The second week of college football is upon us, which means we have another full slate of prospects across the country that will be trying to garner the attention of NFL scouts.
While there will be a handful of players, matchups among the top prospects in the nation will on display.
Here are five to keep an eye on:
Texas WR Collin Johnson vs. LSU CB Kristian Fulton
Johnson was NFL bound last season, but he elected to return for his senior year in order to help guide Texas to a deeper run, as well as help improve his draft stock. The 6-foot-6 wide receiver will have a great opportunity to do that going up against Fulton, who’s one of the top senior cornerbacks.
Johnson is a long and rangy receiver who displays the vertical speed, route running skills and athletic profile to be a threat at all three levels of the field. He is at his best when using his length to create a big catch radius to win contested throws.
Fulton, the 6-foot corner, has an excelling blend of height and length for the position. Johnson has the height on Fulton, but the LSU product has great man coverage skills, play speed and disruptive timing at the catch point to slow him down.
In the trenches, LSU edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson will face a solid Texas offensive tackle duo that features Samuel Cosmi and Derek Kerstetter.
Stanford CB Paulson Adebo vs. USC WR Tyler Vaughns
The 2020 class is loaded with cornerbacks and Adebo is near the top in this group. Adebo is coming off an impressive 2018 campaign that resulted in 18 passes defensed. He will be tasked with going toe-to-toe with one of the Pac-12’s best wideout.
Vaughns had a phenomenal 2019 debut with 11 catches for 150 yards against Fresno State last weekend. Vaughns won’t be targeted from quarterback J.T. Daniels after he tore his ACL in the regular season opener. Instead, it will be true freshman Kedon Slovis under center.
Vaughns, has the body control, adjustment skills and strong hands to make plays, but he struggles with press coverage. Adebo is at his best when using his bail technique, but he is effective at the line of scrimmage in press. He also flashes the ability to high-point the football, which is where Vaughns makes his money.
Colorado WR Laviska Shenault, Jr. vs. Nebraska CB Lamar Jackson
Shenault Jr. enters this game as the best prospect, as well as one of the top wide receivers in the entire country. Shenault, who only had three catches for 48 yards against Colorado State in the season opener last week, is looking to bounce back this week.
Meanwhile, Jackson is coming off an impressive outing against South Alabama that resulted in three tackles, one tackle for loss and a forced. He is looking to make a name for himself in this deep cornerback class, and he will certainly have scouts watching him that are in attendance for Shenault.
Jackson may struggle to match Shenault’s explosive speed, but he boats the physicality in press to disrupt the timing of routes, along with the physical traits to take away passing lanes with his 6-foot-2 figure.
California CB Camryn Bynum vs. Washington WR Aaron Fuller
Pac-12 After Dark is always fun, and the matchup with Washington and California is certainly something staying awake for. The Cal Bears boast one of the nation’s best secondaries and the among the group is Bynum, who’s one of the top prospects in the country.
Bynum is coming off a season in which he broke up a career-high 10 passes. He has 108 total tackles and 18 passes defensed up to this point. He has shut down some of the top wideouts, including former North Carolina WR Anthony Ratliff-Williams, which is one of his best games to date.
He will be tasked with lining up against Fuller. Fuller doesn’t possess the size that Bynum has, but he has a knack for making acrobatic catches. Bynum will be using his combination of speed and NFL-level ball skills to erase Fuller.
Other matchups worth watching in this game include quarterback Jacob Eason against Cal free safety Ashtyn Davis, as well as watching the Huskies tight end Hunter Bryant lined up across from the Golden Bears linebacker Evan Weaver.
Minnesota RB Rodney Smith vs. Fresno State LB Mykal Walker
Smith, the sixth-year senior, sat out most of the 2018 season with a torn ACL in his left knee, which stalled his plans for the NFL. He returned last week in the season opener against South Dakota State with a bang, rushing for 92 yards on 21 carries, which also surpassed 3,000 career yards rushing.
Smith will have a tougher challenge on Saturday night with Walker in his tracks. Walker, the 6-foot-3 and 225 pounder, finished last weekend with a game-best 15 tackles against USC. Walker hasn’t gotten enough recognition as the other linebackers, but he has the north-south range and instincts to make plays.
Outside of Smith and Walker, this game also boats a nice matchup with Minnesota wide receiver Tyler Johnson and Fresno State cornerback Jaron Bryant.
