Which college games will NFL clubs send scouts to this weekend? College Football 24/7 brings you a glimpse at the teams that are credentialed to attend some of the weekend's biggest games.
USC at Arizona State
Clubs attending:New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins.
Three top players: USC (QB Cody Kessler, DB Su'a Cravens, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster); Arizona State (WR D.J. Foster, QB Mike Bercovici, DB Jordan Simone).
Matchup to watch: Cravens, a linebacker with safety-like speed and coverage skills, has the task of staying with Foster, the Sun Devils' athletic playmaker who can catch the ball as a receiver or carry it out of the backfield. Scouts will have a lot of prospects to keep an eye on in this game, but those two could reveal some intel about one another.
TCU at Texas Tech
Clubs attending:Carolina Panthers, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints.
Three top players: TCU (QB Trevone Boykin, WR Josh Doctson, DE Josh Carraway); Texas Tech (QB Patrick Mahomes, WR Jakeem Grant, DB Jah'Shawn Johnson).
Matchup to watch: Boykin is one of the nation's most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks and is a strong Heisman Trophy candidate. Johnson, a safety, has already piled up 25 tackles with two forced fumbles and two recovered. He'll play a big role in defending the pass Saturday, and is likely to be involved in defending Boykin's scrambling and designed runs, as well.
UCLA at Arizona
Clubs attending:Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots.
Three top players: UCLA (QB Josh Rosen, CB Ishmael Adams, RB Paul Perkins); Arizona (LB Scooby Wright III, QB Anu Solomon, RB Nick Wilson).
Matchup to watch: Perkins is one of the most underrated rushers in the nation and, after Rosen endured some growing pains last week, the Bruins could put the ball in Perkins' capable hands as much as possible Saturday. Wright, who has practiced this week and is hoping to return from injury, will be the player scouts watch most closely if he is able to play. They already know he's athletic, but they can learn something about his ability to bounce back physically from an injury layoff.
Mississippi State at Auburn
Clubs attending:Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars.
Three top players: Mississippi State (QB Dak Prescott, WR De'Runnya Wilson; CB Will Redmond); Auburn (WR Duke Williams, CB Jonathan Jones, DL Montravius Adams).
Matchup to watch: Wilson and Jones will find themselves on an island at times, and NFL scouts will take notice of how Jones handles the size disadvantage. Wilson (6-foot-5, 215 pounds) could really have his way with Jones (5-10, 180) if Prescott can find him on back-shoulder throws and other single-coverage situations where Wilson can high-point the ball on deeper throws. When Auburn has the ball, Redmond and Williams will be locked up at times in a similar size mismatch.
Oklahoma State at Texas
Clubs attending:Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Chicago Bears.
Three top players: Oklahoma State (QB Mason Rudolph, DB Jordan Sterns, WR David Glidden); Texas (QB Jerrod Heard, LB Malik Jefferson, DB Duke Thomas).
Matchup to watch: Heard, a freshman who has given the Texas offense some hope and excitement, is a dual-threat quarterback who can do heavy damage as a runner. Sterns led OSU in tackles in 2014 and, though he's a safety, will have an active role in the Cowboys' efforts to stop Heard as a rusher. The bigger test for both will be on pass plays.
Tennessee at Florida
Clubs attending:Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings.
Three top players: Tennessee (WR Marquez North, RB Jalen Hurd, DE Derek Barnett); Florida (CB Vernon Hargreaves III, LB Antonio Morrison, RB Kelvin Taylor).
Matchup to watch: If last week's game against Kentucky is any indication, Florida might have to rely heavily on its defense this season. And in this game, that effort begins with stopping Hurd, the Volunteers' 240-pound power rusher. Morrison, as the Gators' middle linebacker, will be charged with fitting runs between the tackles and limiting Hurd, especially on early downs.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
