Future Hogs – Week 12: A look at college football players who could help the Washington Commanders

The slate of games in Week 12 of college football did not disappoint. Another undefeated team suffered its first loss of the season. Kansas did not allow BYU to do much offensively and it led to the Cougars falling from the ranks of the unbeaten. They weren’t the only unbeaten team that struggled. Oregon needed a late score to squeak past Wisconsin and remain atop the College Football Playoff rankings. The other top three teams – Ohio State, Texas, and Penn State, also won their matchups more easily. Georgia rebounded from their loss to Ole Miss by shutting out Tennessee in the second half to win the game. Lastly, SMU beat Boston College and remains atop the ACC, but just outside the top 12 for the College Football Playoff.

In Week 13, the marquee matchup will feature two teams ranked in the top five. Ohio State will take on undefeated Indiana. Oregon will play familiar foe Washington in their first game as members of the Big Ten. Texas will play Kentucky and Penn State will face Minnesota. Notre Dame, which finds itself in the College Football Playoff bracket, will take on an Army team that has yet to lose this season. BYU will look to bounce back against an Arizona State team that is on their heels in the Big 12, while Colorado will play Kansas.

Below are just a few players who had a good week and might be able to improve the Commanders’ roster. Let me know what you think of these prospects and feel free to post players that stood out to you.

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C.J. Ogbonna, QB, Senior, Buffalo

C.J. Ogbonna led the Buffalo Bulls to a exciting overtime win over Ball State. He’s a dual-threat QB that’s 6’2”, 220 lbs, fitting the mold of what a lot of NFL teams are looking for at the position. The arm is good enough to make passes downfield and he’s shown the ability to fit balls into tight windows. Like a lot of young quarterbacks, he needs to improve his consistency and decision making. Although Ogbonna threw two picks in this game, he accounted for five total touchdowns – three through the air and two on the ground. He finished the game going 19 of 37 for 264 yards and rushing for 55 yards on seven attempts.

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Tre Stewart, RB, Senior, Jacksonville State

The Jacksonville State Gamecocks are on a seven-game win streak and it seems to correspond directly to making Tre Stewart a featured part of their offense. During that streak, Stewart has had six straight games over 100 yards including a 232 yard effort against Liberty. He is a smaller back at 5’10”, 192 lbs, but that helps to navigate small openings in the line of scrimmage. Once he’s in the open field, he has the speed to take it the distance. Although he is smaller, Stewart runs upright which limits his powers. He might be best in a zone-heavy system that allows him to make one cut and shoot upfield. In a win over FIU, Stewart had 136 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries.

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Pat Bryant, WR, Senior, Illinois

Pat Bryant didn’t need many touches to do damage against Michigan State. The 6’3”, 200 lb wideout only caught four passes, but displayed a lot of his abilities on those plays. He showed off his speed to beat the Spartan secondary deep and track the ball downfield. He also wasn’t afraid to go over the middle of the field and make catches away from his body, using his long frame, and snatching a high pass out of the air. He finished the day with 135 yards and a touchdown.

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Oscar Delp, TE, Junior, Georgia

How does Georgia keep finding these athletic tight ends? Oscar Delp, Benjamin Yurosek, and Lawson Luckie all made plays to help the Bulldogs take down the Volunteers. Delp had arguably his best game of the season. His speed streaking down the seam at 6’5”, 245 lbs was difficult for Tennessee to handle. Delp doesn’t only do work in the pass game. He ranks well as a run blocker according to PFF. Delp had four catches for 56 yards and two trips to the endzone as Georgia topped Tennesee.

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Charles Grant, OT, Senior, William & Mary

A small school darling of the NFL Draft community usually emerges during the season and subsequent draft process. Charles Grant looks to be that player this year. The Tribe’s left tackle is getting buzz among people who cover the draft, but we’ll see how NFL talent evaluators feel about him after the season. He’s got good size at 6’4” but is a bit light at only 300 lbs. That size allows him to move easily along the line and in space. He loves to finish blocks to the point that he’ll have to dial it back some to avoid penalties. Some think he might be best at guard, but he’ll have to get bigger and stronger to excel there.

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Mike Green, DE, Redshirt Sophomore, Marshall

Only a redshirt sophomore, Mike Green may return for another year of school. But, with the way he’s produced this season, he should give strong consideration to entering the draft. He leads college football with 15 sacks and has looked just as good against Ohio State as he has against teams in the Sunbelt. He is incredibly quick with excellent closing speed after beating his blocker. He can convert that speed to power and walk a tackle back into the QB. He is long and lean at 6’4”, 248 lbs, but he holds up well against the run. Green terrorized Coastal Carolina to the tune of eight tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a recovery.

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Power Echols, LB, Senior, UNC

First, what a great football name. Second, Power Echols has been very productive for the Tar Heels with more than 100 tackles each of the past two seasons. He is a disciplined player who is patient and trusts what he sees, closing quickly to the ball. In coverage, he’s had an interception in each season. Often, he drops into zone and follows the eyes of the QB. Echols isn’t a sideline-to-sideline type of athlete and his lack of length at only 6’, 225 lbs shows up when tackling. He still put up great numbers against Wake Forest with eight total tackles and a pick-six.

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Domani Jackson, CB, Junior, Alabama

It’s been a bit of a down season according to Alabama standards, but The Crimson Tide rolled over Mercer this past weekend. Domani Jackson was one of the impact players in that game. The 6’1”, 201 lb transfer from USC didn’t fill up the stat sheet, but he had a tackle for a loss and forced a fumble. What was evident on his forced fumble was his speed as he closed on the running back from the backside of the play. Jackson is fast and he uses that speed to break on passes. He needs to improve his technique in coverage as he appears to be relying primarily on his athleticism.

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Jonas Sanker, S, Senior, UVA

UVA went down to Notre Dame, but Jonas Sanker did his best to help the Cavaliers get the win. He has good size for a safety, 6’1”, 210 lbs, and has a lot of versatility. Not only does Sanker do a good job of coming downhill to play the run, but he can drop into deep coverage. I’m not sure if he has the speed to be a true single-high safety, but he can make an impact all over the field. That includes on special teams where he has a blocked kick on his resume. Against Notre Dame, Sanker recorded 13 total tackles, two tackles for a loss, a sack, and a fumble recovery.

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