2017 NFL Draft: Week 1 Prospect Stock Report
Stock Down: Offense
Joshua Dobbs (QB – Tennessee): In what was almost the first big upset of the season, Joshua Dobbs and the Tennessee Volunteers needed overtime to knock off Appalachian State. Tennessee may have saved their season, but Dobbs will have a hard time salvaging his 2017 NFL Draft stock after a performance like this one.
The dual-threat quarterback was a non-factor on the ground, losing four yards on nine carries. It was the first time in 25 career games in which he failed to rush for positive yards. Unfortunately for Dobbs, his passing wasn’t much better. His ball placement was off all game and he only completed one of his five passes thrown more than 15 yards downfield.
Appalachian State has a solid defense, but Dobbs will face much tougher tests this season in SEC play. If he has any hopes of hearing his name called at the 2017 NFL Draft, he’s going to have to play much better, both as a passer and as a runner.
JuJu Smith-Schuster (WR – USC): To say the Alabama secondary held JuJu Smith-Schuster in check would be an understatement. The junior, who is in contention to be the first receiver selected in the 2017 NFL Draft, was limited to just one catch for nine yards in the loss.
That catch came on a screen pass with five minutes left in the third quarter. It was statistically his worst performance since the first Pac-12 game of his career, in which he caught one pass for a loss of two yards against Stanford.
The biggest concern for Smith-Schuster is his overall speed and ability to separate from top cornerbacks. That concern was exacerbated during the Alabama game as he struggled to get open against either of the Crimson Tide corners. With Clemson’s Mike Williams returning to the field and Western Michigan’s Corey Davis continuing to play well, Smith-Schuster could see his stock slip as we get closer to the 2017 NFL Draft.
Zach Banner (OT – USC): Zach Banner has the size and pedigree to make it in the NFL. The 6-foot-9 right tackle is the son of former NFL player Lincoln Kennedy. However, when matched against the speed rushers of Alabama, Banner was overmatched.
Banner has struggled in pass protection his entire college career, but Alabama’s speed and flexibility around the edge exposed him on nearly every passing play. Tim Williams, Ryan Anderson and even the near 300-pound Jonathan Allen had no problem beating Banner and the rest of the USC offensive line around the edge on their way to the quarterback.
The Pac-12 doesn’t have elite pass rushers this season, so this is the game that NFL scouts will want to grade heavily. For Banner, that’s not good news as he struggled in pass protection and was flagged for a false start in the third quarter when the game was still relatively close.
Mitch Trubisky (QB – North Carolina): After patiently waiting his turn behind Marquise Williams, Mitch Trubisky finally made his long-awaited first start for the Tar Heels. Despite all of the hype, his performance was less than stellar.
While it wasn’t an awful debut as the starter, Trubisky missed an opportunity to generate more positive buzz by playing well against an SEC defense. Instead, he struggled to generate any momentum on offense, averaging less than four yards per pass attempt. This after he averaged nearly 12 yards per attempt last season as a backup.
While this wasn’t an ideal start to his junior season, Trubisky will have plenty of time to make up for this performance. North Carolina will face Illinois and James Madison before beginning ACC play.
Next: Stock Down: Defense