State of Oregon Prospects Abound In Daniel Jeremiah’s 4.0 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings
By 750 THE GAME STAFF
Daniel Jeremiah is long known for his expertise on the NFL draft. Whenever he puts out an update it pays to look at what he says. For fans of the Oregon schools, Jeremiah’s updated prospect rankings show that the Ducks and Beavers will have some good draft picks.
The top prospect from the state of Oregon is Oregon State offensive lineman Taliese Fuaga. Jeremiah has him as his No. 10 prospect which is actually a spot lower than he had him in his 3.0 version.
“Fuaga has outstanding size, power and balance for the position,” wrote Jeremiah for NFL.com. “He lines up at right tackle, but I believe he could play on the left side if necessary. In pass pro, he has quick feet out of his stance and is explosive with his punch. He stuns rushers, stays attached and is always on balance. He is aware versus games and blitzers. In the run game, he is dominant. He uncoils out of his stance to strike and remove defenders over his nose. He creates movement on down blocks and always looks to finish. He is surprisingly nimble to reach and cut off on the back side. He takes good angles working up to the second level and made several de-cleating blocks against linebackers in the games I studied. Overall, I don’t see much weakness in Fuaga’s game. He has Pro Bowl potential at tackle — and if needed, could slide inside and play guard.”
Bo Nix is the top Oregon Duck coming in at No. 29 on Jeremiah’s list, which is the exact same as last time. Nix’s draft stock continues to be a question heading into the draft, but Jeremiah thinks Nix can be a first round pick.
“Nix is an experienced quarterback (61 starts at Oregon and Auburn) with outstanding accuracy and toughness. He has average height and a thick/sturdy frame. He is at his best in the quick-rhythm passing game. He has quick feet in his setup, scans the field with urgency and accurately delivers the ball. He has a compact release and generates velocity to drive the ball to all three levels. He shows touch to layer the ball over linebackers and under safeties. He is accurate on designed rollouts. He does need to improve habits under duress, though, as he occasionally fails to feel back-side run-throughs and also falls off some throws when faced with interior pressure. He’s an urgent athlete and is effective as a runner, especially on zone reads. His coaches rave about his leadership and toughness. Overall, Nix’s combination of competitiveness, intelligence and experience reminds me of Jalen Hurts coming out of college.”
Jackson Powers-Johnson has climbed the boards a ton since the season ended. The Oregon interior offensive lineman has a lot of buzz heading into the draft and Jeremiah has Powers-Johnson as his No. 30 prospect.
“Powers-Johnson has experience at all three interior offensive line spots and has spent time at defensive tackle, as well. He was outstanding at the center position in 2023, and that’s where I expect him to play at the next level. He has good size, exceptional quickness and steady balance. In pass pro, he sets vertically and is able to catch and absorb versus power rushers. He does an excellent job reworking his hands to maintain position and is a nasty helper when uncovered. In the run game, he uses his upper-body power to torque/turn defenders, generating a lot of movement at the point of attack. He is quick working up to the second level and takes good angles. Overall, there aren’t many holes in his game. I love his bulldog playing style.”
The last player from the state of Oregon is Ducks wide receiver Troy Franklin. Jeremiah has Franklin as his No. 42 prospect. One spot higher than he had him before.
“Franklin is a tall, lanky wideout with big-time speed. He lines up outside and in the slot. A very smooth runner, he almost floats over the turf. He can destroy coverage cushions very quickly. Franklin understands how to set up defenders at the top of the route, and he is very efficient at the break point. He caught a lot of fades and go balls in the system at Oregon. He can really track and high-point the ball, but does have some contact drops in traffic. He also struggles to corral balls on his back hip when he’s running away on crossers. Franklin piles up yards after the catch because of his pure speed. Overall, he needs to be more consistent with his hands, but he’s shown the ability to provide plenty of explosive plays for his offense.”
The NFL Draft begins Thurs. April 25th with Detroit, Mich. serving as host city.
Read the entire prospect list by clicking here.