College football players to watch for: Week 5

Week 5 is here and boy is it a doozy. This week carries with it multiple games with big time talent on both sides of the ball, including our first top ten matchup of the season.

Let’s quit wasting time and tell you about our players from last week then get into week fives players to watch.

Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida

• PSA to all NFL teams, draft Kyle Pitts. I don’t care what your situation is at tight end. This guy is the truth. Last week Pitts put up eight catches for 170 yards and four (four!) touchdowns in Florida’s 51-35 win over Ole Miss.

Jabril Cox, LB, LSU

• LSU lost 44-34 but their new linebacker was great in his debut, posting six tackles, a sack, and a pick-six for the Tigers first touchdown of the season.

Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama

• Jaylen Waddle did what you would expect from a first round pick in a game against an inferior opponent. He was the focal point of the Alabama passing attack with eight catches, 134 yards, and two touchdowns. He also did this:

Bonus: DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama

• Another good day from a future first round pick but Smith wasn’t quite as impressive as Waddle. Nonetheless he put up some quality numbers with eight catches for 89 yards.

Now that you let me brag for a few minutes let’s get into this week’s players to watch.

Samuel Cosmi, OT, Texas

• Matchup: vs. TCU
• Gametime: 12:00pm
• Network: FOX

Cosmi is a 6’7”, 310 lbs athletic wizard at the offensive tackle position. He’s the classic raw tackle with all the tools guy you see all the time. He’s the kind of player who NFL teams fall in love with and I would include the Patriots in that list.

New England fans far and wide are expecting/hoping for the Patriots to take a wide receiver with their first pick come April so I want to just warn everyone now, they’re probably taking a lineman of some sort. That’s just what they do, when everyone expects them to do one thing, they do the opposite. Especially if they have their eye on a specific player.

When healthy, the Patriots offensive line is phenomenal but their top five guys (Isaiah Wynn, Joe Thuney, David Andrews, Shaq Mason, Marcus Cannon) haven’t played a snap together. With Cannon opting out this year after multiple offseason’s worth of retirement rumors it is hard to see him coming back. So that means they may have a spot to fill, even though Jermaine Eluemunor has done an admirable job. If a certain prospect falls down into the second or third round, however, they should and would take him.

Cosmi goes up against TCU this week who is coached by defensive minded Gary Patterson who will have his defensive line ready to go, this should be a good test to see where he’s at.

Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama

• Matchup: vs. #13 Texas A&M
• Gametime: 3:30pm
• Network: CBS

There may not be a more respected player in college football than Dylan Moses. Not only does he stand out physically, standing 6’3” tall and weighing 235 lbs with tree-like limbs. Moses is the emotional and technical leader of Alabama defense. He’s a true sideline to sideline player who imposes his will as a tackler. His unique athleticism has slowed his development as a true quarterback of the defense, luckily we all know a guy who LOVES to develop guys like this…

The Patriots will most likely pick somewhere in the twenties, which means Moses could very well be gone by the time they make their selection, but he has all the makings of someone Bill Belichick would make a move for. After spending a couple of early picks on outside/developmental prospects last year, taking Dylan Moses would solidify the future of the defense and give you a real option for taking over the Dont’a Hightower role.

Everyone who’s watched college football in the past three years knows that Moses is the truth, and this week he and his Alabama teammates will get a great test as they face off against the formidable duo of Jimbo Fisher and Kellen Mond.

Seth Williams, WR, Auburn

• Matchup: @ #4 Georgia
• Gametime: 7:30pm
• Network: ESPN

Seth Williams is the dark horse in what is a very strong 2021 wide receiver class. We’ve mentioned Waddle and Smith from Alabama and the nation’s best receiver, J’Marr Chase, opted out so we won’t see him but Seth Williams is the name to look out for. With a receiver class this deep it’s almost a guarantee that a great talent will drop and I think it will be Williams. Though the production is through the roof (91 catches, 1,476 yards, and 15 touchdowns in 26 games) this year’s class is even more talented than last year’s record setter. Williams is a first round talent who could drop as far as the third round.

We all know the Patriot’s biggest need is at wide receiver so i’m not going to waste your time. They shouldn’t be scared of the bad drafting history. Keep drafting until you hit.

Williams is a good watch this week because Georgia has two of the top five cornerbacks in this year’s draft in Tyson Campbell and Eric Stokes. This should be his biggest test of the year in terms of one-on-one competition.

Until next time, follow me on Twitter @KeaganStiefel as I will be following along with all of the games.