• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar

New Orleans Sports Today

New Orleans Sports News Continuously Updated

  • Saints
  • Pelicans
  • Colleges
    • Tulane
    • Louisiana State
    • Louisiana Tech

College prospects for Saints fans to watch: Week 16

December 19, 2020 by Canal Street Chronicles Leave a Comment

Clemson v Notre Dame
Photo by Matt Cashore-Pool/Getty Images

Here are the some of the top prospects to watch heading into Championship Weekend.

Here are five NFL Draft prospects to watch in conference championship week.

NCAA Football: Louisiana State at Florida
Brad McClenny-USA TODAY Sports

1) Kyle Trask (QB) – Florida Gators

There’s no doubt Florida was a shoe-in for the College Football Playoff if they defeated No. 1 Alabama on Saturday night. That is, until the Gators fell to the unranked LSU Tigers 37-34 in Week 15.

Trask threw for 474 yards and two touchdowns but also had two costly interceptions. Florida was without star Kyle Pitts, who has put together one of the best seasons in modern tight end history.

Trask remains a Heisman favorite. He leads the nation in passing yards (3,717), touchdowns (40), and is fourth in quarterback rating (90.3) with just five interceptions all year. Trask has a great opportunity to bounce back against college football’s top-ranked team.

Rutgers v Ohio State
Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

2) Chris Olave (WR) – Ohio State Buckeyes

No. 4 Ohio State has been great in the limited amount of games they’ve gotten to play. Olave has racked up 36 catches for 528 yards and five touchdowns in just five games this season.

The Buckeyes will need a victory over No. 14 Northwestern in the Big 10 Championship if they want to seriously be considered for a CFP spot over a team with a larger sample size. Olave will need to have a big day against one of the nation’s top defenses.

A projected second round pick, Olave could help Ohio State’s offense get things going. Quarterback Justin Fields should look to find Olave early and often, especially in the redzone.

NCAA Football: Iowa State at Texas
American Statesman-USA TODAY NETWORK

3) Brock Purdy (QB) – Iowa State Cyclones

Purdy first put his name on the map in 2019 when he set the school record for passing yards (3,982), passing touchdowns (27), completions (312) total offense (4,231) and 300-yard passing games (6).

This season Purdy has thrown for 2,272 yards and 17 touchdowns while completing 66.2 percent of his passes. Purdy will look to have a huge game against No. 10 Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship on Saturday morning in what should be a high-scoring affair.

No. 6 Iowa State is also vying for a spot in the CFP. The committee would likely have a hard time turning them down if they win in dominant fashion. Purdy will have plenty of opportunities to put up huge numbers and build his stock.

NCAA Football: Iowa State at Oklahoma State
Sarah Phipps-USA TODAY Sports

4) Anthony Johnson Jr. (DB) – Iowa State Cyclones

Johnson Jr. had a breakout season as a sophomore in 2019. He recorded 60 total tackles, seven for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles and tied for first on the team with 10 passes defended

Johnson’s production earned him Honorable Mention All-Big 12 honors. He possesses great length at the cornerback position and his versatility against the pass and as a tackler makes him a particularly intriguing prospect.

A projected mid-round pick, Johnson could prove to be a diamond in the rough among a deep defensive back class. A standout performance against a high-powered Oklahoma offense would do wonders for his stock.

Houston v Cincinnati
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images

5) Desmond Ridder (QB) – Cincinnati Bearcats

Ridder is easily one of the most underrated prospects in a stacked quarterback class. He’s been overshadowed by the likes of Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, Ohio State’s Justin Fields and BYU’s Zach Wilson.

Ridder has thrown for 1,821 yards and 16 touchdowns while adding 526 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. His combination of arm talent and mobility makes him one of the most exciting prospects to watch at the next level.

Ridder could easily find himself being selected in the second or third round of the NFL Draft. A big performance in the AAC Championship against No. 23 Tulsa would certainly solidify his stock.


Make sure you follow Canal Street Chronicles on Twitter at @SaintsCSC, on Instagram @SaintsCSC, “Like” us on Facebook at Canal Street Chronicles, and make sure you’re subscribed to our new YouTube channel. As always, you can follow me on Twitter @ChrisDunnells.

Filed Under: Saints

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • (no title)
  • LSU Football: Tigers to interview another NFL assistant for DC opening
  • What’s next for Matthew Stafford?
  • Gamethread: LSU vs. Kentucky, 5:00 P.M., ESPN
  • Basketball Drops Second Straight, Loses to Kentucky 82-69

Categories

Archives

Our Partners

All Sports

  • nola.com
  • 247 Sports
  • Big Easy Believer
  • Bleacher Report
  • The Sports Fan Journal
  • The Spun
  • USA Today

Basketball

  • NBA.com
  • Amico Hoops
  • Hoops Hype
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pelican Debrief
  • Pro Basketball Talk
  • Real GM
  • The Bird Writes

Football

  • New Orleans Saints
  • Canal Street Chronicles
  • Our Turf Football
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Football Talk
  • Saints Gab
  • Saints Report
  • Saints Wire
  • Who Dat Dish
  • Who Dat Nation

College

  • And The Valley Shook
  • College Football News
  • College Sports Madness
  • Death Valley Voice
  • Forgotten 5
  • Saturday Blitz
  • The Daily Reveille
  • Tulane Hullabaloo
  • Zags Blog

Copyright © 2021 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in