Results of Collegefootballfan.com 2018 Draft Analysis
See when and where players we’ve seen went in the draft!
Check out the caption beneath each photo below.
We’re always amazed at the end of each season after seeing 15-20 FBS teams play regarding how much top football talent we’d see perform. Our small sampling of major programs though always provides our followers with a very comprehensive Collegefootballfan.com draft analysis. Quality , not quantity is what we happen to see. We at CFF.com see so many top pro prospects every year, and yet we always attend about half a dozen games played by the service academies as well as FCS schools and other lower division teams. We’d never change that though.
You would think we get to see a very small sample of players who have a shot at playing pro ball. However, as you’ll see, we capture some of these top prospects in action at the lower levels as well. In 2016, we caught a pass break up by DB Jamal Agnew of FCS University of San Diego ( not San Diego State) against Marist in Poughkeepsie, NY in a Pioneer League clash. Agnew got drafted by the Detroit Lions. In 2017, he returned punts for TDs for Detroit against the Giants and Saints. In 2006, we attended the D-3 national championship between Mt. Union and Wisconsin – Whitewater. We saw the Purpler Raiders WR Pierre Garcon before he played for the Washington Redskins. You never know!
According to the pre-2018 draft analysis of so-called”experts”, we’ve seen the majority of talent on display over the last three years entering this years’ draft targeted in the first round. Because of limited picture taking, pictures that come out in poor quality, or pictures never taken because we may forget to re-charge the battery, this limits the depth of players we can show here, but the number we saw still photographed truly amazes us. We don’t attend college games for this purpose.
Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield was seen his soph season against Clemson. His pics didn’t come out very well. Notre Dame OL Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey had no clear shots when we saw the Irish tussle at home against Stanford in 2016. Our high angle seats and poor lighting in the Georgia Dome didn’t bode well for photos in the Alabama- Washington CFP semi-final in 2016 as well. You can imagine the wealth of NFL talent we watched play that day. We take live action photos to capture stills to complement our Game Reviews and find that we have captured some of the greatest college football talent ready to step up to the next level.
This year, we’ve broken down the talent we’ve seen compete into various categories of evaluation. The best college talent doesn’t always live up to the expectation in the pros. On the other hand, certain players don’t receive the media attention and get taken in the later rounds to become “household” names – Tom Brady, for instance. So we’ll categorize our draft analysis into three levels based on our first hand experience of seeing these players caught in action. Along with our stills, we’ll throw out a brief analysis. We’ve broken out the talents into these three categories:
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- Everybody’s Top Choices
- Middle Round Mainstays
- Hidden Gems & Long Shots
Everybody’s Top Choices
No. 2 to New York Giants: Penn State’s Saquon Barkley (26) scores from the four versus Rutgers. Top RB in 2018 draft. Most likely the highest pick in our draft analysis.
No. 3 to NY Jets: USC’s QB Sam Darnold (14) did not have the senior year anticipated. His arm and leadership skills we saw will take him far in the pros.
No. 45 to Green Bay: Iowa Hawkeye DB Josh Jenkins (15) led the nation in picks when we saw him make his eighth in the 2017 New Era Pinstripe Bowl against Boston College. At safety, he should be a ball-hawk.
No. 32 to Baltimore: 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson used his feet and arm to lead the Louisville Cardinals his senior season. His team lost to Wake 42-32. Will any team risk his health as a run-pass QB at the next level? If not, he may make a great RB or WR.
No. 42 to Miami: Penn State TE Mike Gesicki put up great numbers in the four games we saw him play in this season. He needs to do that more often in the pros. Per our draft analysis, he probably has to bulk up a little to be a better blocker at the next level.
No. 44 to Washington: Speed kills. Washington Husky WR Dante Pettis hauled in this TD pass vs. Alabama in 2016 and returned a punt for a TD vs. Rutgers in 2017 when we watched him.
No. 10 to Arizona: UCLA QB Josh Rosen follows through on a pass against USC in 2017. We think that he will be a disappointing first round pick for somebody. Heart? Focus? Teamwork?
No. 148 to Pittsburgh: PSU S Marcus Allen makes a tackle for a safety against Pitt. Look for this solid, quick defender to get drafted by the second round.
No. 47 to Arizona: WR Christian Kirk (3) put up his best numbers of 2017 when we saw his Texas A&M team fall to Wake Forest in the Belk Bowl, 55-52. Kirk caught 13 passes for three TDs and 189 yards.
No. 12 to Tampa Bay: Washington’s DL Vita Vea (50) here in action against Alabama in the 2016 CFP was also seen in action against Rutgers in 2017. He garnered PAC-12 All Conference honors.
Undrafted Free Agent to Tennessee: USC’s WR Deontay Burnettt (80) got this ball into scoring position against UCLA on one of four catches for 55 yards that day in Troy’s 28-23 victory. On the season, he hauled in 86 tosses from Sam Darnold for 1,114 yards and nine TDs.
No. 147 to LA Rams: Virginia LB Micah Kiser averaged 131 tackles over his last three seasons. He tallied 18 tackles against Georgia Tech in the win here, but only 11 against Navy in a big loss. We look for him to be a possible surprise pick late in the first round.
No. 38 to Tampa Bay: USC TB Ronald Jones scores his second of three TDs here vs UCLA when we saw him in action. . He will go in the second round after coming out as a Junior. In 2017, he rushed for 1,550 yards and 19 TDs while averaging 5.9 yards per carry.
No. 9 to San Francisco: ND OT Mike McGlinchey (68) brings versatility having played OT from both sides for the Irish.
Middle Round Mainstays
No. 162 to Ravens: WR Jordan Lasley (2) somehow pulled this one in for the UCLA Bruins against the Trojans. Josh Rosen connected with him 10 times for 204 yards and three TDs when we saw them play last season. Lasley finished 2017 with 69 receptions for 1,264 yards and nine TDs.
No. 251 to LA Chargers: Northwestern’s Justin Jackson (cener) fights for extra yards to keep a scoring drive alive in the 2016 Pinstripe Bowl versus Pitt. His 5,440 yards rushing and 41 career TDs have helped revive the Wildcats football program.
Undrafted Free Agent to Indianapolis: Ohio State QB JT Barrett feels pressure here in 2016 from the Nittany Lions. Barrett led the Buckeyes to no fewer than 11 wins in each of his seasons. He’s a winner. Someone will take him at the right time. We saw him defeat Navy and Michigan and lose to PSU.
No. 49 Goedert to Philadelphia; Greene undrafted Free Agent to Green Bay: James Madison Safety Raven Greene breaks up pass intended for South Dakota Jack Rabbit TE Dallas Goedert (86) in FCS playoff. Many predict Goedert to be taken in the first or second round. We think Greene, who we also saw play against Delaware, may be picked up by a team to play on Sundays as well. Late round or free agent.
Undrafted Free Agent to Oakland: Based on toughness and mobility, we expect to see Penn State LB Joe Cabinda (40) picked up in the mid rounds and play in the NFL for a long time.
Undrafted Free agent to Minnesota: Another South Dakota State receiver, Jake Wieneke (19) , displayed his talents to interest the NFL. Here he catches a TD pass against JMU in the FCS semi-final. He started 59 games for the Jack Rabbits finishing with 5,157 receiving yards and 59 scores. Big target at 6’4″.
Undrafted Free Agent to Washington: Virginia Safety Quin Banding (3) started all four years for the improving Cavaliers. In 2017, his senior season, he tallied 136 tackles and four INTs.
No. 106 to Denver: Iowa LB Josey Jewell (43) tallied 133 tackles his senior season including 13.5 for losses. His quickness gives him some versatility to play inside or outside. He had two INTs in 2017.
No. 202 to Green Bay: Notre Dame WR Equanimeous St. Brown shows his 6-4 height advantage against Syracuse. In the last two years, he totaled 91 receptions 1,476 yards, and 13 TDs for the Irish.
Uknown: USC Trojan S Marvin Tell (8) looks good in our draft analysis after his Junior season coming off 79 tackles and three INTs.
No. 54 to Cincinnati: WFU’s DB Jessie Bates (3) had two solid season for the Deacs with 119 solo tackles, 58 assisted, six INTs, and he returned two of those for TDs.
No. 155 LA Chargers: UCLA C Scott Quessenberry played in a pro style offense and stands at 6-3, 310 lbs.
Hidden Gems and Long Shots
(More to come. We’re not finished yet)
Undrafted, probably done: TE Adam Breneman of UMass fights for a nine-yard gain after this catch against Hawaii. He is tough and had a solid season, but he may be susceptible to injuries from what we saw in two games attended.
No. 134 to Arizona: RB Chase Edmonds of Fordham had three great seasons on Rose Hill rushing for over 1,600 yards in each, but behind an inexperienced line his senior season he struggled with injuries. Someone will give him a chance – 5,862 yards, 6.2 yards per carry and 67 TDs career records for the FCS Rams.
Free Agent: Hawaii RB Diocemy Saint Juste was a workhorse for the Bows with 78 yards on 23 carries versus UMass. He could pop up as a late choice of as a free agent on a pro roster. He rushed for 1,510 yards and seven TDs. Caught 28 passes.
Undrafted Free Agent to Cincinnati: South Florida QB Quinton Flowers races around the Temple flank. His stature and arm strength don’t meet pro standards, but he may be a very elusive RB at the next level.
Undrafted Free Agent with NY Jets and LA Chargers: Here is the best “hidden gem” of our draft analysis. Wake Forest QB John Wolford (10) is short, but strong-armed, tough, and smart. He led the Deacons to big wins we attended over Louisville (vs. Lamar Jackson) , 42-32, and over Texas A&M, 55-52, in the Belk Bowl. This guy will be a future head coach somewhere and do well. Whoever gets him is going to be happy they did.
No. 187 to Buffalo: Clemson WR Ray-Ray McCloud after a catch in the upset loss to Syracuse. He’s coming out after his Junior season with 49 catches, 505 yards, and one TD. We’d recommend that he stay another year at Clemson. The Tigers could have another great season and more playing time would improve his value.
Undrafted Free Agent to New Orleans: Wake Forest TE Cam Serigne nears end zone for the Deacs vs. Texas A&M. He caught 35 passes for 444 yards and eight TDs in 2017.