty funny that Florida's first two plays on offense showed off Richardson's skillset to a t. He showed off his arm talent on the first play, then showed off his elusiveness on the second one. For most quarterbacks, this run play would've gone for nothing, but Richardson, after rolling out to the right, ran through multiple defenders before ending up on the exact opposite sideline. Just a crazy run for the big man. Florida would score a few plays later. Then the next drive, with a defender draped around his ankles, Richardson sets up and hit Xzavier Henderson for a big 19-yard gain to the far sideline. Richardson was a little slow to get up afterwards, but he came back later in the drive to see Florida go up 21-3 in the second quarter. Then after a Ricky Pearsall run that put Florida up 28-3, Richardson hits to impressive passes to then put Florida up 35-3 before halftime. Firstly, he hit Trent Whittemore down the near sideline on a beautifully weighed pass, before hitting Xzavier Henderson in the end zone with an ease pass on an extended crossing route to go up, again, 35-3. Both throws showed off his touch on these types of passes, which is something he has needed to work on, to a certain extent, so far this season. But then, right after halftime, Richardson threw a ball into quadruple coverage, which saw him throw his first interception, and second incompletion, of the game. He another nice throw to Daejon Reynolds on a crossing route for a big game before sitting out the rest of the game due to Florida being up by so much. This game perfectly exemplifies Anthony Richardson. The talent is clearly there, and he showed it off, but he'll have that one play that you kind of just shake your head at. If he can avoid the mistakes moving forward, Anthony Richardson will be an even bigger foe to be reckoned with. This week the Gators are taking on a tough Missouri team, but I think Richardson and the Gators should come out with a win on Saturday.
Pre-Season - 5
Wk 1 - 3
Wk 2 - 3
Wk 3 - 4
Wk 4 - 4
Wk 5 - 4
Wk 6 - v Missouri
5. Jaren Hall, BYU
Wk 5 - 17/27 274 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/3 carries -15 yds 0 touchdowns v Utah State (38-26 W)
Season - 120/171 1,438 yds 12 touchdowns 1 interception/34 carries 64 yds 0 touchdowns
Am I the only one who was semi-surprised with this game? Like, going into it, given what we've from both teams so far this season, I thought BYU would have a fairly easy time taking down the Utah State Aggies, especially with the game being at home. I know Utah State was good last year, but apart from their week zero win over UConn, the Aggies have been blowout out in every game this season. Look, I am aware BYU ended up winning by 12-points, but they didn't really take ahold of the game until later in the third quarter. That being said, on BYU's first drive of the game, Jaren Hall looked like he was very much ready to go. Hitting Gunner Romney down the near sideline for a 34-yard gain before getting to Keanu Hill for a 31-yard touchdown. Two play drive that went for 65-yards. For the first throw, Hall did a nice job at looking off the high safety, which freed up space for him to hit Romney down the sideline, who may have been unfortunate to score, with the Utah State defender tripping him as he caught the ball. The touchdown to Hill is more of a testament to Hill's ability to make plays after the catch, as it was only a four-yard pass from Hall, with Hill making a bunch of defenders miss before getting into the end zone. After that two play drive though BYU's offense kind of stalled out, going three and out on their next three offensive drives before getting a field goal on their last drive of the first half. Now, Hall really should've had a touchdown on their drive that ended in a field goal, as he threw it to Romney in the back corner of the end zone, but Romney just couldn't see the catch all the way through, and they had to settle for a field goal. Great throw by Hall, who had another decent throw to Brayden Cosper, but it just wasn't meant to be on that one, and they went in tied with Utah State 17-17 at the half (BYU got a pick six earlier in the half). On BYU's first drive of the second half though, Hall finally got his second touchdown, as he threw a very nice ball to Ethan Erickson to go up 24-17. This was one of those throws we talk about a decent amount, where Hall put the ball where only his player could get it. Somewhat of a back shoulder throw, Hall threw it before the defender had any real time to react, and Erickson made a very nice grab to come down with it. Hall's third and final touchdown came on a screen play to his wide out Kody Epps, who got in from eight yards out. Earlier on that drive though, Hall had one of those 'better to be lucky than good' plays, as he tried to hit Brayden Cosper over the middle, but the ball bounced off his hands and actually went like 10 more yards down the field before landing in Gunner Romney's hands. After the play Hall gave one of those relief head shakes (if you know what I'm talking about) before then hitting Kody Epps for a nice gain down the far sideline. The rest of the game saw BYU run the ball quite a bit, which eventually saw running back Christopher Brooks punch it in from 18-yards out. All in all, this was a semi-strange game for BYU. I didn't expect them to have as much trouble moving the ball early as they did but hey, they came out with a dub. This week they're taking on a Notre Dame team that has been really up and down this season. Though this game is on the road, I think Hall and the Cougars can pull off the upset this weekend. If they can get going early that is.
Pre-Season - 8
Wk 1 - 7
Wk 2 - 6
Wk 3 - 6
Wk 4 - 5
Wk 5 - 5
Wk 6 - @ Notre Dame
6. Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
Wk 5 - BYE
Season - 81/113 1,193 yds 8 touchdowns 0 interceptions/35 carries 175 yds 3 touchdowns
Hendon Hooker and Tennessee are fresh off a bye week. After an impressive game against Florida, the Vols will travel to Baton Rouge to take on the LSU Tigers. Now, this will present a nice challenge for the undefeated Volunteers, as the Tigers have one of the top defenses in college football. Though that's true, they haven't faced an offense like Tennessee, who can boast the number one offense in college football in regards to yards per game. It will be a test, but I think Hooker and the Vols will prevail.
Pre-Season - 10
Wk 1 - 8
Wk 2 - 8
Wk 3 - 7
Wk 4 - 6
Wk 5 - 6
Wk 6 - @ no.25 LSU
7. Will Rogers, Mississippi State (+2)
Wk 5 - 31/45 329 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/0 carries 0 yds 0 touchdowns v no.17 Texas A&M (42-24 W)
Season - 171/234 1,715 yds 19 touchdowns 3 interceptions/14 carries -60 yds 0 touchdowns
This was a very nice 'look at me' game for Mississippi State, but mainly for quarterback Will Rogers. Sure, they lost to LSU a few weeks ago but man, the Bulldogs absolutely stuck it to the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday. That being said, it did take a little bit for Mississippi State to get going, as they punted on their first three drives of the game. Though their first few drives ended stalling out, Rogers still made some very impressive throws throughout the course of the first quarter. Like on their second drive, on third and 10, Rogers drilled a ball in-between two defenders to hit Rufus Harvey for a very decent gain and a first down. That throw was insanely impressive, with a defender on Rufus' back hip and another coming from up the field. That's one of those throws that we've talked about before, where you can't lead the receiver too much or he'll get his head ripped off, and you can't throw it behind him because it'll fall incomplete, or worse, end in an interception. Again, sure, the drive stalled out, but that was a nice moment in a 16-play drive. Then finally, probably a third of the way through the second quarter, Rogers found Caleb Ducking at the near pylon on the far sideline to put the Bulldogs up 7-0. Did Ducking get away with a little push off? Maybe, it would've been a weak call but it was still a very nice throw from Rogers. On Mississippi State's next drive, Rogers hit a couple very nice passes, one coming on a slant route to Lideatrick Griffin where Rogers stood in a collapsing pocket and hit Griffin over the middle for a big gain to set up Rogers' second touchdown to Rufus Harvey (which was not a great throw as he threw it behind him). After his second touchdown, Mississippi State started getting some decent gains in the ground game, rushing for 144-yards as a team, which is a season high up to this point. Then, after an A&M touchdown, on their first play of the drive, Rogers hit Rara Thomas for a massive 75-yard touchdown. This was just great ball placement, again, by Rogers, as the defender was all over Thomas on the route. It was just one of those plays that you just can't stop. One hitch and throw, 75-yard tuddy, you love to see it. Also, great job by Thomas for staying up after the catch, as the A&M defender landed around his ankles, but he kept his balance, and came away with a big time/game sealing touchdown. The thing that impresses me so much with Rogers is his ball placement. When you look at the quarterbacks above him, Rogers is nowhere near the athlete of any of them, but he may be the most accurate. Sure, Mississippi State's offense is made to make the quarterbacks life easier, but Rogers is just carving up defenses. They'll hit you with screens and then blast you deep, it can be very fun to watch when your quarterback is clicking, and Rogers is doing just that. I expect Rogers to put up some nice numbers again next week against Arkansas, who have a bottom 10 pass defense in college football. This should be a nice statistical showing from Rogers on Saturday.
Pre-Season - N/A
Wk 1 - 10
Wk 2 - 9
Wk 3 - 10
Wk 4 - 9
Wk 5 - 7
Wk 6 - v Arkansas
8. Tyler Van Dyke, Miami (FL) (-1)
Wk 5 - BYE
Season - 70/118 809 yds 4 touchdowns 3 interceptions/15 carries -17 yds 0 touchdowns
Much like Hendon Hooker before, Tyler Van Dyke is also coming off a bye week. Unlike Hooker though, Van Dyke is not coming off a great performance, in actuality, he's probably coming off the worst performance of his career. Last week was just a terrible week for anyone associated with the Hurricane football team, as they lost by 14-points to Middle Tennessee at home, which saw Van Dyke get benched for freshman Jake Garcia. Thankfully for Van Dyke, Mario Cristobal is keeping him as the starter for at least one more week, and it should make for a fun one, as Miami is taking on the North Carolina Tar Heels. For Van Dyke, he needs to bounce back, and taking on a Carolina team that ranks near the bottom in total defense would be a great place to start.
Pre-Season - 4
Wk 1 - 5
Wk 2 - 5
Wk 3 - 5
Wk 4 - 7
Wk 5 - 8
Wk 6 - v North Carolina
9. Tanner McKee, Stanford (-1)
Wk 5 - 19/33 166 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/5 carries -16 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.13 Oregon (45-27 L)
Season - 78/121 980 yds 8 touchdowns 4 interceptions/26 carries -61 yds 1 touchdown
Like we said to a certain extent last week, these next few games for Tanner McKee and the Stanford Cardinal are going to be tough. After starting the season off with a bad Colgate team, Stanford has gone on to play 10th ranked USC, 18th ranked Washington, and, this past weekend, 13th ranked Oregon, with the latter two coming on the road (rankings are from the time they played them). In those past three games, Stanford has been outscored 126-77, with Tanner McKee being sacked 16 times over the course of those games, eight of those came against Washington. I wouldn't say he's been playing lights out or anything, but given who they're playing and how much time he has to work, McKee hasn't really been playing that bad. Now, for this game in general, this wasn't the same performance we saw last year from McKee and Stanford. Going back to that game, Stanford beat the then third ranked Ducks 31-24 in overtime. This was an Oregon team that had handled Ohio State in the horseshoe just a few short weeks before this game. In the game, McKee threw for 230 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions, while also managing 14 yards on the ground, which is the second most yards McKee has ran for in this Stanford career. This time around though, the Cardinal could get next to nothing going, punting five times in the first half and fumbling another time. Their lone first half points came from a field goal, and even then, they should've came away with seven, or at least six. Like, there were times in the game where McKee would take the ball from center, and like a second or two later, Oregon has guys in the backfield. Whether he got sacked or not doesn't matter, it just felt like McKee was hit every single play on Saturday, which is why Stanford ran a lot of slants, hitches, and screens. Speaking of screens, Stanford's first touchdown of the game came off of a 'screen' play, rather a check down I guess, with McKee hitting his running back towards the near sideline, who made some defenders miss before sneaking his way into the end zone to make the score 31-10 in the third quarter. Now, Stanford's next touchdown drive, McKee showed off why he has one of the best arms in college football. Hitting Elijah Higgins on a skinny post route, which saw McKee place the ball perfectly, leading Higgins right into the end zone. What made this play so nice to watch is that McKee threw the ball before Higgins went into his break, which gave the defender no time to really react, at least until the ball was in the hands of the receiver. Unfortunately for McKee, that would be the last touchdown he'd throw in this game, as he was pulled with the score sitting at 45-17. This was just a tough match-up for Stanford. They have some ability on the offensive side of the ball, but they're struggling to put it all together for extended periods of time. If they can do that, they could be a pretty solid outfit. This week presents another challenge for McKee, as the Cardinal are hosting the Beavers of Oregon State. Sure Oregon State is coming off two straight losses, but they're a really tough team and will test the Cardinal, even with it being at home. I think Stanford can pull of the dub, but it'll be tough.
Pre-Season - 6
Wk 1 - 6
Wk 2 - 7
Wk 3 - 8
Wk 4 - 8
Wk 5 - 9
Wk 6 - v Oregon State
10. Cameron Ward, Washington State (NEW)
Wk 5 - 27/40 343 yds 3 touchdowns 2 interceptions/4 carries -13 yds 0 touchdowns v Cal (28-9 W)
Season - 131/191 1,445 yds 13 touchdowns 7 interceptions/26 carries -16 yds 1 touchdown
Welcome to the top 10 Cameron Ward! I know what you're thinking, 'Logan, why is Ward getting put into the top 10 this week? Didn't he throw two interceptions this week?' Yes, that is true, and we'll get to those in a little bit, but dude made a ton of other really nice throws throughout Washington State's homecoming win over the California Golden Bears. Like, even his first throw of the game was impressive, hitting Robert Ferrel in between two Cal defenders for a first down. He also did a great job at extending the a play a little bit later. As a rusher came through unblocked, Ward read it and made a nice move to get around the defender before delivering a strike to De'Zhaun Stribling. What I really liked about this play, though it didn't result in a first down, was that Ward has that ability to make off platform throws. When the play breaks down, are you still able to get the ball out and hit your receivers? When it comes to Ward, yes he can, and did. Though that first drive and the drive after resulted in punts, Washington State was set up nicely on their third drive by a nice punt return by the aforementioned Robert Ferrel. A few plays later, Washington State scored on a two-yard run by Jaylen Jenkins to put them up 7-0. On Washington State's next offensive drive, Ward started off doing things similarly to what he had been doing in the previous drives. Throwing a dart to Lincoln Victor for a first down on third and 10 before hitting Renard Bell on a beautifully throw naked bootleg. The bootleg was very impressive because again, it showed off Ward's ability to make the off-platform throws. Off his back foot, Ward lobbed this pass perfectly into the Bell's bread basket to pick up the first down. A couple plays later though is where we see Ward's first interception. He was trying to find Lincoln Victor in the back of the end zone but he threw it into double coverage. This one you could kind of tell Ward got a little lazy with his mechanics, as he was holding the ball with one hand in the pocket and really didn't put a whole lot behind this throw, and it was easily picked by the Cal defender. The start of the second half led Ward to show off his talents again, hitting Renard Bell on a beautiful ball down the far sideline. This throw was made even more impressive by the fact Ward took his time and went through his reads. He looked off the safety to the left before hitting Bell down the right sideline for a massive gain. This, of course, set up a Washington State touchdown a few plays later, as Ward threw an absolute dart to Ferrel for a 17-yard touchdown. Like we've said before, this was a throw Ward had to put pretty much on Ferrel's hip, as the defender was barreling in from the right side of play. Ward threw this ball about as hard as he could, hitting Ferrel right on the hip, which avoided a massive hit and a potential interception. Speaking of which, Ward threw his second interception on the next drive. This one was unfortunate because Ward did an excellent job at trying to extend the play. Reverse spinning away from the pass rusher to by extra time, but again, just tried to force the ball into double coverage. This one though the receiver had no shot at, as the Cal defender picked it off about three or four yards in front of the receiver in the end zone. A couple drives later though, Ward threw one of the best passes that I've seen in a while. Though the read says to give it, Ward saw Bell beat his defender and pulled it out of the running backs belly. With a defender directly in his face, Ward lobbed a pass beautifully to Bell for a 37-yard touchdown. Like, there are not a lot of quarterbacks in college football who can make that throw, and yet Ward just made it look so effortless. He then ended the game with an easy one yard touchdown pass to his tight end, Billy Riviere III, to make it 28-9, which would end up being the final score. Look, I'm sure Ward would love to have those interceptions back, but some of the throws this dude makes are ridiculous. Whether it was his first throw of the game or his deep ball to Bell, Ward can make every throw on the football field from any platform, dude is very talented. This next game though he'll have a firm test, traveling to LA to take on the sixth ranked USC Trojans. Though USC is favored by 13, if Ward and the Cougar offense can get going, they can stay in this game, and could maybe pull off an improbable upset.
Pre-Season - H/M
Wk 1 - H/M
Wk 2 - N/R
Wk 3 - H/M
Wk 4 - H/M
Wk 5 - 10
Wk 6 - @ no.6 USC
Others
Sam Hartman, Wake Forest
Wk 5 - 22/34 234 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/11 carries -5 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.23 Florida State (31-21 W)
Season - 86/134 1,196 yds 15 touchdowns 2 interceptions/33 carries 28 yds 0 touchdowns
KJ Jefferson, Arkansas
Wk 5 - 13/24 155 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/17 carries 38 yds 0 touchdowns v no.2 Alabama (49-26 L)
Season - 80/121 1,096 yds 9 touchdowns 1 interception/81 carries 312 yds 4 touchdowns
Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina
Wk 5 - 23/34 335 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/10 carries 34 yds 1 touchdown v Georgia Southern (34-30 W)
Season - 92/132 1,336 yds 14 touchdowns 1 interceptions/39 carries 125 yds 3 touchdowns
Michael Penix Jr., Washington
Wk 5 - 33/48 345 yds 4 touchdowns 2 interceptions/6 carries -1 yd 0 touchdowns @ UCLA (40-32 L)
Season - 125/191 1,733 yds 16 touchdowns 3 interceptions/15 carries 25 yds 0 touchdowns
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA (NEW)
Wk 5 - 24/33 315 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/10 carries 53 yds 1 touchdown v Washington (40-32 W)
Season - 104/140 1,211 yds 11 touchdowns 1 interception/31 carries 223 yds 3 touchdowns
Previous Rankings
Pre-Season - https://www.theloganblackmanshow.com/post/the-draft-expert-insanely-early-2023-nfl-draft-prospect-rankings
Wk 2 - https://www.theloganblackmanshow.com/post/the-draft-expert-2023-nfl-draft-wk-2-prospect-rankings
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