(Read Part 1 Here)
(Read Part 2 Here)
Mack Wilson, LB, Alabama Crimson Tide
(Highlights here)
There's nothing shocking about a piece of an Alabama defensive unit being on a preseason "players to watch" list, and junior linebacker Mack Wilson fits the description. Wilson stands at 6 foot 2, 236 pounds, and has the mobility of a star defensive back. Wilson's skill in pass coverage mirrors that of a defensive back as well; he recorded four picks last season, which was the fourth most in the SEC (most on Alabama).
Wilson also properly utilizes his speed by propelling into opponents' backfields in an explosive manner. He's extremely trustworthy regarding open-field tackles. Mack Wilson is certainly another example of Alabama's ridiculous production rate of exceptional defensive talent. NFL.com has Mack Wilson ranked as the No. 19 best player in the country heading into fall of 2018.
D'Andre Swift, RB, Georgia
(Highlights here)
With the departure of 2017's most lethal running back duo in Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, one would think Georgia's running game should be facing the obstacle of rebounding from the loss of NFL talent. But much like the rest of the current state of Georgia football, things are looking great at running back in 2018 for the Dawgs. It's nearly impossible for a freshman to truly make a name for himself behind the likes of Chubb and Michel, but somehow D'Andre Swift did just that in 2017. In fact, Swift was just recently named the No. 1 running back in the nation by USA Today.
Swift rushed for a total of 618 yards and three touchdowns last year, averaging 7.6 yards per carry. One of his three touchdowns was for 69 yards in the SEC Championship, and he also impressively got into the end zone on a 71 yard rush against Missouri. Although Georgia's offense if heavily reliant on the run game, it's worth noting that Swift had the fourth-most receiving yards on the team, catching 15 balls for 156 yards. Much like the rest of the Georgia Bulldogs in 2018, D'Andre Swift should be expected to greatly entertain us every Saturday.
Khalil Tate, QB, Arizona Wildcats
(Highlights here)
If you're someone who loves the after-party we all know and love as Pac 12 After Dark, one player who will certainly keep the autumn Saturday party going is Arizona's junior quarterback Khalil Tate. Now I'm not going to sit here and tell you that Arizona is a contender and Tate will lead them to the playoff. I mean, Arizona won't even be a contender to make it to the Pac 12 Championship Game. But from a pure entertainment standpoint, Khalil Tate is a top notch player to watch.
Tate is more likely to utilize his feet than his arm on the football field, and if you watch the tape you'll see exactly why. Tate had the highest average yards per carry in the country last year with 9.2. He also had the 17th most rushing yards, with a total of 1,411. Tate finished the season with 13 rushing touchdowns. From week three through week eight last year, Tate went six straight games with triple-digit rushing yards. Within that span, three of those games came with Tate rushing totals of over 200 yards (327 yards against Colorado, 230 yards against UCLA, and 206 yards against Oregon State). When Tate has the ball in his hands, his downfield sprint looks like a wideout running a streak. And on top of that he's able to cut and break tackles like an All-American running back.
At the end of the day, Tate is just a "middle of the Pac" quarterback when it comes to the passing game. He finished the season with a total of 1,591 yards, 14 touchdowns, a completion percentage of 62.0, and nine interceptions.
Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson Tigers
(Highlights here)
Most of us have learned by now that keeping an eye on Clemson receivers is in a spectator's best interest. Last year I think I was a bit too high on Deon Cain, as he didn't quite fulfill my top tier expectations. Not that Cain failed by any means; belittling NFL talent is just silly. But I truly believe Clemson's sophomore receiver Tee Higgins will be everything I expected out of Cain. Higgins should eventually go down as one of the Clemson receiving greats. The former five-star recruit hails from Oak Ridge, Tennessee (shoutout to my Broke Ridge boys).
In his freshman campaign, Tee Higgins caught the ball 17 times for 345 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 20.3 yards per reception. Higgins also has a knack for style points, making a few spectacular snags in 2017. Higgins really started to shine toward the end of last season against the Citadel and South Carolina, and has continued that momentum as we saw him tally 118 yards and two touchdowns in Clemson's spring game.
Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon Ducks
(Highlights here)
The current state of the Oregon Ducks is far from ideal compared to where they were at a handful of years ago, and it looks like it'll be some time before they're back to being a national contender. However, having a very talented quarterback is a great way for things to trend upward, and the Ducks have that in junior quarterback Justin Herbert. Herbert stands at 6 foot 6 and weights 225 pounds. NFL.com has him as the No. 4 player entering 2018.
In 2016, Herbert won the starting job at Oregon about halfway through the season. And then as a sophomore in 2017, he unfortunately missed five games due to a broken collarbone. But in the eight games he did play, Herbert threw for 1,983 yards and 15 touchdowns, with a completion percentage of 67.5 and a passer rating of 167.5. Herbert also ran for 183 yards and five touchdowns in 2017. It will be interesting to see if Oregon's coaching change from Willie Taggart to Mario Cristobal will impact quarterback play, but many people are thinking Hebert has a chance at winning the Heisman. Vegas feels otherwise though, as the current odds for Herbert to win Heisman are at 33/1.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for part four coming soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment