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Draft Quack: Late Night Quack Edition

A couple of intriguing games on a Friday night

NCAA Football: Colorado at Arizona State Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

#12 Penn State at Maryland 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET FS1

  • The undefeated Nittany Lions travel to College Park to take on a smarting Terrapins squad that had a bye week to think about the loss to Temple. Maryland is led by former Bama OC and DMV recruiting master Mike Locksley. Penn State had a close call against Pitt before taking the past weekend off. Can the Terps pull off the upset against James Franklin’s charges? Watch out for Terps RB Anthony McFarland, Jr. He’s #good.

Penn State prospects to watch

1. Yetur Gross-Matos 6’5 242 EDGE Junior

  • Athleticism is a major plus for him. He’s one of the best EDGE prospects in the nation. Explodes off the ball. NFL teams will covet his H/W/L. Long arms keep the blockers a bay and he’s solid in run defense. Potential first round pick.

Maryland prospects to watch

1. Antoine Brooks, Jr 5’11 223 S Senior

  • Versatility is the name of his game. He’s played linebacker and safety throughout his college career. The heir apparent to first round pick Darnell Savage who stood out at the Senior Bowl before getting drafted by the Packers. Athleticism is a plus. Gets going downhill in a hurry. Willing tackler. Fundamentals as a safety are a bit raw given his versatility.

Arizona State at #15 Cal 7:30 PM PT / 10:30 PM ET ESPN

  • The undefeated Golden Bears host the Sun Devils in the latest Friday #Pac12AfterDark rendition. Can Cal hold onto their Pac-12 North lead and not get caught looking ahead to a primetime match-up against the Ducks next week? Arizona State is coming off a heartbreaking loss to Colorado while Cal is coming off a “controversial” last second win against the Rebels of Ole Miss. Evan Weaver vs. Eno Benjamin and Aiyuk vs. Bynum will determine a lot in this one.

Arizona State prospects to watch

1. Eno Benjamin 5’10 205 RB Junior

  • Benjamin has been one of the best running backs in the conference the past two years (a title not lightly given the RB depth in the Pac-12). He won’t break the game wide open but has enough speed to get to where he needs to go. Gets a little lost in between the tackles at times. Improved vision and IQ. He has been struggling to get going due to a lack of space. NFL Comp: Jordan Howard

2. Brandon Aiyuk 6’1 206 WR Senior

  • The leading receiver for the Sun Devils. He’s a YAC monster. Has opened a lot of eyes in the scouting community even with a true freshman QB trying to figure things out. Straight line speed could be an issue but lateral agility is not. Good route runner that varies depth and speed of the route. Has really stepped up for N’Keal Harry, who is currently a New England Patriot.

3. Cohl Cabral 6’5 304 OL Senior

  • One of the best Pac-12 linemen for at least two years running. He has had some medical issues so that could be something to worry about. Primarily a center by trade but has played tackle in a pinch. Could be drafted in the middle rounds if the medical checks out.

Cal prospects to watch

1. Evan Weaver 6’3 235 LB Senior

  • A tackling machine. He’s notched multiple 20+ tackle games this season already. Instincts are a plus. Athleticism is not a plus but it’s serviceable if a DC can match him up correctly. He has the turning radius of an aircraft carrier with a bad engine. Will likely project as a special teams player or two down linebacker at the next level because of it.

2. Ashtyn Davis 6’1 200 S RS Senior

  • One of the best safeties in the 2020 class. Very disciplined in fundamentals. Doesn’t take too many false steps and get beat easily. Ball skills are above average. Frame wise, he’s stuck between free and strong safety. He will need to do something about the frame when he’s asked to be in the box against linemen.