With the College Football Playoff National Championship set for January 20th between Ohio State and Notre Dame, this analyst decided to take a preview into the game from an NFL Draft standpoint and cover 3 prospects for each team, as well as what they can gain from the game. Without further ado, we’ll start with the Fighting Irish, where all eyes will be on their signal caller, as well as two defensive standouts:
QB Riley Leonard
I’ve talked at length on previously articles about Riley Leonard (which you can read about him in the senior bowl preview here) but his game on January 20th will go a long way in helping him show NFL Execs that he can be more than a high level backup in the NFL. His pocket presence is pretty raw, so how he handles dealing in the pocket while these Ohio State defenders come rushing in will be very important.
In a QB class that’s searching for that signal caller to take hold of the QB3 spot, Leonard needs to show something, especially on the largest stage possible in college football.
LB Jack Kiser
I’ve covered the Notre Dame linebacker in a prior report (and you can check that report here) but how he matches up versus the Ohio State running backs will be important for his draft stock, as well as important for the fighting Irish’s chances to win the national championship overall. With game that’s reminiscent of Drue Tranquill, Jack currently grades out as a top 50 selection, and could look to push that grade even higher if he can contain the RB duo of Henderson and Judkins.
S Xavier Watts
I’ve also mentioned the Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts in a prior article (you can read about that here) but this young man is currently my Safety1 on my big board, and a first round talent for me. However, I know other outlets may not share the same view on Watts, so his performances versus the skill positions of Ohio State will go a long way to opening eyes across the NFL Draft space as to how good Watts truly can be.
We’ll now turn our attention to the Ohio State Buckeyes, where we also take a sneak peek at their stud running back duo as well as an offensive lineman prospect and a defensive prospect to keep your eyes on:
RB Treyveyon Henderson/Quinshon Judkins
For the Buckeyes, having two excellent RB prospects is eerily reminiscent of when Auburn had both Ronnie Brown and Carnell “Cadillac” Williams, both of which went in the top 5 of the 2005 NFL draft. While Henderson and Judkins won’t go as high as the prior two, both of them currently rank in my top 100, with Henderson ranking as a mid second round prospect and Judkins closer to Round 3.
Both Henderson and Judkins will need to take advantage of a Notre Dame defense that’s banged up and missing one of their stud DT’s (Rylie Mills) and deal with Xavier Watts and Jack Kiser trying to stunt their offensive output at every level, but both of them can certainly turn a single snap into a touchdown, so Notre Dame will need to be on high alert at every level.
OL Donovan Jackson
Speaking of being banged up, this Ohio State offensive line has had to shift and scramble in order to piece it together in front of Will Howard, especially with the key injury to Josh Simmons, and Donovan Jackson has been a huge part of that. Donovan Jackson originally started at guard this season, and I have him graded as an early round 3 prospect at guard, but his added flexibility at tackle will certainly raise his grade in the eyes of scouts.
How Jackson handles the defense of Notre Dame, that despite having some injuries, still boasts some serious NFL talent including the names listed prior, will certainly raise his stock in my eyes and give NFL execs one additional thing to discuss about him moving through the draft cycle.
DL Jack Sawyer
Our final prospect on this list, Jack Sawyer is an edge rusher who has been catching my eye over the college football playoff. With good size and physicality, especially against the run, Jack has the ability to make an NFL Defensive Line Room even better down the line.
You’d like to see him be a little more consistent and productive as a pass rusher, which is why he’s currently a late 3rd round selection for me in the NFL Draft, with a comp of Ryan Kerrigan, but I can see him having an excellent night and wrecking the Notre Dame offensive game plan, as well as raising his draft stock.
Ultimately, these players won’t be the only keys to the game, but will be a major reason for their teams successes in the title game. It may ultimately come down to the final drive or final play, this game will be that close in the eyes of this analyst, but I’d lean towards the Ohio State Buckeyes taking home the title, 24-20 on a last second score from Henderson/Judkins.
There you have it folks, my take on the important prospects in the CFP title game and my college football championship prediction! If you like what you read, feel free to check out my content over on “X” @sparkscouting, as well as you can also see my podcasts with the draft professor on YouTube here!
