24 Sep College Football Week 4 IDP Players To Watch
Welcome back for a look at my 2021 College Football Week 4 IDP Players To Watch! In this weekly series, I’ll be taking a look at 2022 NFL Draft Eligible Prospects on the defensive side of the ball! I’ll dive into five players to watch each week, recap the previous week, and what I’m hoping to see going forward.
Look at this series as a mini scouting session in preparation for the 2022 NFL Draft!
College Football Week 4 IDP Players To Watch
Kyle Hamilton, Safety – Notre Dame vs Wisconsin
This will be a game I’ll be watching closely as a Badger fan. Kyle Hamilton is one of the top defensive prospects in the ’22 class and he’s really showing it in 2021.
I had my concerns from his 2020 film, but he really seems to have polished his game. AND he’s racking up the stats this year too, which you love to see. He should be the consensus #1 Safety, and I don’t think there’s too much debate to be had.
Christian Harris, LB – Alabama vs Southern Miss
Harris is projected to be one of the first Linebackers drafted in 2022, and rightfully so. His build and play style reminds me of Devin White. And while that’s pretty high praise, I think it’s somewhat realistic.
He’s not without flaws, but his tackling and hard-hitting ability are something else. On top of all that, his blitzing ability is next level.
He and Devin Lloyd will be duking it out for LB1 for me.
Nakobe Dean, LB – Georgia vs Vanderbilt
Dean’s first game of the season was a mixed bag for me. While he put up 2 sacks and 2 tackles for loss, he only managed 5 total tackles. As an off-ball linebacker, it’s unrealistic to expect him to get these kinds of numbers on a weekly basis. You’d really like to see more tackles.
However, when I checked his film, that was the most concerning thing. Being a smaller LB could be the reason, listed at 225 lbs and 6’0″ tall. However, it’s no excuse. At the end of the day, you’re judged by the results, not by your excuses. You’ll see on the very first play he has the running back dead to rights in the backfield for a sure loss. But instead, he makes a huge whiff and the running back goes on to pick up several yards. He seemed to shine on stunted blitzes and twist plays, and was solid in coverage.
He profiles as more of a secondary LB in the NFL for me. He’s not going to be the guy you throw in the box to tackle Derrick Henry, but he’ll be a guy you can probably rely on in coverage.
Xavier Henderson, Safety – Michigan State vs Nebraska
After watching some inconsistent tacklers, I got to watch the best tackling film so far of the day. My favorite was his ability to wrap up players in the open field. He was never fooled by any jukes or cuts. He stood his ground and made the play. On top of that, he was solid in coverage. He blanketed the tight end when he drew him in man coverage. He’s not covering Kyle Pitts, but he’s regularly shutting them down and making them an unavailable target for the quarterback.
I think Henderson can be a great safety in this league. His size and tackling ability mixed with his coverage skills leave him flexibility between free and strong safety in the NFL. It just comes down to if he gets the draft capital.
Arnold Ebiketie, DE – Penn State vs Villanova
Ebiketie is a transfer from Temple who managed elite production prior to his transfer. It seems that same level of production followed him to Penn State. In a matchup against my Badgers, he was a devastating force, racking up 7 solo tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 sack.
One of my favorite metrics to scout for in IDPs at both the college and NFL levels is solo tackles compared to assisted tackles. So to see him rock out with 100% solo tackles was pretty cool.
You’ll see in his film, that right away he makes a strong tackle for loss on the Wisconsin ball carrier. A few plays later you see him get a great jump and rip past the Wisconsin tackle for a sack. He wasn’t facing an elite opponent, but man did he dominate.
For a negative I’ll say it seemed that he was a bit, how do I say, loose at times? He just seemed all speed and little control. But I’d much rather see that than a player who gives up on plays if they don’t go his way. He just needs a little polish and finesse, and I think he could reach some truly amazing heights.
In Conclusion
I’m looking forward to seeing how these guys stack up in Week 4 and if they can improve on what they’ve started, or if they fall off some. Thanks for reading I do hope you enjoyed it, if you want to discuss these players or want to put a player in the hat to be evaluated next week you can find me @BobVan_IDP on Twitter.
Y’all have a great one, and don’t forget to check out the CFB Advanced Stats IDP Leaderboard. It is game changing for anyone looking for College Defensive Stats. Click the pic below to get started.
A seasoned IDP Specialist, Bob brings his vast experience and knowledge of the NFL to Expand The Boxscore, where he will be examining the College game. Check out Bob’s weekly CFB IDP breakdowns for the jump on the next wave, or for those of you who play IDP for CFB as well.