College Football Week 12: Four NFL Draft prospects to watch

Week 12 of the college football season offers another exciting slate of games. Here are the NFL Draft prospects I am eyeing throughout Saturday’s schedule. All listed times are EST.

• Kyle Monangai, Running Back, Rutgers v. Penn State (12 PM on FS1): Kyle Monangai (younger brother of former Eagles and Villanova RB Kevin Monangai) has been a central piece of the Scarlet Knights offense this season, rushing for over 900 yards through ten games. He is a stout, powerful back with the strength to run through defenders and wiggle to get around them. He is not a flashy back, but a dependable role player for Rutgers. With Penn State’s stingy defense on deck, the Scarlet Knights will seek to control the ball and control the clock as they’ve done quite a bit this season. Monangai had three straight games of 24 carries before only totaling 13 in Rutgers’ loss last week. I expect Greg Schiano to get the running game going early and often in this game.
• Amarius Mims, Offensive Tackle, Georgia v. Tennessee (3:30 PM on CBS): While Georgia’s defense makes most of the headlines, they have some real NFL talent on the other side of the ball as well. Amarius Mims is a massive presence on the Georgia line, standing at over 6’6” and 340 pounds. He is a powerful blocker who makes his mark in the run game and can stonewall pass rushers with his long, strong arms. Tennessee’s defensive line has some serious prospects on it and they will be coming after Carson Beck to give the Volunteers a shot in this game. Mims will have the special task of keeping his quarterback clean and helping Georgia continue their historic multi-season winning streak.
• Nate Wiggins, Cornerback, Clemson v. North Carolina (3:30 PM on ESPN): Nate Wiggins has been a force on the Clemson defense this year. His size and athleticism make him a prototypical perimeter defender and he has made his presence felt every game by shutting down teams’ top receivers. North Carolina might be Wiggins’ biggest challenge of the year. The Drake Maye to Tez Walker connection is as good as any duo in the country and Nate Wiggins will need to shut Walker down to keep the Tar Heels at bay.
• Rome Odunze, Wide Receiver, Washington v. Oregon State (7:30 PM on ABC): The Washington/Oregon State game will probably be the best game of the weekend and is by far the most important. Washington can keep their playoff hopes alive while the Beavers are still contending for the Pac-12 title. Oregon State is coming off a dominant defensive performance and field one of the best defenses in the country, holding opponents to just over 20 points per game. Washington, on the other hand, has the best passing offense in the country with Michael Penix, Ja’Lyn Polk, and of course, Rome Odunze. Odunze is averaging 18.6 yards per catch and has scored nine times this year despite only catching 59 passes. He is one of the best deep threats in the country, if not the best. The Oregon State secondary will not make things easy for Odunze. Kitan Oladapo, Ryan Cooper Junior, Jerod McKoy, and Akili Arnold are a fantastic group of defensive backs and will make this a four quarter football game for Odunze and company. The junior receiver will need to make some huge plays in tight spaces in order to keep Washington unbeaten.