Allen Park — Each Saturday during the college football season, we’ll highlight five prospects with locally televised matchups who could be a fit for the Detroit Lions in the 2022 NFL Draft, based on projected needs.
The list aims to highlight early-, mid- and late-round prospects. This will give you a chance to watch the players performing live, instead of playing catch-up in the weeks before the draft.
Bailey Zappe, QB, Western Kentucky (No. 4)
Middle Tennessee at Western Kentucky, 3:30 p.m., Stadium
We’ve covered most, if not all the top quarterbacks in this draft class, but Zappe is emerging from the fringes as one of college football’s most-prolific producers.
As we enter the stretch run, no one is averaging more passing yards per game than Zappe, who is racking up 424 yards per contest while completing a personal-best 71.1% of his throws. He’s also pacing the NCAA with 33 touchdown tosses, to just six interceptions.
As if Western Kentucky isn’t far enough off the radar, Zappe spent his first three seasons at Houston Baptist, where he posted solid numbers, including a 15-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.
More: Justin Rogers’ 2021 Detroit Lions midseason grades
Take note of how well he’s performed against quality competition. Against Texas Tech last season, he threw for 567 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. And this year, against Michigan State and Indiana, he combined to complete 77 of his 108 throws for 853 yards, six scores and, once again, no interceptions.
Accurate with excellent touch, Zappe is held back by his size (6-foo-1) and lack of elite arm strength. But as a late-round prospect who can read and confidently dissect defenses, he could serve as a high-quality backup quarterback capable to start in a pinch, in the mold of a Case Keenum.
Smoke Monday, S, Auburn (No. 21)
No. 13 Auburn at No. 14 Texas A&M, 3:30 p.m., CBS
Sometimes, I’m just a sucker for a good name, and Smoke Monday is about as good as they come.
But Smoke is no joke as a prospect. What pops out immediately when watching his film is how quickly he closes space and his desire to lay a big hit on a ball carrier. He’s the type of player who sets a tone with his playing style, fearlessly filling run lanes and firing off like a guided missile when asked to blitz.
He’s utilized in a variety of ways in coverage, from playing a deep zone to defending man-to-man against a tight end flexed into the slot. He’s far from elite in this area, but does have a knack for making a big play with five career interceptions, including three returned for touchdowns.
Monday also has plenty of special teams experience, which should help him acclimate quickly to a role he’d certainly be asked to play on Sundays. He comes off the edge for Auburn’s field goal and punt block units, as well as serving as a key blocker on kickoff and punt return.
(Warning: Offensive lyrics)
Dareke Young, WR, Lenoir-Rhyne (No. 1)
Lenoir-Rhyne at Barton, 4 p.m., lrbears.com/coverage
Young hasn’t played the past couple weeks, and with limited injury information (or any kind of news coverage, for that matter) available on the small North Carolina school, we’re left to speculate whether he’ll see the field this week.
Young has been a priority to put on this list all season, and with chances rapidly dwindling, it’s worth familiarizing yourself with the prospect, regardless of whether he’s cleared to play or not.
Lenoir-Rhyne got some play a couple years back when the school produced safety Kyle Dugger. He went on to be a second-round pick for the New England Patriots in 2020, and he’s currently pacing the team with 54 tackles to go with two interceptions. If nothing else, it proves it’s possible to effectively make the jump.
Young, like Dugger, possesses excellent size and athleticism, making him a huge fish in a small pond. Listed at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, he’s consistently been a problem for opposing defenses during his college career.
Playing in the team’s Wing-T offensive scheme earlier in his career, Young averaged more than 300 yards rushing, while scoring eight touchdowns on the ground between the 2018 and 2019 campaigns. His role also required him to regularly block on the edge, something he’s stated he takes pride in and will resonate with Detroit’s decision-makers.
He also started to showcase his pass-catching ability in 2019, hauling in 25 balls for 515 yards and eight more scores. And he looked even more lethal as a receiving option in 2020, catching 14 passes in two games during the pandemic-shortened season.
As noted, he’s been out of the lineup recently, but in his last full game, he hauled in eight passes for 160 yards and three touchdowns. He also had a Hail Mary wiped off the books when it he was ruled out of bounds when coming down with the ball.
“Coming off a loss, I knew as a leader and captain I needed to set the tone by dominating whoever lined up across me until the clock hit zero,” Young said after that game. “Three touchdowns — should have been four or five, honestly. But we got the win, and I’ll do whatever’s necessary for that. I hate losing.”
That attitude, more than anything, is what the Lions could use, across the board.
Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama (No. 1)
LSU at No. 2 Alabama, 7 p.m., ESPN or CBS
Wide receiver continues to be among Detroit’s bigger needs, if not the biggest, so bear with us as we go back-to-back with prospects at the position.
Williams has emerged from the shadow of John Metchie III to establish himself as the Crimson Tide’s No. 1 threat in the passing game.
An Ohio State transfer, Williams has been a big-play machine in his first season with Alabama, averaging more than 20 yards per catch. After registering just 15 receptions the past two seasons with the Buckeyes, he’s hauled in 35 for 710 yards and six scores in eight games this season.
Williams wins with quickness and speed. He explodes off the line of scrimmage and gets to top speed in a hurry. That’s valuable getting in and out of breaks and makes him a threat to score every time he gets the ball in space. His tape also shows good hands, with the ability to snatch throws away from his body.
We’re not sure if he’ll get the chance at the next level, but that ability to accelerate also makes him a potentially lethal kick returner. He’s averaging 39.4 yards on eight tries this season.
Kayvon Thibodeaux, Edge, Oregon (No. 5)
No. 4 Oregon at Washington, 7:30 p.m., ABC
If there’s a silver lining to the Lions still being winless in this first year of a full rebuild, it’s that the team is in line to select first in the draft. And if that holds steady, while there’s sure to be debates about the best way to use the pick, the answer should ultimately be selecting Thibodeaux, the top prospect in this class.
Although Detroit has made small strides rushing the passer this year — thanks to the emergence of former first-round pick Charles Harris and the steady development of youngsters Julian Okwara and Austin Bryant — the team continues to lack a game-changing defensive end since the departure of the oft-injured Ziggy Ansah.
Thibodeaux could be the answer to that problem.
The 6-foot-5, 260-pounder has it all: Size, speed, strength. He’s been a nightmare for opposing offensive tackles and had his best performance of the season with Lions GM Brad Holmes in attendance a couple weeks back, tallying nine tackles (4.5 behind the line of scrimmage), two sacks, 10 total quarterback pressures and a forced fumble against UCLA.
Does he have room to improve as a run defender? Sure, and he probably will, but that’s not the primary trait teams covet when searching for an edge defender. They want someone who can consistently disrupt a quarterback’s timing in the pocket, while racking up sacks. Here, there’s no question Thibodeaux is the guy.
Bonus: Liberty at No. 16 Ole Miss, 12 p.m., SEC Network
It’s a battle of top QB prospects, Malik Willis and Matt Corral. We’ve already featured both in previous weeks, but if you want to watch one game this weekend with the Lions in mind, this is probably the choice.
While it might be tough to justify either with the No. 1 pick, if the Lions manage to score a win or two down the stretch, and subsequently move back a few spots on the draft board, either QB could be in play.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers