CFB Week 1 2025 NFL Draft Primer: Conner Weigman, Riley Leonard Set to Duel

what's up everyone welcome back to the pfn scouting podcast I'm Ian Cummings joining by my good friend and co-host Derek Tate he's on the left side today I'm on the right side we're switching it up just like we're switching up our process for the college football season throughout the entire summer we've been doing pre-season draft analysis and I want to impress upon you if you want to catch up on some of our analysis on position groups and you know preseason scouting and our early observations for every single position for quarterbacks and even our top offensive players just kind of going through that list go sift through our previous podcast make a little Marathon out of it if you want to unless until you get sick of our voices right but you know make a marathon out of it because we packed together a lot of analysis for you in the preseason stretch but now we are finally here Derek uh the college football season is officially underway with week zero this past weekend before we're gonna preview some of the matchups for week one because that's really where the Bron of the action first picks up but first off there were a few games in week zero did you catch any of the action Derek did you I know Florida State and Georgia Tech was the the big one Georgia Tech actually upset Florida State who was ranked top 10 to start the year so that one was pretty big did you catch any of the early action what were some of the games some of the prospects might have CAU your ey yeah no the I call the Florida State game and uh you know I'm I'm a Florida State fan so watching them I know cam is a Florida State guy too so condolences to cam over col Bowl Network that was tricky man I mean uh they got dominated up front um which was kind of surprising because I actually think that the the Florida State uh front seven is actually has some Talent on it so uh to see them just kind of get pushed around uh on even on the on the other side of the football too I thought DJ IG G um um thought I thought he played okay I I I do still worry about his processing and because it did seem like there were a lot of easy throws a lot of screens like almost they were trying to protect him um trying to ask him not to do too much but yeah they got got dominated up front which was a big big surprise uh tail back's name for Georgia Tech is kind of slipping Jam Jamal haes Haynes I thought he looked I thought he looked spry I thought he looked really good um uh you know royell Williams uh I thought he was okay for for Florida State um you know obviously they have a couple versatile weapons in that offense uh that it looked great on the first drive and then it was a little bit more inconsistent uh throughout the contest so it you know I just turned 38 years old today watching watching that is my uh hey here's the new college football season and your top 10 salls are getting knocked off in week one or week zero so uh yeah they're 0 and one the zero stands for zero wins through zero weeks of college football for Florida State but I was a little surprised by how they got uh Georgia Tech physically imposed their will in the trench on both sides yeah for sure that was one of the first things that stood out to me especially on the you know for the defensive side before well first off Derrick happy birthday man you didn't even say anything you were gonna let us go through the entire podcast without saying anything oh I mean you know I mean I'm 38 now it's not all that exciting to turn 38 kind that experience too yeah once you get past like mid 20s then it's like hey slow let's slow the rooll a little bit it's getting a little too fast I'm not going in the slack chat on uh on pro football network going hey man it's my birthday throw throw me a throw me a ver ual party or anything like that well happy birthday I will say Michigan State we are accepting applicants for fans so if you want to hop over right the SP Spartans might be coming back we'll see I for those those of you who don't know I live 15 minutes from E laning so I grew up Michigan State fan so when Mark dantonio was was going at it and winning games and they made it to the playoffs right that was the peak of my CFB fandom I've kind of neutralized now because of your draft analy you got to stay objective but um it is good to see the tan that's coming in but Florida State I think um you know I thought some of the offensive performers were pretty good uh like I think Mory Smith is the name name of their Center I thought he had some good reps I thought he was a bright spot on that front the defensive line was a little concerning to me because Patrick Payton man I mean that was the biggest thing you know DJ UAG on the at the quarterback spot right like you said they were kind of protecting him I think and part of that lends to the processing I think another part of it is the biggest flaw for him we talked about this on the QB butt I know I'm jumping around a lot but I wanted to go back to DJ real quick on the offensive side but the biggest flaw with him entering the year was really the lack of control with his with his accuracy right in the intermediate and deep ranges and we were really hoping that he would kind of chip away at that right improve that facet of his game because that was the biggest roadblock toward getting early round Capital which we both agreed that he had the talent to to get to that point but I think you're starting to see Florida State the the schematics and the game plan is kind of limited because he can't hit those shots down the field without you know that consistent accuracy and then even in the short range there were balls that were thrown behind receivers right not supplementing rack placement so he's got to get that down I think he'll get a chance another chance to rebound but accuracy is still a pretty big concern for DJ and then also processing like you said it's just you know right now it's looking to me still a developmental project but there is time to correct that on the defensive side Patrick Payton was expected by a lot of people to kind of become that Premier defensive threat now that they lost Jared verse and Braden fisky and the biggest question for a lot of people heading out of the season last year because Peyton was productive last year seven sacks 14 tackles for loss 10 pass deflections I mean the dude is athletic he is long but a lot of people were wondering was he just kind of benefiting from the presence of verse and fisky or was he actively participating as a defensive disruptor and right now I think he's struggling to adjust without those two guys on the line I think that's the biggest thing I mean he was a ghost in that game he was a ghost not setting the edge I mean he's just a little lighter and I think the the power and the strength I mean and to be fair Jared ver was probably one of the best run defending edges in the entire class last year like he was probably the best one that dude packs a punch at contact he sets The Edge like a wall of bricks right and then he's got the power to you know Drive blockers back and pave open lanes for other Defenders to see through and make tackles so Jared verse is kind of the standard that you're working against right Patrick pyton has the eye popping athleticism but the strength at the point of attack the the driving power those things are clearly not there and I think that allowed him to get washed out a lot and then the recognition was a little inconsistent at times too on option plays so um a lot of things to work on ugly it was ugly a lot of things a lot of things to clean up including the tackling you know I thought that Haynes King actually uh the quarterback for Georgia Tech um thought he had a a nice game I mean granted it was more of a game manager type of role that he was you know tasked with through the air but you know um when you're undisciplined with your your Gap responsibilities and you're missing tackles you allow for a team who I think is inferior when it comes to Talent top to bottom on the roster to be able to pull off a threo win in in the first in the season opener so Florida State you know the good thing is if you get the loss on your resume it's at the very very very beginning of the season it's only a three-point loss you know it's all is not lost for Florida State but certainly some concerning things and a lot of things to improve upon after their performance uh over yeah for sure that's a silver lining right like if you you can get your wakeup call Early get it early right because there are 12 playoff spots now so it's not the end of the world and you know if you're a Florida State fan listening and you want a silver lining here Georgia Tech I don't think is a bad team like I think they're a good team I think they'll finish seven- six or eight and five I think they'll get to a bll game they could win a b game they have a lot of talent they're pretty well coached so this is the kind of game you know that you could lose early on it could be a wakeup call for you Florida state has the talent they still do it's just kind of getting to that point where you're starting to play up to your potential and that'll be the question can Mike Norvell get the squad at that point because without Jordan Travis without those defensive studs that they had last year it is going to be a challenge and let's hope they can pick it back up but some other key performers from week zero a few other games RJ Maryland from SMU man I think eight catches for over 160 yards had that really long touchdown that vertical athleticism man I think we mentioned him in the tight end pod he he graded out as a mid to late day three guy for me entering the year because I wanted to see more blocking ability I think the blocking still has room to improve but if you're looking for a vertical threatening move tight end this guy's got the speed at 64 237 and I really like the spatial IQ that I saw when he was steming guys the second level I think he won against press in a few reps too so the twitch the short area energy the explosiveness the Deep speed and the ball tracking ability all for his size all very impressive so I think a weapon in the passing game and he showed that uh in his first week for SMU it was H Dynamic is the word that comes to mind for me he went crazy yeah he was going man I mean it was it's always fun to watch that kind of talent at tight end because you don't always see that a lot of guys in this class are guys that are more chain movers right which that that there's an equally valuable role for that as well right like I'm not diminishing that but come on I mean if you got a field stretcher like RJ Maryland it kind of changes the equation for you so I still want to see some more blocking reps from him just to get a get a read on that but um as a weapon in the passing game very very Dynamic so he was a fun one Jamal Haynes we mentioned him real quick but 5'9 190 the dude is quick the dude is instinctive and he broke a thousand yards last year uh getting off to a strong start this year and I think the vision the quickness I think that'll help him out maybe could car out a Ru could be a late round PFA gem we'll see but um a lot to like early on from week zero and we got a lot more action to sift through for week one so uh we'll get right into that we got a few Premier matchups for you all that we're gonna kind of churn through and then we are going to go through some head-to-head battles between prospects at the very end of the podcast if we have time depending on how much time we have how many we can get through but Derek there was one game that stood out to both of us looking at this week one slate and that was Texas A&M versus Notre Dame both of these teams are ranked I believe they kick off 7:30 Eastern PM uh on ABC on Saturday so it's going to be a late one the evening game while you're getting that dinner that maybe you're ordering a pizza for this one getting some brucees you got these two teams going head-to-head and it is a fun one two quarterbacks that are in the 2025 nhill draft quarterback discussion Texas A&M's Conor Wegman and Notre Dames Riley Leonard previously of Duke this is a fun one just for the QB QB duel but then also a few other aspects but let's talk about the QBs uh for a moment because that's always where the eyes are drawn Derek what are you looking forward to in this one yeah I really want to I'm very intrig I'm more intrigued with Conor wman um just we haven't seen him we I feel like the best has yet to come um with him there are certainly a lot of intriguing physical tools um that you know with the addition of uh and some of the talent up they have on the perimeter uh I'm really I'm really intrigued to see what Connor Wegman can do and in a test against this Notre aame defense who I think has multiple uh players that are going to hear their name called in the 2025 NFL draft um including headlined by Benjamin Morrison at corner um so kind of trying to see if you know where is he in his development you know where is he in his process uh kind because this is a big measuring stick like you said both teams are ranked this is not a you know a preseason cupcake type matchup that they put on the schedule like you're going to play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and they got a good squad so uh I'm very very very intrigued by Conor wgan and uh just to kind of see you know I imagine moose Muhammad is going to be a big part of this passing attack uh how he's going to Faire against Benjamin Morrison Xavier Watts uh and how the offensive line line is going to be able to protect Wegman is he going to be under pressure is he going to have to move off his launch point is he going to have to navigate the pocket against Howard cross and including RJ Obin who is I he's a nice little versatile piece uh that they were able to get via the transfer portal so he thought he showed some really nice things uh I believe what was at at Duke if I'm not Mist he was a Duke uh yeah no I think he only had five sacks but the there's more to tell and there's more uh he's more impressive than a five sack guy so I'm very interested to see how wgan is able to handle what I think is a very very uh good college football defense uh in the season opener yeah for sure and I think um the biggest thing is that Conor wgan what are we've been looking for right more reps a greater sample size and um excuse me I thought the cough was gone it is not gone yet it's lingering I just want to go away uh completely but it's still lingering for a little bit so I apologize if I cough a little bit during this pod but um Conor wigman we've been looking for a greater sample size more reps and uh this is how it happens right here these are quality reps against a very talented Notre Dame defense and I think you hit the nail on the head you got moose Muhammad you've got Cyrus Allen as a transfer from Louisiana Tech who's a very versatile I think Dynamic piece he can he can get in the Deep third he can generate some big plays um but you've got Benjamin Morrison on the other side that dude is a knat in man coverage he is one of the stickiest athletes that I've evaluated just with his corrective motion the closing bir first the reaction speed out of breaks as well and then he is a swarming threat at the at the catch point I think he has nine interceptions and I want to say 14 pass deflections since entering the league so he is always around the football he's going to make it difficult for you and this is a good test for a guy like Wegman who you know he's gonna be pressured both in the pocket and wherever he throws it to at that catch point because in the pocket I think one of the biggest things that I wanted to see more from Wegman in The Limited sample size right I think the pocket instincts are developing there are times where he's drifting back a little too much you know he's very talented off platform but there can be a little bit more discipline with that and these are guys on this Notre Dame front Riley Mills this dude is a power Factory 65 295 he can just plow through you Howard cross I third who's just kind of one of those saw off defensive lineman around 61 288 he can get under you he can penetrate up the a gap and B Gap right so these are guys who can win quickly in different ways and if they're disrupting up you know up the interior if they're preventing you from stepping up how do you deal with that as a young QB I think that's going to be really important for Wegman and then like you said RJ Obin as well Obin to me uh could be a really nice late round PFA guy at Edge I don't know if he has an elite physical skill set but I think he has a solid floor everywhere you look 63 262 263 around there so well leveraged rocked up and he's got a pretty vast pass rushing Arsenal right even though we can't always finish without Elite tools he's got enough Bend he's got enough burst and his motor runs hot too so this is a guy you know if you're Conor Wegman and you don't have discipline if you're drifting a little too far out RJ openen is the type of high motor rusher who can capitalize on that so you're going to need discipline from Wegman you're going to need to see a lot of the things that we haven't seen from him not because they're not there necessarily but because we just haven't been able to see enough of him on the field yet right he got injured last year he only played four games as a rotational guy the year before so we're still really early in the process of finding out what this kid can do right and I think this is going to be a great game to see that and again if he if he doesn't play well if he has ups and downs don't worry about it because it's only the first game of the year but this will be a really nice barometer for us to to judge him off of so it's gon be a fun one on the other side of the ball Riley Leonard coming from duke let's talk about this guy for a minute because there was some Fringe first round not immediate first round Buzz last summer like it was more a notion of he can make it to the first round if he plays as well as he has the talent to right obviously that's not what happened at Duke right I think in inuries played a role The Supporting Cast wasn't always the best separation wise and you know Grant Barton as a blocker up front I think their offensive line was generally good I think Riley Leonard the biggest thing for me that I remember from last summer is I I wanted him to play with more he's a tough guy right he can play through injuries he's done that before he's got the toughness but there's a difference between toughness and Poise right toughness is playing through injuries gutting through that Poise I think is staying unobstructed with your process on rupted with your process making sure that your mechanics are sound and smooth even as pressure is is is closing in on you right because it's really kind of a instinctive thing right like if you sense a 250 pound Edge rusher on your Blind Side that's going to make you a little skittish even if you're a tough guy right so I think being more poised with his mechanics and his timing and his Synergy those were things that I wanted to see at a more consistent basis last year we saw in 2022 20 touchdowns six interceptions almost 3,000 yards when he's on he can throw with really impressive touch and arc on his throws he can he can layer pace and touch and and hit some really tight Windows very impressively but um I just think he was never able to find Comfort last year right so that's the biggest thing for him in Notre Dame new Supporting Cast new surroundings find that Comfort early on and try and get in a rhythm here try and string to set string string together some good games because he does have the talent he's very athletic I don't think his arm is quite as live as Wegman's but I think he does have good arm Talent and you do have early round potential there it is there it's present it's just how are we going to see that so Texas A&M they have a few pieces on defense Nick scorton just a few right Nick Gordon is a uh I think the edge Duo is definitely gonna be the biggest threat for Riley Leonard because what have we've been talking about Poise we need to see him be pois in the pocket and these are two guys who are going to try and really force him off his spot Nick scorton 64 280 heavy-handed rusher who can also win with finna he's got a mean spin move in his Arsenal I think he had 10 10 sacks and around 15 tackles for loss last year so scorton is a first round Talent he's got really good raw pass rushing ability and he can set the edge too and then Shamar Turner dude is I think close to that size too and he's got the power profile to really cave in the pocket and force Leonard off a spot so two guys who can really kind of thin the amount of pocket space you're working with and for a quarterback like re Leonard that can be a perfect storm but it's also a test for him that he can win and through which show evaluators that he has taken some steps in the right direction yeah Shamar Turner is an an interesting one too because we know Nick Gorton's a a stud but uh Shamar Turner I mean as a true freshman they were lining him up at zero Tech and you know we've seen his role kind of expand and diversify uh throughout his collegiate career I mean I mean plenty of reps out opposite edge of Nick scorton um last year so I mean it's he's a nice movable piece that certainly can create some matchups if they choose to use him in that type of manner um along that defensive line unit front to kind of pressure Riley Leonard you I mean Leonard scored 13 rushing touchdowns also his sophomore year like he's got some dual threat capabilities the talent is there you're right but it's so hard to overlook what we saw last year is just the the overall drop in production is it's just kind of heads scratching I know he had an ankle injury I know he was a little bit banged up but uh I I really I want to see it early because if if he struggles in this contest against Texas Texas A&M team that has a lot of talent another guy that you know getting a chance to look at Bryce Anderson as a safety um you know former quarterback in high school someone that like plays between the ears he's plays fast too like uh kind of an intriguing defensive back there's some things of physicality that I'm a little bit concerned about I like it when he's able to stay patient and discipline uh in off coverage uh gets a little antsy sometimes and gets himself out of position from what I saw but when he does stay patient he does have that uh you know quickness and acceleration uh and the ball skills that are kind of intriguing to me so I'm interested to see how this uh how Riley Leonard performs against a a pretty some some very talented uh players like on on that Texas A&M y they got the front and they got the tailent in the back in the back end too Bryce Anderson I think he had a mid 10 second 100 meter dash I want to say which is kind of reminiscent of the speed that you see and the range on the back end too so if Riley Leonard isn't careful someone like that could take advantage so we will see but you know it's a unique matchup because not only are these two very good teams just on the CFB level but you have two QBs with early round upside who are going to be tested in ways that really attune to what their weaknesses are right now and so it's going to be fun to see what we learn right and how we can move away from that it's gonna be fun let's move on from QBs for for just a just a second we'll get back to a few later on but um there's a wide receiver kind of a wild card in this class ellic ior uh from Stanford who Dom dominated Colorado and Travis Hunter last year I don't remember the exact numbers it was like 19 catches for 265 yards I want to say maybe not 19 I think it was like 12 or something but it was um he was he was racking up big plays left and right there was one play where he mossed Hunter like with Hunter facing directly into his chest right like I'm just gonna grab this this pass there's nothing you can do about it he was dominant in that game right and so now aom Manor a lot of evaluators are kind of grappling with how do we value this guy right because he's got the play strength he's got the size it's just a matter of you know how versatile is he his his full well-rounded skill set what are we working with so we're going to get a chance a little bit to see in week one this game will be on Friday Stanford is playing TCU 10:30 pm eastern time and I believe I didn't get the channel down but uh you know you'll be able to find it I think you you'll find it yeah exactly it's it's it's college football if you care you'll find it um but elec ior is uh one of those guys who's kind of a wild card I didn't know where to Value him either entering the year I've kind of settled on early to mid or mid to late day two not early to mid um I want to see a little bit more as an independent separator he's really good really good on Slants really good on Slants really good on you know vertical working up the seam he's got enough speed with his size to kind of you know add that into his Arsenal and he's got strong hands the play strength is a definite plus I the instincts he can contort very well but um you know it's just a matter of how vast is his skill set right I think that's the question that we're still working with and and at his size too I think he's a decent rack threat I didn't think he was as good of a rack threat as I would have expected for a guy who's over 200 right so those are a few things that I want to continue to see from him the TCU secondary is uh pretty unique not any top prospects that are on rboard but you do have a lot of intriguing names J Tris browton is originally from Utah He's another feisty Corner who's going to get in your frame they got um Avery Helm who's kind of a size speed guy he can contend vertically with a player like aor and vertical separation youve got bud Clark who's a ball Hawk at safety he's very rangy he's very good at converting at the catch point when opportunities come his way and then you got namdi obzor Abe Kamar a couple versatile fast flowing safeties so there is a lot there's a really good amation of talent in that TCU secondary and I think all those guys depending on where I Manor lines up I imagine he'll get him on motions a little bit um he's going to be tested in different ways and I think this is a good opportunity for him to show that he is that caliber of playmaker that we've been accustomed to hoping he would become at Stanford yeah I want to see I definitely want to see how he strings together multiple performances because if we want to see you know if he really is in that day two conversation uh and he is an alpha on this offense uh because we saw certainly I mean the just the just the Colorado game against a prospect like Travis Hunter is enough to make you to get your attention right um this is a unique secondary I love AB uh that man plays with Reckless abandon me Joo player actually that transferred to TCU um he's fun he's a fun watch um but I mean it's going to be interesting to see like you said how Stanford kind of moves him around the formation um is he somebody that has a lot of formation versatility and has a a pretty diverse rout Tre in multiple ways to win or is he kind of limited and how he can uh create separation we know we can run a slant that's for damn sure but I mean you know what else what else and he's he's strong at the catch point and there is some contact balance um and some some sneaky Yak ability that I I like it's just is he gonna be able to create separation consistently in multiple ways um you know against different secondaries uh you know so this this season he is certainly somebody that's on my radar that could climb into that day two conversation right now I think I've got him more like early day three but he's certainly in that range and I want to see the year-over-year Improvement because the the the young breakout um narrative can certainly be something that I I do pay attention to at the wide receiver position but I for a player like him uh that has shown flashes I'm really interested to see uh how he's been in the lab this year you know how they're going to you know expand what they asked him to do last year in the Stanford offense uh and if he can you know open the season with a pretty dominant performance performance against TCU I'll go from uh you had me interested but now you have my attention exactly exactly what what's at stake here is just kind of the bigger share of attention right and I think we've seen time and time again the best receiver prospects a lot of times like it doesn't really matter who their QB is or what their offensive situation is it matters to a degree right but if you're if you're a certain level of good you are going to produce you are going to dictate targets they're going to come your way and you're going to be able to you know generate production off of that right so really intrigued to see Stanford's offense isn't the best unit in the league I it's not like devoid of talent right but elic amanor is definitely the premier threat in that offense right so can he take control can he be authoritative and become that calber player for them he broke a thousand yards last year right but a lot of that like we were talking about earlier was that big game against Colorado he was never quite able to replicate that level of production which to be fair that's tough you know you're not going to get 295 yards every week but you know a little more consistency like you said stacking good games can he do that can he be that dependable threat week in and week out does he have the skill set to do that that's kind of what we're W what we're watching for against TCU so again 10:30 pm Eastern on Friday so don't miss it if you're thinking Saturday uh get get to the TV get to the couch on Friday and uh lock that one down because you'll get to see El Alor in a very talented player against TCU so it' be fun let's go to the next QB matchup that we had on the docket and this this was a fun one because you mentioned this player in a previous podcast and I he was one of my first evaluations this summer I still have a day three grade on him right I still think that's ultimately where he goes he's gonna be I think a sixth or seventh year he's he's a pretty he's older right he's been in the league for a long time exactly right so I think you know Wisconsin is where he started we're talking about Graham MZ Florida quarterback Wisconsin was where he started he was a highly talented recruit he was in the Elite 11 he was in the gr competition and I think he might have won it my memory might be betraying me here I'll have to double check but um I know he was competing in the Elite 11 so very talented thrower passer and um you know at first I think his first game at Wisconsin was very strong and then after that kind of collapsed around him right you know and you can you can argue what contributed to that The Supporting Cast was never very good the offensive line has always been decent in Wisconsin but offensively I think you know Paul Chris never quite put enough weapon around him right you can make the excuses that you want but you can also look at the tape and say gr mz's accuracy his his processes processing those were things that did not develop at all after he brought the Wisconsin right so last year he transferred to Florida to take the Reigns from Anthony Richardson who went fourth overall to the Colts and he actually had a really good year you know I think he was very efficient as a passer uh the completion percentage was Big Time up and again you're not going to hear me site completion percentage and just leave it at that right like you know it's one thing to say that but you can look back to Bow Knicks this past year he broke the record right and I'm not going to say it's not impressive it was but look at the a DOT the distribution right you know some some offenses just ask different things of quarterbacks right whereas with Anthony Richardson the year before he was threatening down the field intermediate deep he was taking a lot of chances right naturally there's a variance when you throw farther down the field the completion percentage is not going to be quite as high because there's more variant with those types of throws more often than not Graham MZ he was Distributing a lot of time but also taking some shots I like the arm talent I still do I think it's one of the better traits on his profile his ability to whip it both in structure and off platform as well because he's not the most Dynamic Athlete but he's got enough off platform ability to work with and uh you know his accuracy definitely took a big step up I'm still looking to see if he can reach that next level as a processor right and my my big thing with merts is did did his time in Wisconsin fully erode that part of his game or can he build it back with another year at Florida his first year at Florida was a big step in the right direction I think coming out of Wisconsin he was probably a udfa right now he's back in the draftable conversation now especially for an older QB Prospect who's not an elite athlete the biggest question is can you take that next step on the operational platform and show that you can become that Elite processor and show that you can reach that next step with accuracy right and his first week man it's going to be a fun matchup Miami the Miami Hurricanes Mario crystal ball Cameron Ward on the other side who's another really good QB Prospect who's going to be tested but the reason we we picked MZ is because this Miami defense is packed with Talent especially on the defensive front you've got um you've got Akim mdor Tyler Baron Simeon Baron Simeon Barrow CJ Clark you got Ruben Bane who's not eligible but is a very good Edge rusher and then you've got Francisco Maui Goa at linebacker as well hard charging player uh so a lot of Talent on that front seven I think Graham Merz is one of those players where you know to combat that he's going to need to be on his aame he's gonna need to process quickly he's gonna need to get the ball out quickly and um you know you there's no there's not a lot of room for error right and that's the biggest thing with MZ when you're not an elite athlete right you know the margin for error is slimmer how do you combat that you take it up a notch on the operational side and that's what we've been waiting to see for this guy I think 2023 was a great step in the right direction now with this Miami game is going to show us is this where it ends is this where he maxes out or is there more that we can get from this guy correct yeah no it's I'm I'm not 100% sure where I fall on Graham Merz right now uh certainly some some things that you already mentioned that are encouraging the obviously the jump and completion percentage uh and at least knowing and feeling comfortable with where to go with the ball in certain situations you know he he looked more comfortable than he did ever in the Wisconsin uh during his Wisconsin Career uh the air yards per attempt uh or justed air yards per attempt was actually a career high too at 8.8 so you know it wasn't I still agree with you that you know they did a lot of things to kind of give him easy throws you know out on the like in in a horizontal stretch you know close to the line of scrimmage some screen games off playay action rpos type stuff like yeah I get it and I agree with that and that's a good thing like you know as much as you know Florida Gator fans may not be very happy with Billy Napier right now but I mean it is something where if you want to try to give your like play to your quarterback's strengths that's where they felt his strengths were and so we saw some encouraging things but like you mentioned can he take the next step because he's gonna in order for him to get into the day two conversation for me we're gonna have to see a a heck of a lot more one way you can do that though is that if you come out and you drop 30 something on Miami to start the season and you kind of catch our catch our eye and okay maybe the Florida Gator got something a little bit more than what we expected entering the season um you know obviously losing a player like Ricky peol uh in that passing attack and also you know Trevor etn transferring um from you know Florida to Georgia doesn't help matters but you still got Eugene Wilson you still got khil Jackson I still think that there are some pieces on this Florida offense that will allow Graham Merz to go ahead and if he has developed and he has taken that next step as a processor like you said he's been in college football this is entering his sixth season he should be peing at this point if it's ever going to happen it's going to happen now so I'm really interested to see how merch starts the 2024 Camp yeah for sure and I love that you mentioned you know the ways that he did Thrive last year you know getting him on the in those screen games in Rhythm and I think boot actions and rollouts which is a big staple of a lot of NFL offenses he's very good on those because he is very good off platform there was that the game against South Carolina where he actually mounted a comeback and they won that game and a lot of it was Graham Merz getting out on the run like he's not an elite rushing threat but he can throw off platform he's got a really elastic arm a lot of very easy velocity generation and he can lead receivers and kind of press them open in the Deep third which is really impressive to see so so you have enough talent to facilitate that kind of rise the biggest thing for me and we talk about processing processing processing What specifically do you want to see from him for me it's the independent processing it's working through your progressions left to right and diagnosing quickly once you get to your second read right if it's open I think there are still times where MERS is a see it throw it type guy which you know in the college there's nothing wrong with that but again in the NFL your response time does have to be quicker and I think there were some throws that he left on the table because he didn't quite see them at a level where you're anticipating them right so he lost rookie peera he's getting back another guy from Arizona State Elijah Badger who's another big play threat so that'll be a fun one to see how they mesh but um yeah the talent is there can he take the next step or is this what he is if this is what he is I think he's still draftable as a as a potential backup right but yeah Kenny rise in that conversation that's kind of what we're looking for so that'll be a fun one we got two more QBs to go through let's we'll go through these a little quicker because they're pretty they're a little more cut and dry uh this one this particular one is very cut and dry it's very good QB against a very good defense it's Carson Beck against the Clemson Tigers Carson Beck I believe it's at noon on Saturday so high noon kickoff you got Carson Beck going up against a Clemson defense that has Barrett Carter TJ Parker AV ontero khif who you mentioned before the Pod with he's replacing Andrew makuba but none of those guys are draft eligible right now but all of them are very talented and we could see them in early M early round mocks in 2026 or so um then you have Damonte Kart a nose tackle you got pton pagee a defensive tackle a lot of Talent on that Clemson defense so real quick Dereck what are you looking forward forward to for Carson Beck I think he's your qb2 behind Sher Sanders right yeah but I mean this is all subject to change um based on because we saw some really damn good things from Carson Beck last year um and of course it's it's Georgia so I mean you're looking forward to seeing how Trevor etn looks in this offense uh they're they're loaded everywhere across the board so I mean you know Dominic love it uh you know Aran Smith Dylan Bell like you're you're expecting this Georgia offense to just continue to roll because of the guy they have under Center they're getting a test like three true freshman last year were pretty damn impressive for the Clemson Tigers and TJ Parker we may be talking about him as potentially the best um 2026 draft prospect uh as far as the edge goes uh because he he showed a lot of very encouraging things but um even Avon Terrell uh I thought is a true freshman at cornerback I thought he was a bit of a pest um you know kind of a mosquito that just gets in everything you just can't that's always a good thing to say about a defensive back he was a bit of a pest right anything else is a Bad Thing def back very good thing yeah no and uh you know khil Barnes I mean part of the reason why I don't expect any sort of significant drop off uh losing a guy like Andrew makuba who I think is a very good player in in a conversation for like a day two pick uh this upcoming draft cycle uh he looked very effective and very comfortable in a Nickelback type role so I I'm really I mean then you got bar Carter who's in the conversation for the best linebacker in this class offall linebacker so I mean you know there's a lot of t uh on the defensive side of the football and I think Georg is going to have themselves a pretty nice test in week number one yeah and also you know going Beyond wide receiver at weapons they got Oscar Delp and Benjamin osac who they got from Stanford at tight end two very good Euros is fun I like the versatility with him uh they were you really use utilizing his motion versatility he can get schemed rack touches he can threaten vertically he's got really good body control so roock Bowers is gone how do you feel that void I don't to a certain degree I don't think you can feel it Brock Bowers is Brock Bowers like that that's a very unique talent but um Delp and osac those are two really good tight ends and we know Georgia likes to incorporate their tight ends so that'll be another fun aspect especially with baric Carter at linebacker he is going to be tasked with a lot of pressure uh covering those two guys especially with the the amount that Carson Beck likes to go to his tight ends over the middle of the field so that'll be a little fun matchup in that one but uh spoiler alert two very good football teams make sure you Circle that one on Saturday it'll be a fun one our next one final QB match and then we'll get into some of the head-to-heads but uh Drew Aller from Penn State is playing West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl I know you are a fan of all entering the year I liked a lot of what I saw on tape too I think the biggest thing for me learning when to re in that that arm because he's got such a strong arm but the accuracy is still a big work in progress because again you know sometimes you're going to push it too far not really knowing how to manage that arm strength with certain types of throws right like bucket throws require a different level of oomph you know velocity generation you know you need to get a little more Loft and touch in there and I think he's still learning how to do that you know so with a young QB it's not something that's not uncharacteristic it's pretty common right Drew Aller has the the physical talent and I'm very excited to see what he can do West Virginia's defense they have a very versatile hard charging safety in Aubrey Burks who's who's fulfilled a number of different roles he wears a number of different hats in that defense he's going to be a tough play especially with you know the uncertainty of wide receiver for Penn State and then you got Shawn Martin who's a powerful defensive lineman on the front and then you got Anthony Wilson Jr who's another experienced safety so you know West Virginia Penn State Backyard Brawl always good football but in particular Drew Aller very excited to see what he can do with Andy codal Nikki who is from Kansas he coached Jaylen Daniels and we've mentioned this before on the podcast right uh cotal Nikki is not working with the same kind of rushing Talent right Drew all does not have that level of Mobility that Daniels had but at the same time the best offensive kind of change their offense with the talent they have at QB so Drew Aller you can do a lot of things with that type of arm Talent if he can prove his accuracy I think he can open up a lot of doors not only for himself and his draft stock but for the Penn State offense as a whole Derek you like out a lot what are you looking forward to toing this one yeah you you mentioned already kind of like no one went to feather in throws rather than just try to throw it through a brick wall uh the mechanics like the uh because there he relies a bit to much for me on his arm uh and I guess it kind of plays into that right um he's not always aligned uh with his front foot uh with where he wants to go with the football which then often times it's it's you know it just disjoints uh the Synergy you know between his base and you know the launch point which he can make up for it because he's got an absolute Cannon attached to his arm I get that but you know tightening up those mechanics uh is something that I want to see from snap to snap to rep to rep um because I I I I saw some anticipation I saw some processing um the arm Talent is obviously there I do think that there's enough movement in Mobility to extend plays he's not going to be an elite Off Script Creator but there's enough there to be able to work with uh that he doesn't doesn't just have to operate within structure um you know yeah you're not g to get much from him as a pure Ball Carrier that's fine though like as long as you can excel at the passing aspect of it which you mentioned the change you know along the offensive coordinator and some of the weapons I I I really like Tyler Warren I'm interested to see how his role expands uh in this new offensive scheme and without Theo Johnson uh now in the NFL with the New York Giants uh Julian Fleming also a nice receiver uh transfer that I expect to be a big part of this passing attack so I I just want to see more consistency um from Drew Aller because I've the flashes and the flashes excite the living hell out of me it's just that you know snapto snap consistency you know that could really help with his ball placement and his consistency with accuracy uh because he can make every throw that you need to be able to make at the next level it's just really that that the mechanical consistency in a in a ilk that kind of reminds me a little bit of Drake May uh that I would love to see him improve year over-year yeah for sure you know looking at the tape I was kind of I had a similar conclusion like I think the processing is there I think he does there are a few times especially down the field in the Deep third where there are windows to go on tested I think that Vision that full field vision is still getting developed which is fine he's a young QB one year but again the the components that you mentioned uh a good sense of timing uh break anticipation particularly on like comeback routes where he's throwing it before the receiver plants and drives that's a really good thing to have you know because again when you're see it throw it thrower you can tell because there's a you know at least a quarter second delay where it's just you know oh you know now he's breaking now I'm going to throw it and that might be the amount of time that the DB needs to close that Gap so timing is of the essence I think Drew all as a young player understands that I think he has the arm Talent like you said it's just getting that that accuracy down pth learning how to control his tools to a greater degree and I'm very excited to see what he can do in this first week because you know again it's only one game it's not going to tell you everything you need to know but it is going to get us started it's going to give us that Landmark where we can go on and go ahead so a lot of fun QB matchups we got around you know we got a little less than five minutes here so we got a few more head-to-head matchups yes sir let's rip so I these are the ones that I I I isolated for this week and obviously you know it's week one so we have a lot of kind of upper conference lower conference matchups so you know not a ton of of Big Ticket ones in the head-to-head section but a few that call my ey that I'll read off here Colorado State wide receiver Tory Horton going up against the Texas secondary I I think that's a fun one you've got Andrew makuba like you said at Texas now you got Jedi Baron a very versatile defensive back physical guys that I think will match up well with Horton Tory Horton kind of reminds me of Davi and Wix who's with Packers now I think they're similar players proportional length short area twitch not the mo not the fastest guy on the vertical plane but he's explosive physical and I think he'll be Dependable in the NFL level so I like that that's an outstanding that was one that I kind of cany I was like oh this is we're cooking here we're cooking but I like it a lot Minnesota tackle arante ursery he's a fun player physical very explosive on the attack uh 6 fo6 330 I think around there he's going up against uh Cayman Rucker from North Carolina Rucker is around 6'2 the B the butcher man 62 250 he is explosive he is bendy but he's violent in physical too so I'm really looking forward to seeing if Rucker can take it to ursery because urser is not he's he's a physical player by all means and I think if if Rucker especially in the passing phase if he can get some disruption it'll be a big stock up game for him one of my favorite standup rushers in the class you've got Wisconsin wide receiver will Pauling versus Western Michigan Corner balal con you've got Arizona offensive tackle Jonah savaya against New Mexico Edge antano Harris Jr Harris Jr played at Indiana State last year he caught my eye a little bit I think he's got good explosion good bend he's more of a rotational guy so far this season New Mexico played in week zero so the Reps aren't coming right away but if he does get on the field keep an eye on this guy um Alabama and um tackle Carson Vincent he is one of the top HBCU prospects in this coming class going going up against former Appalachian State and current Auburn Edge rusher Jaylen McLoud another high motor guy a little smaller but powerful explosive he can work you see that rep Force two two fumbles on one play yeah I did see that yeah that's where the high comes in like he this guy will go until the whistle he will go until the whistle uh never anything less so he'll chase you to the bench like that that's how bad this is down the tunnel oh guess who's coming so I think um you know Carson Vincent that'll be a good test for him especially against an SEC team like Auburn if he holds his own we could be looking at a rise for that HBCU Prospect but um going down the list farther here Florida State Edge Patrick Peyton we mentioned it after week zero needs a bounce back he's going up against Boston College off tackle Azie trilo who's another guy that I like a little bit I think he's physical I think he's powerful at the point of attack he's got a good size length combination this is another one where Patrick Payton will really have to show off that enhanced strength because we know you know on the Florida state site he got above 250 pounds this year right so he beefed up a little bit so far it hasn't translated on the field right only one week in but I think this is a good bounceback opportunity because Azie trapilo is another physical powerful blocker who's gonna give you everything you got uh we got LSU wide receiver CJ Daniels transfer from Liberty going up against uh USC Corner John Humphrey another I think this is kind of a byow matchup both these guys have the Raw Talent uh so we'll be we'll be able to see if they can kind of emerge in their new scenarios I believe H Humphrey transferred over to USC too so uh two guys in new situations new locations New settings can they make the most of it and emerge CJ Daniels in particular you know I feel like he's got the vertical explosiveness the speed and the route running flexibility where he could be a riser in this wide receiver class and especially after seeing Brian Thomas Jr at LSU it's hard LSU doesn't have Jaden Daniels anymore they got Garrett nus me but um CJ Dani is in position to take advantage of that and then finally we got LSU tackles Will Campbell emry Jones Jr against USC Edge J muhamad another kind of high motor guy a little smaller but he's got that compact saw off power that you like to see with Ed rushers Derek I've been talking long enough about this batch uh which matchups are standing out to you the most here I well uh we'll touch on Jamal Muhammad real quick um I think you're going to need more than just your athleticism to be able to beat these to this tackle Duo I I I really want it's a good measuring stick though because I think if he can make some Splash plays and get some nice reps against either of these you know probably firstr talents um you know entering the NFL this upcoming draft cycle Muhammad could really give himself an opportunity to elevate his draft stock significantly if he can make some Splash plays um but I I I I tend to think that if I'm if I'm a betting man I don't think he's get coming away with a sack in this one that's a that's a d D watching that through the season is going to be a treat because I mean they've always been good like La even last year we knew they were good but um they're both entering this next season I think the sky is the limit for sure will will Pauling is one that's very interesting to me um you know obviously project is kind of a as probably a slot receiver uh at the next level right because it's kind of even how Wisconsin uses them they use them a lot in the the the manufactur touch screen game quick game horizontal stretch they're trying to get him out in space and he's he's got some really nice uh some rack ability actually there's times where I think damn he looks like a running back uh as a ball carrier like there's some really nice things about his game um but just how is how impactful is he going to be how Dynamic he's going to be in this Wisconsin offense that that that's I would love to see him get off to a fast start because I think he's a nice player um I just right now I think he's more tell me if I'm crazy I think he's more of a day three guy and hey to be fair most these guys are day three or like that's what the proportionality is but he's quick I think he played at Cincinnati before Wisconsin right he came over with uh Luke fickle and um he's Dynamic for sure he's quick you know a lot of things that you want in a slot guy right and he's got Tyler van djk throwing to him as well at Wisconsin so at least an experienced passer with the arm to get the ball down the field it'll be intriguing to see how they mes early on yeah and then the other one you know just Tory Horton uh because I I really thought that he was going to be you know potentially in the conversation for a late day two pick if he would have came out this year uh he's just gotten better and better and better I mean I think it's his receptions and his receiving yards have climbed every single season and it's gonna be a little difficult to improve upon you know 96 receptions that we saw from him last year I mean he was the focal point of that passing attack and um you know continues to show I mean the Wicks comp uh the comp is certainly one that really jumps out to me because I don't think he's a vertical field stretcher at the next level just don't think he has enough you know top end juice that's fine you don't have to be that to fit into a receiver room and and Garner some sort of role Wix is an outstanding route Runner there's a lot of flexibility and stem workor that you really like and his hands at the catch point and his ability to create after the catch is underrated uh there's a lot of similarities with him and Davon Wix I think it's a great comp but you know can he take it to another level because it's going to be hard to poke holes in this guy's Prospect profile um if he has improves upon 96 receptions for 1136 yards like it's um I'm just interested to see if he can take his game to the next level and you know he obviously returned for a reason we'll see uh what his fifth went out yeah fifth year in the uh at Collegiate ranks produces yeah because he was originally at Nevada and then now he's at Colorado State and he's been productive with the Rams for sure and I think you know I'm kind of having the same conversation in my mind like I can see this guy being a top 100 pick I can see him being a late day two mid to late day two you know being a really solid player but um you know is there any elevation potential beyond that right because if you went back already an older Prospect we'll see but yeah I mean at the end of the day I like the Wix comp it was one I usually don't say comps unless they really jump out of me or if I've had time to study them which is usually in March and April right you know when we're really getting into the weeds with it but um you know I just think about the explosiveness without the long speed right then the short area twitch the violent motion with the route running like said and then the proportional length the strong hands the physicality that's a comp that I like a lot and I think you look at Tory Horton against this Texas defense they lost Terence Brooks on the boundary but they got Andrew makuba at the nickel position Jedi Baron will be a very versatile physical safety for them who might also play nickel and dime looks as well so um there are a lot of threats especially if you're working over the middle of the field there's a good chance he might crash into those guys more than once so uh a lot of physicality a lot of athleticism we will see if Tory Horton can outmuscle those guys out want them if he can uh it could be at least another feather in his cap for what is a very solid Prospect in 2025 and exactly so you want to start seeing him put together you know great tape against the opportunities that he's going to have this year to against NFL caliber Talent so I mean this I think for his Prospect profile this could be a very nice measuring stick as to where he is uh and what development or you know growth we've seen from you know uh 2023 to 2024 and you know EX I mean I don't think Colorado state is going to upset Texas so I imagine they're going to be throwing the ball quite a bit if they're trailing uh which means we're gonna see probably a lot of opportunities for Tory Horton to shine out uh to start the season for sure and hey on the other side too got to mention it you're gonna get to see Quinn yers Kelvin Banks Jr at off the tackle Isaiah Bond as well at Texas destination so that'll be fun too and it of itself so it's gonna it's gonna be a good uh even that running back room that running back room is ex I don't know if TJ Baxter I haveen been following I think one of them might be out for injury but um you know they they still they're always loaded at RB they always got at least two to three miles to feed so it's going to be fun to see what they can do there but um yeah I mean that's that's our week one preview that's what we've been got we've got for you and uh again you know stick with us every Tuesday this season we will be back recording uh for each week we'll be previewing the matchups to come both at a prospect level and at a CFB level as the storyline start to develop a little bit more so it's just the start got a lot more on Sat for all you listening thank you as always and uh yeah thank you for sticking with us through the summer it's been a long one but we are finally here the season is here and um a lot of things left to come with it so with that I'm in Cummings for Derek Tate thank you as always for listening peace out have a going [Music] w