The third weekend of college football is one of the last to feature primarily non-conference games. It’s a good chance to check out some 2024 NFL draft prospects who might not have the national exposure, or players from smaller schools who get an opportunity to show what they can do against major programs.
Here are eight 2024 NFL draft prospects who are under the radar to watch this weekend.
Tory Horton, WR, Colorado State
Horton has been a playmaker for the Rams since he stepped on campus and scored five TDs as a freshman. The 6-foot-2 wideout will likely get some reps against Colorado’s phenom Travis Hunter, and Horton has the presence and the confidence to help himself with a big game in the suddenly prominent rivalry matchup.
Kurtis Rourke, QB, Ohio
Rourke has started slowly in his return from an ACL injury that ended his 2022 season, including missing the Bobcats win two weeks ago. The 6-foot-5 Canadian will look to fire it up against Iowa State. It’s a rare home game for Ohio against a Power 5 program and a great chance for Rourke to show his NFL draft worthiness.
Darius Robinson, DT, Missouri
Robinson kicked inside full-time for Mizzou this year, and the fifth-year senior is quietly improving his NFL draft stock in the process. He gets a big challenge with a good Kansas State offensive line in Saturday’s matchup in Columbia. Robinson isn’t a stat-sheet stuffer as much as he’s a facilitator who helps teammates put up stats, but it would still be nice to see a couple of QB hits and TFLs against the Wildcats.
David Hoage, OLB, Northern Colorado
It’s always illuminative when FCS-level prospects get to play their BCS brethren. For Hoage, who missed 2022 with a bad knee injury, it’s even more critical. He was outstanding for the Bears in 2021 and is now playing more of an EDGE role than an off-ball LB. Facing Washington State gives the 255-pound Hoage a chance to show where he’s at in his recovery and NFL draft progress.
Easton Gibbs, LB, Wyoming
Gibbs is the latest Wyoming off-ball LB to coax draft attention, after Chad Muma and Logan Wilson. He’s got a chance to be drafted as high as Muma, a third-rounder by the Jaguars back in 2022. While Gibbs isn’t a big, he’s quicker to the point of attack and takes exceptional angles. Gibbs and the Cowboys draw their biggest exposure opportunity with a game at No. 4 Texas this Saturday.
Michael Hiers, QB, Samford
Hiers earned spots on the preseason watch lists for both the Shrine Bowl and Senior Bowl after passing for 36 TDs and just four INTs in 2022 for the Crimson. His first matchup against an SEC school, vs. Georgia last fall, did not go well. Hiers gets another shot at proving he belongs with the big boys on a trip to Auburn this week.
Kimani Vidal, RB, Troy
Vidal is the nation’s leading rusher to this point, and the 5-8 dynamo has proven he can make big plays. After netting 83 rushing yards in a blowout loss to Kansas State, Vidal faces upstart Sun Belt rival James Madison, which upset Virginia by holding the Cavaliers to just 48 rushing yards on 28 handoffs in the game. Vidal’s all-or-nothing rushing style is fun to watch, regardless of opponent or outcome.
Jabbar Muhammad, CB, Washington
Muhammad transferred from Oklahoma State to Washington this offseason and is already showing his nose for the ball with two PDs and a sack in the Huskies’ first two blowout wins. I’ll be in East Lansing on Saturday evening to watch him and his Washington teammates play a Michigan State team that was in the news for all the wrong reasons this week.
