7 NFL Draft Prospects to Watch for on Conference Championship Weekend
By Ian Anderson
Championship Weekend in college football is here and there are plenty of future NFL prospects to keep your eyes on while you sit back and enjoy the non-stop action.
With the end of the college football season approaching, this will be some of the last glimpses we get at some of the nation's top pro prospects. Here are seven you should keep your eyes on during Saturday's action.
7. Jake Fromm - Georgia Bulldogs
Junior quarterback Jake Fromm has had an up and down season, but there is no better way for him to boost his draft stock then to perform against a No. 2 ranked LSU team. With a limping D'Andre Swift and No. 1 wide receiver George Pickens suspended for the first half, Fromm is going to need to put the Bulldogs on his back. As a result of this game his stock will either soar or plummet, there really is no alternative.
6. Jonathan Taylor - Wisconsin Badgers
Taylor, the general consensus best running back in the draft, has a tough test ahead of him in the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes. The Big Ten leader in both rushing yards and touchdowns will face off against one of the best defenses in the nation and a strong performance on Saturday could see him shoot up to a mid-to-late first round pick.
5. CeeDee Lamb - Oklahoma Sooners
In what may be the deepest wide receiver draft class in recent memory, players like CeeDee Lamb especially stand out. Lamb is an athletic freak as well as being a very smooth and gifted route runner. If Lamb is able to light up a solid Baylor defense he could be worth a top-10 selection come April.
4. K'Lavon Chaisson - LSU Tigers
From one of the deepest positions in the draft to one of the thinnest. Pass rushers are always a premier and with there only being three high-quality pass rushers in OSU's Chase Young, Penn State's Yetur Gross-Matos, and Iowa's A.J. Epenesa, Chaisson could shoot up draft boards with a strong performance this Saturday. The 6-4 249-pound pass rusher is a menace off the edge and could cause Georgia QB Jake Fromm plenty of issues.
3. Bryce Hall - Virginia Cavaliers
Hall is given the tough task of defending one of the best receivers in the class tomorrow in Clemson's Tee Higgins, but if he is able to take Higgins out of the game he can seriously improve his draft stock. Even if Hall performs well tomorrow there is a good chance the Cavaliers get clobbered, so the scoreline alone will not be a good tell of how the corner performs.
2. Joe Burrow - LSU Tigers
Joe Burrow went from somewhat of an NFL afterthought to the talk of the town thanks to his incredible senior season at LSU. Burrow will look to cap off the year with an SEC championship victory over Georgia, before preparing for the CFP. The Bulldogs defense will be one of the tougher opponents Burrow has faced this year, but he's shown just how capable he is throughout the year, tossing 44 touchdowns to just six interceptions.
1. Chase Young - Ohio State Buckeyes
Chase Young may be the most NFL-ready player in college football right now. The Buckeyes DE has racked up a ridiculous 16.5 sacks despite being suspended for two games. Young has earned Heisman recognition for his play on defense, which is rare these days. With the Buckeyes up against Jonathan Taylor and the Badgers, Young will look to cement his place as a bonafide top-five pick while securing OSU's spot in the CFP.