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Wednesdays Watchers is a weekly feature breaking down the players who's draft stock were most affected by the past weekend's games, for good, or for bad. Who's rising? Who's Falling? Find out each week with Wednesdays Watchers! Check out last week's W.W!
1. Jarvis Jones- DE/OLB Georgia. It's odd to say somebody who was already a lock to be a Top 5 pick actually raised their stock even higher, but that's exactly what Jarvis Jones has been doing, and did last Saturday. With his level of performance this year, and how he continues to dominate, Jones is now the #1 overall player on our Draft Board! In six games, Jones has a whopping 8.5 sacks, and 14 Tackles For Loss, truly amazing. It's not just the stats either, as you watch this guy consistently, you see how truly dominant he really is, whether it's rushing inside, outside, or just using his instincts, Jones is constantly creating plays. In Georgia's win over #2 Florida, Jones led the Bulldogs to victory with an insane 4.5 TFL's, and 3 Sacks. Best overall player in the nation right now!
2. Shawn Williams- Safety Georgia. Truthfully, we could feature the entire Georgia defense on this week's Wednesdays Watchers, that's how good they played as a unit against Florida. While Jarvis Jones is the best player on the unit, Shawn Williams is the unquestioned vocal leader of the team, and ripped into the Bulldogs because of their recent play, calling the "Soft", among other things. Williams rant really seemed to make an impact, as the Bulldogs were flying around the field from start to finish, and overpowered the Florida Gators. Williams not only was great as a leader, but was great on the field as well, picking up a big sack, and making a lot of crucial open field tackles. This is the type of leadership performance NFL circles love to see!
3. Quanterus Smith- DE Western Kentucky. Quanterus Smith has sacks in only three games this year, but in those three games, he's had 3, 3.5, and 5. His 3.5 Sack performance against Alabama got him squarely on everybody's radar, and with outburst like he had this past week against FAU, with 5 sacks, he continues to draw attention. His stock isn't skyrocketing yet, as he clearly needs to be more consistently, but he's proven he's a very talented player, who has the ability to bring pressure in a big way.
4. Dennis Johnson- RB Arkansas. As Knile Davis has struggled to rebound from his knee injury last year, Dennis Johnson's role has increased with each week, and he continues to impress with each game. Through the first five weeks, his highest total of carries was seven, but in the past three games, he's got 17, 12, and last week 27. In this three game stretch, he's averaging 86 yards per game, 5.8 YPC, and 6 total Touchdowns. He's an all-around back who runs tough between the tackles, excels out of the backfield, is good in blitz pickup, and can pick up the tough yards. NFL Coaches will love this guy, and he seems poised to go in the 3rd or 4th round.
5. Kenjon Barner- RB Oregon. Any running back Oregon has in the backfield will run for miles, but with each passing game, Kenjon Barner is looking less and less like a "Product of the System". People drooled over LaMichael James, and Barner's numbers are actually very similar. Right now, Barner is averaging 6.9 YPC, and LaMichael averaged 7.3. LaMichael had 19 total TD's last year, and through eight games only, Barner already has 15. The upside with Barner, is that he is much bigger, and definitely will be able to handle more of a load at the next level than LaMichael will ever be able to.
1. Marcus Lattimore- RB South Carolina. This is us bagging on Marcus Lattimore in the slightest, Lattimore is a hard worker who will be back on the field for South Carolina last year. However, his injury last Saturday obviously is going to be an issue when he does decide to enter the NFL Draft. He already tore his ACL last year, and with yet another serious knee injury, he certainly is going to be red-flagged. This is a kid I would not bet against, and we really look forward to seeing him back on the field next year!
2. Aaron Murray- QB Georgia. Even though Georgia got the huge win over #2 Florida, Aaron Murray had his worst game of the season, and almost cost his team the game. He struggled throughout the game, throwing three interceptions, and going only 12/24 for 150 yards. His interceptions were all extremely poor decisions, as he just looked panicked, and flustered throughout the game. Against an excellent Florida Defense, somewhat of a NFL Barometer, Murray really did his draft stock a disservice, and any shot he might of had of being a 1st Round pick is now out the window.
3. Brennan Williams- OT North Carolina. Another unfortunate injury for an excellent player. Brennan Williams is definitely a Top 50 prospect, but unfortunately tore his labrum in his left shoulder, and will miss the rest of the entire season. Certainly this is not a good thing, but Williams will hopefully be back in time for the Senior Bowl and combine, where he can show NFL scouts how healthy he is.