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

By Shawn Spencer

BATON ROUGE, LA - SEPTEMBER 09: Andraez Williams #29 of the LSU Tigers celebrates an interception with Ed Paris #21 during the first half of a game against the Chattanooga Mocs at Tiger Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LA - SEPTEMBER 09: Andraez Williams #29 of the LSU Tigers celebrates an interception with Ed Paris #21 during the first half of a game against the Chattanooga Mocs at Tiger Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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Jake Browning 2019 NFL Draft
SEATTLE, WA – OCTOBER 07: Quarterback Jake Browning #3 of the Washington Huskies looks downfield to pass against the California Golden Bears at Husky Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /

Jake Browning (QB) and Trey Adams (OT) Washington vs. Auburn

Now entering his fourth and final year as the starting quarterback of the Washington Huskies, Jake Browning has gone head-to-head with an SEC defense one time. That came at the end of the 2016 season when Washington matched up against Alabama in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.

The Crimson Tide dominated that contest, holding Browning to just 150 yards and picking him off twice. The quarterback hasn’t had a multi-interception game since, but that will be put to the test against another SEC opponent from the state of Alabama.

The Auburn secondary is led by junior cornerbacks Javaris Davis and Jamel Dean, although the defensive line is where the top prospects reside for the Tigers. In order for Washington to pull out the win, that defensive line must be contained.

When he has time to throw the football, Jake Browning is one of the top quarterbacks in the nation. According to Pro Football Focus, Browning’s quarterback rating from a clean pocket was 131.4 in 2016 and 117.5 in 2017. Not having the strongest arm has diminished his draft stock, but by how much has been greatly exaggerated.

As a result, Browning is the most underrated quarterback eligible for the 2019 NFL Draft.

Unfortunately for Browning and the Huskies, he wasn’t throwing from a clean pocket often last season. A lot of that stems from the loss of left tackle Trey Adams after the 6-foot-8, 320-pound behemoth was lost for the year in mid-October with a torn ACL in his right knee. Prior to the injury, Adams was on track to being a first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He’ll need to stay healthy in order to work his way back into that range and faces perhaps his toughest test of the year right off the bat.

Washington avoids USC and Arizona on the schedule this year, at least until a potential showdown in the Pac-12 title game, and are heavy favorites to run away with the Pac-12 North Division. A win against Auburn in Atlanta looks like the biggest hurdle in the Huskies quest to get back to the playoffs.

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