After sorting through the Group-of-Five and Independent teams, we are on to the big dogs of the college football landscape. The Power Five Conferences of the NCAA have the gold-standard teams. Alabama, Texas, USC, Clemson, Ohio State etc… all reside here; with the idea of super conferences looming large we may not have the Power Five much longer, so we should enjoy these classic rivalries and conferences while we still have them.
If the SEC is the king of NCAA football, the BIG 10 is the heir apparent. Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State and Iowa have all been fixtures in the top 10 in recent years. This year should be no different.
“MIP Scoutings Watchlist” will be dropping multiple times weekly covering every conference in the NCAA FBS. To check out what you might’ve missed as well as all of our other NCAA football content click here.
Illinois
Sydney Brown S
6’0 205 lbs
Kerby Joseph may have gotten all the fanfare last season in Illinois secondary. The hype was certainly warranted and for it he became a top 100 NFL Draft pick. Sydney Brown deserves similar hype.
Brown is going into his fifth year as the starter and is the unequivocal leader of the Illini defense. He patrols the back end of the defense with the fire and aggression you’re looking for in a team leader. This will be his final dance with the team and is looking to end it with a bang.
Brown is a willing and able tackler, leading the team in tackles last season. He is determined to be the guy to put you on the receiving end of a highlight reel worthy hit. Don’t let the big hits fool you into thinking he isn’t a sound tackler; he wraps up well and drives the ball carrier into the ground. He always seems to be punching at the football and has found some success with three forced fumbles.
With Kerby Joseph as his running mate he was asked to be more of a box/underneath safety in Brett Bielema’s defense. When Lovie Smith and his famed Tampa 2 defense was in town, Brown excelled in deep zone coverage. His best season came under Lovie Smith in 2019. He 88 tackles, 2.5 TFLs and 3 interceptions.
The only two glaring issues in his game are not being so great in man coverage and not having the size to cover tight ends. He logged a few games in the slot early in his career and for all of his speed, he’s a bit stiff in the hips. He was burned a handful of times while playing the nickel, his natural position is absolutely safety and I wouldn’t move him around unless absolutely necessary.
His track background, leadership, experience and football IQ are going to make him a hot commodity in Indianapolis next year. Look for him to be drafted around the same spot as his former teammate Kerby Joseph.
Iowa
Sam LaPorta TE
6’4 250 lbs
Notre Dame might be Tight End U, but the Hawkeyes are the only program in the country that can challenge that claim. They have produced arguably the best tight end in football with George Kittle, and have two other starters with TJ Hockenson and Noah Fant. Sam LaPorta could be the next in line.
LaPorta is going into his senior year at Iowa and has been a steady presence since arriving on campus. He’s got an NFL ready body and is a willing run blocker. He has the burst and agility to play in-line, in the slot or split out wide. He’s an excellent route runner underneath, terrorizing linebackers who are unfortunate enough to end up on him one on one. He uses soft hands, a large body and sharp cuts to create space and secure the catch.
Though they share an alma mater, he isn’t cut from the same cloth as George Kittle. LaPorta isn’t going to make those explosive plays after the catch. He’s got plenty of burst off the line, but doesn’t have world class top speed in the same mold of Kyle Pitts or Travis Kelce. He won’t be doing much work down the seam. LaPorta doesn’t have a history of high level production, but that shouldn’t scare you away; he’s never been Iowas top offensive weapon in his time there.
LaPorta is one of the better tight end prospects in the country and could find himself picked early in day two if there is an early run in the position.
Minnesota
Mohamed Ibrahim RB
5’9 210 lbs
Mo Ibrahim is going into his sixth season for The Golden Gophers, a super-super-senior if you will. He’s been a stalwart for the program going back to 2018 and this is his swan song. He’s had a lot of buzz around him since his breakout junior year where he put up nearly 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns in the pandemic shortened seven game season.
He most certainly would’ve been a day 2 pick if he came out, but he decided to return for 2021. In the opener against Ohio State, he had run for 160 yards and two touchdowns before the end of the third quarter. He was living up to his lofty draft status, until he ruptured his achilles. He missed the rest of the year and probably still would’ve been drafted, but wanting to leave no questions brought him back to Minnesota for one more year.
Ibrahim is a classic one-cut back. He has excellent vision and is a very decisive runner, finding the hole and using his elite acceleration to burst through. In the open field he has a nice blend of power and finesse. He’s got the moves and change of direction to shake a would be tackler; with the power and contact balance to bounce off of defenders. He also might be the best pass protector in the nation at the running back position.
Mo isn’t going to wow anybody with his top speed. It’s sufficient but it’s far from elite. He just doesn’t have that home run ability, and it may be hampered anymore by his achilles tear. He doesn’t offer you too much as a pass catcher from what we’ve seen with only 15 career receptions in 28 games, that’s something he will need to work on to be a lead back at the NFL level.
His injury may have hampered him but you gotta love this guys determination and dedication. He’s likely going to drop into day three due to his age and injury concern, but will present great value there for whoever picks him up.
Nebraska
Turner Corcoran OL
6’6 290 lbs
Turner Corcoran is one of the most intriguing prospects on a pretty mediocre Nebraska team. After not seeing much playing time as a freshman in 2020 he was inserted into the left tackle spot for the Cornhuskers in 2021.
The four star recruit has the frame you love to see in a tackle. At 6’6 290 pounds he is a tall, muscular, strong force to protect the blindside. He’s got elite mobility and smooth footwork. Equally as adept at dropping into pass protection as he is getting out on the edge to block for a screen. He has terrific hand placement always looking to gain inside leverage and landing big strikes into the chest of his opponent. In the run game he is a bull in a China shop, seeking and destroying whoever is lined up in front of him. With his quick feet and great hands, he is consistently working his way up field for second level blocks.
Though he plays tackle out of necessity, I personally think his best position would be inside at one of the guard spots. For a tall guy his arms aren’t nearly as long as you’d like for your offensive tackles. He gave up 6 sacks and 9 QB hits in 2021, while some of those were coverage sacks and indecision by former QB Blake Martinez… you can’t allow your QB to be on the ground that often at the second most important position on offense.
Northwestern
Peter Skoronski OT
6’4 294 lbs
Northwestern has really come into its own as a football program over the last handful of years. Winning the Big Ten West in 2018 and 2020. The talent pipeline is richer than it has been in recent memory, with a pair of 1st round picks in 2021 with Greg Newsome and Rashawn Slater. That trend is all but guaranteed to continue this year with standout OT Peter Skoronski.
Peter Skoronski is the type of talent you look for in a franchise offensive tackle. He has the size, smarts and mentality to anchor a unit. Coming into his junior season he has 21 games of experience under his belt.
He is arguably the best run blocker at the position, using his big frame and athleticism to mow down defenders. He does a great job at using his hands to engage, maul, disengage and get upfield to the next man.
A point of concern is Skoronski as a pass protector. While he has excellent technique, athleticism and heft; his arms are a bit short. A huge part of blocking on the edge is getting inside control and your arms locked out; stonewalling would be pass rushers. While he does perfectly fine against more compact edge rushers; the long limbed power rushers have given him some trouble in the past.
He only gave up 4 QB hits and 2 sacks in 12 games last year so it’s nothing to sound the alarms over; but it’s an area of his game where he could stand to improve. Despite his shorter arms, all of his other intangibles are tantalizing which is why he is my OT1 for this coming NFL Draft.
Purdue
Jalen Graham LB/S
6’3 220 lbs
The new generation of linebackers don’t look like the pro-bowl linebackers of days past. Gone are the days or the big thumping 6’4 250 pounders, todays linebackers are asked to cover like safeties and blitz like edge rushers as the game becomes more focused on passing the ball. Jalen Graham is the prototype of that new age linebacker.
Graham was all over the place for a really solid Boilermaker’s defense last season. He registered 64 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, 2 INTs, 7 PBUs and scored a touchdown. After losing George Karlaftis, DaMarcus Mitchell and Jaylan Alexander to the NFL, Graham will need a repeat performance to keep Purdue afloat in a tough BIG 10 conference.
Graham is a genuine 50/50 split between a linebacker and a defensive back. He dropped into deep zone from the safety spot, slid out to the slot when in base defense and covered tight ends one on one with regularity; holding potential top 2023 tight end Michael Mayer, to only one reception for five yards. In total he only allowed a 67 QB rating in coverage on the year.
He is stout against the run, and plays with his hair on fire. He can pop with the best of them and uses his lateral agility and quick first step to get to the ball in a hurry. He is a disciplined run defender, knowing when to pursue and when to set the edge, consistently making tackles on cut backs.
The trouble with Graham is nobody really knows where his primary position will be at the next level. To consistently play linebacker he’s going to need to get stronger. He has trouble shedding blocks when engaged by lineman, and doesn’t have the play strength to fight through traffic. He does well against tight ends in man coverage but doesn’t have the hip fluidity or straight line speed to keep up with receivers.
Regardless of position there is a place for these guys in todays football. He can do a little bit of everything and has the tenacity and intelligence to fit in with just about any team or scheme
Wisconsin
Braelon Allen RB
6’2 238 lbs
Braelon Allen came into last season with sky high expectations and found a way to exceed them. The freakishly strong, multi-position athlete was committed to Wisconsin for 2022 but reclassified to the class of 2021 and the rest is history.
Allen was a hammer, reminiscent of Derrick Henry. He used his body as a battering ram to mow down defenders. He didn’t even really get rolling until early October against Illinois. On only 186 attempts he ran for 1,268 yards (6.8 YPC) and 12 touchdowns.
He did this as part of a nearly 50/50 timeshare with Chez Mellusi. All due respect to Mellusi but the difference between the two is night and day. On only 13 more attempts, Allen out-gained him by over 450 yards and scored seven more touchdowns.
Allen did all of this while he was supposed to be playing his senior year of high school football. He is truly a physical specimen and the sky is the limit on what he can become over these next two seasons in Madison.
Allen is a powerful back, but he is not exclusively a power back. He has almost scary acceleration for a man his size, he plants his foot and gets north/south in a hurry. He shows a little shake when in the open field and has great vision when running the ball. He has plenty of speed and has the ability to hit a home run as evidence by his 6.8 yards per carry average.
As for the power aspects of his game, all you need to know is that he gained 703 yards after contact. He is a load to being down, rarely ending up on the ground on first contact. He keeps his legs moving and can push a pile with ease.
The biggest knock against Allen right now is inexperience. He was 17 last year, performing at that level, at that age is unheard of. There are parts of his game that will get some refinement like his ability as a pass catcher and blocker, but overall it’s hard to see a glaring weakness. He has the potential to be a generational talent for the position.