Every week, I look for the players who are making NFL scouts reconsider where they belong on the draft board. Some are already established stars strengthening their position. Others are forcing their way into the conversation.
Here are my five biggest draft-stock risers from this weekend.
- JEREMIAH SMITH, WR, OHIO STATE
There really should not be anywhere for Jeremiah Smith’s stock to rise. He is already the best overall player on my board.
Yet somehow, he keeps raising the ceiling.
Smith caught 11 passes for 206 yards against Iowa while breaking Ohio State’s career records for receptions and touchdown catches. Think about that for a moment. He is only five games into his junior season, and he has already rewritten two major receiving records at a program loaded with NFL wide receivers.
Smith is not merely the top receiver in this draft class. He is the kind of prospect who forces teams to forget positional value and simply draft the best football player available.
He remains No. 1 on my board.
- CJ CARR, QB, NOTRE DAME
CJ Carr continues to separate himself in a quarterback class that still lacks a clear-cut QB1.
Playing on the road in miserable, rainy conditions, Carr completed 21 of 29 passes for 234 yards and four touchdowns while adding another score on the ground. Notre Dame needed him to respond when North Carolina made the game uncomfortable, and he did exactly that.
Carr’s accuracy, anticipation and command of the offense are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. He does not possess the overwhelming physical traits of some other prospects, but he consistently plays the position correctly.
Right now, Carr is making one of the strongest arguments to become the first quarterback selected.
- ANTHONY EVANS III, WR, MISSISSIPPI STATE
Mississippi State was overwhelmed by Alabama, but Anthony Evans III may have improved his draft stock more than anyone on the field.
Evans caught 12 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns against one of the most talented defenses in college football. He created separation, worked through traffic and remained productive even after Alabama knew where the football was going.
That matters to NFL evaluators.
Evans entered the weekend as an interesting slot prospect with legitimate speed. He left it looking like a receiver who can become a featured piece of an NFL passing game.
This was not empty production. This was a player proving himself against NFL-caliber defenders.
- BRYANT WESCO JR., WR, CLEMSON
Clemson got embarrassed by Miami, but Bryant Wesco Jr. reminded everyone why he remains an NFL prospect.
Wesco finished with career highs of nine receptions and 152 yards, including a 55-yard catch. He produced despite inconsistent quarterback play and despite Miami knowing Clemson had few other ways to threaten the defense.
At 6-foot-2 with length, speed and excellent ball skills, Wesco already possessed the physical tools scouts want. What he needed was a performance demonstrating that he could take over a game as the primary target.
He delivered it against one of the nation’s best teams.
Clemson’s offense may be struggling, but Wesco’s draft stock is moving in the opposite direction.
- DAMON WILSON II, EDGE, MIAMI
Damon Wilson II finally produced the kind of dominant performance evaluators have been waiting to see.
Wilson recorded 2.5 sacks and consistently collapsed the pocket as Miami dismantled Clemson. His box-score production was impressive, but the relentless pressure was even more important. He affected the quarterback throughout the game and helped Miami control the line of scrimmage.
Wilson has always possessed the burst and athleticism to become a dangerous NFL pass rusher. The question has been whether he could turn those traits into consistent production.
Against Clemson, he looked explosive, violent and disruptive.
If this becomes his weekly standard, Wilson will not remain a middle-round projection much longer.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Jeremiah Smith remains the crown jewel of the class. CJ Carr is pushing himself toward the top of the quarterback board. Anthony Evans and Bryant Wesco are forcing scouts to reevaluate the receiver rankings, while Damon Wilson is beginning to convert his physical gifts into legitimate draft production.
October is when draft boards begin changing.
These five players made certain theirs moved in the right direction.
