On conference championship weekend, we saw a plethora of top 2021 NFL Draft prospects in action and most of them lived up to their early first-round hype. In the SEC title game, three of the top Heisman candidates were on the field, and Mac Jones, Kyle Trask, and Devonta Smith all looked worthy of the award at different points of the entertaining contest.
Trevor Lawrence had no problems against Notre Dame. The same can't be said about Justin Fields in a gritty battle against a perennially overachieving Northwestern club. He didn't look comfortable and finished with his worst statistical output of the season. Let's check in on the draft stocks of those marquee prospects who played over the weekend.
Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State: Stock Down
Fields will get an opportunity to bounce back in the College Football Playoff after a disappointing outing against Northwestern in the Big 10 title game. He finished 12 of 27 for 114 yards with no touchdowns and two picks. One interception may have been a miscommunication between Fields and his receiver. The second was a phenomenal one-handed grab by the Wildcat cornerback, but the ball was underthrown into the end zone.
While Fields showcased his athleticism on a variety of scrambles in the 22-10 win, without Chris Olave, he struggled getting through his reads and subtly moving away from pressure inside the pocket. Those are red flags because he's likely not going to have such a skill-position advantage early on in his NFL career.
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson: Stock Up
It wasn't the best start for Lawrence in the ACC title game, as he was picked on a tipped pass through traffic later in the first quarter. But Lawrence reconciled the force over the middle with a masterful strike to Amari Rogers before the quarter ended. He looked right then unloaded a rocket down the field down the left hash for six.
Excellent pocket movement was demonstrated on his second touchdown, as Lawrence found a wide-open receiver after aggressively advancing forward as the pocket collapsed at its edges. There was a ridiculous back-shoulder throw on 3rd and 9 in the third quarter that couldn't have been placed better and featured a catch-of-the-year candidate from E.J. Williams. The dagger came on a fake pitch late in the third quarter when Lawrence kept it himself and exploded through the line for a long touchdown run. He's an awesome athlete too. He was 25 of 36 for 332 yards with two scores and one interception on the evening.
After the early hiccup, Lawrence was in complete control in the convincing win over Notre Dame.
Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson: Stock Up
Etienne didn't have a high-volume day against the Irish but took 10 rushes for 124 yards with a score on the ground. His touchdown was a back-breaker right before the end of the half in a 4th and short situation.
He slid through two Notre Dame tackle attempts then hit the light-speed button and was gone. Even in a game in which he doesn't receive a huge workload, Etienne can make a large impact because of his explosiveness, the wherewithal to power through tackles, and elite long speed.
Mac Jones, QB, Alabama: Stock Up
Jones essentially did whatever he wanted against the Florida secondary in the SEC title game victory. He finished 33 of 43 for 418 yards with five touchdowns and one pick. As for that interception, it came early, on an in-breaking route that needed to be out in front of his target but was slightly behind, thereby giving a Gators defender a chance to make a play, and he did. And fortunately for Jones, the interception didn't hurt Alabama thanks to a devastating hit by wideout John Metchie on the return that jarred the ball loose and the Crimson Tide recovered.
After that ball placement hiccup, Jones was lights out. Whether it was stepping into the pocket and firing over the middle, checking it down to Harris in the flat or letting it go deep, the Heisman candidate was on target.
Kyle Trask, QB, Florida: Stock Up
Considering the opponent, Trask had his best game of the season against Alabama. He went 26 of 40 for 408 yards with three touchdowns and no picks. His downfield touch was impeccable, as evidenced by the long touchdown down the left sideline to Kadarius Toney early in the game.
His best throw of the evening came late in the second quarter with the score 28-10 from deep in his own end. Trask stood in the pocket and fired a laser to Toney from the 20 to the Alabama 45 between two defenders. He ripped a strike to Toney a few plays later before scoring himself on a keeper to cut the lead to 11.
Trask threw with more velocity than I've ever noticed and did not fold up shop when the Gators continually fell behind by multiple scores, often delivering strikes down the field, like the long touchdown to Trevon Grimes with future first-round pick Patrick Surtain in coverage. The late touchdown to Kyle Pitts was a thing of beauty too, a pass thrown purposely high over traffic. His pocket presence was average and that lack of awareness led to some big plays for the Crimson Tide, but Trask did a lot to help himself in the SEC title game despite losing to Alabama.
Patrick Surtain, CB, Alabama: Stock Down
Surtain wasn't brutal against Florida, but the one play that'll stick out in the minds of scouts -- and draft analysts -- is the long touchdown he allowed to Grimes early in the third quarter. Surtain ran with the wideout and looked back for the football as it was in the air but completely lost track of the Gators wideout who plucked it and cruised for a score.
Being a big, physical cornerback with long arms, Surtain has to hang his hat on ball skills thanks to a gigantic pass breakup radius but didn't show those traits on that huge play.
Najee Harris, RB, Alabama: Stock Up
From violent cuts, to running through arm tackles, to hurdling defenders in space, individually, Harris was unstoppable against Florida and demonstrated a future feature back skill set. He had 31 carries for 178 yards with two scores on the ground and five catches for 67 yards with three receiving touchdowns. The first of those touchdowns as a receiver was a tremendous display of Harris' balance and athletic traits, as he spun off a tackle attempt as soon as he caught the football in the flat near the end zone.
Harris' second receiving score of the day was a nasty stop-and-go slant from the boundary in which he looked like a big, chiseled receiver flying across the field. His last receiving touchdown featured another spin through contact. Harris looks like a thunderous, downhill back but has incredibly refined skills and is a dangerous receiver.
Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida: Stock Up
Pitts didn't really get going until the second half but finished with seven catches for 129 yards with a late touchdown. He was found down the seam and over the middle on slant in the fourth quarter then put an exclamation point on his performance with a freaky demonstration of just how enormous his catch radius is on the touchdown late in the game with three Alabama defensive backs in the vicinity.
It's not like Pitts could boost his stock much more, but he did so against Alabama.
Devonta Smith, WR, Alabama: Stock Up
Smith capped a legendary career against SEC opponents by turning 18 targets into 184 yards and two touchdowns on 15 receptions in the win over Florida. He was involved early and often, with a few catches on the first scoring drive before making a nifty high-point snag with defenders approaching near the sideline on Alabama's second possession.
He was nasty against press coverage and devoured yardage against off coverage all evening. While Florida ultimately got a quick score to decrease Alabama's lead to just seven, Smith essentially put the nail in the coffin on a fluid in-breaker against man coverage late in the fourth for one of his scores. He's deserving of the Heisman Trophy.
Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida: Stock Up
Toney showcased his speed, twitch, and vision en route to an eight-catch, 153-yard, one-touchdown effort in the high-scoring SEC title game. He was found down the field twice by Trask and did exquisite yards-after-the-catch work on a few connections at the short-to-intermediate level.
Even one of his two touches as a running back was impressive -- Toney cut back and weaved against the grain for a sizable pickup. The senior has rounded out his game very nicely this season. He's not just a gadget player -- Toney can be utilized as a downfield weapon as well.
