The 2023 Pac-12 Championship Game is shaping up as one for the ages. This rematch between Oregon and Washington has everything on the line for both programs, including a bid for the College Football Playoff. We’re looking even deeper, including which 2024 NFL Draft prospects have the most to gain with a big performance.
Pac-12 Championship Prospect Preview
Both Oregon and Washington are loaded with key NFL prospects, and it starts at the quarterback position. The top 75 of our PFN Consensus Board is littered with the playmakers who will star in this game. However, with the class providing significant depth and competition at key positions, this game will help decide how our rankings play out.
Oregon Ducks NFL Draft Prospects
Bo Nix, QB
As one of the two leading candidates to win the Heisman Trophy, Bo Nix has earned his due from his college peers. It’s well-deserved, but Nix hasn’t grabbed the draft media’s trust. Nix has built a fantastic resume, with a mediocre outing at Texas Tech and a weak schedule seeming to be the main knocks on him.
Some of the concerns about Nix’s play style are justified. Once a wild gunslinger who couldn’t reign in his knack for playmaking at Auburn, Nix has been much more controlled at Oregon. His efficiency has skyrocketed as his reads have been more defined, and his task list no longer includes carrying an underdog every week.
But Nix has to find a balance.
His efficiency has been out of this world, but he’ll need his inner wild child to come out in the NFL when the time calls for it. I have more trust that it’s in there, and he’s my QB3 in the class. This is the perfect week for Nix to step up, win the Heisman, and put his foot down as a top prospect.
Troy Franklin, WR
While 2022 was a great year for Troy Franklin, earning a top-40 grade from us this preseason, the 2023 campaign has been a massive breakout. He has three straight games with at least 128 yards and a touchdown and has 1,349 yards with 14 scores overall. He’s been unguardable.
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At 6’2″ and 170 pounds, Franklin is one of the lankier receiving prospects we’ve seen in years. His lack of play strength sometimes shows up, but he makes up for it with blistering speed. Defenders playing off him allow easy intermediate receptions, and those bold enough to press him often find Franklin breaking free of their grip and streaking upfield for a huge play.
Bucky Irving, RB
The 2024 running back rankings are wide open. It’d be tough for a 5’10”, 190-pound back to be RB1, but Bucky Irving has done as much as he can to show he’s in the mix. Irving has excellent speed, contact balance to push through defenders, ankle-breaking agility, and is a huge threat as a receiver.
Being one of the most explosive players in the country, Irving will have to overcome stigmas about his size to climb in the draft. He’s similar to Isiah Pacheco athletically and physically, so he should land in the top 100 and be a difference-maker right away.
Brandon Dorlus, EDGE
This will be a terrific rematch of great trench players. It starts with Oregon EDGE Brandon Dorlus, who projects as a 3-4 end or big strong-side end in a 4-3 front. The senior is towering at 6’3″ and 285 pounds but has a surprising burst and finesse for his size and excellent hand power.
Dorlus won his last outing against Washington, notching five tackles, one sack, and a batted pass. Going against Washington tackles Troy Fautanu and Roger Rosengarten will again provide him with top competition, and Dorlus can continue to move up as a Day 2 prospect by repeating his performance.
Other Oregon NFL Draft Prospects
- Tez Johnson, WR
- Jordan Burch, EDGE
- Khyree Jackson, CB
- Evan Williams, S
- Jeffrey Bassa, LB
- Ajani Cornelius, OT
- Jackson Powers-Johnson, C
Washington Huskies NFL Draft Prospects
Michael Penix Jr., QB
After starting the season on a torrid run that seemingly produced zero passes hitting the ground, Michael Penix Jr. vaulted himself into the first-round conversation. Reaching that point is an incredible feat, but it’s especially notable considering Penix’s long injury history. Penix entered the year with a mid-round grade from BLESTO, likely due to his physical limitations and injury history.
However, with the NFL desperate for new QB talent and Penix’s high level of play, he’s in the mix to be a first-round pick. The last month has been far less kind to Penix as defenses have figured out that he’s too willing to throw the ball away under pressure instead of trying to buy time and create outside of the pocket.
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Penix is a traditional pocket passer who must be able to evade defenders and make accurate throws after resetting his feet. If he can’t, evaluators will be concerned he’s another Mac Jones. The margin for error for pocket passers is slim, so Penix needs a big day while dealing with pressure to change the narrative of his game.
Rome Odunze, WR
He’s not the top receiver in the 2024 draft class, but Rome Odunze might have been the most unstoppable individual playmaker in the nation this season. Averaging an absurd 18.2 yards per catch while totaling 1,326 yards and 13 touchdowns this season, Odunze is the penultimate alpha receiver in the nation. He takes it personally when defenders challenge him at the catch point.
A solid athlete at 6’3″ and 200 pounds, Odunze can win on various routes when asked to. Often, he’s just running a go route, where he shows fantastic body control, hand usage, unnatural hand timing to snatch the ball, and strength at the catch point. He’s easy to evaluate and project as a top-15 talent but will need a quarterback who trusts him at the next level.
Ja’Lynn Polk, WR
Expectations were for Odunze and Jalen McMillan to repeat their stellar 2022 campaign, but Ja’Lynn Polk emerged as a great No. 2 option over McMillan. Polk, 6’2″ and 204 pounds, has proven to be a dynamic vertical threat who gives his quarterback a big catch radius to target. He’s been banged up over the last three games, though.
With 55 catches for 943 yards and eight scores, the fourth-year sophomore is in an interesting spot as to whether he declares. He’s not the most refined route-runner because the offense doesn’t ask him to be one, and his physical traits are good but not elite. He’s a top-120 player on our board, projecting as a high-end rotational receiver.
Jalen McMillan, WR
McMillan may not declare for the 2024 NFL Draft as he has one more year of eligibility. It was a possible tell when he wasn’t featured on Washington’s senior day. McMillan, who produced 1,098 yards and nine scores in 2022, dealt with a knee injury that limited him for almost half the season.
At 6’1″ and 180 pounds, McMillan had a mid-round grade entering the season. He’s a trusted slot option who can occasionally get vertical. But he makes his money on quick routes and against zone coverages.
Troy Fautanu, OL
There aren’t many projected guards better than Troy Fautanu. Due to his length, the Huskies’ star left tackle will likely be a guard at the next level. However, that’s not a knock that could keep him out of the first round.
There aren’t many reps Fautanu loses for any other reason but his arm length. His hand strength and leg drive are fantastic, allowing Washington to dominate up front. His balance and awareness are also near the top of the class. He should anchor whatever position he plays in the NFL for a decade.
Bralen Trice, EDGE
A massive edge rusher who depends on power to win, Bralen Trice is in our crosshairs as a must-watch player. Trice struggled to generate consistent pressure until the year’s midway point, lacking the burst and twitch to react to quality blocking. However, he’s been more effective and active over the last five games.
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Trice won’t suddenly become a freakish athlete who can bend the edge consistently through contact, but being a master of his talent can land him in the second round. He had five tackles against Oregon earlier this year, but getting a sack on Nix would be even more impressive.
Other Washington NFL Draft Prospects
- Dillon Johnson, RB
- Roger Rosengarten, OT
- Zion Tupuola-Fetui, EDGE
- Edefuan Ulofoshio, LB
- Jabbar Muhammad, CB
- Dominique Hampton, S
