Week two of college football features some interesting 2023 NFL Draft matchups, one of which sits in a Pac 12 prime time matchup.
It’s always great seeing draft prospects that have been studied all summer get on the field for 13 weeks of college football. It’s even better when a matchup emerges between two potential studs in the draft. It might not reach as high as some matchups on the way this year, but the USC-Stanford tilt near the bay area Saturday night will feature a 2023 NFL Draft matchup worth watching.
A fan of wide receiver and defensive back play will enjoy watching USC’s Jordan Addison take on Stanford’s Kyu Blu Kelly.
Addison is the reigning Biletnikoff winner (best receiver in the country) after posting a ludicrous line of 100 catches, 1,593 yards, and 17 touchdowns with Kenny Pickett throwing him the football. The 6’0″, 175-pound receiver is already off to a strong start in 2022, catching five passes for 54 yards and two scores in USC’s week one win over Rice.
Kelly is a senior in 2022 and had a breakout junior campaign with the Cardinal, picking off two passes and finishing with 11 passes defensed. He also had a forced fumble and fumble recovery.
So why is the matchup significant? Well, of Addison’s snaps in the 2021 season, 68 percent of those came from the slot, in which he rarely saw any press coverage.
Still, he was able to recognize what depth he needed to get and to pick his spots to succeed versus zone coverage, and would often stem at defenders to not tip his hand, and often move them to create some open space. His skills at the catch point were impressive for a player of his size, and he stayed elusive with strong field vision after the catch. With Caleb Williams as his quarterback in 2022, his 2021 numbers could be replicated.
If he ventures out of the slot at all, he’ll deal with a tall, longer corner in Kelly. Kelly’s long arms allow for success to sit in press coverage, and he had a lot of reps in press last season. He didn’t often use the quick jam to disrupt timing, either using bail technique to turn and side-saddle or get into his pedal. Kelly has impressive change of direction skills, whether it be flipping his hips to carry vertical or transitioning to work back downhill. He’s a force at the catch point as his 11 PBUs in 2021 show.
Kelly hasn’t just sat on one side of the field either, and he has ventured into the slot on occasion. There’s a strong chance that we’ll see (at least) a handful of reps between Addison and Kelly. Can Addison handle press? Can Kelly keep up with extremely quick and efficiency at receiver? Are both up to the challenge as a chance to elevate their 2023 NFL Draft stock? We will wait and see.