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?
Andrew Booth Jr., CB, Clemson
It’s been a down year for most of the Clemson draft-eligible players, but one player that trended up specifically in his final regular season game was cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. Against South Carolina he was targeted four times and intercepted two of those attempts, had a pass break up on another, and allowed zero catches, earning a PFF coverage grade of 92.2 on the day. Booth has all the physical tools you look for from a corner at the next level, with good size, elite athleticism, and a nose for the ball, but doesn’t always play up to that level on a consistent basis. However, his upside far exceeds his downside and he has all but locked up a spot in the first round in next year’s draft.
Roger McCreary, CB, Auburn
Another corner that has all but locked up a spot in the first round, McCreary has been about as consistent as a cornerback there has been in the country this year and is the first overall graded CB on PFF with an 89.9 grade on the season. McCreary all but shutdown future first-round pick Jameson Williams (before he got ejected) and had four total pass breakups in the game. He now has 14 pass breakups on the season which is tied for third in the country and has 36 total for his career which is the second most in the last 25 years at Auburn.
Trey McBride, TE, Colorado St.
While McCreary was the number one rated cornerback, McBride finished the regular season as the number one rated tight end per PFF with an overall grade of 95.0. That is the second-highest grade ever given to a tight end by PFF only behind Kyle Pitts from last year. McBride finished the season with 90 catches for 1,121 yards which both ranked first in the country for tight ends. Not only is McBride one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the country, at 6’4, 260 lbs., he is also one of the best run blockers putting up the seventh most positively graded run blocks for tight ends this season. McBride has put himself in position to not only be the first tight end selected but could also find himself drafted in the first round next April.