Which CFB Prospects Should Your Eyes Be On Today?
A few prospects for Chiefs fans to keep their eyes on this week in CFB.
One of the big perks about being an avid College Football fan and a NFL Draft fan is that when things aren’t going great for your favorite NFL team, you have somewhere else to look. This has been a foreign concept to us as Kansas City Chiefs’ fans over the past ~8 seasons and it will likely to continue that way for a long time, but after these last few weeks, I can’t say it hasn’t been fun to dive into some NFL Draft prospects.
It’s in no way shape or form time to panic about the Chiefs’ 2021 NFL season but a small break to take a peek at the potential future could do us all some good. Let’s get into Week 7 of CFB and run down some prospects that are worth keeping your eyes on.
Week 5 Prospect Watchlist
Day 1 Stud
Adam Anderson | EDGE
6’5” 238lbs | Georgia | #19
Second week in a row there is going to be a Georgia Bulldog popping up in the Round 1 Stud section but that’s just how good the defense is. Anderson is a twitched up defender that was predominantly used as a dedicated pass rusher in 2020 finishing with 5.5 sacks. With Georgia losing DL in the rotation to the NFL and the transfer portal, Anderson has seen an uptick in his role and has already collected 4.5 sacks during the 2021 season.
Anderson has a sleighter frame - working to add weight over 4 seasons - but makes up for it with his athleticism. He’s expected to challenge the 4.4 mark in the forty yard dash and brings that speed to the field. His ability to run the arc and win with a pure speed rush may be unmatched in this draft class. Add in high end flexibility through the hips and ankles and he may be the premier speed rusher in this draft class.
How to watch: Kentucky Vs Georgia, 2:30 PM CST, CBS
Georgia continues to run through any CFB competition but this week they line-up against their third straight undefeated opponent in the Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky is going to try to the run the ball, be physical, and control the LoS so it should be a good test to figure out Anderson’s best role in his transition to the NFL.
Potential Riser
BJ Foster | S
6’2” 204lbs | Texas | #25
BJ Foster is one of my early season risers for the NFL Draft. Once touted as a savior - along with Caden Sterns - for Texas football, it took Foster a couple seasons before he started consistently flashing on the football field. The physical traits have always been evident but since 2020, Foster has started building out a full resume’. First on the Longhorns defense in interceptions (2) and third in tackles (29), he’s turning out a strong senior year to push his name into a quality top-end S draft class.
Foster is a massive S that has the explosion and linear speed to really get NFL teams attention. He plays primarily as a deep S for Texas but his frame and skillset may be best suited to see more time in the box at the next level. In coverage he shows a good feel for zone coverage and ball skills when undercutting passes. Where he really impressed me was with his ability to attack runs coming downhill from deep. Rather than being a traditional “last line of defense” as a deep S, Foster attacks and does a good job completing the tackle routinely.
How to watch: Oklahoma State vs Texas, 11:00 AM CST, FOX
Coming off a rough loss to Oklahoma, Texas now has to face off with undefeated Oklahoma State. The overall talent discrepancy is going to be tilted towards Texas but it will be a good test of their Texas defense as OKST will never shy away from trying to light up the scoreboard.
Local Flavor
Tyler Badie | RB
5’8” 194lbs | Missouri | #1
I haven’t dipped back into the Tiger pool for a few weeks but it’s time to bring Tyler Badie into the light. The prototypical scat-RB type that everyone enjoys to watch. He’s got over 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in his college career and has already topped his career high in total yards this season. Early in his career, Badie was mostly a change of pace back utilized for his receiving and HR hitting ability but this year he’s getting the bulk of the rushing work and looks good doing it.
He has true HR speed from anywhere on the field and when that is paired with good receiving chops, the NFL gets interested. He runs an expansive route tree for a college RB and showcases good hands giving him a safe floor. Badie is a fun player to watch because he accelerates well to erase angles and changes directions well to avoid would-be tacklers but does so without looking overly explosive or shifty. He’s very smooth as a mover and flashes great body control which has led to some quality reps running between the tackles in 2021.
How to watch: Texas A&M vs Missouri, 11:00 AM CST, SEC Network
This is going to be a tough game for the Tigers. The TAMU defense is big, physical, and fast and should out-match Mizzou across the board. If Missouri is to have a chance, it’s going to require some big plays from their best players. If Badie can be that spark out in space today, he could keep pushing his name up draft boards before the All-Star Circuit.