Every week during the college football season, NFL clubs deploy scouts to campuses all over the country to make in-person evaluations on draft prospects. Naturally, the bigger games featuring more top prospects tend to draw larger contingents of scouts. Each week, College Football 24/7 brings you a look at the teams credentialed to attend three of the biggest games in college football.
Texas A&M at Alabama
11 clubs attending:Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans.
Details: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
Three top players:Texas A&M (DE Myles Garrett, WR Josh Reynolds, S Justin Evans); Alabama (OT Cam Robinson, DE Jonathan Allen, LB Reuben Foster).
Matchup to watch:Texas A&M DE Myles Garrett vs. Alabama OT Cam Robinson. A week after taking on Tennessee star DE Derek Barnett, Robinson draws another tough assignment in Garrett (5 NFL execs we polled say Garrett is the top prospect in the game). Robinson will likely be more effective when he's trying to block Garrett on power runs than he will be in pass protection. As such, a stout Alabama rushing attack will limit Garrett's pass-rushing opportunities, which will be his best chance to expose the area of Robinson's game that needs the most improvement.
Ole Miss at LSU
3 clubs attending:Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks.
Details: Saturday, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Three top players:Ole Miss (QB Chad Kelly, TE Evan Engram, DE Marquis Haynes); LSU (RB Leonard Fournette, S Jamal Adams, LB Arden Key).
Matchup to watch:Ole Miss TE Evan Engram vs. LSU S Jamal Adams. Engram is a major headache in the slot for defenses, and has been a primary target for Chad Kelly all season. Adams patrols the middle of the field with authority for the Tigers, exactly the area where Engram does a lot of damage. Both are physical players. Adams will also have some responsibility in making sure Engram doesn't get behind the defense on deep passes -- at 235 pounds, he has the speed to do so.
Miami at Virginia Tech
9 clubs attending:Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans.
Details: Virginia Tech 37, Miami 16 (Thursday)
Three top players:Miami (QB Brad Kaaya, WR Stacy Coley, CB Corn Elder); Virginia Tech (WR Isaiah Ford, TE Bucky Hodges, CB Brandon Facyson).
Matchup to watch:Miami CB Corn Elder vs. Virginia Tech WR Isaiah Ford. Elder is having an outstanding season for the Hurricanes, but Ford could be the toughest challenge he's faced this season. The Hokies' receiver holds a four-inch height advantage (6-foot-2 vs. 5-foot-10) and has the vertical speed to get open deep.
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