9/29/11 8 PM ET

South Florida at Pittsburgh

DE Brandon Lindsey (Pittsburgh) #7

One of the nation’s best pass rushers a year ago, Lindsey had 10 sacks and now is the guy at Pittsburgh with Jabaal Sheard gone. He’s only listed at 6-2 250, which means his primary position right now is going to be 3-4 rush linebacker, but if he can bulk up, he could be a fit for the 4-3. He has 3 sacks this season.

G Lucas Nix (Pittsburgh) #52

A right tackle and a right guard at Pittsburgh, Nix projects as a guard at the next level. He seems to have settled into that position at the college level as well. He’s not much of a pass protector, but he’s paved the way for some pretty impressive Pittsburgh rushing attacks over the years and could sneak into day 2 with a strong year. He’s got nice size at 6-6 310.

9/30/11 8 PM ET

Utah State at BYU

S Travis Uale (BYU) #23

Uale is a 6-2 200 safety and one of the few seniors on BYU’s defense. He had 42 tackles last season and already has 18 tackles and a pick in 4 games. If he keeps this up, he could get drafted.

MLB Bobby Wagner (Utah State) #9

The 2011 preseason WAC defensive player of the year, Wagner has 246 tackles in his last 2 seasons. He’s a bit undersized at 6-1 230, but projects as a nice depth linebacker and special teamer at the next level. He’ll have a chance to prove he can be more than that. He started the season well with 10 tackles and a sack against Auburn. He’s now at 38 tackles through 3 games.

 

10/1/11 12 PM ET

Northwestern at Illinois

QB Dan Persa (Northwestern) #7

Persa took over for Mike Kafka in the 2010 season after Kafka got drafted by the Eagles in the 4^th round of the 2010 draft. He did his best Kafka impersonation, game managing Northwestern to a surprising 7-3 record in 10 games before missing their last 3 games with an injury, all 3 of which they lost. He’s small at 6-1 210 and doesn’t have the biggest arm, but he completed 73.5% of his passes last season for an average of 8.5 yards per attempt, and 15 touchdowns to just 4 picks. He has missed their first 3 games of this season, but will return for their 4^th game here against Illinois. He’s a late round pick who could move up with a strong season.

DE Vince Browne (Northwestern) #94

The big physical Vince Browne had 16 sacks in his first 3 seasons for Northwestern and he provides great play against the run at 6-5 265. He’s got an excellent motor and plays better than the stat sheet would say, but he only has 1 sack this season in 3 games and he needs to get it going. He looks like a mid to late round prospect currently as a left end.

10/1/11 3:30 PM ET

Michigan State at Ohio State

QB Kirk Cousins (Michigan State) #8

Kirk Cousins came into 2011 as a 2^nd round prospect with the upside to move up into the 1^st round. However, he’s probably closer to the 3^rd round or later now than he is to the 1^st round. He’s a 3 year starter and put up nice numbers in 2009 and 2010, while leading the Michigan State Spartans to more wins than they were projected to win. However, he’s disappointed a bit as a senior. He’s completed 69.2% of his passes for an average of 8.1 per attempt and 5 touchdowns to 2 interceptions, but the reports on him haven’t been that great, especially in their loss to Notre Dame. He’s got a big arm, but can he put it all together?

DT Jerel Worthy (Michigan State) #99

After back to back seasons of 4 sacks, the 6-2 300 pound Worthy looks poised to be a first rounder in 2012, taking advantage of a weak defensive tackle class. He’s said to have more of any impact than the stat sheet will show and I’ll definitely be watching for that here to see if he’s worthy (pun intended) of being the top defensive tackle in this class. So far he has 1 sack and 2.5 tackles for loss in 4 games.

10/1/11 8 PM ET

Alabama at Florida

RB Trent Richardson (Alabama) #3

Trent Richardson had 700 yards and 8 scores on 112 carries as Mark Ingram’s backup in 2010 and showed his abilities with 100+ yards against Penn State with Mark Ingram out. He’s now the lead back and already has 441 yards and 8 scores on 67 carries so far. He also has 9 catches after 23 last year. He’s got better measurables than Mark Ingram, 5-11 225 and a 4.4 40, but looks to be the full package at running back. He should be the first back off the board.

CB Dre Kirkpatrick (Alabama) #21

A heavily recruited player, Kirkpatrick didn’t disappoint in his first year as a starter in 2010. He’s played better in 2011 and has solidified himself as the top cornerback in this draft class. He’s a big physical 6-3 200 player with low 4.4 high 4.3 speed. He could go as high as higher than Patrick Peterson did last year, depending on need.