Cover / Artwork » Welcome to week 9 of the college football season.

Nice Top 10 match up with the Gators and Bulldogs. As a closet Iowa fan I will be paying attention to the Iowa and Penn State game. I have said this before but I will say it again Jack Ham Jersey , Ferentz gets more from less and doesn’t get the respect he should as a head coach. No. 9 Florida vs. No. 7 Georgia (-7) 3:30 CBSNo. 18 Iowa at No. 17 Penn State (-5) 3:30 ESPNNo. 14 Washington State at No. 24 Stanford (-3) 7 Pac 12 NetworkThis weeks highlight game:No. 2 Clemson (-14) at Florida StateNoon ABCFlorida State Seminoles :Alec Eberle#54 Center 6’3” 294Derrick Kelly II#74 Tackle 6’5” 323Jacques Patrick #9 RB 6’3” 236Johnathan Vickers #26 FB 6’1” 240Brian Burns #99Edge 6’5” 231Demarcus Christmas #90 DL 6’4” 308Levonta Taylor #1 CB 5’10” 181FSU Player Profiles:EDGE Brian BurnsI love Brian Burns and I regret not having him in the top 10 of my big board from a few weeks ago. His footwork and bend are elite. He might be the second best EDGE in the class just because of fluid he is. His bend is combined with impeccable explosiveness off the edge and he also proves he is just stupid fast off the edge. His hands are as active as anyone’s in the class and he has a great rip-club combo as well as a great swim move. His hips are just fantastic. They rotate around the corner incredibly well, which adds to his bend and ability to not get run around the arc. As a run defender, he has great gap discipline and holds the edge well. As for the cons, I hate to say it but he needs to bulk up. He gets blown back sometimes because he is tall and lanky. Thus, he has almost no semblance of a bull rush even if his pad level is great. I like Burns a lot, but he needs to have better timing, as good OTs will mix up their timing and it will get Burns.Round Grade: Early 1stNFL Comparison: Chandler JonesCB Levonta TaylorHe is not flashy and never will be, but he is just a smart and solid football player. If you want to watch tape on him, you won’t see pass breakups, but you will see him show excellent aggressiveness at the line and excellent mirroring. His hips are just that fluid. In man he has all the tools you want, even if his length is a little lacking at 5’10”. Taylor is stupid sticky and has some of the best trail techniques when he is targeted deep, which is rare. Even when he is targeted, you see fantastic ball skills and ability to get his hands in there at the catch point.My main issue is in zone he is a bit of a slow processor, and it leaves him susceptible to allowing passes to the flats. He gives up far too many yards after the catch, as he is a poor tackler and his lack of strength shows. Thus JuJu Smith-Schuster Jersey , he is also a rather poor run defender. Round Grade: Late 2ndNFL Comparison: Deshea TownsendClemson Tigers:Sean Pollard #76 OL 6’5” 316Mitch Hyatt #75 OL 6’5” 310Hunter Renfrow #13 WR 5’10” 185Clelin Ferrell #99 Edge 6’4” 265Austin Bryant #7 DE 6’6” 280Dexter Lawrence #90 6’4” 350Christian Wilkins #42 DT 6’4” 315Kendall Joseph #34 ILB 6’ 235Tre Lamar #57 ILB 6’4” 255Mark Fields #2 CB 5’10” 180Trayvon Mullen #1 CB 6’1” 195Tanner Muse #19 S 6’1” 230Clemson Player Profiles: EDGE Clelin FerrellI am not as high on the Clemson Defensive Line as many others are, but Ferrell is the real deal. He has natural quickness and bend off that edge and has some crazy explosiveness with his 6’5” monster frame. You can always see the guy has a plan and is quick to enact it. His explosiveness is always perfectly timed and he clearly knows how to work inside and outside. He can go through you in a bull rush or simply rip inside you. The spin move he adopted has netted him numerous sacks this season alone too. He is a polished pass rusher. Let’s talk about how insane his hands are too. They are active to no end and counter especially well. His run discipline, especially in his gap and on the edge, is one par with Nick Bosa’s. His hips are so fluid that he can just shed blocks and flip his hips towards the sideline with ease.My biggest con would be when he deals with shifty, slippery running backs, Ferrell does have some trouble bringing them down, so sometimes throwing him out into the flat is not the greatest idea.Round Grade: Early 1stNFL Comparison: Danielle HunterIDL Dexter LawrenceI know a lot will say I am a bit low of Lawrence, especially with how high I am on Rashan Gary, but Lawrence is just so raw. He does not display any explosiveness or quick first-step, which leads to him being stonewalled easier than he should be. He does play low, which means he can use his strength to bull rush, but he offers very little as a pass rusher. It can flash, but it just isn’t there yet. In run defense, I do like that he keeps his gap most of the time, but at other times he gets driven straight back into the LB because his hands are simply dead. He needs to get far more penetration than he has currently James Conner Jersey , but Lawrence has gotten lighter over the season. He looks more explosive and that is what he will have to be like in the NFL, point blank.Round Grade: Early 3rdNFL Comparison: Star LotuleleiIDL Christian Wilkins Wilkins is a defensive linemen who can bend like he was playing EDGE, but he doesn’t. It really helps inside too as he just bends inside and gets pressure right up the middle. He is explosive off the snap and can win with the rip-chop combo he has displayed recently. He knows how to get skinny and fight straight through gaps.His strength and leverage are severely lacking. Couple that with a rather tool of hand usage and it becomes clear that he does not get pass rush often. He often is blown out of gaps and leaves wide open holes in run defense. I really just have to preach playing lower, because it is why he gets beat. On top of that, his reaction is rather slow, so it leaves him out to dry.Round Grade: Mid 3rdNFL Comparison: Christian Covington New Feature: Draft Sleepers Had a chat with Nick and we decided it was time to start adding some names to the mix that don’t get the everyday attention. It’s never to early to find that diamond in the rough. Utah RB Zack MossYou will not see great athlete under Moss’ radar, but my goodness is he a powerful runner. He runs over guys and keep his balance while doing it. He has some of the best contact balance I have scouted in the class. He breaks tackles at will and knows how to make it hard to tackle him if you take the wrong angle. His vision is elite and he finds the hole each and every time. Moss displays effort and fight that allows him to grind out every last yard he can. He has good burst even if his athleticism is not great. Moss is a great receiver and is used out of many different alignments. Regardless, he is a 3 down back as he can also pass pro. He really has some questions about himself in space, as even if he does break tackles, his lack of agility really does not allow him to turn the corner very often. Sometimes he overthinks the run and causes himself to quite literally end the run play, even if he hits the hole correctly. He will get out in front of his blockers a bit too often when he should be a bit more patient.Round Grade: Early 3rdNFL Comparison: Giovani BernardAuburn ILB Deshaun DavisDavis is the smartest ILB in the class. It is not debatable. The high IQ football plays he displays are out of this world good. He knows what is going on every play and it makes up for his lack of athleticism when he can just straight up call a play from the jump. He anticipates plays with ease. His zone coverage is fantastic and he understands zone discipline about as well as any ILB. All that and he is still a stout run defender too. He gets skinny and makes tackles with ease.That lack of athleticism still does hurt him when seam routes are run or when the athletic TEs are in the vicinity. He is not always sideline-to-sideline but takes great angles. His hips are not as fluid as they could be, but it is not terrible.Round Grade: Mid 2ndNFL Comparison: Zach Brown Liberty WR Antonio Gandy-GoldenAt 6’4” with speed and absolutely insane athleticism, Gandy-Golden is going to be a problem in the NFL. It is only a matter of how well his skill set translates. You may not have heard of him, but start to get his name of your radar. He has insane release skills, as he seemingly gets separation with ease. His route running of seams is perfect as he puts his body in perfect positions to just box guys out. He is stupid good at contested catches and brings them in with ease. Liberty has used him as the ultimate red zone threat and it shows all the time. He is a clear mismatch there. He is not bullied around by aggressive corners either. He has fantastic body control.He needs to expand his route tree and get more nuanced in and out of breaks. He has the hips to do it Artie Burns Jersey , but he will need to be coached up if he wishes to be schemed around more than just outside. While he is a deep threat, he can struggle with zone awareness and finding the soft spot in the zone. Does not block well at all. Round Grade: Early 2ndNFL Comparison: Mike Evans...Let us know who you have your eye on for the Black and Gold and what games you plan on watching Saturday. It’s still early in the process but feel free to generate some conversation about what direction you believe we should take in the upcoming draft. Also remember it is also an open thread so the conversation doesn’t have to be draft related. Just remember to keep it respectful and feed back is also welcomed.Steelers News: Young players waiting for their chances to shine The Pittsburgh Steelers are dealing with disappointment for the second week in a row after the Kansas City Chiefs came into Heinz Field and dismantled the home team. Heading into Week 3, the team must slowly turn its attention away from the embarrassing loss and solely focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their Week-3, prime-time matchup. Something I did last season and I’m going to start again is the Black-and-Gold Links article. This is an article where I take stories from quality news sources across the Internet, and add them here for your viewing pleasure. I won’t be posting the entire articles, but I’ll link each story and author so that you can read the full article. Today we focus on some of the younger Steelers who haven’t got a chance to shine yet. Players like Jaylen Samuels, Chukwuma Okorafor and Marcus Allen who are biding their time waiting for an opportunity to prove their worth.Let’s get to the news:Rookie Jaylen Samuels stays patient, waits for his chance in Steelers offenseBy: Chris Adamski, Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewUpdated 11 minutes agoJaylen Samuels is living the dream after making the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 53-man roster as a rookie. The running back has been part of the 46-player active gameday squad for each of the season’s first two games, too.But getting on the field? Not quite yet.That’s not going to bring Samuels down.“I am just taking it a day at a time, coming to work every day improving every day on what I’ve got to do and focused on what I got to do,” he said. “And when my number gets called just be ready to go.”Samuels said he’s been a part of the gameplan during the games against Cleveland and Kansas City – and he even was on the field for a snap in the loss to the Chiefs. Officially, though, it didn’t count because the play was nullified because of a penalty.The No. 3 running back on the depth chart, Samuels was a tight end at North Carolina State and also has a background as a wide receiver. A fifth-round pick in April Sean Davis Jersey , he’s an intriguing chess piece for first-year offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner to play with.Antonio Brown hasn’t lost respect in the Steelers locker roomBy: Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-GazetteAntonio Brown doesn’t appear to have lost any friends in the Steelers locker room after skipping work Monday, one day after he was involved in a couple of sideline confrontations with offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner and receivers coach Darryl Drake.Team captain Maurkice Pouncey did not have a problem with Brown getting into an argument with Fichtner during the game.“One hundred percent,” Pouncey said. “Tom Brady does it. I’ve seen him do it plenty of times. No one ever says anything. The ultimate competitor Tom Brady does it. Peyton Manning used to do it all the time. The guy wants to win a football game. He wants to go out there and make plays. I love A.B. to death. I’ll never say anything bad about him. He’s a great player. He’s the ultimate competitor. He cares about this team, and he cares about winning. That’s what you want on a football team.”As for Brown not showing up to work Monday, Pouncey said Brown communicated with the proper people about having to deal with a personal matter.Steelers punter Jordan Berry well aware of his early-season strugglesBy: Chris Adamski, Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewJordan Berry has heard from his coaches. Not that he needed to get their opinion to assess his own punting this season.“We (as punters and kickers) know we kick the ball (poorly),” the Pittsburgh Steelers punter said Wednesday. “But you know, (coaches) are going to come up and be up front with us as well.”So while Berry didn’t hear what coach Mike Tomlin had to say during his weekly news conference Tuesday ( “It’s got to be better,” Tomlin said of the punting), Berry had already been given the message by the special-teams braintrust of Tomlin and special-teams coach Danny Smith.“‘Hey, you haven’t hit the ball well. We need you to improve. If you don’t improve it, you know, you have to start looking over your shoulder’ kind of thing,” Berry said.“The coaches here are fantastic and they are very upfront with everybody. They are not going to hide anything. You hear stories from other teams; head games with people鈥?There’s nothing that (Steelers coaches) are hiding from me.”Berry acknowledged he mis-hit several balls during Sunday’s loss to Kansas City. He was trying to kick directionally to avoid Tykeek Hill and the Chiefs’ stellar return game – but not as directional as some of his punts went.“I was really trying to make sure I was getting it toward the sideline with that punt return team; I just didn’t hit a couple of them clean Ramon Foster Jersey ,” Berry said. “So then when you are taking that sharp angle and then you don’t hit it clean, it just exaggerates how bad the ball is.“I am just not hitting the ball well. That’s about it.”Antonio Brown rejoins Steelers 2 days after being a no-showBy: Joe Rutter, Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewAntonio Brown returned to work Wednesday, rejoining his Pittsburgh Steelers teammates after not showing up Monday for scheduled film review and team meetings.Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said he spoke to Brown “a little bit,” but he said the All-Pro wide receiver did not address teammates about his absence.Brown’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said Tuesday that Brown did not report Monday because of a “personal matter.” Coach Mike Tomlin, who typically reveals when players have excused absences, did not do that at his Tuesday press conference. Tuesday is a day off for Steelers players.Rosenhaus said Brown did not mean it when he tweeted “trade me let’s find out,” in reference to a former team employee’s social media comments that Brown owes his success to playing with Roethlisberger.Roethlisberger also said he doesn’t believe Brown was being serious about his “trade me” message.“If I spoke to him and personally he reiterated those things to me or if I felt they were personally coming from him and not just a reaction to someone else, maybe I’d have a little more worry,” Roethlisberger said. “But as of now I don’t feel that way.”Roethlisberger said frustration over not being a bigger part of the offense is the genesis of Brown’s behavior. He confronted offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner on the sidelines in the second half of the Steelers’ 42-37 loss Sunday to Kansas City. He also walked off the field by himself while teammates were celebrating Roethlisberger’s touchdown run that cut the deficit to five points with 1:59 left in the game.