College football players to watch: part 4 of 5

| Part One |

| Part Two |

| Part Three |

CeeDee Lamb | Junior WR | Oklahoma

| Highlights |

This will be CeeDee Lamb's first collegiate season in which he's not catching passes from a Heisman-winning, soon-to-be No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. Although Jalen Hurts can't possibly fill the shoes of Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, there could definitely be a worse drop-off in the talent department under center. And Hurts' transition into his new home will be made a hell of a lot easier with his arsenal in Norman, with CeeDee Lamb being the most lethal of the group. Lamb could be the Big 12's top receiver this year, and will undoubtedly be a top three pass-catcher in the conference. Lamb's numbers will see an increase as Marquise Brown, the Sooners' main target from last year, was drafted in the first round by the Baltimore Ravens. Are you sensing a trend of Oklahoma producing NFL-caliber players? Should you expect to see CeeDee Lamb on a future NFL roster? Yes. His speed alone could get him to play on Sundays. Lamb finished the 2018 season in the top-20 for both receiving yards ( 1,158 yards, 18th most) and receiving touchdowns (eleven, tied for 15th most). Lamb tallied up 65 total receptions last year, and eclipsed the triple-digit yard mark five times: vs UCLA, @ Baylor, vs Kansas State, Big 12 Championship vs Texas, and CFP game vs Alabama. Lamb dabbled in some special teams as well, averaging 12.8 yards on 17 punt returns. He recorded multiple-touchdown games in a thrilling victory over Army, as well as in a 51-14 thrashing of Kansas State. The Sooners open up 2019 against Houston (who now has Dana Holgorsen as their head coach), who beat them the last time the two faced off in 2016.

Grant Delpit | Junior S | LSU

| Highlights |

For the past two seasons, Grant Delpit has worn the No. 9 jersey for LSU's defense. But that changes in 2019, as he'll be donning the Tigers' coveted No. 7 jersey, which before him has been worn by DJ Chark, Leonard Fournette, Tyrann Mathieu, and Patrick Peterson. Not bad company to be in. And neither is being a unanimous All-American and first-team All-SEC in 2018. Delpit is understandably a preseason All-American this year. The Texas native/IMG Academy alum led the SEC last year in picks with five, which was also tied for tenth-most in the nation. Delpit is a tenacious defender who is excellent in both coverage and the pass-rush. He totaled 74 tackles last year (46 solo, 28 assisted), along with nine passes defended, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. He tallied double-digit tackles in three different games in 2018: @ Auburn, @ Florida, and vs Mississippi State (also had two picks against MSU). There's a ton of hype surrounding Delpit entering this season, and it seems to certainly be warranted based off of his past performances.

| Collin Johnson | Senior WR | Texas

| Highlights |

With Lil'Jordan Humphrey now being out of college and in the NFL (New Orleans Saints grabbed him as an undrafted free agent) the thrones for best name in college football and Texas' No. 1 target are both up for grabs. Although a bland title like Collin Johnson won't replace L'J.H in the unique name department, he sure is capable of replacing him as Sam Ehlinger's top option in the passing game this year. Johnson has a great advantage over defensive backs when it comes to size, as he stands at 6 foot 6, 220 pounds. Last season, he reeled in 68 catches for 985 yards and seven touchdowns. Following his junior season, Johnson considered entering the NFL draft but opted to stay in Austin for 2019, which I think was a smart move. In his three years as a Longhorn, he's racked up 150 receptions for 2,065 yards and twelve touchdowns. In 2018, Johnson broke the 100 yard mark with 124 receiving yards vs TCU, 132 vs Baylor, and 177 in the Big 12 Championship vs Oklahoma. Texas has been more "back" than ever recently, but it'll take a big step forward to not be considered regression. 

AJ Dillon | Junior RB | Boston College

| Highlights | 

The BC Eagles haven't had a whole lot to brag about in recent years, but stud running back AJ Dillon has kept up their relevance since his freshman season in 2017 when he won the ACC Rookie of the Year. Dillon's display of excellence carried over into his sophomore year, when he rushed for 1,108 yards and ten touchdowns. He also earned first-team All-ACC honors. Dillon runs in a manner thats comparable to your driving technique when you have five stars in GTA: the kid runs at a dangerously high speed and any collision that eventually brings him down will rarely happen on the first point of contact. He keeps driving when he's wrapped up, and it usually takes multiple defenders to finally get him to the ground. He is exceptional at hitting the hole hard, and immediately switching gears to break away speed. Dillon notched multiple touchdowns in three separate games last year, and rushed for over 100 yards five different times: 149 vs Holy Cross, 185 @ Wake Forest, 161 vs Temple, 149 vs Miami, 116 @ Florida State. Dillon was playing with injury for the majority of last year, but is feeling healthy heading into 2019 and should be a major force in the ACC. 

Julian Okwara | Senior DE | Notre Dame

| Highlights | 

Expectations are always going to be a bit high when your older brother was good enough to make it to the league (older brother Romeo is currently on the Detroit Lions), but I think Julian Okwara has the ability to live up to these expectations. His 6 foot 5, 240 pound frame kind of makes him remind me of Chandler Jones, at least build-wise. Okwara led last year's Irish defense with 12.5 tackles for loss, with eight of those being sacks. The edge rusher  totaled 39 tackles (26 solo, 13 assisted) and 21 QB hurries, along with an interception in ND's season-opening win over Michigan. Okwara can be incredibly disruptive coming off the edge, mainly from using his length and speed to his advantage. In Notre Dame's win over Northwestern in Evanston last year, Okwara put up eight tackles and a forced fumble. He is on the preseason watchlist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which goes to the nation's best defensive player.