NFL Draft Prospects to Watch in College Football Week 9
NFL Draft

NFL Draft Prospects to Watch in College Football Week 9

Gene Clemons identifies four NFL Draft prospects to watch during College Football Week 9, including ​Northwestern QB Aidan Chiles in a tough road matchup against Oregon.

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Week 9 in college football presents opportunities for players to make moves up draft boards by their play against elite competition. There are questions that scouts want to have answered, and there are evaluations that they're looking to have validated. 

So as we move into the month of November, this can be a pivotal time for NFL Draft prospects to jump on radars, move up draft boards or solidify themselves as high-priority draft picks.

Week 9 NFL Draft Prospects to Watch in College Football

​Aidan Chiles | QB | Northwestern

Chiles feels like he's been a journeyman in college football, but now back in the Big Ten with Northwestern, he's really flourished this season in offensive coordinator Chip Kelly's system. He uses quick processing and high-level decision-making from the pocket to operate a system predicated on getting the ball out of his hands fast.

There are no days off in the Big Ten, and Chiles will be charged with being efficient against what is sure to be difficult opposition. We will get to see him perform in a hostile environment when the Wildcats travel to Oregon to take on the Ducks.

Chiles has elite-level weapons, and that starts with his arm talent. He has great velocity on intermediate throws and the ability to crank it deep with ease. When you couple that with the legitimate speed necessary to run away from defenders or be a weapon as a runner, you can see why he's so intriguing.

Many evaluators will be looking to see him stay disciplined consistently throughout a game and continue to avoid turnover-worthy throws. Oregon will likely be disguising defenses pre-snap, so watching him go through his full-field progression will give scouts an understanding of his processing in real time.

​Niki Prongos | OT | Stanford

Prongos is one of those baseball and basketball converts who came to football late, but that background provides him with an athletic foundation that many offensive linemen lack. At 6-foot-7 and 315 pounds, he has ideal length and size for the prototypical modern-day tackle. He could still fill out his frame and add more muscle, which will help him hold up against the power rushers in the league.

Against Louisville, he will have his hands full trying to stop twitchy edge rushers and second-level attacks from linebackers and defensive backs. It will be a great opportunity for scouts to see him be fluid in his pass sets and move his feet like a former basketball player playing defense. It should be a spotlight on technical refinement to check out whether or not he truly has the functional strength with his punch and whether or not he uses his hands independently.

If he can show that his athleticism from other sports carries over to the gridiron, he can continue to rise up draft boards throughout this process.

​Sammy Omosigho | LB | UCLA

This game should be another opportunity for Sammy Omosigho to show off his three-down linebacker abilities. He is a modern-day off-ball linebacker who can cover tight ends and backs out of the backfield in the passing game, while also staying gap-sound between the tackles to thwart the rushing attack.

Showing that he is defensive package-proof will most certainly raise his draft value. He has sideline-to-sideline range and possesses the closing burst to get to a ball carrier before they hit their top speed.

Against a team like Nevada, scouts will be looking to see if he relies on his natural abilities or if he thinks the game through. They will be looking to see if he is disciplined with his eyes against play-action and if he can sift through the second-level trash to make plays. They will also be watching to see how he stacks and sheds against pulling offensive linemen.

​Bryce Hawthorne | DT | Iowa

Hawthorne is a prototypical Iowa defensive lineman. At 6-foot-3 and 298 pounds, he provides great push on the interior, which allows the Hawkeyes to stay stout against the run. A former member of FCS power South Dakota State, he's already shown that he can transition to a higher level of football and be successful, going from the Missouri Valley Football Conference to the Big Ten.

Against Wisconsin and their ability to run downhill, Hawthorne will be pushed to show he can physically hold up to the consistent barrage of downhill rushes. It is a great game for talent evaluators to scout him and check on his pad level and lower-body anchor, especially against double teams. They will be watching to see how violently he plays with his hands at first contact and how he disengages from blocks in order to pursue the ball.

This could be a big-time opportunity for him to rise up draft boards.

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