Week 2 of college football is in the books, and it was one full of many exciting nail-biters.
Powerhouses squared off, multiple ranked teams fell victims to upsets, and a few new stars were born. Some notable prospects put together underwhelming performance, while a few played well enough to appear on the radar of NFL scouts and draft experts.
It’s very early in the year, so putting too much stock in one game can be unsafe from an evaluation standpoint. However, as the season progresses, the standout prospects start to separate themselves from the rest of the pack.
Here are a few prospects who have done exactly that, as well as a few who will need to bounce back in the coming weeks.
Stock Up: Joe Burrow | QB | LSU
Perhaps no college football prospect is on a hotter streak than Burrow.
After torching Georgia Southern in Week 1, Burrow exploded on the road against No. 9 ranked Texas. He went 31-for-39 and put up 471 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. His ball placement and velocity were both superb, and he displayed rare pocket presence and the ability to stay composed on the road in late-game situations.
It’s still early in the year, but Burrow’s hot start could catapult him into early-round discussions.
Stock Down: Shea Patterson | QB | Michigan
Heading into the 2018 season, some saw Patterson as a potential breakout candidate as he departed Ole Miss for a high-powered Michigan offense. Fast forward more than a year, though, and said breakout has yet to happen.
Though Michigan ended up winning against Army, it took a missed field goal from the Black Knights and two overtimes to do it. Patterson’s pocket presence looked poor, his decision making was questionable, and he fumbled the ball twice, just one week after fumbling twice in the season opener. He was also sacked four times and finished with a QB rating of just 55.3.
Patterson has weapons galore at Michigan, but his ball security and decision making have prevented him and their offense from growing. At this rate, the former Ole Miss signal-caller might not be drafted at all in 2020.
Stock Up: Oluwole Betiku, Jr. | EDGE | Illinois
Betiku spent 2018 on USC’s bench after undergoing hip surgery, ending a tenure that saw him only tally two tackles since his freshman season in 2016. Now, after transferring to Illinois in April, the former 5-star recruit leads the nation in sacks.
Betiku exploded with 3.5 sacks, two quarterback hurries, four tackles and a fumble recovery against Connecticut in Week 2. Through his first two games, he has five sacks and 6.5 tackles for a loss and has been a consistent force in the backfield for the Illini.
An athletic edge rushing prospect with good size at 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, his physical tools and production could see him climbing up draft boards in due time.
Stock Down: Kadarius Toney | WR | Florida
Toney only had one catch in Week 1, but boy, what a catch it was.
Toney’s 66-yard reception against Miami (FL) showcased his electric athleticism and ability to break tackles in the open field. Instead of building off of that momentum, though, he injured his shoulder in Week 2 and will miss roughly six to eight weeks.
Unfortunately for Toney, the falling of his draft stock is no fault of his own. With a serious injury scheduled to make him miss most of the 2019 season now, though, there could be a good chance he chooses to stay for his senior year in 2020.
Stock Up: Devin Duvernay | WR | Texas
Collin Johnson is the Texas receiver whom many view as a top-tier prospect at his position in the 2020 class, but it may be time another Longhorn enters that discussion.
Despite the loss at home to LSU, Duvernay put together a stellar outing on Saturday. Finishing with 12 catches, 154 yards and two touchdowns, he showed off fantastic open-field speed and contact balance after the catch, even trucking blue-chip safety Grant Delpit on one play.
Duvernay was decent in 2018, but his hot start to 2019 has him on pace to blow last year’s production out of the water. His abilities in space could see him entering borderline Day 2 discussions, even in a draft class that’s loaded to the brim with talented wide receivers.
Stock Down: Collin Johnson | WR | Texas
Speaking of Texas receivers, the aforementioned Johnson put up a performance that paled in comparison to his teammate Duvernay.
Guarded by LSU cornerback Kristian Fulton for much of the game, Johnson’s athleticism concerns were on display on Saturday night. He failed to consistently create separation from the much more fluid Fulton and only caught three passes for 49 yards. His acceleration off the snap wasn’t great, and his deep speed doesn’t seem to have improved much since last year. Even freshman cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. managed to lock Johnson up on the snaps in which the two faced off.
Johnson is a massive wide out at 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds who can win most of his contested catch battles, but he’s going to need to diversify his skill set a bit if he wants to be a legitimate top prospect in a draft class full of explosive athletes and route runners.
Stock Up: Jerry Jeudy | WR | Alabama
As if Jeudy’s stock wasn’t already high enough, the Alabama wide out has surpassed even the highest of expectations with his early-season performance.
The consensus top receiver in the 2020 class caught eight passes for 103 yards and three touchdowns against New Mexico State in Week 2. Even though his route-running expertise, top-notch speed and rare elusiveness after the catch were no secret heading into the year, his pure dominance has been entertaining to watch.
Jeudy should be viewed as a top-3 prospect at the least in this year’s class. Depending on which team gets the No. 1 pick in April, he could potentially be the first wide receiver selected first overall since Keyshawn Johnson in 1996. He’s that good.
