2023 NFL Draft: College Football Recap, Week 6

Some of the hype of Week 6 of the college football season was taken away quickly when Kansas star quarterback Jalon Daniels went down with injury in the first half. Nineteenth-ranked Kansas still played TCU tough despite the loss, dropping the game 38-31 in which the skill talent for the Horned Frogs overwhelmed the Jayhawks all day long. UCLA continued their offensive dominance behind the play of star quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. They knocked off previously No. 11-ranked Utah 42-32. There were plenty of eye-popping individual performances to make note of from this past week’s slate of games.

CB Clark Phillips III (Utah) is a human highlight

Phillips is on a mission to prove that he’s the best cornerback in the nation despite all of the size limitations that are stacked against him. For the second week in a row, Phillips took an interception back for six on a play where he was playing the sticks in match coverage on a fourth-down play. The game was almost entirely in hand for UCLA as time was winding down, but he made a play regardless of the fact that quarterback Thompson-Robinson should have never released the pass. Phillips has the most interceptions in the nation through six weeks, and also has the best PFF coverage grade (92.0) in the entire country. Phillips is answering the questions many had about him entering the 2022 season and putting his stamp on the game. He’s among the hottest risers in the country right now.

The 2022 version of WR Quentin Johnston (TCU) has finally arrived

TCU receiver Quentin Johnston was one of the most-hyped wide receiver prospects entering the 2022 season. He had been kept relatively quiet through five weeks of the 2022 season, but a monstrous performance Saturday has put him back on the radar for the 2023 NFL Draft. Johnston was making it happen in waves for the Frogs on Saturday, to the tune of 206 yards on 14 receptions. He has a rare mix of size (6’4”, 215 pounds) and athleticism that has left those associated with the scouting process wondering what he could become. A disappointing start had soured that hope, but a huge performance in an important game could once again get Johnston into the conversation. He will have to stack more weeks of production after having just over 100 yards through four games prior to the breakout.

WR Jonathan Mingo (Ole Miss) shows off on way to record setting day

It’s been a tough cycle for the 2023 group of wide receivers. Naturally, scouts will want to look in other directions for players to step up and perform. Players like Johnston and SMU receiver Rashee Rice have shown up in recent weeks as possibilities. But another receiver is proving himself to scouts around the nation: Jonathan Mingo of Ole Miss. A potential breakout 2021 season was smothered after a strong start when he suffered an injury that kept him out for two months. Now healthy, Mingo is turning it on in a big way in 2022. His nine receptions for 247 yards against Vanderbilt set an Ole Miss record for most receiving yards in a game. If you do some reflecting, you might recall the Rebels had wideouts DK Metcalf and A.J. Brown on the field for them not so long ago. Those guys are carving out careers as elite receivers in the NFL. Mingo isn’t the same caliber of prospect as either of them at this point, but he possesses a very similar body type and athletic profile of Brown at 6’2” and 225 pounds. He ran away from Vanderbilt defenders all afternoon. A team that desires to utilize Mingo in the ways that Philadelphia Eagles star Brown wins could have success.