Another exciting and interesting weekend of college football wrapped for the potential prospects for the 2024 NFL draft. Over a month into the college season, we’re starting to see who is consistently performing and who is more variable from week to week.
It’s a season-long process evaluating players, of course. But there are great weeks and down weeks for (almost) every prospect along the way. Here’s who helped themselves in Week 5 and who didn’t have a great showing over the final days of September.
Up: Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
Nix continues a torrid start to 2023. For the second week in a row, Nix completed over 80 percent of his passes in leading the Ducks to consecutive 42-6 wins.
Nix has shown tremendous touch and ball placement all season. The 15-to-1 TD/INT ratio after five games shows he’s avoiding mistakes. It can be hard to forget his star-crossed time at Auburn before the last two years at Oregon, but Nix is a better, smarter, stronger version of himself. He gets a huge test against Washington next week that will say a lot about his draft stock.
Down: Riley Leonard, QB, Duke
Leonard had a night to forget in Duke’s home loss to Notre Dame. It was a mistake-filled game for the junior, missing passes and not seeing open targets on other throws. Under heavy pressure more of the night from an aggressive Fighting Irish defense, Leonard struggled in every phase. Going 12-for-27 for just 134 passing yards blunts any momentum Leonard had picked up from a nice early season for previously unbeaten Duke.
Even worse, he left the game on crutches after suffering an ankle injury on Duke’s final offensive play.
Up: Christian Mahogany, IOL, Boston College
Playing right guard can be relatively anonymous, even for a well-regarded prospect like Mahogany. He had a game against Virginia where he popped off the film with a dominant performance in both pass protection and run blocking.
Mahogany shows zero signs of the torn ACL back in 2022, looking more athletic and quick than he did in his early returns. The brute power and impressive punch just destroyed the Cavaliers defensive front. Teams that want a Wyatt Teller-type of guard will love Mahogany’s film from Week 5.
Down: Beaux Limmer, IOL, Arkansas
Limmer is the center for the Razorbacks, and he’s generally regarded as a middle-round prospect. Against Texas A&M, he was largely outclassed by the physicality of the Aggies front.
Tall for a center at 6-foot-5, Limmer was the right guard in 2022 and looked more natural at that spot. He’s got good athleticism, but he just doesn’t have the anchor strength or lower-body drive to handle a talented widebody like TAMU’s McKinnley Jackson. Limmer kept attacking too high and wasn’t as effective as he could have been.
Up: Brian Thomas, WR, LSU
Thomas shares the Tigers spotlight with fellow wideout Malik Nabors, who is also having a great early season. Against Ole Miss, it was Thomas’ turn for a starring role and he handled it with ease.
Thomas, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound tactician with his routes, caught three touchdowns in LSU’s shootout loss to the Rebels. He showed ball tracking, physicality and concentration with the ball in the air. The extra gear Thomas hit on a couple of routes to gain extra separation is the speed at his size that can separate him from other draft prospects, too. He’s been consistently great in 2023.
Up: Jonathon Brooks, RB, Texas
Brooks flashed vision, burst, acceleration through contact and patience in letting his blockers do their work in Texas’ 40-14 romp against previously unbeaten Kansas. He lit up the Jayhawks for over 200 yards with several chink plays.
There wasn’t much tape on Brooks entering the year, playing behind 2023 draftees Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson. He doesn’t have breakaway speed, but the vision and ability to plant hard and explode in any direction off that plant are reminiscent of David Montgomery in his Iowa State days.
Down: Jordan Morgan, OT, Arizona
Morgan had been off to a great start to the season. Arizona’s left tackle hadn’t allowed a sack in the first four games and looked impressive. His quickness off the snap for such a long player has Morgan in the back half of the first round in some recent mocks.
Finally up against really good competition in the Wildcats’ matchup with Arizona, Morgan wilted a little. Huskies pass rusher Bralen Trice bagged one sack on Morgan and had several other individual wins. Trice’s upfield explosion gave Morgan fits, and his lunging and slower weight shift looked problematic.
Give Trice a bonus “stock up”, something that’s been true most every week in 2023.
