Week 3- Six Pack of College football's top performers

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:

Kansas State- Quarterback, Avery Johnson

Johnson is a 6-foot-2 athletic sophomore quarterback who has untapped potential that is beginning to manifest. Johnson led Kansas State to a huge victory on Friday night over Arizona 31-7 and the sophomore threw for 156 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 110 yards on 17 carries. The Wildcats are ranked No. 13 in the country and Johnson is starting to open eyes with his dual-threat ability. 

In three games Johnson has completed 64.2% of his passes while throwing six touchdown passes and only one interception. Johnson is also averaging over 60 yards per game on the ground for Kansas State and may be worth watching for the next year or two to see if he can improve his mechanics and ability to throw from inside the pocket.

Ole Miss- Quarterback, Jaxson Dart

Jaxson Dart continued his strong play this weekend throwing for 377 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for another score in a 40-6 win over Wake Forest. In just three games Dart has already thrown for 1,172 yards and eight touchdowns, while only throwing one interception. He's completed 83% of his passes in the early going, showing an improvement in accuracy and decision making ability. 

Dart currently sits outside the first group of signal callers who should hear their names in round one in 2025. It will be interesting to see how Dart performs against the tougher competition heading the Rebels way as the SEC schedule approaches.

Texas- Quarterback, Arch Manning

How good are the Longhorns? One week after starting quarterback Quinn Ewers makes Draft Nation's six-pack, Texas fans get to see the arrival of future star quarterback Arch Manning after Ewers suffered an injury in the first half. Manning made the most in his longest appearance so far as a Longhorns quarterback going 9-12 for 223 yards and four touchdown passes. The redshirt freshman also added a 67-yard touchdown run in their 56-7 win over UTSA. The 6-foot-4 prodigy gave UT fans a glimpse of the future, and it is obvious he has all the tools to become the next great quarterback with the last name of Manning.

Ole Miss- Edge Rush, Jared Ivey

The Ole Miss Rebels get a double shot in this week’s six-pack as edge rusher Jared Ivey joins quarterback Jaxson Dart on the list. Ivey played his first two seasons at Georgia Tech before transferring to Ole Miss and the 6-foot-6 edge rusher had five quarterback pressures and two sacks helping the Rebels to shut down the Wake Forest offense. 

Ivey is considered a late round draft pick that needs to improve his consistency and play with more of a physical edge. He can get lazy coming off the ball at times and when he plays upright it takes away any advantage he has with his large frame. But continuing to play and mature as a the season goes along may help lift Ivey up on teams’ draft boards.

Virginia Tech- Defensive Lineman, Antwaun Powell-Ryland, Jr

Antwaun Powell-Ryland dominated the line of scrimmage in Virginia Tech’s 37-17 victory over Old Dominion. The 6-foot-3 senior defensive lineman collected seven tackles, four sacks and forced two fumbles. 

Powell-Ryland is a rising prospect who has the ability to play all over the defensive line and drop back in coverage. He has a burst off the snap that keeps offensive lineman on their heels but at only 242 lbs., he needs to add mass and muscle to not be considered a “tweener” at the next level. The best projection for the senior at this time is a later round pick who could become a situational pass rusher.

Missouri- Wide Receiver, Luther Burden III

Draft Nation listed Burden as one of our players to watch for week three, and he did not disappoint against No. 24 Boston College. Burden hauled in six passes for 117 yards and a touchdown, and also teamed up with quarterback Brady Cook on two plays of over 30+ yards, something they struggled to do in the first two games.

Burden is a first round talent who reminds Draft Nation of Detroit Lion receiver Amon Ra St. Brown in his ability to separate and become a weapon after making a catch. As Missouri’s schedule starts to stiffen, all eyes will be on Burden to see how he performs against the more athletic cornerbacks. A big season for Burden could catapult him into the top-10 discussion.