CFB Week 4 Stock Report

Written by Christian Lysek

College Football is in full swing now. Many of the Florida teams have returned to the field after Hurricane Irma, and we are starting to sort out the contenders from the pretenders. We are also getting a better sense of which prospects are legit, and which are just hype. With that in mind, let's take a peek at this week's winners and losers.

Stock Up:

Bradley Chubb, EDGE, NC State

The best players rise up against good competition, and that is exactly what Chubb did this weekend against Florida State. Chubb was unstoppable, racking up 7 tackles and 2 sacks en route to a NC State upset of the Seminoles. In my eyes, Chubb is a first round lock.

Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State

How can one's stock increase if they were already the best player in the class at their position? Saquon Barkley found a way. He had 28 carries for 211 yards and a touchdown, plus 12 receptions for 94 yards against a stout Iowa defense. Barkley is a freak, and he might be the best running back prospect of the previous decade.

Bryce Love

Bryce Love, RB, Stanford

Here's Bryce Love's season stats so far: 73 carries, 787 yards, and five rushing touchdowns in only four games. That type of production is insane, especially when you consider that he has been facing mostly good teams (Rice, USC, San Diego State, UCLA). Love has vision, speed, and explosiveness, all of which have led to his 10.8 YPC average. He is rocketing up draft boards.

Armani Watts, S, Texas A&M

I'm not the biggest Armani Watts fan at this point, but I cannot deny the production he has had so far. He has five turnovers in only four games (two forced fumbles, three picks), including a game sealing pick against Arkansas. If he continues to improve his tackling, he will rise up my board.

Azeem Victor, LB, Washington

Azeem Victor broke his leg last season and was suspended for the first game of this season for a team rules violation. The rust appeared to be getting the better of Victor in his first two games back (only 6 tackles between the two), but now, Victor is back on track. Victor helped his Huskies beat Colorado, racking up ten tackles and a sack against the Buffaloes. If Victor gets back to 100%, count on him being a high pick.

Stock Down:

Nick Fitzgerald, QB, Mississippi State

I'm starting to think being a quarterback on either my stock up or names to know section is a curse. One week after lighting up LSU and beating them by 30 points, Nick Fitzgerald came crashing down to Earth by completing only 48.3% of his passes for 83 yards and 2 interceptions in a 30 point loss to Georgia. Those are not round one quarterback numbers. Fitzgerald is in the same draft range as Josh Allen: mid-to-late Day two, early Day three.

Deebo Samuel, WR, South Carolina

What a bummer for Deebo Samuel. Samuel was destroying the competition, scoring six touchdowns in only three games to start the season. Unfortunately, Samuel broke his lower leg, and whether or not he will make it back on the field this season is unknown.

Courtland Sutton

Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU

Sutton hasn't really been lighting up the competition recently. The take away the outrageous North Texas victory stat line (8 catches, 163 yards, 4 TDs), and Sutton has only 5 catches for 54 yards and one touchdown across three games. With many other receivers lighting up the college football landscape (James Washington, Dante Pettis, and Simmie Cobbs, to name a few). Sutton has to produce more consistently to ensure he doesn't get lost in the shuffle.

Kyle Hicks, RB, TCU

Kyle Hicks was a sleeper running back heading into the season, but it appears he is suffering the same fate as Ohio State's Mike Weber: a younger guy is outplaying him. Hicks has been outtouched by two of his teammates (Darius Anderson and Sewo Olonilua), and with his nagging injuries, it is unlikely Hicks is going to get those touches back.

Ralph Webb, RB, Vanderbilt

Ralph Webb has a firm grip on Vanderbilt's starting job, but he is quickly getting lost in the crowd of this year's running back class. Webb has only averaged 2.6 yards per carry this season, and unless he creates more big plays, it's going to be hard for anybody to justify taking him over his more productive peers.

Names to Know:

David Sills V, WR, West Virginia

David Sills has had one of the weirder paths to college football stardom. According to an SI article I read (https://www.si.com/college-football/2017/08/25/david-sills-v-recruitment-usc-west-virginia) Sills was one of those kids who committed when he was in middle school. He committed as a 13 year old to USC, but later in life decided on West Virginia. At West Virginia, he was asked to play receiver, transferred to El Camino (a JUCO) to play quarterback, and then transferred back to West Virginia to play receiver. Now he and quarterback Will Grier are teaming up to light up CFB defenses. Sills has used his size (6'4'', 200 pounds) and athleticism to rack up 26 catches, 396 yards, and seven touchdown in a mere four games. Sills should see his name rise up as he keeps producing.

Uchenna Nwosu, EDGE, USC

Uchenna Nwosu

If I asked you who was leading the country in pass deflections, would you say a defensive lineman did? If you did, you are correct. Uchenna Nwosu has an absurd 8 pass deflections in only four games despite almost never dropping into coverage. Nwosu only has one sack to pair along with those deflections, but on film he is getting consistent pressure and hits on the quarterback when he isn't deflecting passes. He is working his way into the early Day 2 conversation.

Caleb Wilson, TE, UCLA

Caleb Wilson has been the only consistent receiver for Josh Rosen this season. The 6'4'', 235 pound tight end has 32 receptions for 425 yards and a touchdown this season, but what stands out to me on film is how often he moves the chains. Whether it is by sitting at the sticks or gaining a few extra yards after the catch, Wilson is finding a way to get first downs. Add in that he isn't a bad blocker, and in this weak tight end class, we have ourselves a riser.

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All statistics come from ESPN stats on ESPN.com expect for TFLs, which come from sports-reference.com