Player Report – Week 1
CB Robert Rochell (Central Arkansas)
He is one of the best small-school players available in the 2021 NFL Draft. Rochell is a freak of an athlete at 6’2, 195 pounds. He comes from a track background and has outstanding speed. He runs in the high 4.3’s. He lined up at LCB most of the game against UAB in week one and wasn’t given the chance to match up against a highly regarded WR Austin Watkins. He displays terrific ball skills. He attacks the ball while it is in the air like a former WR. It is no surprise that Rochell played wideout in high school. Against UAB, he went down with an ankle injury in the first quarter, but was able to come back. He had two fumble recoveries in the game. On one occasion, he wrestled the ball away from the WR in the open field and returned it for a 35-yard TD. Sometimes, he relies on his physical tools too much. He has a tendency to peak back into the backfield and lose his responsibility. This occurred against UAB on one play where he was looking at the QB and lost track of his receiver in man coverage. He got beat deep, but the pass fell incomplete. His size, speed, athleticism and ball skills make him a top 100 prospect in next year’s draft.
WR Tim Jones (Southern Miss)
He played exclusively as a slot receiver last year. However, with Quez Watkins departing early for the NFL, Jones lined up mostly as an outside receiver against South Alabama. He came up with six receptions for 139 yards. Jones made an impressive 47-yard grab on a back-shoulder throw near the sidelines. He is strong for his size (6’1, 202) and displays reliable hands. He excels on double moves. He is also a good blocker. If he continues at this pace, he will top the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the first time in his career.
WR Jalen Tolbert (South Alabama)
Junior WR Jalen Tolbert outplayed his much more heralded senior teammate Kawaan Baker in the opening game of the season against Southern Miss. He had six catches for 169 yards and scored two TD’s. He scored a 73-yarder in the beginning of the game. He has good size and showed the ability to stretch the field. He tracked the ball well and adjusted in mid-air to a couple of downfield throws. He excelled on those 50-50 balls.
QB Shane Buechele (SMU)After transferring from Texas, senior QB set single-season passing record with 3,929 yards and single-season TD record (34) at SMU in 2019. He led the school to 10 wins last season, which is the most since 1984. In the first game of the season against Texas State, it was an up and down performance by Buechele. He was very accurate with his deep ball. He hit WR Roberson Jr. on a 51-yard TD in the third quarter. He excelled on post routes and deep outs last season. He continued to display a great touch on downfield throws in the season-opener. He threw the ball with terrific anticipation on a few occasions. He throws his receivers open. Buechele is capable of working through his progressions, but he has a tendency to stare down his primary target. This is exactly what happened in the third quarter of the game. Buechele locked onto his primary read and was late with his short throw, which resulted in the first INT of the game. He also struggled against pressure and displayed below average pocket awareness. In the fourth quarter, linebacker came free on a blitz, and he threw an errant pass to his check down that resulted in the second INT of the game.
