College Football Week Eight NFL Draft Preview: 5 prospects for Eagles fans to watch

Week eight of the 2017 college football season is here! Today features a good slate of games and always with good games comes great opportunities for NFL Draft prospects to boost their profile. Who should Eagles fans keep an eye on today?

• Derrick Nnadi, Defensive Tackle, FSU: FSU is essentially in a throwaway year after losing their starting quarterback, but that does not mean they lack talent elsewhere on the roster. Derrick Nnadi is a physical player sitting in the middle of a talented defensive line. He is strong with a high motor and is one of the better interior defenders in college football. With five tackles for a loss heading into this week, he will face a big test against Louisville (12 PM ET on ESPN). Lamar Jackson can take a game over by himself but if Nnadi can create pressure up the middle and block running lanes, it could be a long day for the Cardinals.
• Chad Thomas, Edge Defender, Miami: Miami’s renaissance season is due in part to their strong defensive player. Chad Thomas, a senior leader on the unit, has been incredibly disruptive coming off the edge against the run and the pass. Today Miami faces Syracuse (3:30 PM ET on ESPN), who has acted like a sort of giant killer after knocking off Clemson last week. Syracuse has an explosive offense and Thomas will need to bring his best to make sure Miami isn’t the Orange’s next victim.
• Arrion Springs, Cornerback, Oregon: Arrion Springs has been somewhat beleaguered by bad play over his career but he is turning in a solid season in his final year at Oregon and may get looks as a mid day cornerback prospect. The six foot corner plays with excellent physically and improving ball skills. Today Springs will be on the other end of UCLA and their prolific passing game (4 PM ET on Pac 12 Network). Josh Rosen has a habit of letting one interception turn into two interceptions and so on... So a strong game from Springs could be the difference between a win or a loss for the Ducks.
• Saquon Barkley, Running Back, Penn State: There is not much to be said about Saquon Barkley that has not be said, because he is amazing. However today will be his biggest test of the season again Don Brown’s Michigan defense (7:30 PM ET on ABC). Barkley has had a really nice season to this point but he has a chance for a signature game tonight against one of the best units in the country.
• Josh Adams, Running Back, Notre Dame: One of the emerging names in the running back conversation is Notre Dame’s Josh Adams. The 6’2”, 225 pound back has great size and has been dominating his junior season averaging 110 yards a game on the ground at nine yards per carry. He is fast, powerful and surprisingly agile for his size and he will be a handful tonight for USC’s defense (7:30 PM ET on NBC). Notre Dame’s offense is firing on all cylinders right now and Adams could have a big night to upset the Trojans.