NFL Draft: What we learned from the College Football Playoffs

That was some Saturday of College Football Playoffs action, which included a tight Fiesta Bowl between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Clemson Tigers and a Superman effort from LSU Tigers QB Joe Burrow as they took down the Oklahoma Sooners. Here are some of the highlights from our live blog this week with PFN Draft Analyst and Insider Tony Pauline.

J.K. Dobbins shines in Fiesta Bowl

The Fiesta Bowl turned into an intense game, and a rare close one in the College Football Playoffs, between Ohio State and Clemson. This game featured two outstanding running backs, both of whom will shine in the NFL. One is Clemson’s Travis Etienne. The other is the player we’ll brief on here, as Pauline discussed Ohio State RB J.K. Dobbins.

Pauline wrote at 8:45 PM about Dobbins after his 68-yard touchdown run to put the Buckeyes up 10-0, and said he has a first-round grade on Dobbins. He also showed some love to Thayer Munford and his block to spring the run.

Then at 9:10 PM, Pauline wrote: “Everyone will talk about J.K. Dobbins’ two huge runs in this game. They will also talk about that terrific catch he made in the end zone, which was reversed after further review. But go back and watch the first down play in the red zone on that recent drive. It was an incomplete pass, but go back to the film and see what a great job Dobbins did picking up the blitz and protecting his quarterback. Earlier this season, when I listed Dobbins as a riser, I mentioned he’s a complete player at the running back position as a ball carrier, pass catcher, and blocker.”

There’s no doubt Dobbins was a star this season for the Buckeyes. He entered the Fiesta Bowl with 1,829 rushing yards and a ridiculous 20 rushing touchdowns. Dobbins went on to set an Ohio State single-season rushing record, previously held by Eddie George, who had 1,927 yards in 1995. All this was done even with Dobbins having an injury scare in the third quarter.

Dobbins will leave Ohio State as the second-leading rusher in school history, behind only Archie Griffin’s incredible 5,589 rushing yards.

Pac-12 corners entering the draft

Pauline started off the blog at 4:00 PM with some draft notes, including a trio of cornerbacks from the Pac-12 expected to enter the draft. Those corners include Paulson Adebo of Stanford, Thomas Graham, Jr. of Oregon, and Lorenzo Burns of Arizona.

Pauline notes Adebo’s decision to enter the 2020 draft may not be the best decision for him, due to his poor performance throughout the year after gaining some pre-season hype.

As Pauline writes: “I’m told cornerback Paulson Adebo is also now expected to enter the draft, another decision scouts feel is premature. Adebo is coming off a terrible season, which began early on when he was torched by UCF receiver Gabe Davis in week three.  There are also concerns about Adebo’s long speed.” Davis had four catches for 63 yards and a touchdown in that game, a 45-27 win for UCF.

Adebo had four interceptions in 2019, the same amount he had in 2018, three of which came near the end of October, with a pair against Arizona. However, he only had about half the number of tackles as he did in 2018.

Thomas Graham, Jr. has 58 tackles (four for a loss) and one interception entering Wednesday’s Rose Bowl against Wisconsin. What’s interesting about Graham is that the NFL College Advisory Committee is actually recommending Graham to return to school in 2020. It will be interesting to learn his decision. Graham was among the second-team All-Pac 12 selections by Pro Football Focus.

Lorenzo Burns had 46 tackles and four interceptions for the Wildcats. However, he only had one interception among the last eight games, coming late in the season against Utah. He was an honorable mention All-Pac 12 selection by Pro Football Focus.

Updates on the futures of Freddie Kitchens and John Dorsey

At 5:10 PM, Pauline dropped some nuggets regarding the Cleveland Browns and the goings-on between the front office, coaching staff, and ownership. Here’s what he had to say:

• Dorsey’s return next year is not guaranteed, and several people feel he could be a casualty of the 2019 season and get the axe next week. While this is a possibility, everyone I spoke with feels it would be a mistake to fire Dorsey, something I agree with.
• If Kitchens is retained, he will have to relinquish the play-calling duties. Several scenarios, including bringing in a new offensive coordinator to call plays, were laid out to me.
• Another scenario is a compromise between Dorsey and Haslam, where Kitchens is fired, and the team hires a new head coach. Several people threw around the name of Mike McCarthy as a definite possibility.

Related: Are the Cleveland Browns on the verge of major changes with Freddie Kitchens, John Dorsey and others?

McCarthy is already gaining steam in the coaching carousel, as he has already met twice with the Carolina Panthers about their head coaching vacancy. There’s some thought that he may even be the favorite to land in Carolina, but there is still a ways to go.

The play-calling subject is also intriguing. Would change be good here, even though they’d be moving on from a solid offensive guy in Todd Monken? It’s clear Kitchens and Monken never saw eye-to-eye, so that would be an interesting story to follow if the Browns go in that direction.

Justin Jefferson, Kary Vincent, and Matt Bushman decisions

Throughout the Peach Bowl, Pauline shared some thoughts on the decisions of three more players: LSU WR Justin Jefferson, LSU CB Kary Vincent Jr., and BYU TE Matt Bushman.

First, at 5:40 PM, Pauline discussed Vincent, who had four tackles in LSU’s dominating 63-28 victory over Oklahoma. He wrote: “Kary Vincent Jr., who just made a beautiful interception, which LSU converted into a TD, is highly considered in the scouting community, and most I’ve spoken with feel he lands in day two of the draft if he enters. I’m told Vincent, whose father played wide receiver for Texas A&M and was drafted in the sixth round by the New Orleans Saints, has people vetting agents and will make his draft decision after the playoffs. If he enters the draft, expect a blistering forty time in the mid-4.2’s at the combine.”

Back in July, Vincent was named on Bruce Feldman’s annual list of the top athletic freaks in college football. He’s got solid size at 5-10, 185 pounds.

Related: 2020 NFL Draft Underclassmen Tracker

Then at 5:50 PM, it was Justin Jefferson, who has been having an incredible season and was a huge highlight in the Peach Bowl with 14 catches for 227 yards and four touchdowns. “Jefferson is yet another LSU junior set to enter the draft. His ultimate landing spot in the draft will depend on how fast he runs at the combine. Regardless — as is the case with most receivers that come out of LSU — I expect Jefferson to be a better receiver on the NFL level than he was on the college level,” wrote Pauline just before halftime.

If Jefferson finds a way to be better than what he’s been at LSU, the NFL better watch out. Jefferson now has 102 catches for 1,434 yards and 18 touchdowns. In comparison, only Michael Thomas has more yards in the NFL heading into Week 17, with 1,688.

Finally, it was Matt Bushman at 7:20 PM. While the first two in this group are expected to turn pro, Bushman is going to return to BYU for his senior season. “I reported the Hawaii Bowl, played on Christmas Eve, was likely going to be the final college game for tight end Matt Bushman, whom I was led to believe would enter the draft. The junior announced today he is returning to BYU for his senior season. I’m told Bushman received a lot of late-round and UDFA grades from scouts and felt it was in his best interest to return to college,” Pauline wrote.

Bushman had six catches for 91 yards in the Hawaii Bowl against Hawaii and finished the season with 48 catches for 688 yards and four touchdowns. There are some really good tight ends in this class, so Bushman will look to get better in 2020 and put himself in better draft position for 2021, which is a class that will include a tight end already being dubbed “Baby Gronk”, Penn State TE Pat Freiermuth.

Centers take center stage

Throughout the day, Pauline also focused on a few centers in the draft.

Starting at 6:55 PM, Pauline reported that “it’s about an 85 percent likelihood” that Oklahoma center Creed Humphrey will enter the draft, along with WR CeeDee Lamb and LB Kenneth Murray. At 6’5″, 325 pounds, Humphrey has a lot of build for a center and is a fighter on the offensive line, showcasing his high school wrestling background.

Pauline also reported it was about 50/50 for Michigan center Cesar Ruiz to enter the draft. At 7:20 PM, that number rose to 80/20 on the Michigan Wolverine standout. Ruiz is right up there with Humphrey in terms of size (6’4″, 319 pounds). He has spent two seasons under center and also has experience at right guard.

Two other Big Ten centers had notes today as well. Tyler Biadasz of Wisconsin, a top interior prospect, looks to be on his way to the draft. The standout center has received a lot of love for over a year now, as he could have been a top interior pick in last year’s draft, but he decided to return to Wisconsin for another year, and has not disappointed. He is still a top-ranked interior player in this year’s draft class.

Matt Allen injured his knee in the October 26 game against Penn State and has missed a handful of games due to the injury. Pauline is waiting to hear word on the status of the Michigan State prospect. We will keep you up to date as soon as we hear word of his draft decision