NFL Draft: 5 college football prospects to watch in Week 1

NFL Draft followers get their first look at some big prospects this weekend

The college football season technically started this past Saturday, however, this weekend is being billed as week one and the official kickoff to the 2018 season. As is the case every year during opening weekend, and every non-conference game for that matter, schools take very different approaches.

Some programs put themselves to the test right away. Matchups between ranked opponents such as Washington vs. Auburn, Michigan at Notre Dame and Miami vs. LSU create intrigue early in the season before conference play gets underway.

Others such as TCU, Clemson and Georgia schedule FCS opponents in order to gain confidence and avoid an early pitfall.

Regardless of the odds, there are always upsets even when taking this seemingly safe approach. Of course, Appalachian State beating Michigan in the 2007 opener comes to mind. The Mountaineers are now an FBS school, however, it would take an upset of similar proportions to upset the defending Fiesta Bowl champion Penn State Nittany Lions in this year’s opener.

The players have no say when it comes to scheduling, however, there are plenty of great individual matchups in week one, regardless of the overall strength of the opponent. Scouts will be paying close attention to these battles featuring prospects eligible for the 2019 NFL Draft.

Whether it’s a small-school athlete looking to make a name for himself against a major program, or someone looking to bounce back from an off-year, these are the prospects to keep an eye on in week one of the college football season.