College Football

UCLA RB Zach Charbonnet leads group that bumped its draft stock in Week 1

Published Sep. 7, 2021 12:20 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

By Rob Rang
FOX Sports NFL Draft Analyst

While NFL scouts spend countless hours in the summer touring college campuses and watching tape, the first full Saturday of the college football season always delivers a few eye-popping performances that help prospects climb the draft boards. 

A year ago, for example, future Arizona Cardinals’ first-round pick Zaven Collins planted his flag as one of the nation’s best linebackers with three sacks among his six tackles for Tulsa in a Week 1 breakout performance against Oklahoma State. 

On Saturday, UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet was clearly one of the biggest winners in Week 1 of the 2021 season, helping the Bruins stun No. 16 LSU 38-27 in a nationally televised interconference battle on FOX.

A one-time ballyhooed recruit at Michigan, the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Charbonnet looked like Chip Kelly’s next star runner, gashing the Tigers for 152 all-purpose yards and a touchdown on just 12 touches. He demonstrated the kind of vision, burst and pad level to suggest that his success is more than a byproduct of scheme.

Here are nine more NFL prospects trending positively with scouts following successful 2021 debuts.

Note: Only players potentially eligible for the 2022 NFL Draft (three years removed from their high school graduating class) were considered for this article. 

Carson Strong, QB, Nevada, 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, redshirt junior

The upcoming quarterback crop pales in comparison to last year's group. And it doesn't help that such top-rated signal-callers as North Carolina’s Sam Howell and Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler struggled in their 2021 debuts. Strong, however, lived up to his name, demonstrating impressive accuracy, mobility and poise in leading the Wolfpack to a 22-17 win on the road at Cal. His touch on intermediate and deep throws — such as the rainbow below — was especially impressive. 

Amare Barno, EDGE, Virginia Tech, 6-5, 245, rSR

This season, there are a number of twitchy edge rushers who have scouts intrigued. Last Friday, Barno’s burst and bend off the edge made him a nightmare for Howell and North Carolina. Barno racked up six tackles, including 3.5 for loss (1.5 sacks), and a forced fumble to power the Hokies’ 17-10 upset over the No. 10 Tar Heels.

Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE, Penn State, 6-3, 240, rSR

One of several transfers to make an immediate impression, Ebiketie's explosiveness off the edge (and up in the air) helped Penn State topple No. 12 Wisconsin in Madison. Early on, Ebiketie kept a scoreless game knotted at zero, showing off an impressive vertical jump to bat away a 25-yard field-goal attempt. For the game, he recorded seven solo tackles, including two for loss and a sack. The seven solos were one short of Ebiketie’s career high, which came in his final game for the Temple Owls.  

Jermaine Johnson II, DE, Florida State, 6-4, 262, rSR

While quarterback McKenzie Milton’s return warmed fans’ hearts, it was Johnson’s domination of a well-respected Notre Dame offensive line that captured scouts' eyes Sunday night. Much has been expected from Johnson since he signed with Georgia as the top-rated JUCO prospect a few years ago, but he started just four times in 21 games for the Bulldogs before transferring to Tallahassee for this season. Against the Irish, Johnson turned potential into results. He stood up would-be blockers at the point of attack to throttle rushing lanes and used his length and raw power to simply bulldoze opponents on his way to seven tackles, including 2.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks. 

Cameron Latu, TE, Alabama, 6-4, 250, rJR

The old adage that Alabama "does not rebuilt, it reloads" looked true again Saturday, with QB Bryce Young throwing for a school-record four touchdowns in his starting debut. Half of those were caught by Latu, also making his first start. With Bill O’Brien taking over for Steve Sarkisian as Alabama’s playcaller and the Tide needing pass-catchers with Heisman winner DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle now in the NFL, Latu could be on the verge of a monster season. His soft hands and ability to bounce off would-be tacklers could make him an integral part of this offense. 

Kenneth Walker III, RB, Michigan State, 5-9, 206, JR

In ranking "new" players based on how critical they were to their team’s Week 1 success, Walker could argue he checks in too low on this list. All the Wake Forest transfer did in his debut for the Spartans was rush for a staggering 264 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-21 win over Northwestern, earning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors. A bowling ball of a back whose low center of gravity helps him bounce off would-be tacklers, Walker is tough to knock down. He also possesses both vision and burst to elude tacklers. 

Riley Moss, CB, Iowa, 6-0, 191, SR

The Defensive Player of the Week in the Big Ten returned not one but two interceptions for touchdowns in a surprising blowout of Indiana, which entered the game ranked one spot higher in the AP Poll than the No. 18 Hawkeyes. Moss entered his senior year already established with scouts; he has earned starts since his true freshman season and was honorable mention all-conference a year ago, with 43 tackles, four passes broken up and two interceptions. With the Hawkeyes’ heavily anticipated showdown with rival Iowa State coming this Saturday, Moss has an opportunity to shine in the spotlight again.

Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa, 6-7, 321, rSR

Passionate draft fans might remember the pre-draft rise of former Northern Iowa Panthers Spencer Brown and Elerson G. Smith last year. Both earned middle-round selections — by the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants, respectively — after stellar performances at the Senior Bowl and in workouts. In Penning, the Panthers might boast an even more exciting talent. The verified 6-foot-7, 320-pounder has nearly 35-inch arms and the light feet to potentially remain at left tackle in the NFL. Of course, Penning will need to answer the obvious concerns about his level of competition. He took a big step toward that Saturday, bullying Iowa State defenders, albeit in a losing effort.

Jordan Davis, NG, Georgia, 6-5, 340, SR

Because of his sheer size, power and strong personality, Davis might be the most recognizable name on this list. Since the day he signed with the Bulldogs, he was expected to develop into a first-round NFL draft pick. As big and powerful as he is, however, some scouts question the wisdom of investing an early-round pick in a player whose primary responsibility is to clog running lanes. Davis is far from a traditional pass-rusher, collapsing pockets rather than penetrating them, but he did record a sack against Clemson and was immovable against the run, helping Georgia limit the Tigers to two net rushing yards on 23 attempts.

For more up-to-date news on all things college football, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

One of the most recognized names in the industry, Rob Rang has been covering the NFL draft for over 20 years with his work found at FOX, Sports Illustrated, CBSSports.com, USA Today, Yahoo, NFL.com and NFLDraftScout.com, among others. 

share

Get more from College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Zach Charbonnet

Carson Strong

Amare Barno

Arnold Ebiketie

Jordan Davis

Jermaine Johnson

Cameron Latu

Kenneth Walker

Riley Moss

Trevor Penning