College football primer: Players to watch on Championship Saturday

Good morning New York Giants fans!

Welcome to Championship Saturday, when each of the conference championships will be decided. The best teams in their respective conferences will be on the field today, which always makes for excellent scouting tape. Future NFL players will be facing off against each other all afternoon long, and we should be in for some great matchups.

To keep this from getting overly long, I’ll just be highlighting one player from each of the Big 12, SEC, ACC, and Big10 championships (RIP the Pac12). However, I would encourage everyone to watch every player on the field. You never know who’ll surprise or which under-the-radar prospect will be a draft gem.

Big 12 Championship: (15) Arizona State vs. (16) Iowa State

ABC – noon

Iowa State – Jaylin Noel (WR)

The Cyclones have several prospects worth watching for Giants fans. Last week we talked about 6-foot-4 corner Darian Porter, and a couple weeks before that we highlighted 6-foot-4 receiver Jayden Higgins.

Now I want to focus on the other half of Iowa State’s two-headed receiving monster, Jaylin Noel.

Noel is a Swiss Army knife of a receiver who will likely be viewed primarily as a slot receiver, but has the versatility and experience to line up all over an offensive formation. He sports a compact frame reminiscent of Sterling Shepard or Victor Cruz at 5-foot-10, 200 pounds and has a similar game. He’s a highly twitchy athlete with fantastic short area quickness which, combined with his low center of gravity, makes it very hard for defenders to stick with him. He’s able to win out of his breaks as well as make would-be tacklers miss in space. There are questions about his top end speed, but his acceleration is enough to create separation and big plays. Noel is just behind Higgins with 1,013 yards receiving (to 1,087), but is their big-play threat, averaging 15.1 yards per reception and with a long of 75 yards.

Arizona State – Clayton Smith (LB/EDGE)

Smith is an under-the-radar prospect who might have an uphill battle to make it to the NFL, but could be a camp hero if he lands in the right situation.

A former 4-star recruit, Smith crossed the Texas border and started his collegiate career as an Oklahoma Sooner before transferring to Arizona State prior to the 2023 season. He has modest, but consistent, production as a pass rusher over the last two years, with 11 tackles for a loss and 8.5 sacks split evenly between the two seasons. His pass rushing production, however, is tempered by his versatility and the fact that Arizona State also asks him to play in space as a linebacker. Smith moves well in space and has 3 passes defensed over the last two years.

Smith’s athleticism and versatility could make him an interesting piece for a multiple defense. He’d likely have to fight for a roster spot on special teams and as a reserve player, but he has the potential to grow from there if he can get his foot in the door.

SEC Championship: (2) Texas vs. (5) Georgia

ABC – 4 p.m.

Texas – Jahdae Barron (DB)

The Giants need help in their secondary, and I fully expect them to attack that area in the off-season. However, considering we don’t know what they’ll be looking for in a cornerback. Shane Bowen’s defense is built around zone coverages — he’s a Cover 4 devote, but has shifted to Cover 3 to try and accommodate the Giants’ personnel. However, most of the Giants’ personnel were added with Wink Martindale’s man coverage schemes in mind. So it isn’t much of a surprise that the Giants have struggled to cover in zone schemes.

If Bowen remains as the Giants’ defensive coordinator, Jahdae Barron could catch their eye. Like Dru Phillips, Barron is an instinctive, aggressive, and versatile defensive back. He’s primarily a cornerback, but plays with a safety’s mentality.

Barron will likely be viewed as a nickel defender at the next level, thanks to his 5-foot-11, 200 pound frame. He doesn’t have the traits to be a man coverage corner, and that will likely hurt his draft stock. However, the fifth-year senior is instinctive, quick, and has a ballhawk’s knack for generating turnovers — he comes into this game with four interceptions.

Interestingly, Barron has drawn comparisons to former Giant Julian Love due to his aggressiveness and versatility.

Georgia – Malaki Starks (S)

Staying in the defensive secondary, we have the top safety in the draft in Malaki Starks. Starks has a prototypical blend of size and athleticism for the safety position. He weighs in at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds with good play strength, quickness, and speed — as well as the instincts that let him be a tackling machine as well as big-play creator.

Starks would be an undeniable asset for the Giants, but they might not (or probably won’t) have the ability to draft him. He’ll almost certainly be a first round pick and likely a mid-round pick. It’s possible that the Giants could trade back in the first round if they don’t deem any of the quarterbacks worth the pick. If so, Starks could be an incredible addition next to Tyler Nubin — though the Giants also have bigger fish to fry.

Positional value and draft stock aside, some team is going to get a very good player and a difference maker in the backend in Starks.

Note: Quarterback prospect Carson Beck (Georgia) and Quinn Ewers (Texas) will also be on display in this game

Big10 Championship: (1) Oregon vs. (3) Penn State

CBS – 8 p.m.

Oregon – Derrick Harmon (iDL)

Giants fans want their team to add a defensive lineman to help take the pressure off of Dexter Lawrence. Fortunately, this draft class promises to have a very strong group of defensive tackles and boasts potentially elite talent as well as great depth down the draft board.

Derrick Harmon is a good-sized (6-foot-5, 310 pounds) defensive tackle who has the versatility to play in a variety of fronts as long as they allow him to attack downhill. He has an explosive first step as well as obvious length, allowing him to get into blockers’ pads and penetrate into the backfield. He also has a good motor to pursue ball carriers and is executes stunts and twists well.

Penn State – Tyler Warren (TE)

The obvious player to watch here is EDGE Abdul Carter, who could well be the first pass edge defender off the board. However, the Giants could look long and hard at Warren as well — particularly if they like Drew Allar as a developmental quarterback.

Warren is, by far, Allar’s favorite target through the air, with more than twice as many receptions as the next leading option — leading WR Harrison Wallace III 81 to 35. He was often platooned with Theo Johnson in 2023, serving as the primary receiving tight end while Johnson wore a variety of hats. Like Johnson, Warren has prototypical size for the position at 6-foot-6, 260 pounds with the play strength to be a traditional Y tight end, as well as the athleticism to move around the offensive formation.

The Giants have moved away from 2022 draftee Daniel Bellinger this year, and we could see the team add another tight end at some point if they’ve truly soured on Bellinger.

Note: Quarterback prospects Drew Allar (Penn State) and Dillon Gabriel (Oregon) will be playing in this game

ACC Championship: (8) SMU vs. (17) Clemson

ABC – 8 p.m.

SMU – Elijah Roberts (DE)

Roberts is another prospect who turned to the transfer portal in search of a better situation. He spent his first three collegiate seasons with the Miami Hurricanes, but only played sparingly for them before transferring to SMU prior to the 2023 season.

He had an immediate impact upon landing with the Mustangs, racking up 10.0 sacks, 13 tackles for a loss, and 2 forced fumbles in his first season. His production, however, took a step back upon his return to the ACC with SMU joining the conference. This year he’s only had 4.5 sacks and 8 tackles for a loss, though he once again had 2 forced fumbles.

Roberts’ best fit is likely as a down defensive end in a true 4-man front. He has a good burst and the play strength to hold up against the run, however a relatively narrow scheme fit and a dip in production at a higher level of competition could make him a late round pick or UDFA.

Clemson – Blake Miller (OL)

Roberts will have his work cut out for him if he lines up across from Clemson right tackle Blake Miller.

Miller is a very interesting prospect at the right tackle position. He’s a young player and will only turn 21 on February 24th (2025), however he’s also one of the most experienced linemen in all of college football. Miller started at right tackle immediately as a freshman — a significant accomplishment in and of itself — and has played every single game since for the Tigers. All told, this will be his 40th game at right tackle.

He’s had a reputation as a bruising run blocker, packing far more power than his 6-foot-6, 310 pound frame would suggest. However, he also came into the year with the reputation as a better run blocker than pass protector, which has depressed his draft stock some. However, development isn’t always linear, and Miller seems to have taken a step forward in pass protection — so far this year he’s only given up 1 QB hit and no sacks.

It will be fascinating to follow Miller’s draft process. It could be an enlightening case study on how the NFL views the value of a player who they once would have dismissed as a “right tackle only”. Likewise, we could get insight into how the NFL values of a player who has historically excelled in run blocking rather than pass protection.

Miller once might have been destined to be a mid-round pick, but his age, frame, and improvement in pass protection could significantly boost his stock. Likewise, right tackles are far more valuable than they were even a few years ago, and the prevelance of split safety defenses has made running the ball more valuable than it has been in recent years.

Note: Quarterback prospect Cade Klubnik (Clemson) will be playing in this game