Six Pack- Week 7

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 will start to zoom in on first round talent. 

Here is the six pack from this past week:

Penn State- Tight End, Tyler Warren

Tyler Warren had a Saturday he will never forget in Penn State’s 33-30 overtime win at USC. He tied an FBS record for receptions by a tight end with 17 and finished the day with 224 yards receiving, which is second highest in Penn State history, and scored a touchdown. Warren also completed a pass for nine yards and had a carry for four yards during the Nittany Lions come from behind win. 

In six games this season, the fifth year senior has hauled in 40 passes for 513 yards and four touchdowns. He is versatile in his alignment and also has five carries for 38 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The former high school quarterback is an exceptional athlete with natural and reliable hands. He is willing to go over the middle to make a play and is a weapon in the red zone. Warren has a knack for finding soft spots in the zone, allowing for an easy pitch and catch window.

Warren is still learning the tight end position and has to improve his blocking techniques. He is athletic enough to be an early second day pick in the NFL, and if put in a creative offense, he can be a weapon on day one.

Oregon- Quarterback, Dillon Gabriel

Oregon pulled off a memorable 32-31 victory over Ohio State this past weekend. Oregon’s sixth-year quarterback Dillon Gabriel was flawless and his cool, veteran presence helped the Ducks take down the No. 3 team in the country.

Gabriel was 23-34 for 341 yards and two touchdown passes, while adding 32 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Time after time Gabriel was able to make big plays on third down to keep the Ducks offense moving. Gabriel has done this countless times in his collegiate career with UCF, Oklahoma, and now Oregon.

Each season Gabriel makes Draft Nation's six-pack at least once as he is one of the best “COLLEGE” quarterbacks in recent years— but one that may not get the buzz of the other top prospects. Gabriel is a smidge under 6-foot-0 and most scouts think he will be either a late round pick or a UDFA that will have to fight for a backup spot in the NFL. 

One thing is for certain, there's not a tougher pound for pound quarterback in the nation. Do not be surprised if Dillon Gabriel and the Oregon Ducks make a deep playoff run. The combination of Oregon’s speed and athleticism mixed with Gabriel’s leadership is going to be tough to beat.

Iowa State- Running Back, Carson Hansen

To say the 2024 college football season has been crazy may be the understatement of the year. Pitt, Indiana, BYU, Iowa State, Army and Navy have not lost a game yet this season, but Ohio State, Alabama and Georgia have? Iowa State kept their winning streak going with a 28-16 victory over West Virginia at Morgantown and were led by sophomore running back Carson Hansen, who rushed for 96 yards and three touchdowns.

Not much is known about the true-sophomore except that he is becoming the Cyclones No. 1 choice at running back, and against the Mountaineers on Saturday he exploded through holes, putting his head down and gaining tough yards. The two-time Gatorade Player of the Year from Minnesota is 6-foot-2 and 220 lbs and will someone to keep an eye on as he marches towards the 2027 NFL Draft.

Kansas State- Running Back, D.J. Giddens

In a game where most scouts were affixed on Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders and wide receiver Travis Hunter, Kansas State running back D.J. Giddens stole the show. The junior running back ran all over the Buffaloes defense this past weekend, running for 182 yards on 25 carries. On the season, Giddens has already run for 786 yards and is averaging 7.3 yards per carry for the Wildcats. 

Giddens has excellent patience and vision and he runs with excellent contact balance, allowing him to break tackles. He is 6-foot-1 and 200 lbs and has been a durable runner over his collegiate career.

On the downside, Giddens lacks the breakaway speed to put pressure on the back end of a defense and is considered a late round pick if he decided to enter the 2025 draft. Draft Nation believes his best route is to come back to play for Kansas State next season and improve his draft stock for 2026.

LSU- Edge Rusher, Bradyn Swinson

One of the fastest risers on the defensive side of the ball is LSU’s edge rusher Bradyn Swinson. In LSU’s 29-26 overtime victory over Ole Miss this past weekend, Swinson was a one man wrecking crew, picking up eight tackles and two sacks. Swinson now has seven sacks on the season for the Tigers, and continues to march up draft boards. 

Swinson is 6-foot-4 and 250 lbs and can beat opponents with his athleticism or with his strength. The fifth-year senior has a high ceiling and is starting to check the boxes on some of his weaknesses, which include consistency and starting experience. 

Draft Nation has Swinson projected as a fourth round pick, but if he keeps up his dominance during the regular season and has a strong combine, look for Swinson to jump into a day two pick.

Pitt- Defensive Lineman- Jimmy Scott

Through the Panthers first five games in 2024 the offense has been explosive and has led the way. However, in week six the Panthers defense had to step up in a 17-15 slugfest win against a scrappy California team.

Defensive star Jimmy Scott collected six tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, and three sacks. While Scott played sparingly in his sophomore season, he's getting more playing time in 2024. The three-star prospect out of Buffalo, New York is just starting to put together a draft resume and won’t be draft eligible in 2025. With the history of Pitt defensive lineman in the NFL, Scott will be worth keeping an eye on this season and next to see if he follows in the footsteps of the other great d-lineman to hail from Pitt.

Bonus—Ashton Jeanty

Since Draft Nation doesn’t want to keep mentioning Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty as a member of the six-pack every week, the team has instead decided to highlight his potentially historic season as a bonus segment. 

This past Saturday, Jeanty ran for 217 yards on 31 attempts and one touchdown. He also hauled in three passes for 20 yards and another score. In six games, Jeanty has already run for 1,248 yards and 17 touchdowns and is on pace to break Barry Sanders’ record of 2,628 yards.