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Scouts Inc.- Steve Muench played four years of Division I-AA football before joining Scouts Inc. in 2002. He has evaluated both NFL and college players for Scouts Inc., but his current focus is on the NFL draft.
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Scouts Inc.- QB for IUP (Indiana University of Pennsylvania) from 2003-2006
- With Scouts Inc. since the fall of 2007
If you were drafting skill position players from across the country, for the sole purpose of winning college football games right now, who would you go with?
OK, you of course start with LSU running back Leonard Fournette. But who's next? We asked Scouts Inc.'s Steve Muench and Kevin Weidl to alternate picks (Weidl earned the No. 1 overall pick here by trading two first-round selections from a pretend draft we have planned for a 2017 Insider piece) and work their way through the very best quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers.
Just to reiterate, the purpose of this was not to project who would be future Pro Bowlers or Super Bowl winners. The goal was to construct a team that would win this Saturday on a college football field.
Sure, Fournette was an easy snag at No. 1 for Weidl. But would Muench follow with TCU's Trevone Boykin? Georgia's Nick Chubb? Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott? Or some other surprise player?
(A hint: It's a surprise player.)
No. 1 pick: Weidl takes Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
This pick is a no-brainer in my mind. It doesn't take a super-scout to see Fournette's unbelievable skill set as he continues to dominate at the collegiate level. He is physically developed beyond his years, with natural power and exceptional feet and lateral agility for a back his size. He has brought his game to another level this year with improved vision and patience as a runner. No other player has had more impact on his team so far than Fournette, whose 864 rushing yards are more than 50 percent of the Tigers' total offense, and he's also responsible 11 of their 16 total touchdowns.
No. 2 pick: Muench takes Jared Goff, QB, Cal
Kevin taking Fournette first overall ends the debate between taking Fournette or Goff that had been going on in our war room. Goff's decision-making and footwork are inconsistent. We were still considering taking him over the uber-talented Fournette because we like the depth at running back and Goff is clearly the top QB on our board. Goff is completing 70.2 percent of his passes through five games, and he isn't a dink-and-dunk passer, either. He has the arm strength and touch to take the top off the coverage.
No. 3 pick: Weidl takes Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State
Good pick, Muench, and strong point about the depth of the quarterback position this year. Which helps validate my pick of Elliott here as I continue to tap into a special running back crop this year. At 225 pounds, Elliott is a powerful runner who also possesses the body control to make defenders miss, and he flashes an extra gear to finish. Elliott's workhorse ability is a big reason why Ohio State not only remains undefeated this year, but also why the Buckeyes won the national title last year -- he had a ridiculous 706 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in their final three games.
No 4. pick: Muench takes Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia
There's a run on running backs right now and I'm not about to miss out on getting one from the top tier. Chubb extended his streak of consecutive 100-yard rushing games to 13 against Alabama last week and broke the school record he had shared with 1982 Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker. He ranks third in rushing yards per game and seventh in average yards per carry in the FBS heading into Week 6. He's got an impressive blend of quickness, agility, speed and power, and Chubb maximizes his considerable talent with his patience and vision. He's also tough, smart and strong enough to help out in pass protection.
No. 5 pick: Weidl takes Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU
I'm surprised Boykin is still on the board at this point. While I don't see much of a future for him as a pro quarterback, his value as a college QB is hard to argue. He has done a nice job of distributing the ball to his playmakers as a passer, and his dual-threat capabilities have him second in the nation with 2,044 yards of total offense. Boykin has played a large part in TCU's transformation the past two years, going from a team that relied on a stingy defense to one that is now out-racing opponents on the scoreboard while also putting them in the national spotlight.
No. 6 pick: Muench takes Josh Doctson, WR, TCU
Boykin is undoubtedly a top-10 player, but I didn't value him quite as high. TCU's scheme inflates his numbers and he gets to throw to the best college receiver in the country -- welcome to Team Muench, Josh Doctson! Doctson ranks second nationally with 722 receiving yards, along with eight touchdowns and a whopping 17.2 yards per catch. Boykin wisely trusts him to go up and make a play when the ball is in the air as he showed against Texas last week. The body control, focus and hands Doctson showed on his first-quarter 15-yard touchdown catch against the Longhorns were nothing short of impressive. If for some reason you haven't seen that catch, you can check it out here.
No. 7 pick: Weidl takes JuJu Smith-Schuster, wide receiver, USC
I know I have Muench's wheels spinning when he feels like he needs to put up clips to defend his picks. While there is no denying Doctson's ability to win in downfield, contested situations, I feel Smith-Schuster is the more complete receiver, with comparable production. At 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, he has excellent size and strength, and transitions out of breaks well for a bigger receiver. Where I believe Smith-Schuster separates himself from Doctson is that he has better speed and plays faster on tape while also being more dynamic after the catch. Averaging nearly 20 yards per catch, Smith-Schuster is a big play waiting to happen every time he touches the ball.
No. 8 pick: Muench takes Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
Good pick with Smith-Schuster. With him off the board, we'll tap back into the deep running back group and take Cook. I doubt Cook, who became the first Florida State freshman to rush for 1,000 yards last year, would still be on the board if he weren't day-to-day after leaving the Wake Forest game with a hamstring injury last week. He's clearly one of the most talented backs in the country when he's healthy. Cook is explosive and tough to tackle in the open field, and he shifts to another gear when he gets a seam. In other words, it's no surprise that he's averaging 8.6 yards per carry and he's gained 10 or more yards on 15 carries despite the fact that he's running behind an offensive line that lost three starters to the draft.
No. 9 pick: Weidl takes Will Fuller, WR, Notre Dame
I thought long and hard about Ole Miss wide receiver Laquon Treadwell here, who, when healthy, might be the best receiver in the country. However, he has been slow to find consistency early in the year since returning from a fractured fibula. For that reason, I'll take Fuller, who has only been able to be contained by a torrential downpour in Clemson last week. Fuller is a silky-smooth route runner who can generate big plays (over 20 yards per catch) with deceiving speed and great focus tracking the ball down the field. In addition, he is underrated after the catch with quality elusiveness and open-field vision.
No. 10 pick: Muench takes Laquon Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss
You should have thought longer and harder. Treadwell doesn't separate as well as Fuller, but he is bigger and stronger with a wider catching radius and good top-end speed for his size. He has been inconsistent but he flashed against Alabama and Vanderbilt, catching 13 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown during that two-week span. While he wasn't much of a factor against Florida last week, he would have been more productive had the pass protection been better. This is a classic example of buying low, especially since there's no reason to believe he won't continue to progress with Ole Miss facing two of the weakest pass defenses in the country over the next two weeks.
No. 11 pick: Weidl takes Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M
No. 12 pick: Muench takes Cody Kessler, QB, USC
No. 13 pick: Weidl takes Derrick Henry, RB Alabama
No. 14 pick: Muench takes Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor
No. 15 pick: Weidl takes Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
No. 16 pick: Muench takes Michael Thomas, WR, Ohio State
No. 17 pick: Weidl takes Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama
No. 18 pick: Muench takes Rashard Higgins, WR, Colorado State
No. 19 pick: Weidl takes Kenny Lawler, WR, Cal
No. 20 pick: Muench takes Kenyan Drake, RB, Alabama
Next best available
Weidl: 1. Pharoh Cooper, WR, South Carolina; 2. C.J. Prosise, RB, Notre Dame; 3. Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State; 4. Royce Freeman, RB, Oregon; 5. Kyle Allen, QB, Texas A&M
Muench: 1. Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State; 2. Seth Russell, QB, Baylor; 3. Royce Freeman, RB, Oregon; 4. Demario Richard, RB, Arizona State; 5. Artavis Scott, WR, Clemson
Rosters
Weidl
QBs: Trevone Boykin, Deshaun Watson
RBs: Leonard Fournette, Ezekiel Elliott, Derrick Henry
WRs: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Will Fuller, Christian Kirk, Calvin Ridley, Kenny Lawler
Muench
QBs: Jared Goff, Cody Kessler
RBs: Nick Chubb, Dalvin Cook, Kenyan Drake
WRs: Josh Doctson, Laquon Treadwell, Corey Coleman, Michael Thomas, Rashard Higgins
Totals
Most players selected (by school): 1. Alabama: 3; T2. Cal, TCU, Ohio State, USC: 2 apiece
Most players selected (by conferences): 1. SEC: 7; 2. Pac-12: 4; 3. Big 12: 3
Muench analyzes Weidl's draft
Taking Fournette, Elliott and Smith-Schuster were all hits. Fournette is a rare talent putting up rare numbers and where would Ohio State be without Elliot shouldering the offensive load? I took TCU wide receiver Doctson a pick earlier than Smith-Schuster but I would have been happy to get either player. I don't really have any complaints concerning Kevin's picks from No. 11-20 -- getting Alabama RB Henry at 13 stands out as a strong selection in particular.
My two biggest beefs are with Boykin at No. 5 and Fuller at No. 9. I get that Boykin is putting up video-game numbers but the scheme, supporting cast and schedule have all inflated those numbers. Boykin is talented, but I just think that Kessler could put up similar numbers in that TCU offense. And taking Fuller at No. 9 is too early, especially with Treadwell on the board. Clemson corner Mackensie Alexander might take issue with Kevin's assertion that the torrential downpour is the only thing that's contained Fuller this year.
Weidl analyzes Muench's draft
Steve's best pick was scooping up Cook at No. 8. When healthy, he is a dynamic runner who has the ability to create yardage on his own and shows quality versatility in the passing game. I also like the pick of Goff at No. 2, and think he got good value with Treadwell. I praised the Goff pick, but this drill isn't ranking pro prospects. So I feel better about my two quarterbacks because of their dual-threat capabilities in a collegiate game where the rules tilt heavy in favor of spread and up-tempo offense. Not only can Boykin and Watson hurt defenses through the air, but they can also give defenses headaches with their feet. In fact, Boykin and Watson have combined for 428 yards rushing and three touchdowns through the first five weeks compared to negative 82 yards rushing and no touchdowns from Goff and Kessler.
Finally, from top to bottom I feel like my receiving corps has more speed and playmaking ability with the ball in their hand, which again caters to the college level where the game is played in space the majority of the time anymore.