Prospect Matchup Deep Dive Week 3

Recap of Last Week's Matchup

Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez vs. BYU WRs Puka Nacua, Gunner Romney, and Chase Roberts

Last week we looked at top-tier NFL cornerback prospect Christian Gonzalez, and his matchup against a trio of BYU wide receivers. Unfortunately, Gunner Romney didn’t make the trip. Puka Nacua traveled to Oregon, but did not dress out. Chase Roberts was active and had a slight impact against the Oregon defensive backfield. We never got to see much of Gonzalez against Roberts as he stayed to the strong side of the field, and BYU kept Roberts away from him for most of the game. Gonzalez was dominant in coverage on Saturday, as BYU avoided throwing in his direction. He had two pass breakups and two tackles, but constantly blanketed BYU receivers and tight ends and eliminated the vertical threat. Roberts finished with 4 catches with 60 yards, as the BYU passing attack struggled to get much going. Oregon headed into the 4th quarter up 38-7 and most of BYU’s statistical damage was done in garbage time. Gonzalez and Oregon had a dominant performance over BYU, which will be instrumental in giving them momentum heading into conference play.

This Week's Matchup to Watch

Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud vs. Wisconsin’s Defense

This week we highlight the current Heisman favorite in quarterback C.J. Stroud. He sits atop draft boards as arguably the best offensive player and potential first-overall pick. Stroud is an elite arm talent and has all the intangibles. He can make all the throws and has impeccable accuracy. He also checks the box as far as size and frame go as he comes in at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds. Stroud took massive steps forward throughout the 2021 season to establish himself in the elite class of quarterbacks and continues to take more strides in 2022. The only knock-on Stroud is that loads of talent around him enhance his play. He had several NFL receivers last year, and he has no shortage of talent around him in 2022 with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison, Julian Fleming, Emeka Egbuka, Cade Stover, and TreVeyon Henderson. All these players will probably be playing on Sundays over the next several years. But surrounded by talent or not, Stroud continues to produce and show why he is a dynamic quarterback with the tools to excel at the next level. Stroud got off to a slow start in their season debut vs. Notre Dame, and in the last two weeks against lesser opponents, he’s only been tasked to throw the ball 51 times. But he has been as efficient as you can be with a 73% completion percentage, 941 yards, and 11 touchdowns through the first three games.

Wisconsin should present a new test for Stroud, as they have given up only 24 points through three games and only one passing touchdown. It has been against weaker offenses, but they have been the stereotypical Wisconsin defense a quarter of the way through the year. Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard always produces elite defenses, but he will have his work cut out for him on Saturday, especially when the Badgers’ offense has failed to do the defense any favors with their lack of moving the ball. The Badgers had to replace eight starters this season with a mix of underclassmen and transfers, and it’s shown early through the season in how they operate as a unit. Leonhard usually loves to play an attacking style with blitzes with press-man coverage on the outside. That isn’t going to fly against this star-studded Ohio State offense. Notre Dame gave Stroud some trouble by coming out in a two-high shell look which I wonder if Leonhard will adjust his scheme to try and fit his personnel to best defend the potent weapons they will face. Leonhard this year has already dropped his blitz rate from 30% in years past to 17%. This tells us that he doesn’t fully trust his secondary in the early stages of the season. Nick Herbig anchors the defense at middle linebacker, but the Badgers will need UCLA transfer Jay Shaw and redshirt freshman Ricardo Hallman to anchor the boundaries against an exceptional group of wide receivers with an accurate passer throwing to them. Ohio State is favored by 19 and expected to score 38 points, so we expect Stroud and Co. to handle this Wisconsin defense. Still, this will be a test for Stroud as he continues his Heisman campaign and secures his draft stock as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.