Six Pack- Week 10

Each week during the 2024 college football season Draft Nation will take a look at six players who helped their draft stock with solid performances. As the season progresses, Draft Nation zoom in on first round talent. 

Here is the six pack from this past week:

Louisville- Running Back, Isaac Brown

The Louisville Cardinals pulled off a 33-21 upset victory at Clemson this past weekend. The Cardinals were 10.5 point underdogs and played a Tigers squad who was looking to continue their undefeated season in ACC play. 

Clemson had problems all day long stopping freshman running back Isaac Brown who ran for 151 yards on 20 carries and scored a touchdown. This was Brown’s fourth game with over 100 yards rushing and he now has 800 yards in his first nine collegiate football games.

Brown is just 5-foot-9 but continues to add mass to his frame, without losing his ability to outrun defenders. He hits the holes fast and is a home run threat every time the ball is in his hands. He is another stellar underclassman that Draft Nation will keep an eye on over the next couple of seasons.

SMU- Running Back, Brashard Smith

Brashard Smith helped lead SMU to a 48-25 win over the undefeated Pitt Panthers by rushing for 161 yards and two touchdowns, while hauling in four passes for 21 yards and one touchdown.

The Miami transfer has now run for 906 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season, while hauling in 22 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Smith is a big reason for the 8-1 start for the Mustangs and has been a central part of the offense all season long.

Smith is starting to climb up draft boards and is the prototypical third down back that teams look for to create matchup problems in the later downs. He is excellent in the open field and has enough shiftiness to take a swing pass and get big chunks of yards. He is 5-foot-10 and 196 pounds and will settle in nicely to a team’s running back room with his versatility and speed. Look for Smith to be a quality mid-round pick that will find his niche in the NFL.

Ole Miss- Quarterback, Jaxson Dart

Jaxson Dart always seems to be overlooked. This past weekend Dart lit up the Arkansas Razorbacks in a 63-31 blowout. The 6-foot-2 quarterback threw for 515 yards and six touchdowns, including five to wide receiver Jordan Watkins. Dart is having a stellar season, throwing for 3,210 yards and 21 touchdowns, leading the SEC in both categories. He has also only thrown three interceptions in 276 attempts, while completing 71.7% of his passes.

Draft Nation has Dart as a second day draft pick that continues to improve his stock with his stellar play. Although he isn’t quite in that upper echelon of passers, he has shown improvement in a couple of areas that hindered him in the past. His decision making has been stronger and his accuracy and footwork are working together in tandem, leading to some high quality throws. Dart has a strong arm and anticipates the game well. When he takes off, he is explosive and keeps his eyes downfield, with the ability to hit a moving target on the run. 

Ole Miss- Wide Receiver, Jordan Watkins

Ole Miss beat Arkansas 63-31 over the weekend and the combination of Jaxson Dart and Jordan Watkins were responsible for five of the nine touchdowns.

Watkins is a fifth-year senior transfer from Louisville. On the season, the 5-foot-11 receiver has 25 receptions for 549 yards and leads the SEC with seven touchdown catches. He is averaging 22 yards per reception and has been the go-to playmaker for Dart. 

Watkins is considered a late round draft pick, but may be opening up some eyes with his speed and ability to make big play after big play. He offers roster versatility with the ability to return kicks and punts. 

His biggest weakness has been getting off the line against physical cornerbacks and his consistency over the years has been questionable. Scouts will pay attention to Watkins the rest of the season and into the senior bowl games.

Ohio State- Cornerback, Davison Igbinosun

Davison Igbinosun had one of the biggest defensive plays of the season for Ohio State in their 20-13 win at Penn State. With Ohio State leading 14-10 and Penn State inside the five-yard-line with :11 seconds to go, Igbinosun swiped the ball away from Nittany Lions receiver Harrison Wallace III in the endzone while keeping his foot in bounds in what was one of the most improbable interceptions fans will see in college football this season. 

The junior cornerback has been solid all season long for the Buckeyes and continues to improve his draft stock. At 6-foot-2, he uses his length well to disrupt receivers on their routes and gets his hands in the way of passing lanes. He has excellent long speed and moves fluidly around the field. He is a willing and physical tackler who could sneak into the first round with his play.

On the downside, he bites on double teams and can take unnecessary penalties from time to time. In fact, he got called for pass interference on the play before his big interception on Saturday.

Texas Tech- Linebacker, Jacob Rodriguez

Texas Tech upset the undefeated Iowa State Cyclones 23-22 on Saturday with a stellar defense led by red-shirt junior Jacob Rodriguez.

Rodriguez, a transfer quarterback from Virginia, has transitioned nicely to linebacker with the Red Raiders. Against Iowa State, Rodriguez collected 13 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, two sacks and a forced fumble. In nine games this season, the 6-foot-1 linebacker has already registered 84 tackles, three sacks and has forced three fumbles.

Rodriguez is still raw and learning the position, and Draft Nation believes he will come back to school for another year before giving the NFL Draft serious thought. He is very athletic and has the physical ability to be a solid run stopper from the middle linebacker position. Footwork and mechanics are still a work in progress and he will need to make some improvements before being seriously considered a draft prospect.

Bonus—Ashton Jeanty

This past Saturday, Jeanty ran for 149 yards on 31 attempts and two touchdowns. In eight games, Jeanty has already run for 1,525 yards and 20 touchdowns and is on pace to break Barry Sanders’ record of 2,628 yards.