According to The Huddle Report, Brendan Donahue is ranked as the most accurate NFL mock drafter over the past five years and in this column he brings his extensive college football predictive insight to you weekly.
As someone who does mock drafts every year, I always have my eye on draft-eligible players and how their performance on the field could positively or negatively impact their draft stock in the upcoming draft. So we will be tracking players on a weekly basis throughout the season to see who is rising or falling on draft boards.
What college players are rising on the draft board for 2022?
Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio St.
After featuring his teammate Chris Olave earlier in the season, it is now time to give Wilson his credit too after his dominant performance against Purdue on Saturday. He had 10 catches, 126 yards, and three touchdowns which now puts him eighth in the country with nine receiving touchdowns on the season. He also added a 51-yard touchdown run in this game and earned him a spot on the PFF team of the week and an 82.0 grade from them on the season. On a team that has top-end talent all over the offense, Wilson has arguably been the most consistent and best overall player. In a wide-open race to be the first wide receiver selected, Wilson is firmly in that discussion.
David Ojabo, Edge, Michigan
Another player who has had his teammate on here earlier this season in Aiden Hutchinson, who could have been on here again after his game this week, Ojabo has done a nice job of establishing himself as an elite pass rusher on the opposite side of Hutchinson. Ojabo had another two sacks vs Penn St. Saturday, as he and Hutchinson were basically game wreckers in their 21-17 win. He is now up to 10 sacks on the season with five forced fumbles, and has five sacks in the last three games alone.
Considered a bit raw coming into the season, Ojabo clearly has started to figure it out and has now put together some impressive pass rush technique to go along with his exceptional physical traits. Ojabo has already moved into the first round in the 2022 draft and may even find himself in the top 15 come April.
Trevor Penning, OL, Northern Iowa
Like I mentioned last week, Evan Neal is the consensus top offensive tackle in the country but there are others trying to make their case as the next tackle selected and Penning is one of those guys. At 6’7”, 321lbs., Penning has great size and often imposes his size on smaller players which has scouts calling him a “mauler”. He has only allowed one sack and three QB hurries on 271 pass attempts for Northern Iowa this season. One “concern” is his level of competition but Penning will be attending the senior bowl where he will have a chance to show he can do this against higher-end talent and improve his stock even further.
What college players are falling on the draft board for 2022?
Adam Anderson, LB, Georgia
Not much to add here but since I had him on my stock up list earlier in the season, I have to include him on the down list with the current situation off the field. Obviously, we have to wait and see how the legal process plays out, but now that Anderson was officially charged last week he will have to answer some serious questions from teams in the draft process, that is if he is even eligible to play in the NFL next year.
