Who are the top 2023 NFL Draft prospects to watch in Week 11 of the college football season? Here’s an in-depth look, with Power Five and Group of Five games alike generating ample interest.
NFL Draft Prospects To Watch in Week 11
Kansas State G Cooper Beebe vs. Baylor DTs Siaki Ika, Gabe Hall
The Baylor defensive line has an abundance of high-level 2023 NFL Draft talent. Both Siaki Ika and Gabe Hall were Day 2 picks in our latest three-round 2023 NFL Mock Draft. Ika recently accepted an invite to the Reese’s Senior Bowl, while Hall stands to impress in the offseason with his natural traits.
Ika is a massive nose tackle at 6’4″, 350 pounds, with the strength to absorb double teams and the explosive athleticism to make an impact as a pass rusher. And Hall, with his own length, explosiveness, and prying strength, can function as a wrecking ball for blocking schemes.
All this is to say, Cooper Beebe will be under pressure this week — but it’s also a chance for Beebe to earn the recognition he deserves as a guard prospect. PFN ranks Beebe as one of the best guard prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft. At 6’4″, 322 pounds, he’s wide and powerful, but also a smart, high IQ blocker with good hands and enough athleticism to work in space.
Washington WR Rome Odunze vs. Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez
When scouring the Week 11 slate for matchups between young, ascending talents, few battles stand out more than Rome Odunze vs. Christian Gonzalez in the Pac-12.
Gonzalez is an elite athlete at 6’2″, 200 pounds, with high-end speed, explosiveness, and fluidity. But on top of those tools, he’s also shown exceptional processing, zone awareness, and ball skills on his way to amassing three interceptions and seven pass deflections.
Odunze is a great test for Gonzalez. He’s a size threat at 6’3″, 201 pounds, but he also has the smooth athleticism and efficient route running to pose a threat to Gonzalez’s sticky mobility. This is the kind of matchup that can create additional momentum for the winner.
Oregon QB Bo Nix vs. Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.
It’s been a season of increments for Bo Nix, who first struggled mightily against a dominating Georgia defense in Week 1. After that game, however, he started to find his groove. And now, he’s the nation’s touchdown leader, a Heisman candidate, and a rising 2023 NFL Draft prospect.
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Stellar games against Colorado, California, and ranked UCLA in recent weeks have compounded Nix’s momentum, but this week will be a tough match. He now plays Washington — a team with talent on defense and a high-octane offense that will put pressure on Nix to keep producing.
Both Nix and Michael Penix Jr. have appeal as upperclassmen prospects. Nix has more upside with his athleticism, arm talent, and off-script ability. But Penix has had his moments this year. His arm talent is evident as well, and he’s shown he can hit tight windows with impressive ball placement.
Minnesota C John Michael Schmitz vs. Northwestern DL Adetomiwa Adebawore
Last week, in Northwestern’s gritty loss against Ohio State, defensive lineman Adetomiwa Adebawore stood out as a consistently disruptive threat on the front. The 6’2″, 280-pounder wrought havoc in run defense and generated pressure on the rush from a multitude of different alignments.
Adebawore is a Feldman Freak, with a documented 37.5″ vertial, 10’5″ broad jump, and a 6.9 three-cone at his size. That freakish athleticism shows up often on tape. It’s what allows Adebawore to be a mismatch on the interior, as well as a threat around the apex.
Along with his athleticism, Adebawore brings a hot motor and excellent proportional length, which he can leverage into power on the attack. His skills on the interior will be put to the test this week as he plays one of the best centers in football in John Michael Schmitz — an athletic, powerful mauler with the strength and leverage to lock down smaller linemen.
Florida G O’Cyrus Torrence vs. South Carolina DT Zacch Pickens
Often regarded as one of the top offensive guards in the 2023 NFL Draft, O’Cyrus Torrence will once again face a tough SEC opponent in Week 11. No one at this stage will match the impact Jalen Carter had against Florida a couple of weeks ago, but Zacch Pickens poses a threat in his own right.
At 6’3″, 305 pounds, Pickens is a similarly dense and well-leveraged player. While he doesn’t quite have the elite burst and power combination that Carter has, Pickens does get off the line quickly, and he has solid proportional length.
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The more imposing trait with Pickens is his upper-body strength. He can break anchors and combat extensions with forceful hands, and his athleticism makes him all the more difficult to control.
For Torrence, who has at times struggled with lateral mobility and torso protection in 2022, Pickens will present a challenge. But Torrence’s strength can be overwhelming even for a player like Pickens, making proper execution vital.
Arkansas WR Jadon Haselwood vs. LSU CB Mekhi Garner
WR-CB battles are always fun to watch. There’s a lot of nuance that goes into the equation, especially when the athletic profiles are similar. But it’s especially exciting to see two uber-physical players go at it. That’s what you’re getting with this matchup.
Both Jadon Haselwood and Mekhi Garner thrive with their size and how they use that size to outmuscle opponents. Haselwood is a wiry 6’3″, 213 pounds, while Garner has a strong frame at 6’2″, 212.
Garner has, at times, struggled with hand technique and being too grabby this season, and Haselwood’s physicality could draw that problem out. But while Haselwood has the lateral freedom and flexibility to offset Garner, Garner’s linear athleticism is good enough to close gaps, where he can then contend at the catch point with his proactive playmaking ability.
Wake Forest WR A.T. Perry vs. North Carolina CB Tony Grimes
A.T. Perry’s stock is riding high after a showing against NC State that saw him catch 12 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown. That’s momentum Perry will look to build on in Week 11, in a likely shootout against North Carolina. But this time, he’ll face more resistance.
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It’s difficult to match up with Perry’s athleticism and spidery 6’5″ frame one-on-one. Few cornerbacks can do it, and Tony Grimes won’t be able to beat him on size alone. But at 6’1″, 195 pounds, Grimes has enough length to work with, and his brand of coverage athleticism, combined with his ball skills, should make Perry uncomfortable at times.
Grimes is an elite athlete with a five-star pedigree, and it shows up on tape. He’s incredibly natural playing low in his stance and sinking his hips, and he has the high-end corrective twitch to match receivers off releases and at stems. And in contested situations, he has the smooth coordination and body control to obstruct passes.
Penn State OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu vs. Maryland EDGE Durell Nchami
Assuming Olumuyiwa Fashanu returns from injury this week, he’ll suit up for Penn State against Maryland in the latter stages of Big Ten play.
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At this point, we’ve seen all we need to see from Fashanu. He’s a top-ten prospect and an OT1 candidate. This matchup is more about Maryland’s Durell Nchami — a well-put-together prospect who’s flashed pass-rushing upside at times in his career.
Nchami has six sacks and 10 TFLs over the past two seasons. At 6’4″, 255 pounds, he’s a dense, well-sized athlete. He’s not the most explosive off the snap, but his ankle flexion for his size allows him to corner at incredibly tight angles, and he has the hand strength to capitalize as well. That said, how will he fare against Fashanu’s top-end traits?
UTSA WRs Zakhari Franklin, Joshua Cephus vs. Louisiana Tech CB Myles Brooks
This season, UTSA wide receivers Joshua Cephus and Zakhari Franklin have a combined 128 catches for 1,510 yards and 13 touchdowns. Few cornerbacks have been able to stop them, but they face an ascending talent in Louisiana Tech CB Myles Brooks this week.
Brooks, at 6’2″, 198 pounds, has the size and length to match up against Cephus. But he also has the speed and athleticism to stick with Franklin, and he offers incredibly smooth vertical ability and ball skills when tested by quarterbacks.
Brooks has been a steady riser through the 2022 season, and PFN’s own Tony Pauline has reported that Brooks could be a Top-75 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He’s already proven plenty with three picks and seven deflections this year, but this matchup is another big “Stock Up” opportunity.
Texas State DL Nelson Mbanasor vs. South Alabama G Dontae Lucas
There are more than a few small-school matchups to keep tabs on in Week 11. But one particularly intriguing — and under-the-radar — clash takes place in the Sun Belt, where Texas State takes on South Alabama.
In this game, the matchup to watch is Bobcats defensive lineman Nelson Mbanasor against Cougars guard Dontae Lucas. Mbanasor plays on the edge and on the interior at times, so he won’t meet Lucas on every snap. But the clash of traits in this battle warrants the use of a watchful eye.
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Mbanasor — a Texas Tech transfer — is an energetic 6’3″, 275-pound athlete with burst, twitch, and ankle flexion, to go along with visible power capacity. He’s been stellar this year, with five sacks and eight TFLs. With his athleticism, he can rush the edge or stunt inside, but Lucas is a formidable foe in the latter situation.
Lucas himself is a former four-star recruit who initially played at Florida State. At 6’4″, 322 pounds, he has great size and length. But he’s also a fleet-footed athlete with a short-area burst and the torque generation to blast defenders off-balance. He can still clean up his technique, but the tools are absolutely there.
Other NFL Draft Prospects To Watch in Week 10
- Syracuse OT Matthew Bergeron vs. Florida State EDGE Jared Verse
- Texas RB Bijan Robinson, WR Jordan Whittington vs. TCU DB Mark Perry
- Oregon OT Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu vs. Washington EDGE Bralen Trice
- TCU OL Steve Avila vs. Texas DT Moro Ojomo
- Missouri OT Javon Foster vs. Tennessee EDGE Byron Young
- Purdue WR Charlie Jones vs. Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon
- Pittsburgh RB Israel Abanikanda vs. Virginia LB Nick Jackson
- UConn OT Chase Lundt vs. Liberty EDGE Durrell Johnson
- James Madison DL Isaac Ukwu vs. Old Dominion OL Nick Saldiveri
- Howard OT Anim Dankwah vs. South Carolina State EDGE Jeblonski Green
