The fifth week of college football is here, which means we are back with another edition of the Scouting Notebook.
The Scouting Notebook will feature prospects to keep an eye on throughout the day. While some may think it’s too early to start talking about the 2024 NFL draft, there’s never a bad time to talk about the future of the Chargers.
Buy Chargers TicketsWith that being said, here are a handful of prospects to watch for in Week 5.
EDGE Princely Umanmielen, Florida
Joey Bosa is still a force to be reckoned with, but the injury concerns loom large and Khalil Mack is not getting younger. That is why the Chargers will likely seek out more talent to add to the edge defender room next offseason to go alongside rookie Tuli Tuipulotu.
Last season, Umanmielen finished with 4.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss. He’s only ascended since then, as Umanmielen has a pass-rush win rate of 30.8%, the highest in the country. He is also in the top 20 in total quarterback pressures and QB hits.
Umanmielen’s combination of length, strength and explosiveness is NFL-ready, and a strong showing against Northern Illinois transfer Marques Cox will only boost his draft stock.
-Gavino
EDGE Bralen Trice, Washington
Trice has gotten off to a slow start this season for the Huskies, partly because he’s no longer a breakout player. Teams have more film on the fifth-year senior after his nine-sack campaign last season and he’s primarily been outshone by teammate Zion Tupuola-Fetui, who has evolved his game to include elite snap timing.
Against Arizona, Trice gets a matchup with NFL-caliber tackle Jordan Morgan to try to earn some of that attention back. Morgan is rated anywhere from the late first to third round, depending on who you ask, and has been the lynchpin of the Wildcats offensive line since arriving on campus in 2019.
Wildcats quarterback Jayden de Laura is questionable for Saturday’s contest after suffering an injury in their game last weekend, so backup Noah Fifita is on track to start. That gives Trice an even bigger opportunity to affect the game, with a backup much more likely to panic in the face of pressure.
-Alex
TE Caden Prieskorn, Ole Miss
Tight end will be a position of need for the Chargers, given that Gerald Everett will be a free agent in the upcoming offseason. And the jury is still out for Tre’ McKitty.
Prieskorn is a Memphis transfer coming off his best season, leading the Tigers in receiving yards (602) and was tied for the most touchdown receptions (seven) in 2022.
Having only played tight end for four years, the former quarterback is a natural at the position, with the ability to make an impact as a receiver and as a blocker.
-Gavino
LB Jaylan Ford, Texas
Voted the preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, Ford has jumped onto NFL radars after a team-leading 119 tackles last season and a solid start to the 2023 campaign. Ford has true sideline-to-sideline range with a gift for finding the ball – he had four interceptions, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries for the Longhorns last season.
Ford has evoked comparisons to his former teammate DeMarvion Overshown, now with the Cowboys, as a hyper-athletic linebacker still learning to process the action in front of him with a bit more grace. That processing will be put to the test against Kansas on Saturday, with one of the most unique offenses in college football set to hit the field.
Kansas has an NFL quarterback (Jalon Daniels) and running back (Devin Neal) helming a modified option attack, so Ford will be in conflict repeatedly as the Jayhawks drive downfield. How he handles it could launch him up the board or bring those questions closer to the surface.
-Alex
EDGE Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Notre Dame
Jean-Baptiste is a week removed from a dominant performance against his former team, the Ohio State Buckeyes, in which he recorded a career-high eight tackles.
Jean-Baptiste is an athletic specimen and he was highlighted in The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman’s Freak List after he broad-jumped 10-5 this offseason and vertical-jumped 35 inches. On the GPS, he hit 20.4 MPH.
Jean-Baptiste, the 6-foot-5 and 255-pounder, is a plus run defender and can get after the quarterback with his great twitch, lateral movements and the ability to turn the corner.
-Gavino
WR Alex Legette, South Carolina
Legette has been one of this season’s biggest risers after taking over the #1 receiver spot from an injured Antwane Wells for the Gamecocks. Spencer Rattler has performed relatively well this season, making many more of the easy throws and letting his receivers do more of the work. That’s largely been a good strategy because of Legette’s prolific run after the catch ability.
At 6-foot-3 and 227 pounds, Legette has been clocked as fast as 22.3 mph, which he hit on a 76-yard touchdown against Mississippi State last week. That was faster than Tyreek Hill’s 22.07 mph during the Dolphins-Broncos matchup to give you an idea of the level of speed we’re talking about here.
Legette has 556 yards through 4 games, shattering a record previously held by Alshon Jeffrey, who had 498 yards through 4 games for the Gamecocks in 2010. While likely not a first-round player because of his one-year wonder status, Legette is showing he can be a valuable NFL receiver and special teams player – he has a kick return touchdown and seven tackles in his career.
-Alex
CB Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
A Freaks List honoree this summer, Mitchell is in contention to be the first non-Power 5 corner drafted next April. The 6-foot and 200-pounder set a Toledo program record with 20 pass breakups last season, has been clocked in the 4.3s in the 40, and has benched 225 lbs 21 times. He also had four interceptions and two pick-sixes for the Rockets last season.
For a Chargers defense that has been burned by their lack of speed on the back end, Mitchell is sure to be an intriguing prospect to remedy some of their downfield defensive woes. He also brings the physicality necessary to run the current defense, with aggressive plays against the run and some big hits over the middle.
Mitchell is somewhat vulnerable to big plays despite his speed, which can be chalked up to his poor to average technique. The level of competition will also play a factor in his evaluation, as the MAC has been a weaker conference over the past few seasons. Against a moribund Northern Illinois passing offense on Saturday, I’m looking for Mitchell’s name to pop a few extra times in a dominant performance.
-Alex
