• Week 3 is “prove it” time for Carson Beck, Shedeur Sanders and other quarterbacks: Though Beck has thrown seven touchdowns and no interceptions, he has yet to record a big-time throw this season, with one turnover-worthy play and a 69.5 PFF passing grade.
• Two elite graded receivers face big tests in Week 3: UNLV's Ricky White III and Missouri's Luther Burden III have opportunities to solidify their draft stock against Kansas and Boston College, respectively.
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Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
As we enter Week 3 of the 2024 college football season, there are a handful of 2025 NFL Draft prospects in key matchups with opportunities to increase their draft stock. Here are a few of the players we’ll be watching this weekend.
TEXAS A&M QB CONNER WEIGMAN VS. FLORIDA QB GRAHAM MERTZ
It was a tough Week 1 for draft-eligible quarterbacks Graham Mertz and Conner Weigman.
Against Miami, Mertz went 11-for-20 with 91 passing yards, one interception and three turnover-worthy plays before leaving the game with a concussion. Against Notre Dame, Weigman went 12-for-30 with 100 passing yards, two interceptions and two turnover-worthy plays.
Mertz missed the next game due to that concussion but is scheduled to start this week. Weigman looked much better in Week 2, but it was against an inferior opponent in McNeese State.
Now the two are slated to face off in Gainesville. We’ll be looking for both of these passers to improve down the field. Each has earned a PFF passing grade in the 40.0s when targeting receivers 10 or more yards downfield, with Mertz making two turnover-worthy plays and Weigman making one. If they can’t develop downfield passing games, their NFL stock will fall.
Lowest-Graded SEC QBs | Through Week 2 of the 2024 College Football Season
LSU OTs WILL CAMPBELL & EMERY JONES JR. VS. SOUTH CAROLINA EDGE DYLAN STEWART
LSU has two NFL-level offensive linemen in left tackle Will Campbell and right tackle Emery Jones Jr. Both are off to a slower start than anticipated, as Campbell sports a 67.3 PFF overall grade two weeks in and Jones has recorded a 62.0 mark.
LSU travels to South Carolina for a tough test in Week 3, featuring true freshman five-star pass-rusher Dylan Stewart. Stewart is already on fire in 2024, in possession of the FBS' highest PFF pass-rushing grade (94.0). He has three sacks, nine pressures and a 20.6% pass-rush win rate. His alignment sides are at a near-even split, with 31 coming from the left and 32 coming from the right, so both Campbell and Jones will have a chance to put up some good tape against one of the best young pass-rushers in the country.
UNLV WR RICKY WHITE III VS. KANSAS CB COBEE BRYANT
One of the most productive receivers in college football is off to a hot start and will have a fun test this week.
UNLV’s Ricky White III recorded 1,304 receiving yards and an elite 90.0 PFF receiving grade last season while being targeted on 35.7% of his routes. Through two games in 2024, he has 111 receiving yards and an even higher target share (37.5%).
Kansas cornerback Cobee Bryant is feisty and competitive, having allowed just two catches for 37 yards on 57 coverage snaps so far this season. He has surrendered an open target on only 25% of the passes into his coverage.
MISSOURI WR LUTHER BURDEN III VS. BOSTON COLLEGE
If you’re waiting for the 2024 Luther Burden III breakout game, this could be it.
Missouri, now ranked No. 6 in the country, is hosting Boston College in Week 3, and all eyes will be on the Tigers’ offense and their top receiver. Burden played just 17 snaps last week against Buffalo before leaving the game due to an illness. In his place, Theo Wease Jr. — another notable draft name — went off for 13 catches and 149 receiving yards.
Burden has been targeted on 27.2% of his routes this season, which is slightly down from his 32.0% clip in 2023. He’ll be in for a tough test, as Boston College’s secondary collectively has an 86.1 PFF coverage grade. Eagles fifth-year cornerback Khari Johnson’s 80.3 PFF coverage grade leads the cornerback group. We’ll see how much he will match up with Burden in this game.
OREGON QB DILLON GABRIEL VS. OREGON STATE
Oregon hasn’t exactly been the world beaters some advertised them to be before the season. They sit at 2-0, although that record consists of a 10-point win against Idaho in Week 1 and a three-point win against Boise State in Week 2.
Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw for more than 400 yards in Week 1 and 250 in Week 2, earning a 79.3 PFF passing grade so far this season. His 4.0% big-time throw percentage would be a near-career low, as would his 1.2% turnover-worthy play rate. This is all more of an indicator of him being in a different offense than anything.
Oregon State ranks 49th in the FBS in passing yards per game (168) and is coming off a shutout against San Diego State last week.
GEORGIA QB CARSON BECK VS. KENTUCKY
Kentucky played poorly in Week 2 against South Carolina, but it seemed as though the team just did not take the game seriously enough. I expect the Wildcats to be much more focused and motivated when hosting Georgia this week.
Carson Beck is the de facto QB1 in the 2025 NFL Draft class right now. Though he has thrown seven touchdowns and no interceptions, he has yet to record a big-time throw this season, with one turnover-worthy play and a 69.5 PFF passing grade. This could be a nice opportunity for him to have a good game on the road, where he can win with his arm more than he has in Georgia's first two contests.
COLORADO QB SHEDEUR SANDERS VS. COLORADO STATE
Sanders kicked off his 2024 season with a 90.2 PFF passing grade, more than 400 passing yards and five big-time throws in a win over North Dakota State. It was a different story in Week 2 against Nebraska, as Sanders threw for only 244 yards with one big-time throw and one turnover-worthy play in a loss.
Colorado takes on Colorado State in a Week 3 Rocky Mountain Showdown, a matchup that was an instant classic last season in which the Buffaloes were victorious, 43-35, in double overtime. Colorado’s offensive line remains unreliable, with a 56.6 unit pass-blocking grade. Thankfully for them, Colorado State has earned just a 63.3 PFF pass-rushing grade in 2024.
Can Sanders bounce back and keep his name near the top of the 2025 NFL Draft quarterback conversation against a big rival?
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