clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Steelers NFL Draft Prospects: College Game Day and Open Thread

Time to check in on the prospects in some big-time games who could be draft targets for the black-and-gold.

NCAA Football: Penn State at Maryland Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to Week 13 of the College Football season!

I am filling for our great host Pittsblitz56 for the next few weeks due to his crazy busy schedule. And now it is rivalry week!

Although most of the rivalry games were played on Friday, with many differing, but exciting outcomes, there is a more narrow list to pick from this week, but Ohio State-Michigan is the biggest game of the week. Whoever wins likely goes to the College Football Playoff.

In addition, we have both Georgia and Georgia Tech plus Florida and Florida State going at it in their annual rivalry games. which are always fun.

And in addition to that, we have two underrated match-ups in Pitt vs Miami and Maryland vs Penn State. Both of those games have a plethora of NFL prospects in them, which is why there is so much intrigue there.

No. 4 Michigan (-4.5) at No. 10 Ohio State 12:00 Fox

Georgia Tech at No. 5 Georgia (-17) 12:00 SECN

No. 11 Florida (-7) at Florida State 12:00 ABC

No. 24 Pittsburgh at Miami (-5.5) 3:30 ESPN

This week’s highlight game:

Maryland at No 12 Penn State (-13.5) 3:30 ABC

Maryland Terrapins

Darnell Savage Jr. #4 SAF 5’11” 195

Antoine Brooks Jr. #29 SAF 5’11” 210

Ty Johnson #24 RB 5’10” 212

Jessie Aniebonam #6 IDL 6’3” 260

Penn State Nittany Lions

Amani Oruwaryie #21 CB 6’1” 204

Miles Sanders #24 RB 5’11” 211

Juwan Johnson #84 WR 6’4” 229

Trace McSorely #9 QB 6’0” 201

Shareef Miller #48 EDGE 6’5” 256

Ryan Bates #52 OT 6’4” 305

Terps Breakdown

SAF Darnell Savage

Savage is an absolutely aggressive force on the defense. This guy has no boundaries as to when to not lay the boom, but he isn’t penalized due to being clean with it. He plays with swagger and is exceptional down in the box. He is almost like a mini-linebacker out there. Fantastic processing and reaction allow him to really make a ton of plays down the line. His ball skills are fantastic as well, which make him a fantastic prospect.

There are concerns in man coverage as he will get boxed out by bigger slot receivers and bullied in some instances. His aggressiveness makes up for it a bit, but he can get overzealous with his hands. He hasn’t played much single-high, but he certainly has the athleticism to play there, he just needs more time.

Round Grade: Early 3rd

NFL Comparison: Sean Davis

RB Ty Johnson

Johnson is a big playmaker, but has boom or bust potential. I love his speed and balance through contact with the help of a fantastic stiff arm. I think Johnson can really cut, too, as he has fantastic lateral agility. Overall, this guy is just an electric playmaker.

However, I do question how good he actually is due to his limited ability as a RB. It is not a bad thing that he is behind Anthony McFarland, because McFarland is great, but Johnson hasn’t gotten to show off his hands at all. So, that and his pass protection are big unknowns. He also has inconsistent vision, which does worry me for his effectiveness at the next level.

Round Grade: Early 5th

NFL Comparison: Kalen Ballage

Nittany Lions Breakdown

RB Miles Sanders

Sanders is a huge big play threat who keeps getting better as each week goes on. His cutting ability and ability to turn any play loose is something not many guys have in this class. He reminds me of Saquon Barkley when he runs through guys and keeps his balance. He is a great athlete and knows how to win to the perimeter with his athleticism. He is a pretty apt pass protector and is a great chipper.

His vision can be a little inconsistent, and he goes for the big play a bit too often. However, his receiving must improve. He shows willing hands, but they are not there yet. His route tree is really just subpar right now as well. Currently, he is simply not a 3-down back.

Round Grade: Early 3rd

NFL Comparison: Kenyan Drake

CB Amani Oruwariye

This dude is a straight up stud. He is a lengthy and athletic CB who is a fantastic press corner. The guy’s hands and mirroring skills might be the best in the class. That length combined with his footwork allow him to go up against any top receiver in the land. He has ball skills out of the park, as he skies over WRs and uses his frame to box out even taller guys. He is adequate in run support and comes up to frequently fill gaps.

He is a bit of an unknown in zone coverage, and can be slow to react, but his processing skills are not the issue, he just needs a bit more twitch in his game. I would like to see a bit more intensity in his game, but he is technically sound.

Round Grade: Mid 1st

NFL Comparison: Stephon GIlmore

Sleeper

Slippery Rock #4 RB Wes Hills

About an hour out from Heinz Field, there is a really good RB playing on Saturdays by the name of Wes Hills. This guy just doesn’t go down. He runs through guys and has fantastic contact balance. His vision is great and he works off of his OL about as well as I have seen anyone do it. Hills has that big play threat with some breakaway speed to boot it. He isn’t a great athlete and is not all that agile, but since he never goes down, it doesn’t matter.

He does have some limited athletic ability with that lack of agility, which doesn’t always allow him to take advantage of a play fully. His receiving ability has not shown itself yet, although he has flashes with his hands. He really needs to work on pass protection, as he gets blown up far too often.

Round Grade: Late 4th

NFL Comparison: Jonathan Dwyer

......

Let me know who you guys will be watching today, or who you want on the Steelers!

Here we go Steelers!