This section breaks down many college football games each week and highlights how 2021 NFL Draft Prospects have performed. Or look at the 2021 NFL Draft Stock page.
By Charlie Campbell.
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BYU 55, Navy 3
After making some nice passes to move the chains, Wilson had some bad luck when his receiver stumbled, which allowed a defender to pick off a pass that was a pretty well-thrown ball by Wilson. If the receiver hadn’t stumbled, it probably would have been a reception for a nice gain or an incompletion. Wilson came back to make a beautiful throw over the head of a couple of defenders to get a completion downfield for a gain of about 20 yards. From there, Wilson cruised, throwing a 15-yard touchdown on a check down to the flat. He followed that up with another easy touchdown on a screen pass.
Wilson completed 13-of-18 passes for 232 yards with two scores and the interception against Navy. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder had a solid debut, but the Midshipmen were not ready to play this game, as their coach had them do no live football contact during training camp, so they missed a ton of tackles on defense. Still, this performance was a solid tape that features Wilson throwing some good balls. This was a fine start to the season for Wilson.
Memphis 37, Arkansas State 24
In the second quarter, Coxie had a nice reception on a back-shoulder play. After scraping with a cornerback, Coxie pushed off in time, turning to find the ball with a well-located pass. He followed that up with a couple of other intermediate receptions to move the chains. In the third quarter, Coxie caught an eight-yard touchdown after getting wide open in busted coverage in the middle of the end zone. The safety bit on play-action, leaving Coxie alone without a defender close to him. That was probably the easiest touchdown Coxie will ever have.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Coxie has decent size and length to him, but he does not have a dominant trait. He isn’t awful, but Coxie does not look like he has the speed to separate from NFL defensive backs while not being overwhelmingly big or strong. Coxie could fall into the category and scouting term of “just a guy.” He looks like a late-round pick or undrafted free agent, but it is just the start of the season, so Coxie could rise if he dominates.
Early in the first quarter, Merrill had some ugly plays, including one where a guard stood him up, turned him to the side, and then pushed him into the turf with violence. In the second quarter, Merrill had some good plays in run defense where he held his ground and then got in on some tackles. Merrill recorded seven tackles against Memphis, but Merrill did not show pass-rush ability and did not put pressure on the quarterback. As a heavy nose tackle in a 3-4, he’s not expected to harass the quarterback all night or put up big sack totals, but NFL evaluators will like to see him get a push to take away the ability to step up in the pocket.
Looks can be deceiving when watching on a screen, but from this view. Merrill looks like he has a bad body for the NFL. He needs to improve his conditioning and turn some of his weight from fat to muscle. Merrill also looks short and lacking length at the point of attack. There are plays where he packs a punch off the snap and can rock back the center, but Merrill is not quick off the snap or in space. He lumbers and does not have the movement skills of early-round nose tackle prospects. Merrill looks like a late-round pick or undrafted free agent.
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