Week 10 of the 2022 college football season is stacked with excellent matchups, none bigger than Tennessee's visit to Georgia. It will be a great chance to watch the top 2023 NFL draft prospects head-to-head. Alabama also plays LSU on Saturday, and Texas takes on Kansas State.
Ahead of the loaded schedule, NFL draft analysts Todd McShay, Jordan Reid and Matt Miller pick prospects to watch this weekend, along with the one thing they each are keeping an eye on. They also look ahead to April's draft, surveying the back end of Round 1. Then Steve Muench points to a small-school prospect who could get more draft attention with a big performance.
Our experts wrap it all up by making predictions for Week 10 and emptying their notebooks with everything they saw and heard this week.
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Prospects to know | What to watch
Outside the top 20 | Small-schooler
Big predictions for Week 10
Emptying the notebook
Plant your flag: Who is your guy to watch this weekend?
McShay: Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia (vs. Tennessee). Back from a knee injury, Carter was very disruptive on 19 snaps against Florida last weekend (three pressures). His combination of suddenness and pure power for a 6-foot-3, 300-pounder is what makes him so special. As an interior defensive lineman, he has the shortest path to Volunteers quarterback Hendon Hooker. Nothing has truly been able to throw this Tennessee offense out of sync yet this season, but Georgia is hoping that Carter -- my No. 4 prospect -- can be the difference in this massive SEC matchup on Saturday afternoon.
Miller: Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee (at Georgia). After a breakout month in October, the 6-foot, 180-pound junior has a ridiculous 14 touchdown catches while averaging 20.2 yards per reception. One scout I spoke with says they expect Hyatt to run in the low-4.3-second range in the 40-yard-dash, and that speed shows up on film. How Hyatt fairs against a very talented Georgia secondary will help establish his draft stock, but he's flying up my board like he flies down the field and is a top-30 prospect right now.
Reid: Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia (vs. Tennessee). Ringo has been hot and cold this season, but he will have opportunities to make plays against Tennessee's high-flying offense. The 6-foot-2 corner is at his best when he can get hands on receivers and turn one-on-one matchups into a boxing match because of his physicality. It will be interesting to see how the Bulldogs counter the Tennessee downfield pass game, and a big performance here would go a long way for Ringo in proving that he can be a shutdown corner at the next level. He still has just two pass breakups and zero interceptions this season.
What is the one thing you're watching this weekend?
Reid: I'll be watching Northwestern offensive tackle Peter Skoronski against Ohio State's pass-rushers, his toughest matchup this season. There are questions about Skoronski's length, but I still think he's a tackle, not a guard, at the next level. The 6-foot-4, 315-pounder is showing improvement in his poise and strike timing as a pass-protector, and he's in line to be a top-15 pick and potentially the first offensive tackle off the board. But scouts will be watching this matchup closely. He has only allowed one sack over 348 pass-block snaps this season.
Miller: Syracuse offensive tackle Matthew Bergeron has emerged as a potential first-round talent in a shallow class for the position, and his game against a loaded Pittsburgh defensive line will be one scouts will watch repeatedly this spring while nailing down his draft grade. The 6-foot-5, 322-pound senior has allowed just one sack all season, thanks in part to his poise and balance in space. Bergeron is such an easy mover. If he can stall the Pitt defensive line, we could be talking about a top-25 grade for him.
McShay: Can LSU receiver Kayshon Boutte play like a first-rounder against Alabama's three draftable safeties in Brian Branch, Jordan Battle and DeMarcco Hellams? Two weeks ago, we saw Tennessee's Hyatt exploit one-on-one matchups with Hellams, who excels at playing the ball in front of him but has coverage limitations when forced to turn and run. Boutte has worked primarily from the slot this season, so I'm interested to see how much LSU gets him one-on-one against a safety, specifically Hellams. This is a huge opportunity for the 6-foot Boutte, who has been a major disappointment so far this season with just 27 catches and 288 yards in seven games and is currently outside my top 20.
Zach Charbonnet cannot be stopped on this 37-yard touchdown for UCLA.
Which team projected to pick outside the top 20 -- per ESPN's Football Power Index -- could have the most interesting first round?
McShay: New York Giants (No. 24). Are they now sold on Daniel Jones at quarterback? That's the biggest question the organization will need to answer in the offseason. If the answer is yes, the Giants will likely use their pick on one of the top pass-catchers to help balance out the offense. If not, they will need to get aggressive to move up for one of the top-three QBs in next April's draft: Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Alabama's Bryce Young or Kentucky's Will Levis.
My assumption is that if New York is in the QB market, it will have fallen off in the second half of the season -- meaning it would likely have a top-15 pick after all. By acquiring additional picks in the third and sixth rounds via the Kadarius Toney trade, the Giants would have some capital to potentially make a move up into the top 10. How Jones and the Giants perform over the final nine games of the season will dictate the team's plan for the draft.
Which small-school prospect has a key matchup on deck?
Muench: Keylon Stokes, WR, Tulsa (vs. Tulane). Ranking third in the FBS in receiving yards per game (115.5), Stokes needs 76 more to break 1,000 yards in a season for the second time in his career -- and he'll need to have a big game for a 3-5 Tulsa program to have any chance of upsetting No. 19 Tulane this weekend. Stokes is a tough slot receiver who makes plays in traffic, runs hard after the catch and fights to sustain as a blocker.
I'm excited to see him matched up against another potential Day 3 pick in Tulane nickelback Macon Clark. Stokes appears to have the edge in quickness and should have some success separating when he gets a free release, but Clark's 6-foot size and length could give him problems. One other area to keep an eye on with Stokes? His ball skills, as he shows the ability to pluck the ball out of the air but is a smaller 5-foot-10 target who doesn't always catch the ball cleanly.
What's the Week 10 prediction you feel great about?
Miller: Georgia tight end Darnell Washington will post a career day against the Tennessee defense, catching at least 10 balls for 100 yards and his first touchdown of the season. The Volunteers may win this game, but the Tennessee defense has struggled against tight ends all season long. And while 2024 draft prospect Brock Bowers will see constant attention from safeties and linebackers, super-sized Washington (6-foot-7, 270 pounds) will be freed up a bit. Don't let his lack of production as Georgia's TE2 fool you (19 catches, 332 yards, 0 TD) -- the second-round prospect would be a starting tight end for almost every other school in the nation.
McShay: Clemson's defensive line tandem of Bryan Bresee and Myles Murphy -- both potential top-15 picks -- will smother the Notre Dame offense on Saturday, combining for at least five tackles for loss and two sacks. The Fighting Irish lean heavily on their run game, ranking 18th nationally in rushing attempts per game (42.6), but running the ball against the Tigers has been a nightmare all season. Clemson allows just 87.9 rush yards per game (seventh) and 3.0 per carry (11th).
Murphy has been effective all year (nine tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks), and Bresee is now back to full strength after missing a month with a kidney infection. I expect them to stymie the Notre Dame rushing attack early and get after QB Drew Pyne when the Irish are forced to throw from behind in the second half.
Reid: The Tennessee offense will continue rolling against Georgia, with at least 300 passing yards and three TD throws from Hendon Hooker. Georgia's defense is only surrendering 177.1 passing yards per game, but Hooker has been dominant, throwing 21 TDs and one interception en route to a 91.3 QBR and a spot in the Heisman Trophy race. A lot will be made of the 6-foot-4 senior's age (turns 25 in January), and some scouts wonder how his game will translate outside of the Vols' offense, but he is making a serious case to go in Round 1. He has strong arm strength, terrific accuracy (71.2% completion percentage) and poise in the pocket.
Muench: Kansas State running back Deuce Vaughn will reach 1,000 rushing yards on the season against a stingy Texas run defense. He needs 98 more, which would make him just the third player in school history with multiple 1,000-yard seasons. It won't be easy, though, considering no Big 12 run defense is giving up fewer yards per carry than Texas (3.3), with linebackers Jaylan Ford and DeMarvion Overshown playing well behind a strong defensive line. One of the knocks on Vaughn as an NFL prospect is his size (5-foot-6, 176 pounds), but it also makes him harder to track behind his blocks. His ability to make defenders miss and accelerate through seams should help him eclipse the 1,000-yard mark Saturday.
Emptying the notebook: Everything we heard this week
McShay: I heard two interesting comps for Kentucky's Levis last week from a pair of NFL GMs. The first -- based heavily on traits -- was to Josh Allen. Elite arm strength, a strong build, mobility and an ultra-competitive nature jumped out here. But the exec also noted that Levis doesn't have Allen's pocket awareness and that his mobility will be neutralized as a scrambler if he doesn't start to feel the pass rush better.
The second comp was Carson Wentz. That GM said he loves Levis' physical tools, his commitment to the game and his toughness, but he needs to stop playing quarterback like a linebacker, or he will have a hard time staying on the field. The 6-foot-3, 232-pound senior is my QB3 right now, ranked No. 7 overall.
Miller: Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee is moving up boards this season with strong play (11 touchdowns, seven interceptions and 1,972 passing yards) despite a lack of talent around him. NFL scouts believe the 6-foot-6 junior has a chance to move into the top five quarterbacks in the 2023 class with a strong pre-draft process. His downfield throwing ability and pinpoint accuracy are sure to excite teams looking for a pocket passer.
Reid: Georgia outside linebacker Nolan Smith is out for the remainder of the season after suffering a torn pectoral muscle against Florida. He was projected to be a top-20 pick, but scouts will pay close attention to his recovery timeline. We've seen players suffer in-season injuries but still workout at their pro days in the spring. At 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, the senior has explosiveness off of the edge, but his most impressive traits are his physicality and power as a run-defender.
Miller: Scouts keep calling out Clemson's Murphy as a riser and money-maker this season. In fact, a handful believes he is a better prospect than Bresee, his teammate on the defensive line, and could find himself inside the top 10 picks come April. Scouts love his length, power and rare quickness for his 6-foot-5, 275-pound size. He's ranked No. 10 overall on my board.
Reid: Alabama cornerback Eli Ricks is matched up against LSU, his former school, this weekend. At 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, he looked as good as advertised during his first start of the season against Mississippi State with four pass breakups. Ricks' technique appears polished, and the early-round traits are evident, but we still need to see consistency. He's a late-Day 2 prospect right now but has the potential to climb the board.
Miller: One under-the-radar player to watch in this loaded Tennessee-Georgia game is Bulldogs left tackle Broderick Jones. The 6-foot-4, 310-pounder looks like Isaiah Wynn all over again, with awesome quickness and range as a blocker. Scouts rave about his potential thanks to his quickness, aggression and balance in pass protection. I have him just outside my top 30.
McShay: I covered the Stanford-UCLA game last Saturday, and Bruins running back Zach Charbonnet was absolutely brilliant, accounting for 259 total yards and three scores. I expect similar numbers against Arizona State this weekend. He displays excellent vision and is a punishing one-cut-and-go downhill runner, which makes him a good fit for many NFL schemes. He has been more than adept in the passing game, and UCLA coach Chip Kelly told me he gives Charbonnet a lot of special teams reps in practice to help prepare him for the NFL there, too. He lacks ideal speed as an east-west runner but does show quick feet and lateral-cutting ability for a bigger back (6-foot-1, 220 pounds).
I think Charbonnet is an underrated talent who has benefited greatly from pro-like coaching by running back coach Deshaun Foster. He grades out as a well-rounded rotational running back with special teams value in the NFL, and I think he'll end up a midround pick.
Reid: A Day 2 prospect who has NFL scouts buzzing is wide receiver Rashee Rice, a big-play threat for SMU. With nine catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns against Tulsa last week, he has now surpassed 100 receiving yards in five of eight games this season. At 6-foot-2 and 203 pounds, Rice is a well-built and sudden wideout who can score nearly every time he touches the ball. His competitive nature takes over as soon as he sees the ball in the air -- he consistently displays his catch radius and ability to sky over defenders at the catch point.