2018 NFL Draft: Week 5 Prospect Stock Report

Stock Up: Defense

Hercules Mata’afa (DL – Washington State): Washington State’s Hercules Mata’afa has improved his 2018 NFL Draft stock seemingly every week this season and continued to do so in an upset win over USC in week five.

Mata’afa has been a force in the interior this season, leading the nation with 19 total quarterback pressures from the interior per Pro Football Focus. What makes that stat even more impressive is the fact that he’s only 252 pounds. That also presents a problem when evaluating Mata’afa as he’ll need to change positions at the next level.

Mata’afa is a redshirt junior, so he may graduate in time to be eligible for the Senior Bowl this season. If not, we’ll have to wait until the Scouting Combine to see how he performs in edge drills. Regardless, he’s one of the most disruptive defenders in the nation and the NFL will find a spot for him to succeed.

Kenny Young (ILB – UCLA): The talk heading into the matchup between UCLA and Colorado was primarily focused on how Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen would fare against the Buffaloes defense. However, it was a UCLA defender who stole the show and helped lead his school to victory.

Senior inside linebacker Kenny Young has struggled this season, failing to wrap up on tackles while also missing time due to injury. He turned things around against Colorado, finishing with a game-high 12 tackles. Young was flying all over the field, including sniffing out a fake field goal late in the first half which caused the intended receiver, albeit the kicker, to drop the pass.

Young has had solid instincts since arriving at UCLA, putting himself in position to make a play. He has struggled to finish plays this season, but that wasn’t an issue in week five. Now healthy, Young should be a riser on 2018 NFL Draft boards as the season wears on.

Tegray Scales (ILB – Indiana): The top prospects in the game between Indiana and Penn State were on the offensive side of the ball, but two defenders played exceptionally well. Penn State’s Jason Cabinda was the defensive star for the Nittany Lions, but it was Indiana’s Tegray Scales who helped his 2018 NFL Draft stock the most.

Scales finished the game with 11 tackles and three sacks. All three sacks occurred with the Hoosiers down by three scores, which is credit to his mental toughness and never give up style of play.

Scales led the nation last season with 23.5 tackles for a loss and accumulated an impressive 126 total tackles. Playing for the Hoosiers, he won’t be receiving national attention during the season, but his non-stop motor is something NFL teams will value on day three of the 2018 NFL Draft.